Page 122 of Merciless

“But he said—”

“A couple of the bruises are from him, sure. But the rest of it. Someone else.”

“Okay, and you’re down here telling me all about it, why?”

He shrugs and sits back, spreading his legs wide. His shorts pull tight against his thighs, letting me know just how thick and powerful they are.

My mouth waters as I wonder how he might look without them.

“I thought you might be interested to hear about the state I left my opponent in.”

“I really don’t give a fuck about whatever gangster you left fighting for his life tonight. He probably deserved it.”

“I love that you assume I won.”

“I’m not stupid, Reid. Your ego is too big to lose.”

“Too fucking right. And there’s no chance I’ll ever let your husband beat me.”

It takes a couple of seconds for his words to settle. But when they do, my chin drops and all the air rushes from my lungs.

I’m on my feet and in front of him in a heartbeat.

“You were fighting with Mav?” I demand.

“Bingo, Pet.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “He wouldn’t.”

“Because he knows he’d lose?” Reid offers.

Mav hasn’t fought properly in years. He got a pretty bad concussion and he gave up Friday night fight nights at the clubhouse. Something I was really fucking glad about. I’d seen one too many Hawks get dragged out of that ring and never return.

“You’re lying,” I spit, convinced that he’s just trying to bait me. “Who was it really?”

Reaching his busted hand into his pocket, he pulls his cell free. After unlocking it, he finds a video and hits play, holding it up for me to see.

My eyes widen as they settle on a blurry video of the man before me and my husband in the middle of a crowd.

“No,” I gasp, my hand lifting to cover my mouth as the two of them bounce around in front of each other.

The quality of the film might be questionable, but it’s obvious that it’s been going on for a while from the amount of blood covering them both.

“Keep watching, Pet. You want to experience me claim success, don’t you?”

I shake my head as my eyes fill with tears. But as much as I don’t want to watch, I can’t look away as Reid flies toward Mav, landing a powerful punch into his stomach before an uppercut to the jaw.

My sob echoes around the small cell as I continue watching the two of them fight before Reid throws one last deadly punch and my husband stumbles back into the crowd. Thankfully, they catch him, but he doesn’t get back up.

“NOOO,” I scream when the screen goes blank and Reid pockets it again. “No, please. Is he okay?”

Reid watches me cry for a few seconds before he pushes to stand.

His chest brushes mine. My nipples smart, it’s not the bad kind of pain, it’s the good kind, and I gasp, unable to stop myself.

Reaching out, he threads his fingers through my hair and drags my head back so he can loom over me.

I know I’m not exactly big, but he makes me feel like a little mouse as he gazes down at me. Like he could snap me in two with one quick move.