Chuckling, Griffin smiled at Mateo, and there was something so cold and calculating about it. “Relax, you’re being petulant like a child. I said no to you buying her, but … I might have an offer for you.”
“Done,” Mateo said without hesitation.
Another chuckle from the man in the suit. “You don’t even know what the deal is.”
“Don’t care. She’s mine, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.”
“And that’s what makes you weak. You're not thinking with the right head.”
“I'm thinking that I invested time and money into molding her just how I wanted her to be, and I'm not about to give that up because you wanted to play games that could have gotten me in trouble with the cops. Tell me the deal.”
“You box for me.”
“Box?”
“You're good, I've seen you train. I also run an underground fighting ring, and I think you'd be a wonderful addition to my team. If you win enough fights, you can pay off the debt and then own her at the end.”
“Done,” Mateo said again.
“No, Mateo, you can't,” she protested, trying to turn him around to face her. She didn't want him to get hurt for her, and she had no idea what an underground fighting ring entailed. What if they fought to the death? There was no way she could handle losing him.
“I can and I will,” he said, not even sparing her a glance, and she could feel the determination humming through his system. “When do I start?”
“Tonight,” Griffin said.
This time, she didn't take no for an answer. Ally grabbed at Mateo, forcing him to look at her. “You can't,” she pleaded. “You're already hurt. You can't go and fight tonight.”
His expression was tender as he finally met her gaze. “Don’t you know by now, little mouse, that I'd walk through fire for you? I’m doing this. I’ll win tonight. I’ll win tomorrow. I’ll win every night until you belong to me.”
August 22nd
9:26 P.M.
It didn't matter that he had one eye swollen shut, that he probably had a couple of cracked ribs, that his entire body was a patchwork of blues, purples, and blacks. Mateo had to win this fight.
There were literally no other options.
If he didn't win, he lost Ally.
And if he lost Ally, then she would be lost to the trafficking world.
He was under no illusion that Griffin wouldn't always choose what was most profitable for his business. If that was cutting his losses, ordering Mateo’s death, then selling Ally off to a no doubt very willing buyer, that’s what he’d do.
For now, his boss had accepted the hundred and twenty-five grand, and he seemed pleased with his plan to use Mateo to fight in his underground fighting ring. Of course, he knew about it,that’s where he’d first contacted Griffin and Azure, but he hadn't been expecting to be shifted to working a different job.
In his mind, the only options had been either Griffin accepting the offer to buy Ally for himself or rejecting it and killing him. He had, however, been expecting to be stripped naked, strung up by his wrists, and beaten.
Now those bruises littering his body were going to be a hindrance to what he had to do tonight. They wouldn't stop him from doing it, but they would make it that much harder. Still, whoever he was going to fight tonight wasn't going to be fighting with the same motivation. There was no greater motivation than fighting for the life and freedom of someone you loved.
And he loved Ally. She had slid her way easily inside his heart, and he didn't want to kick her out. If that made him selfish, then it made him selfish. He wasn't going to spend the rest of his life trying to be the opposite of his family. Trying to be the selfless, unfeeling undercover hero had backfired and got his girl trapped in this hell. Maybe the opposite would free her.
Right as he finished wrapping his hands, the door to the locker room swung open, and Griffin walked in, Ally at his side. He hadn't seen her since Griffin dropped his bombshell that Mateo would be fighting for him. Ally had begged him not to do it, the fear for him evident in her voice, her expression, the way she clung to him, but he’d told her it wasn't even an option in his mind. Griffin hadn't even let him kiss her goodbye before having him dragged out of the room and down to the gym.
Now he ignored his boss, stalked right across the room, and grabbed his girl, yanking her into his arms. After holding her clutched to his chest for a moment, he pulled back, keeping one arm around her waist, while he hooked a finger under her chin and nudged her face up. He needed to see her eyes when he asked, so he would know if she was lying to him.
“He hurt you?”
“No,” she said, her soft voice washing over him like a balm, eradicating the pain thrumming through his system, and replacing it with pure determination.