Beat (The Beat and The Pulse #1) (20 page)

Smiling, I said,
“Don’t run off with any degenerates while I’m gone, okay?”

“Can’t make any
promises,” she replied with a wink.

Waving, I sauntered
off to the change rooms to prepare myself for my fight. Checking the board on
my way past, I saw that I was right in assuming I’d be up against Rogue.
Glancing at the bookie’s boards, my odds had gone down to four to one. Not bad.
Rouge’s had dropped from three to one to five to one. That had to hurt.

All eyes trained on
to me as I entered the fighter only area. I didn’t have to talk to anyone to
know exactly what they were thinking. Was I going to KO Rogue again? I didn’t
know, but I was sure as fuck going to try. I didn’t want to be that one hit
wonder, the fighter who got lucky once on her debut and never scored again.

“You’re mine,” Rogue
spat, slamming her shoulder into mine as she passed. I stumbled back a step,
dropping my roll of bandages. She was a bully, plain and simple, and bullies
didn’t like being beaten.

“Save it for the
cage,” I said blandly, bending over to pick up the bandages.

Not bothering to even
glance at her, I made my way back out into the arena as they were getting the
floor ready for the next round. Ash came bounding up to me, high on adrenalin,
and I didn’t have to ask him if he’d won or not.

He planted a kiss on
my lips, a hand curling around my ponytail and tugging hard. Our tongues danced
for a sweet moment before he drew back and smiled.

“You gunna serve
Rogue her ass again?” he asked.

I shrugged, totally
swooning at his sudden burst of playfulness. Things were good. Finally, I felt
like smiling.

“You won, I assume?”
I asked instead.

He stroked his
fingers through the length of my ponytail and puffed out his chest. “Of
course.”

I gestured to Josie,
who was watching our exchange with a smug look on her face. “Look after Josie
for me while I’m in there?”

Ash glanced up and
grimaced. “Sure.”

“Put a shirt on
first. I’m afraid she might lick you.”

He cupped my face in
a sweaty hand and kissed my forehead. “You got it, Spitfire.”

As the announcer
called out our names to the crowd, Rogue pushed past me again and stepped into
the cage like she owned the entire joint. She was cocky and overly sure of
herself. This would either be the hardest fight I’d ever been in, or the
easiest.

Stepping in behind
her, the cage door was secured and locked and it was just me, her and two
referees. Rogue toed her line and glared at me with the fire of a thousand
suns. Man, she was a ball of fury and all of it was aimed at me.

Remembering what Ash
told me about letting anger rule me in the cage, I took a deep breath as the
referee held up his arm. Rogue was letting her rage control her mind. This I
could use.

There was a shrill
whistle as the bout began and no sooner than the ref had gotten out of the way,
Rogue came forward swinging with a guttural scream. Leaning backwards, I felt a
gust of air as she missed my face by what felt like a millimeter. While I was
distracted and off balance, she kicked out and her foot connected with my knee,
making it collapse from underneath my body.

I felt to the mat
awkwardly, pain shooting up my leg. Rolling to the side, Rogue’s knee missed as
she came down with the full force of her body behind her. She landed on the mat
hard, crying out as she jarred her knee against the hard surface.

Taking advantage, I
scrambled to my feet and shoved her face forward onto the mat, pushing a knee
into her lower back. Wriggling out of my hold we fell onto the floor and
wrestled until I managed to fist my hand into her hair. I smacked her head into
the mat with as much force as I could muster. I felt the shockwave through my
arm and let go, scrambling back as the crowd roared my name.

Shit, I’d hurt people
in the cage before, but not like that. Not so brutally.

Rogue moaned and
struggled to her feet, swaying from side to side. Sweat and blood poured from
her brow as she staggered forward, her fists up in the guard position. I could
end this with one perfectly aimed blow.

She was so out of it
that when I came forward on the attack, she was too sluggish to counter
properly. My fist slammed into her temple and her head snapped back.

For one sickening
moment, she looked like she was about to fall, but she steadied herself and let
out a growl. The crowd held its breath as we all thought the same thing. She
was slipping.

Rogue’s head lolled back
and forth as she tried to hold on to consciousness. The crowd started thumping
their feet on the bleachers as her eyes began to roll into the back of her
head. When her body slammed into the mats, totally limp, they went wild.

I was well and truly
in the shit now.

Chapter 31

Ash

Fuck. Ren KO’d Rogue.
Again
.

I’d usually laugh at
that shit, but that would be like rubbing salt into an open wound.

Scanning the crowd as
the ref spun my Spitfire around in the ring, I caught sight of the ugly fuck I was
looking for almost instantly. He did not look happy. Hammer slammed his fists
against the bleachers and his gaze raked the crowd. When it found mine, he
jabbed a finger toward me, the warning plain in his crazy ass expression. Sore
fucking loser.

I made a note to keep
an eye on him and his ugly ass until the Championship bout. There were still
two rounds to go, but it was clearly me and him. I wouldn’t put it past the
fucker to try something. And shit, Ren just kept kicking them square in the
balls.

I wasn’t sure if I
should be proud or making her rein it in.

“Ren is a machine,”
Josie exclaimed beside me, drawing my attention back to the cage.

I never knew Ren had
a friend outside of Beat. The more I thought about it, the more it made me
sound like a total asshole. Of course she had friends. She did work at that
cafe around the corner, so it was inevitable, right? Ren was stunning, fierce,
a real firecracker...of course she had friends.

I watched Josie
staring at Ren as she exited the cage, her eyes like saucers. It was clear she
was out of her comfort zone. She was this together, uptight, corporate woman.
The Underground wasn't a place for a woman like her.

“What are you fucking
looking at?” Josie hissed when she realized I was staring at her.

“What's your fuckin'
problem?” I drawled.

“You,” she replied.

“What the fuck did I
do?”

“You let her come
here and get the shit beat out of her, that’s what!”

I stared at Josie and
grimaced. Yeah, but Ren fought me until she was blue in the face. I still
didn’t want her to be here, but who could fight that Spitfire when she wanted
something? Not even me.

“She fuckin' won,” I
said, rolling my eyes.

“She's not a bloody
beefcake Rambo wannabe,” she went on, oblivious to the crowd around us. “She's
not a steamroller like you. You mow everyone down like it's nothing. Ren has to
work for it like everyone else and when you work like that, you get hurt. Ren’s
not untouchable. As far as I'm concerned it's your fault.”

I narrowed my eyes,
starting to get annoyed. Never in my entire fuckin’ life…

“You hurt her, and
I’ll rip your balls off,” she said, jabbing a finger at me.

I gritted my teeth,
trying to rein it in because she was Ren's fuckin' friend, but when it came to
me hurting my Spitfire...she'd messed with the wrong guy.

“I’d fuckin’ die for
her,” I hissed. “I didn't want her to come here. I-” Turning away, I ran a hand
over my face.

Josie was staring at
me open-mouthed. “You love her, don't you?”

Catching sight of Ren
weaving her way toward us, I hissed, “Shut up.”

“So fucking jealous.”

I raised my eyebrows.
Fucking women.

Ren reached us just
as we were exchanging a less than pleasant look.

“You’re not arguing
are you?” she asked, glancing between us.

“I was worried he was
a douche,” Josie declared.

“And what's the verdict
now?” Ren asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

I glared at Josie, my
way of warning her to keep her smart comments to herself, but she just flicked
her hand at me.

“He's okay,” she
said, dismissing our little spat like it was nothing.

“Just okay?” Ren
replied, but I started to fade, my thoughts taking me from their conversation.

Did I love Ren? Could
I love her? Is that what this thing was? Every time I saw her, my heart did
this…
thing
. I didn’t know what the fuck it was, but it hurt. I wanted to
protect her, keep her safe from this place, from anyone that would see her
harmed. I wanted to keep her for myself.

Then every time I
thought about her, my cock stirred and all I could think about was fucking her
perfect pussy stupid. Tasting, biting, licking. Fucking her from behind, up
against the wall and ploughing into her with reckless abandonment. Sweat,
fighting,
sex
.

Was that love?

“Hey,” Ren whispered,
nudging me with her shoulder. “You okay?”

Rubbing my chin, I
nodded. “Yeah.”

“Where were you just
then?”

I didn’t know how to
tell her that I was trying to come to terms with all the things I felt for her,
so I just said, “My cock. Your pussy.”

Her lips curved into
a grin, then she was laughing, her whole face lighting up. She was so fucking
beautiful.

Leaning over so Josie
wouldn’t hear, she whispered, “How about...your cock. My mouth.”

Cue instant boner. My
eyes widened as a vision of Ren on her knees with hollowed cheeks slammed into
my brain. It was the only thing I could see and I nodded, leaning in for a
kiss. My cock in her hot, wet mouth. Fuck, yes.

“Yeah?” I brushed my
lips against hers.

“I thought you’d like
that.”

Rubbing a hand over
Ren’s thigh, I glanced at Josie who was staring at Hamish, aka Goblin, with
wide eyes. That was lust if I ever saw it.

“Let’s go back to
Beat,” I said. “And take her home before she gets knocked up.”

“Hey,” Josie
exclaimed. “I heard that.”

Ren laughed at her
friend and squeezed my hand. “He’s right you know,” she said. “You’re foaming
at the mouth.”

“Oh, fuck you,” she
said, trying not to laugh. Standing with a dramatic sigh, she stormed off down
the stairs, parting the crowd as she went.

“That’s a bit
dramatic,” I drawled.

“That’s Josie,” Ren
replied.

“You’re really
close?”

She frowned at me. “I
do have friends outside of Beat.”

“I figured.”

“Oh, you’re such an
asshole,” she said, her lips quirking.

“Does that mean I’m
not getting head later?”

Ren just laughed,
following her friend through the crowd.

Catching up to my Spitfire,
I leaned over and nipped at her ear. “The moment that door closes and we’re
alone, you’re delivering, Spitfire.”

She glanced up at me,
her face flushed. “Can’t fucking wait.”

Chapter 32

Ren

The Underground was
pumping.

Something was in the
air and even I could feel it, pinging against my skin like little crackles of
static electricity.

Josie had declined on
coming again, and just as well. I wasn’t going to let her back here. Not after
beating the shit out of Rogue again. I’d never forgive myself if something
happened to my bright and optimistic friend because of something I did in the
ring.

“Watch Rogue,” Ash
said as we weaved through the crowd to get ready for the night’s bouts. “You
beat her scrag ass two times in a row. She’s going to try something.”

“I know,” I replied.
“All eyes open, Maverick.”

I helped him get
ready for his first fight of the night, bandaging his hands, rubbing his
muscles, kissing him for luck. He didn’t need it, but I would’ve kissed him
anyway. While he was there all of my worries seemed to fade away, but the
moment he was gone, I felt eyes on my back, burning little holes into
me…warning what was coming. Because something
was
coming.

Ash went out for his
bout and I busied myself stretching and bandaging up my hands for my own bout
later on. I could hear the roar of the crowd as he went through the motions.
Not being there to watch him fight didn’t bother me as much anymore. I had
complete faith in his ability, although I loved watching his body move as he
dominated in the ring. My thoughts inevitably went to that first night we’d had
sex on the floor at Beat, his body over mine, our eyes locking in the mirror. I
almost had to fan myself and I bounced on my heels shaking my arms out. Fuck,
now I was horny for hot animal sex. Damn, I loved watching his body, in more
ways than one.

Glancing up, I saw a
male fighter watching me. I recognized him from a few fights I’d watched, but I
couldn’t remember if he’d met Ash in the cage before. I looked over his
physique and he grinned slyly at me.

Rolling my eyes, I
turned away. Best not give him the wrong idea.

The fighter sidled up
to me and before I could step away, a big hand clamped down on my ass and
squeezed.

“Hey,” I cried. “Fuck
off, asshole.”

“That’s no way to
speak,” he growled, trying to palm my other ass cheek. “I saw you lookin’.”

“That’s no way to
treat a fucking woman,” I retorted, turning and shoving his hands away. “I
wasn’t looking at you like that, asshole.”

Suddenly it hit me
where I’d seen him before. He was a part of Hammer and Rogue’s posse. Was this
her revenge? Getting some guy to come in here, wait Ash out, and try it on with
me? Try or
force
?

He stepped into my
personal space, crowding me back into the lockers. My back pressed into the
cold metal as he shoved his groin into my thigh. Okay, force.

I shoved him hard in
the chest with the flats of my palms and he backed off a step. I went to move
away, but he wasn’t done with me yet. Glancing around the change room, I
suddenly realized it had emptied out. Fuck. Shit. Ass. They’d planned it.

The fighter pushed me
back against the lockers, using the empty room to his advantage, but I was
having none of it. Just because I was winning fair and square and they had
their jocks in a twist over it did not give them the right to fuck with a woman
like this. Not me, not anyone.

With a growl, I kneed
the fucker in the nuts making him double over, right at the same moment that Ash
walked in and witnessed the entire scene.

I shoved the fighter
off me as he grasped his balls, his face turning red, but Ash strode up and
grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, slamming him head first into the locker,
a wild look in his eyes.

Fuck
.

The guy stumbled
back, blinking hard and all hell broke loose. I stumbled out of the way as
another two fighters came up from behind and launched themselves on Ash,
holding his arms. He’d done nothing wrong, he was just trying to protect me,
but here there were no boundaries.

“Get the fuck off of
him,” I screamed at them, but the guy who’d tried it on with me, stood to his
full height and pounded a fist into Ash’s stomach, making him double over, air
whooshing from his lungs.

“Assholes,” I
screamed beating uselessly at the closest man. He was too heavy for me to even
make a dint.

The fighter who'd
rubbed his cock against me, shoved me back into the lockers and Ash struggled
harder, trying to break free.

“Don't fucking touch
her,” he roared, but the only the answer he got was another fist, this time
connecting with his left cheekbone.

There was a shrill
whistle as a group of referees and security poured into the room, brawn
overpowering brawn, separating the fray.

Shit, an epic fighter
brawl over me? What had I gotten myself into?

“Enough!” The head
referee walked into the middle of the room, his voice thundering in the now
silent room. “You fucks know the rules. No fighting outside of the cage. If
this goes on, every single one of you will be disqualified. I don’t give a
flying fuck who you are or how much money you’ve got riding on your bout. You
fight outside the cage and you’re done.
Got it
?”

There were a few
grumbles and sideward glances aimed at Ash and I, like it was our fucking
fault.

“Did he hurt you?” Ash
asked, winding an arm around me. I felt the tension still coiled in his muscles
and I knew he wasn’t going to let this go. Not easily anyway and that kind of
frightened me a little.

I shook my head. “I
deflated his balls. If you hadn’t come along, his eyes would’ve followed.”

“You shouldn’t have
to fucking do that,” Ash growled, his fingers biting into my skin.

“No, but it’s done.”

“Fuck that.”

I grabbed his face in
my hand and made him look at me. His eyes were dark, which was bad news. “Ash,
don’t do anything to fuck up your Championship. Not over me.”

“Fuck the
Championship,” he spat. “I don’t give a fuck. I’ve told you before. I don’t
fight for the money.”

“Well, then leave
whatever this is,” I held a hand over his heart, “to the cage. Okay?”

Ash searched my gaze
for a moment, the noise around us falling away. After a moment of silent
deliberation, he nodded.

Sometimes the thought
of what was going through Maverick’s head scared me.

“Promise me,” I said.

Grinding his jaw, he
leaned his forehead against mine. “I promise.”

I was nervous every
time Ash went into the ring, but tonight, I was more than that. I was afraid.

I sat on the
sidelines as my Maverick entered the cage for his last fight of the night. To
add insult to injury, it was the douche bag who’d tried to force himself on me
in the locker room only thirty minutes before.

As Ash turned around
in the ring, eyeing the crowd, he looked ready to snap. He sure as hell was
saving it for the cage and who knew how this bout would end. The two men said something
to one another and from the tight expressions on both their faces, it wasn’t
anything good.

I’d seen Ash fight so
many times now, and each and every one saw him raw and powerful, totally
dominating all of his opponents. He had a control and precision that was still
present even when he gave himself over to the beast within. This time, even I
could see something was different. If I hadn’t witnessed his wrath before, I
would’ve said he was amped up for the fight, but that wasn’t the right way to describe
it. Ash was a ball of fury and he was just waiting for the chance to pay it
back a million fold.

As the bout began and
the crowd roared, they didn’t waste any time going for each other. The other
guy lunged, his fist going for Ash’s jaw, but at the last moment, Ash ducked
and rammed a shoulder into the guy’s stomach. With a cry, Ash shoved him back
into the cage, making the whole structure rattle. Maverick kneed the other guy
in the groin and then in the face, blood starting to drip from the fighter’s
nose.

The crowd started to
work themselves into a frenzy and I had to stand up on the bleacher to get a
better look. Bodies surged in front of me, my usual clear vantage point
obscured by heads and arms and my heart pounded. I couldn’t see what was going on.

I could hear the
smacks of flesh hitting flesh and male grunting, but who was hitting who, I
didn’t have a fucking clue. Shoving through the mass of people, I tried to get
to the edge of the cage, elbowing anyone who didn’t move.

It was utter chaos.
People crowded the walkways, the few security guards that were there were
trying to shove people back, but nobody was budging. I sandwiched myself
through any space I could shimmy into and it felt like an age before I felt
wire around my fingers.

The moment I reached
the chain link was the moment I saw Ash straddling the other fighter on the
ground, a feral look on his face, his fists pounding into the guy over and
over, the wet smacking sound of flesh hitting something wet piercing through
the roar around me. Something wet…blood. There was so much fucking
blood
.

The cage door was
hauled open and three heavy security guards and all the referees in the ring
piled on top of Ash, pulling him out of his frenzy and away from the other
fighter.

He’d snapped. Ash’d fucking
snapped. Totally and completely.

The crowd fell silent
as they pulled my Maverick off the guy’s inert body. He wasn’t moving.

Ash shoved the
referees away and circled the cage like a hungry lion, his torso and hands
splattered with blood. He did this for me. He did it for
me
. Realizing
for the first time the real lengths he would go to protect me, my heart thumped
painfully in my chest. I was going to pass out. Fuck, what if he’d fucking
killed the guy… When I said sort it out in the cage, I didn’t mean…

The full extent of
what The Underground really was started to hit home.

When Ash came around,
he saw me pressed against the cage and stopped in front of me. Breathing
heavily, I curled my fingers through the chain link, staring at him and falling
inch by inch into shock.

He brought his hands
up and curled his fingers over mine, making the people around me sink back,
finally giving me some breathing space. I fought the urge to do the same, and
stared into Ash’s eyes, willing him to come back.

He’d gone too far.
Way too far.

The head referee came
up behind Ash and put a hand on his shoulder, breaking the spell between us. He
blinked hard and turned and I did the same.

Fuck. Just…fuck.

I watched wide eyed
as they hauled the other guy out on a stretcher, the crowd craning their necks
to get a better look. I was desperate to know if he was still alive, if he was
going to make it, but I couldn’t tell. He wasn’t moving and the paramedics were
stony faced.

The crowd parted with
a hushed gasp as the cage door was kicked open yet again and Ash strode
through, being led off to the change rooms out back. Not heeding the whispers
and stares around me, I followed, pushing people out of the way.

He was going to get
kicked out, wasn’t he? Kicked out of a Championship again. And that guy. What
the fuck would happen if he died?

As I barged into the
change room, weaving my way through the legs of several bouncers, a referee
grabbed my arm and I spun to give him a serve.

“Calm down, Reign,”
he said.

It was the guy from
my first night. The guy who’d given me my stupid fighter name.

“I can’t calm down,”
I replied. “Did you see what just happened?”

“I saw it, alright.”
He worried his jaw. “Never in my life…”

“Is he- The other
guy-” I began and the referee shrugged.

“He’s going to live,
but it might not be pretty.”

Fuck. I sunk down
onto the bench and took heaving gulps of air.

“
Fuller
,” the
head referee roared, crashing through the line of security at the door.