Chapter Thirty-One

 

Faith

 

It was time for the fight. The energy in the pit was so electric the hairs on my arms stood on end. Everywhere I looked there were stacks of cash. The women all wore expensive dresses and jewelry that was probably worth more than all the money I had combined. There was a time when I thought living the luxurious life would be the best in the world, but now that I was in it, I didn’t want it, the costs were way too high.

Isaiah had stayed with me all day while Dominic, Micah, and Reed plotted out their plans and helped him work out. I had no clue how they were going to do it. They said the less I knew, the better. All I had to do was make Cadoc think that Dominic didn’t know anything about the meeting. It seemed easy enough, but I had to be convincing. It was a good thing I took drama in high school.

Isaiah kept a vigilant eye about the room as he walked with me over to the Corsino private table. Marco was there with Luca and when they saw me, Marco waved me over. They both looked serious which had me nervous.

“Hey,” I said, taking the seat beside Marco. Isaiah leaned against the wall and kept his eyes on the crowd.

Marco leaned in close. “The bids are up to ten million. We’ve never had anything of this caliber.”

“Who are they saying is going to win it?” I asked. My stomach dropped when I noticed him frown.

He glanced over at Luca and then back to me. “Most are saying Cartwright’s fighter will win, but that’s because he probably paid a lot of the people here to cheer for him. They aren’t even part of the other families. The Kazakovs, Rossis, Salvatores, and most of the O’Briens however, are betting in our favor. Then again, not many here know Dominic has a past with fighting. It’s one of his best kept secrets.”

Or there was something the Cartwrights weren’t telling us. “Have you seen their fighter yet?” Marco and Luca both shook their heads. I hadn’t even seen Cadoc or William yet. “I think I need a drink,” I said, getting to my feet. “I’ll be right back.” Isaiah followed me over to the bar and I ordered a straight vodka on the rocks. I tossed it back quick and hissed as it burned its way down my throat. “Want one?” I asked Isaiah.

He shook his head. “Not tonight. Once this fight’s over, I will.”

I didn’t know much about Isaiah, but he was loyal to Dominic and they weren’t even blood. “Have you decided what you’re going to do when Dominic leaves town?”

Isaiah averted his gaze and shrugged. “Haven’t decided yet.”

“Whatever you decide to do, make sure it makes you happy.”

A small smile spread across his face. “I wish I knew what that was.”

I placed a hand on his arm. “You will.”

Two women stumbled up to the bar, giggling and clearly drunk, but they ordered more drinks. One had platinum blonde hair and wearing a long, sequin red dress while the other had chocolate-colored hair and wearing a silky green gown. I moved over to give them space before they spilled their drinks on me. “Oh my God, he was seriously the best sex I’ve ever had,” the blonde said.

I looked up at Isaiah. “I think it’s time to go.”

The women continued to talk about the blonde’s latest conquest, but I stopped when I heard the name Cartwright. Isaiah glanced down at me and we slowly stepped back toward the bar. He kept his back to them, his body blocking me from view.

“I’m so jealous of you right now,” the brown-haired woman said. Her voice was more high-pitched and nasally sounding than the blonde. It was easy telling them apart.

“You should be,” the blonde laughed. “I watched him work out at the Cartwright’s gym and then afterwards, he fucked me right on the mat. I like it rough.”

Stepping away from Isaiah, I joined them and giggled as if I was drunk. “I think I’m jealous too,” I said, fanning myself. “It’s not every day you find a man like that.”

The blonde grinned. “Exactly. He’s one of the fighter’s tonight. Afterwards, we’re going out to celebrate.”

“He must be pretty good if you think he’s going to win.”

The bartender handed her another bloody Mary and she gulped it down. “How could he not? It’s Sean Porter. He’s the best underground fighter in the country.”

The brown-haired girl smacked her arm. “Shh … you can’t just tell everyone that.”

The blonde waved her off. “She’s drunk just like us. We’ll be okay.”

I pretended to stumble on my feet and grabbed onto Isaiah. “Got that right girls. I’m about to order me another one too.”

They took their drinks and waved at me as they walked away. Isaiah seemed impressed when he looked at me. “Nice job.”

“Thanks. I need to find out who Sean Porter is.” Pulling out my phone, I texted the name to Gabriella. If anyone knew who he was, it’d be her and Paxton. I tried Googling him and came up with multiple arrest records for assault. According to the pictures of him, he wasn’t much bigger than Dominic, but there were multiple scars on his face. I turned my phone to Isaiah so he could see.

Isaiah huffed. “Don’t know him.”

I waited for Gabriella to text me back, but she called instead. I rushed over to the Corsino private table to answer it. Marco and Luca weren’t there anymore. “Hey,” I answered quickly.

“Have you told Dominic who he’s fighting?” she asked, her voice frantic.

My heart stopped. “No, why?”

“Because he knows him. Sean Porter used to fight at the Dark Side. They hated each other. Actually, a lot of people hated Sean, including Paxton. The man who organized the fights never put Dominic against Sean. He knew he’d have the wrath of the Corsino empire run down on his head if Dominic was killed.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “Can Dominic win?” I asked, feeling my eyes burn.

Gabriella sighed. “Porter doesn’t fight fair, Faith. He wins by being dirty. In a fair fight, yes, Dominic could absolutely murder him, but Sean doesn’t know how to fight fair. He’s going to have something up his sleeve.”

“Thanks, Gabby. I have to go. I’ll text you later.”

“All right, girl. Dominic can do this.”

“I know he can.”

Pulse racing, I hung up the phone and grabbed Isaiah’s arm. “Take me to Dominic.” There was only ten minutes left till the fight. Isaiah pushed through the crowd toward the Corsino locker room. When we got inside, Dominic bounced on his feet, punching the air with fast jabs. He had on a pair of red and gold shorts with the Corsino name on them. Reed, Micah, and Connor stood around him, pumping him up with music.

Reed noticed me first and hurried over. “What are you doing back here?”

“Dominic knows the guy he’s fighting.”

Dominic jerked around, his eyes dark and animalistic. He closed the distance between us and grabbed me around the waist. “Who?”

I held onto his arms, not wanting to let go. There wasn’t much time. Marco’s voice could already be heard in the pit, announcing Dominic as the Corsino fight. “Sean Porter,” I said quickly. “He fought at the Dark Side.”

A deep growl vibrated in his chest. “I know who he is.”

I squeezed his arms. “He fights dirty, Dominic. I thought your fights weren’t like that.”

“They’re not,” he said, clenching his teeth, “but that’s not going to stop him.” He tapped my chin with his gloved hand. “Don’t worry about me. Once this fight’s over, the real one will begin.” He kissed me and rested his forehead to mine. “I love you, Faith. I promise not to leave you with Cadoc long tonight.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

Dominic let me go and Reed took his place. “Don’t do anything stupid tonight, you hear me? Is the tracker still in your bra?”

It was just a tiny button looking thing that attached to the fabric. “Yes. I’m all set.”

Isaiah gently grasped my elbow. “We have to go. Marco just finished Dominic’s announcement.”

Dominic walked over to me one last time and pressed his lips to mine. “See you soon, beautiful.”

I closed my eyes and listened to the crowd cheer as he made his way to the ring. Isaiah escorted me out of the locker room, and just as we were headed to our table, a figure stepped out of the shadows.

“Good evening, my dear,” Cadoc greeted.

Isaiah stepped up to my side, but I shook my head. “It’s okay, Isaiah. I need to talk to him.” Isaiah snarled at him and moved away to give us space.

Cadoc chuckled. “I must say, I’m shocked right now,” he said, turning his sly grin toward Dominic. “I heard rumors that your boyfriend was going to fight, but I didn’t believe them.”

“It’s a shame you couldn’t be up there with him,” I backfired. I would’ve loved to see Dominic kick his ass.

Cadoc’s grin slightly faded and I loved that it hit a nerve. “I have to announce my fighter, but I wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight? Might be kind of hard to get by your bodyguard.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve done it before. I can do it again.”

His eyes twinkled. “I’m assuming you didn’t tell Dominic?”

I stared at him as if he bored me. “If I did, he’d probably have me handcuffed somewhere.”

That amused him. “I have no doubt. It’s not like he’ll be able to stop us anyway once the fight’s over.”

“You make it sound as if he’s going to lose,” I hissed.

He shrugged. “Guess we’ll see.”

Yes, we would.