Page 30

Chapter

Thirty

FRANKIE

I held my breath as River stepped into the ring.

This was it.

The past two weeks of training had led to this exact moment.

The semis and either the beginning—or the end—of it all.

We lost to Base One Gym in our first versus fourth match. St. Luka’s beat Neurosport. Right after, Base One wiped the floor with Neurosport, kicking them to a confirmed fourth.

That meant winning here was our only hope.

We had to beat St. Luka’s, or we could kiss our careers goodbye.

And based on River’s determined expression, he wasn’t leaving the damn ring without a W.

He tapped gloves with Vinny, and the bell sounded.

Punch, block, kick, uppercut, jab, duck, leg sweep. Over and over, they traded blows until the bell sounded and the round ended. I massaged River’s shoulders while Ari fed him water.

“Fucker’s got a mean left jab,” River said. “He’s trying to break my ribs.”

“Then break his in return,” I said.

“If he dies, he dies,” Ari mimicked Drago from Rocky 3 before grinning. “But he has to die first, okay? We kind of need you here.”

River winked and threw her his towel. “And I can’t disappoint you, can I?”

I rolled my eyes and stepped down for the next round.

Round two was the same, then three. As I was wiping River’s forehead before the start of round four, something caught my eye.

Not something—someone.

Scotty Green.

The fuck was he doing here? The Circuit had banned him from official spaces after Ari gave them her evidence.

He stood next to Terrence from Base One gym and handed him a Gatorade. But then Terrence moved his hand, and I saw it wasn’t just a Gatorade.

A small plastic baggie stuck out between his palm and the bottle.

They shook hands and Terrence went over to his teammates, gesturing with his head to the doors. They left the venue, oblivious to my eyes tracking their every move.

Jesus fucking Christ, now it made sense why Terrence beefed up so fast over the course of the Circuit.

He was fucking juicing.

All of Base One was.

If we somehow managed to win this fight and get into the top two, we were next on their juiced-up chopping block.

And Bones, River, and Teo’s bones would be a full-course meal in Vegas.

The bell rang and signaled the end of the break. River threw me his damp towel, and I stepped down to the sidelines.

But I couldn’t focus on his match. I kept looking over to the doors, waiting for Base One to return.

What the fuck were we supposed to do?

How were we supposed to compete with cheaters?

I should have expected this. Shit stains like Scotty Green didn’t simply disappear when you told them no.

Guess he hadn’t needed us to find a buyer.

I’d believed we were done with him, but he clung to us like shit on our shoes.

I needed to tell the others, but Ari was so hyped up, screaming at River as he danced around the stage. Teo, Bones, and River were in the locker room, getting ready for their matches.

And River was holding his own against one of the Circuit’s toughest.

But how long could he do the same against a ’roided-up fucker like Terrence Hudson—especially when he was already a wall of muscle to begin with?

The crowd roared to a fever pitch. River charged at Vinny and knocked him back against the ropes. He connected punch after punch to Vinny’s face and chest until the ref came over to pull them apart.

The venue went nuts when the referee held up River’s hand. Cameras flashed. The announcer yelled his name into the microphone. River ripped out his mouth guard and screamed.

Ari jumped next to me, clinging to my arms as she shouted River’s name.

Normally, her excitement would be infectious.

But this wasn’t normal. None of this was.

Even as River descended the steps to join us, smile as handsome as ever, the only thing I felt was dread.

The finals were about to be a bloodbath.

And we were standing right in the middle of it.