Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 92368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
I look at Ares, and he must see it on my face as he grabs hold of me and lifts me over the barrier.
I hotfoot it to the ring, running up the steps.
“Zeus!” I cry.
His head swings around to me. He gives me that beautiful, cocky smile of his.
And I smile so big, my face might crack.
Then, I’m pushing past people to get to him. I reach him and jump into his arms, knowing that I will never leave them again.
We’re in the dressing room. Just me and Zeus. The doctor just left after finishing examining the cut under Zeus’s eye. Thankfully, it’s not too bad. It didn’t need stitches. He taped it up. But it still looks really swollen. He’s going to have one hell of a black eye.
Zeus is sitting on the examination table. I’m standing between his legs, his hands resting on my hips.
“So, I have something to tell you,” I say to him.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yep.”
“Good or bad?”
“I’d say, good.”
“Hit me with it.”
“No more hitting tonight, okay?” I quip.
He rumbles out a laugh. “No more hitting,” he agrees.
“Okay.” I take a fortifying breath, holding on to the courage I’ve been building up all day. “So, I think—”
I don’t get to finish that sentence because the door swings open, and in comes Marcel, surprisingly alone, but he doesn’t close the door.
Then, I spot a security guy standing outside the door.
Zeus’s whole body instantly tenses up, his grip on me tightening.
I couldn’t move if I wanted to, and I don’t. I want to stay exactly where I am, so hopefully, Marcel will get the message that he’s not wanted, and he’ll disappear.
Wishful thinking, I know.
But the fight is done. Zeus no longer has a contractual obligation to him.
“What do you want, Marcel?” Zeus barks.
“I just came to congratulate you on the win. You made us both a lot of money tonight.”
“You’re not welcome,” Zeus dryly tosses back.
But the words just bounce off Marcel. The guy has the hide of a rhino.
“Zeus, come on. I know we’ve recently had our differences. But we’re both man enough to see past that when there are bigger things at stake. Now that you hold all the championship titles, your value has just gone through the roof. If you stay with me, the fights I can bring in will make you richer than Mayweather.”
Zeus laughs, not a hint of humor in it. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
Marcel looks at Zeus like he doesn’t understand the words he just said.
“We’re done here, Duran.”
“Zeus, don’t be stupid. We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars.”
“This isn’t me being stupid. This is me being smart.”
Marcel’s eyes flicker to me and then back to Zeus. “You’re making a big mistake, Zeus. You won’t fight again without me. I’ll make sure of it.”
Zeus tips his head to the side. “Who said I wanted to fight again?”
Marcel laughs a patronizing sound. “What are you gonna do? Sit around, being her bitch, all day long while she bleeds you dry? You’re being an idiot, Kincaid.”
I expect Zeus to get angry. But he doesn’t. He just stares at Marcel.
Then, he starts laughing. And it’s a real genuine laugh, like he’s laughing at a joke that only he knows the punch line to.
“What the fuck are you laughing at?” Marcel bites, sounding rattled.
Zeus lifts his shoulder, laughter still rumbling inside his chest. “Guess you’ll find out soon enough.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Marcel’s beady eyes narrow into slits.
Zeus’s face turns serious. “What do I always say to you, Marcel? There are two rules in life. The first is, never give out all the information.”
I remember Marcel saying those exact words to Zeus six weeks ago at his apartment, and a smile creeps onto my face because I have a feeling that Zeus knows something he’s not letting on about.
He previously said to me that he had something happening in the background when it came to Marcel. Maybe that’s finally happening.
“You’ve fucking lost it,” Marcel yaps as he heads for the door. “Too many hits to the head have made you even more of a dumb fuck than you already were.”
“Uh-huh,” Zeus says, grinning. “Piece of advice for you, Marcel. Don’t bend over in the shower.”
Huh? Don’t bend over in the shower?
Marcel’s brows crash together. “You’re a fucking freak. Have a nice life with your bastard and your stripper,” Marcel imparts before disappearing out of the room.
Zeus growls as he tries to move me aside and get off the examination table to get to Marcel, but I’m not budging.
“Zeus, he’s not worth it,” I say, gripping hold of his arms. “It doesn’t matter what he says.”
Zeus’s brows are tight with anger.
“He only said it to get a rise out of you. If you went after him, you’d be giving him exactly what he wanted.”
He exhales a sound of sheer frustration. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just fucking hate him, thinking he can say whatever shit he wants about you and get away with it.”