Uppercut Princess (The Heights Crew #1)(74)

“Respect,” I tell her. “Not just for this fight, any fight.”

I stare at her, gaze narrowing. I’m hoping she sees something inside me that’s inside her. From her point of view, I can understand why she won’t agree right away. Anyone has to admit it looks like Big Daddy K is throwing the fight.

“I’m good,” I tell her. “Skilled. Practiced. I don’t care who you put me up against, the fight will be a good one.”

“Just ask your guard,” Johnny says, nodding toward the piece of shit who’s probably still nursing a stomachache.

Roza turns her head to glance at the guard to her right. He nods, and it dawns on me then that his little show of overt affection might not have been an accident at all. She would’ve wanted to test me. To see if I was just a decoy Big Daddy K was sending in.

“If he touches me again, he’ll get worse,” I say, driving the point home.

Roza stands, and Big Daddy K follows. She extends her hand and Big Daddy K shakes it. “I accept your terms,” Roza says. “The fight will take place next Saturday. Neutral grounds. The back parking lot of the abandoned mall should be sufficient.”

Big Daddy K agrees. “We’ll expect to hear your choice in fighter tomorrow.”

“No need,” Roza says. “The girl will fight Evan.”

And like that, Evan steps forward. I hadn’t been looking around at anything other than what was in front of my face, but I don’t know how I missed this guy. He’s a little smaller than Brawler, but that doesn’t mean a thing. He’s tall with long arms that reach past his hips. His reach is going to be a bitch to handle. He’s also muscular, but the kind of muscles that come with functional training instead of lifting. In other words, the guy’s a beast, and I would’ve gladly fought anyone else in the room but him, including Magnum.

I nod at him, and he nods back at me. A show of mutual respect that I like, but it doesn’t last. He licks his lips, then presses them together in a mock kiss in my direction.

Johnny stiffens next to me, but I play along. I wave my fingers at him like a southern belle. “See you next week,” I say.

As we’re walking out to the car, I’m already in fight mode. My mind races with ideas of attack, the coming hours of training I’m going to have to fit in.

If I lose this fight, I’m done. I’m not dumb enough to think that if I lose, Big Daddy K will forget all this. It isn’t as if he’ll just punch me playfully in the arm and say, “Aw shucks. That’s too bad.”

If I lose this for him, not only do I lose his trust, but I’m dead.





26





Johnny and Magnum drop me off at my apartment building at the orders of Big Daddy K. It was decided Magnum will be my Evan stand in since they have similar builds. I don’t doubt they have similar skill sets, too. He’ll be a tough sparring partner; one I’ll need to get me in shape for this.

Johnny walks me up the stairs, his hand in mine. It’s odd seeing him here in this shithole of an apartment now that I’ve seen him in places of luxury. Now that I look at him, he does look a little out of place here, like he doesn’t quite fit.

He’s been tense on the car ride home, even while coming up with a plan. It isn’t until we’re outside my door, away from prying ears, that I have the courage to ask him what’s wrong. I’m supposed to be his girl, right? That’s a question girls can ask, and I have a feeling no one ever asks Johnny how he feels.

The tension leaves him, his shoulders falling. “It should be me fighting, not you.”

My first reaction is to laugh. There’s no way Big Daddy K would put up his own son. That’s just asinine. Johnny’s stoic though. He truly means what he’s saying. The thought pulls me up short. “That’s admirable,” I say. I shake my head because that couldn’t sound even less romantic than if I tried, so I try again. “We all have our roles to play in this,” I tell him, leaning down to catch his eye. “This time, it’s me who’s fighting.”

His jaw locks, and a fury crosses his face I haven’t seen before. “If he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”

The conflicting thoughts in my head all jumble together. Instead of expressing any of that, I say, “You know you can’t do that. A fight’s a fight. Whoever wins, wins fair and square.” The look Johnny shares with me next tells me he’s also figured out that if I don’t win, I won’t be around either. For whatever else he is, it does seem like he has at least some feelings for me. He may not understand them all, and he certainly doesn’t express them in the right way, but they’re there. “Tell you what,” I say to him. “When I win, I’ll let you nurse me back to health.”

Johnny’s lips twist. Hunger flashes in his eyes. “I like the sound of that.”

I’m not stupid enough to think that if I were to lose, Johnny wouldn’t just find another girl the next day, claim her, and be having this same conversation with her somewhere down the line.

It makes my heart ache for him. Being caught up in all of this, he doesn’t know what true feelings are. He doesn’t know the pure bliss of having someone care about you, or the heartache when it gets taken away. I guess that’s one thing that can be said for losing someone. At least you know how much it meant when you still had it. At least it tells you you loved someone with so much energy that it makes you die inside when they go. I have a feeling Johnny will never feel that.