Get Off on the Pain(69)

The crowd goes wild as I circle around him, waiting for him to get back to his feet. It takes him a few seconds until he’s steady on his feet, coming at me.

We go on back and forth for a while, maybe a good twenty minutes, before I blank out and swing over and over again, letting out all my rage until Ryder is gasping out for air and pulling at my clothing.

Realizing that Ryder is struggling, I stop and hold him up so that he doesn’t fall backwards onto the cement. I tilt his chin up so that his eyes meet mine and I whisper, “I could kill you if I wanted to, but I’m better than that, better than you.”

I release his shirt and let him fall down onto the ground. I look out into the crowd and flex my jaw as they go wild, screaming out my name and chanting, “Finish him.”

I shake my head and start heading for the ropes, just ready to get the fuck out of here, but am stopped by two of Asher’s men, blocking me in.

The tall one with a beard down to his chest places his hand out. “You hear the crowd.” He nods his head over in Asher’s direction. “The boss said to finish him.”

“Fuck you!” I grind out before looking at Asher and yelling for him to fuck off and go to hell.

The guy grabs my arm, but I punch him in the throat before elbowing him in the jaw.

I see Asher rise from his seat, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to exit the ring anyways. I don’t even get one leg out of the ropes before a whole group of his men surround the ring, trapping me inside.

I turn to face Asher. “I won’t do it. I’m done. It’s over.”

Asher claps his hands while walking up to the ring. “It seems Memphis here wants to put on a show for everyone.” He looks around him. “Are you fuckers enjoying the show?”

The crowd starts screaming and this only seems to please Asher more. He lets out a chuckle and starts rolling up his sleeves while nodding at his men to make their moves.

A couple men drag Ryder out of the ring while a huge guy about six foot five enters the ring. He looks me up and down with a smirk while circling around me.

“You refuse to obey my orders, Son!” Asher shakes the ropes while eyeing me up. “Then you will take Rio the fucking Giant down . . . and I do mean down. Or he takes you down. You got me?”

I clench my fists at my sides and take a deep breath. This guy can’t be serious. He really wants blood here tonight. “Fuck you,” I growl. “That wasn’t what we agreed on.”

Asher laughs before his face turns dead serious. “No. Fuck you, because only one of you fucktards will be left standing.”

Then, without another word he walks away to stand in front of his precious fucking chair. He’s watching us with a smirk, knowing that he’s won. One of us will take our last breath tonight.

I feel my blood boiling now. I should have known it would come to this. There’s no way I’m walking out with my life. Either way I look at it, I lose. I refuse to let my hands take another one’s life again. I won’t fucking give him the fight he wants. He wants to see me struggle. He wants to see the beast come out that he’s heard about. Well here’s a big fuck you to him.

Standing up straight, I stand in the middle of the ring and stare Rio right in the face. I’m not a coward. I won’t do what someone else wants me to do just to give him a little show. It’s not in me.

Rio swings at me, but I don’t make an attempt to dodge it. It connects hard on my left cheek, sending me into the ropes.

I stand up straight again and prepare myself for another hit. Before long, Asher will realize that he isn’t getting what he wants. He’ll either stop the fight or have me killed. Either way, whether I fight or don’t fight . . . someone dies tonight.

I take another swing to the face and then another, before I hear a soft voice in the crowd calling my name.

As the voice gets closer I realize that it’s Lyric.

My blood runs cold, and for the first time in a long time I feel helpless.

Rio is still taking swings to my face when I spot Lyric’s caramel hair from the corner of my eye. She’s running toward the ring, screaming and crying. All I can think about is how Alex allowed her to come here. That means that they’re both here. I’m going to get us all killed.

“Memphis! Please fight. Please fight back. They’ll kill you. Please!” Right as she gets close to the ring Asher scoops her up and starts pulling her through the crowd. I see her swing out and punch Asher over and over. It doesn’t seem to bother him though. He looks . . . proud.

I feel an adrenaline I’ve never felt before surge through my body and before I know it I’m plowing my knee repeatedly into Rio’s face, screaming out. When I release his hair, he falls to the cement and I am jumping through the ropes to get to Lyric, my body so sore that I almost scream with each movement.