Page 63 of Sinister
Sin’s gaze darkens as he keeps it on me. “I know.” His voice lowers an octave and sounds truly terrifying.
“Fuck,” Rome curses beside me. “Let me step in.”
Sin narrows his eyes at Rome. “Get the fuck out of the ring.”
“Come on.” Chaser grips my wrist and leads me out, leaving Sin and Rome to stare at each other in the middle while everyone else clears out. Nickolas conveniently stands at the back of his frat area watching on in amusement.
We climb down the stairs and stand beside the ring waiting for Sin’s opponent. “What the hell is he doing?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“More importantly, what the fuck were you doing?” Chaser glares at me. “Why were you about to fight their best female contender?”
“Doesn’t matter anymore.” I’m so pissed at myself and even more pissed that I’ll never get the information from Nickolas now.
Sin moves to his side of the ring after a heated discussion with Rome, who exits the ring on the opposite side of us and disappears. The MC climbs back in and takes the microphone once again but doesn’t announce anything. I watch on in horror as a guy, who clearly does this for a living, climbs into the ring and points at Sin.
“Holy fuck.”
“Shit. Fuck. Stay here and don’t move.” Chaser disappears into the crowd, who are now deafeningly loud.
There’s no announcement. No introductions. The MC invites the two into the center, grabs both their hands and lifts them in the air once before escaping the ring to watch the horror unfold. Without skipping a beat, Sin lands a closed fist blow to the other guy’s face, making him stumble back in shock.
It’s on then, fists connecting with flesh, blood spirting and gut-wrenching kicks. I can’t look away as they beat each other senseless. They’re evenly matched but it’s clear the guy from the Hearts Frat is more conditioned for fighting in the ring than Sin. He closes in on Sin and hits him blow after blow to the face and ribs, making Sin back up into the barrier, cornered and unable to get out of there.
It looks as though the other guy is winning when Sin finds strength from fuck knows where after all those blows and manages to punch the Hearts Frat guy in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground. At the same time Sin drops to the floor, unable to stand from his injuries.
My ears ring and I’m a ball of anxiety as the MC and all the frat members rush into the ring and carry both opponents away on stretchers. Standing outside of the cage, rooted to the spot, I’m afraid if I move my legs will give way. The ringing in my ears is so loud it drowns out the cheers and screams of the crowd. It’s as though I’m having an out of body experience, with everything around me continuing and I’m just stuck in one place.
I have no idea how many minutes pass with me standing stock still, unaware of my surroundings, until a gentle hand touches my shoulder and makes me jump. “You startled me.” I place my hand on my chest to stop my thumping heart from jumping out of me.
“He’s asking for you and only you. He won’t let anyone else near him.” Chaser stares down at me, panic dancing behind his eyes.
“Fuck!” I shove past Chaser as dread drops into my stomach.
I push past the crowd as they gear up for the next fight, their eagerness to see blood shed makes me nauseous. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t agreed to get in the ring for information about my parents, Sin wouldn’t have felt the need to sacrifice himself for me. He’ll make me pay for this in the worst possible way and there won’t be a damn thing I can do about it.
Opening the door, I can see him lying on his back on an examination bed in the dim light, his legs bent at the knee, staring up at the ceiling. He’s covered in blood, his face already swollen from the blows he copped. I slide in and close the door, the loud click not even making him turn to look at me. I can tell he’s murderous in the way he’s controlling his rage with his breathing. I’m positive he wishes he could strangle the life out of me right here and now.
My heart thunders inside my chest, my anxiety peaks as I look at him. I don’t know what to do or say so I stand against the door like a fucking coward.
“Aren’t you going to say thank you?” His scratchy voice fills the small room.
I swallow the bile that threatens to burst out of me as I look over his injuries. “You didn’t need to do this.”
“Do you know what my father would do to me if I let you get hurt?” He turns to glare at me, his acidic stare burning through me. His face is fucked up, almost unrecognisable.
“I doubt he’d do anything,” I whisper, more to myself than him.
Sin sits up slowly, his pain obvious from the hissing escaping his mouth. “You’re so stupid, Monroe. My mother and father have spent the entire time you’ve lived with us making sure they made up for their fuck up.” He holds his hand protectively over his ribs.
“I’m not stupid, Sinisa. I know they’ve gone above and beyond for me. I know you all wish I’d disappear out of your lives so you all can stop having to fucking take care of me!” I shout at him, tears threatening my eyes.
“If only it were that simple. My parents would turn the world upside down looking for you and drag you back here.” He gets off the examination bed and stalks toward me. His steps are deliberate and calculated as he approaches. Towering over me, the hatred in his gaze scares me. “Don’t you think I’d do the same fucking thing?” He leans down so his face is closer. “Don’t you know how much you fuck with my head?” His low voice shakes with rage.
“Sin.” I flinch back against the door, afraid he’s about to unleash years of pent-up anger and hatred on me. My eyes focus on the split in his lower lip and how the blood still oozes out of the wound.
“No, of course you fucking don’t.” He places his finger under my chin and angles my face up to his.
I stand my ground. I knew this would blow up one day. I knew he’d need to get his rage out eventually, only I never imagined it would be in a small, closed room. “Sin, stop. You’re lying.”