166 Chapter 166

Seraphina’s POV 1

“I knew you’d call eventually. They always do.”

The smugness in Rico’s voice made something cold and angry twist in my gut.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I snapped. “I’m calling because I have questions. That’s all.”

“Fair enough.” He sounded amused. “Ask away.”

I paced my tiny apartment, my free hand clenched into a fist. “This underground fighting thing. How dangerous are we talking?”

“Dangerous enough to be interesting. Safe enough that most fighters walk away in one piece.”

“Most?” My voice went up an octave. “What about the ones who don’t?”

“Injuries happen. Broken bones, concussions, the occasional knockout that requires medical attention.” He paused. “But we have doctors

on site. Good ones. And insurance.”

“I want to see it first,” I said. “The venue. A fight. Everything. Before I make any decisions.”

Silence on the other end. Then Rico laughed.

“Smart girl. I like that. Most people are too desperate to ask questions.”

“I’m desperate,” I admitted. “But I’m not stupid.”

“No, you’re definitely not.” Papers rustled in the background. “Alright. There’s a fight tomorrow night. Nine PM. You can come watch, see

what you’d be getting into. No commitment.”

“Where?”

He gave me an address in the industrial district. “Look for the blue door. There’ll be a guy named Tommy outside. Tell him you’re my

guest.”

“I’ll be there,” I said, and hung up before he could say anything else.

I stood at the bus stop, staring down the street at abandoned warehouses and broken streetlights, seriously reconsidering every life

choice that had led me here.

A text from Mr. Peterson lit up my phone: *“11 hours until eviction. Hope you’re packing.”*

I shoved the phone back in my pocket and started walking.

The address Rico had given me was three blocks down, tucked between two buildings that looked like they’d been condemned sometime

in the last decade. The street was empty except for a few cars that probably cost more than my yearly salary.

166 Chapter 166

The blue door stood out like a beacon. And beside it, exactly as promised, was Tommy.

He was huge. Not just tall–massive. The kind of size that made you think twice about everything you’d ever done wrong in your life.

was surprisingly gentle for someone who looked like he could bench press a

me. To

didn’t

“Sera.”

phone, checked something, then nodded. “Go on in. Straight down

you.”

I’d expected. White walls, fluorescent lighting, the distant

building if not for the sound growing louder

something else that made my

wet, brutal sound of fists

as I

pushed the

noise hit me first. A wall of sound so loud it felt physical–music blaring, people screaming, the

all like a knife.

the ceiling, casting everything in harsh whites

And finally, the ring.

like an altar to violence. Professional ropes, padded corners, bloodstains on the white canvas

hadn’t quite

Two women were fighting.

a word. They were destroying each

bigger, maybe five–foot–nine with muscles that suggested serious

they collided it was with a force that made

She

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

his eyes fixed on the ring with the kind of reverence most people

museums.

choked out. “That woman is

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166 Chapter 166

woman is making three thousand dollars tonight,” Rico

Five thousand dollars.

trying to process that number. Five

the smaller woman landed a vicious elbow strike to the blonde’s ribs. The crack echoed through the warehouse,

blonde went down hard.

streaming from her nose, her eyes wild with something that

screaming encouragement and curses in equal measure.

drop.

into the blonde’s solar plexus. The blonde

snapped her head back.

blood. So

the jaw. Now both women were bleeding, both staggering, both fighting

lives depended on it.

Maybe they did.

The referee stepped in, separating them.

Medical staff rushed in with water and towels, trying to

Rico explained. “Three minutes each, one minute

blood into a bucket. Her corner man was shouting

nodded, took a drink of

Ready for more.

“Time!”

t

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