Taking Chances (Taking Chances #1)(101)

“You do not.” I smacked his chest playfully.

“I do. I thought guys stared at you too much when we first started dating, you should see it now. It's frustrating the hungry looks in their eyes when they look at you.”

“Liar.”

“Harper,” he turned my chin so I was looking at his green eyes and talked soft and low, “Maybe me telling you you're beautiful isn't helping, so let me try another way. I know you think you look bad, but you're sexy as hell. Pregnancy looks damn good on you. Trust me. It takes everything in me not to rip your clothes off and finally make you mine despite what the Doctor says. And when other guys look at you, I see that look on their faces, they're fantasizing about the exact same thing.”

I rolled my eyes but planted a quick kiss to his lips anyway. After filling up my cup with frozen yogurt, I leaned into him and whispered, “It was a little fun. I flashed my ring their way when you kissed me.”

Brandon's next laugh bounced off the walls, “That's my girl.”

A male employee helped put the toppings on and took our cups to the register, there were now three girls huddled around it staring at Brandon. Brandon huffed a light laugh and shook his head as he wrapped an arm around me to pull me outside. We ate our Pinkberry in his Jeep in the parking lot and he had just turned the car back on when his phone rang. It was Scarecrow, Brandon put it on speaker.

“Man you gotta be there, this could make us more than we've ever got before. I already have a few bets and they're high.”

“I'll be there, where is it?”

Scarecrow gave him an address and Brandon cursed, “I can't I have Harper with me, we're already ten minutes away, I wouldn't be able to get back in time if I took her home.”

“Come on man, don't do this to me. The bets are only going to be this high if you're the opponent. I need you.”

Brandon looked at me and took a deep breath in and out of his nose, “Fine. But you keep an eye on her, if anything happens to her, my next fight will be against you. Got it?”

“HELL YEAH! I knew my boy wouldn’t let me down. See you in a bit.” He hung up before Brandon could say anything else.

“I'm sorry sweetheart, but I have to take you. If you don't want me to go tonight, just tell me and I'll call him back.”

“Well I don't, I never want you to go. But I know this means a lot to you.”

He brushed his knuckles along my jaw, “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too. Call your guys, I'll call Konrad and Jeremy.”

By the time I was up on the platform with Crow; Breanna, Konrad, Jeremy and one of his friends were arriving and making their way towards us. They were surprised to see me at such a big fight, but after explaining our date and how he wouldn't have made it back they understood and the boys made a loose circle around Bree and I. I had accidentally been elbowed in the stomach pretty hard not too long ago, and that had been the last big fight Brandon took me to, ever since then I get boxed in whenever I'm allowed to come.

Scarecrow was jumping up and down and couldn't stop laughing and smiling. He finally leaned in and told me if Brandon won, he would be bringing home at least forty-five hundred. I blanched, that could only mean the guy he was fighting was really good. The most Brandon had ever made was three thousand. He introduced them, and the fight began along with my uncontrollable shaking. Bree held my hand, she knew how much I hated this. The fight seemed to go on forever, both fighters equally getting in good punches and kicks. Brandon finally got him on the ground and almost choked him out before the other guy, who went by the name “Demon”, tapped out.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and Bree and I laughed shakily and hugged. Scarecrow hugged us hard and started out to the ring. I looked back at my fiancé who was riling up the crowd on the opposite side of the basement we were in. I saw Demon push someone away that had been yelling at him and charge toward Brandon, just as Brandon turned back around, Demon punched him so hard Brandon's body went stiff and fell to the ground. Demon sat on top of him and began punching him again and again until Scarecrow and some other guys pulled him off. Scarecrow rushed back over to Brandon but he wasn't getting up and he wasn't moving. I was screaming and trying to run to him, but there were multiple pairs of hands holding me where I stood. I kept getting flashes of Chase's limp body on the stretcher, his lifeless hand in mine. Bree's hand was gripping my arm so hard, I had no doubt she was seeing the same thing. A few guys helped Scarecrow pick up his body to carry him out of the room, and I broke away from whoever was holding me to get to Brandon. He was breathing, but he wasn't opening his eyes or responding to anything.

It probably wasn't the brightest idea, but there was a hospital less than a mile away so the guys carried him up the stairs and put him in the back of his Jeep. Jeremy jumped in with me so he could drive after tossing his keys to his friend. Konrad said he'd follow us there. Jeremy jumped out and ran into the E.R., when he came out he was followed closely by nurses with a stretcher. They took Brandon back to an exam room but made us stay in the waiting room. I collapsed into Jeremy's side and bawled my eyes out. I'd seen Brandon knock guys unconscious, but after a minute or smelling salts, they always woke up. Brandon didn't. There was no way this was happening.

Bree, Konrad and Jeremy's friend rushed in together, Bree was crying just as hard as me. Konrad's face was ashen and blank. This was too much for what we'd seen just over three months ago.