8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

PAVAL

The adrenaline pumping through my veins is like a drug I never want to stop taking. My heart is nearly beating out of my chest, sweat pouring down my back as my opponent growls at me. I love that his anger is directed solely at me, his large movements making it easier to move out of the way. However, I'm not seeing him. I see Ada—Tia's mother—the woman who is the reason for all of this. I see the pictures my fathers have shown me over the years staring back at me, a woman who believes she is owed access to her child.

The thought of rearranging her face excites me, even if in real life, I'll never get that close. "Come at me, Ada," I whisper, blinking through a trail of blood that runs down my face. I relish in the pain, loving when my opponent's face twists in horror as I lick the blood from my lip.

"It's Heath, you asshole. Everyone thinks you're so fucking strong but you're just crazy, aren't you?"

Those words might hurt someone but not me. I understand my obsessions and the violence I crave. It's no secret to me or my fathers that I'm wired slightly differently. Hell, even Tia knows that I'm always looking out for her in a way that would make most people probably call the police. She doesn't know about this side, though.

She wants me to still see her as the angel I believe she is. Well, I hope she never sees me as the devil that I am.

To my opponent's words, I merely tilt my head and crack a wider smile, waiting for him to charge. This will only work if he continues to attack. My head hurts too much to duck and weave to throw a punch on the inside. Of course, my opponent is stupid enough and charges as I stick the memory of Ada's face on his, letting my anger and helplessness charge my fists.

Each connection with his face and chest brings me joy, the grunts flying from his stupid lips drawing a cackle from the depths of my soul. Blood clouds my left eye's vision but I don't stop, dancing around this monster of a man that I've forced to embody everything I feel about Ada. "You think you could just come back for your daughter? Just thought slipping in here to take her from me would work? You should know better than that when it didn't work twenty years ago. When your stupidity got you caught." My opponent grows increasingly confused by my rambling but it's not his job to understand.

It's just his job to fall to the ground.

Which isn't happening.

I throw a bit more force behind my fists, following him to the stage floor as I wail on him, making sure that he feels the pain I want to deal Ada. Before I get my fill, someone is dragging me off, confused excitement erupting into the arena.

"Just me, Pav. Breathe. What the fuck are you doing here? Don't answer that."

Tia drags me off the stage and through a crowd, the chaos not dying down until I'm in a small room toward the back. She pushes me to sit on a bench, my gaze darting around the room as the pounding in my head increases. A large male steps in after us, his expression softening when he sees me. I'm not as nice, though, jumping to my feet.

"Is he the one who hurt you?" I grab the man by the neck and thrust him against the wall, wincing as a sharp pain explodes behind my eyes. I try to shake it off but that macho man in the ring must have actually done damage. It takes me a few moments to realize I have Cairo in front of me, the fighter letting out a moan when my fingers tighten.

His eyes darken with lust and I immediately release him, looking over to Tia for help. She lets out a bitter laugh, guiding me to sit down again. "Meet Cairo. My boyfriend."

"You brought her down here?" I accuse Cairo, the man shaking his head. Tia isn't really explaining anything and it's becoming increasingly hard to think. Or blink. Or stay awake. "Tia?" I feel helpless and confused, unable to understand why she would be here but all those secret meetings with those suspicious men are starting to make sense.

Tia dabs at a cut above my eye, spending more time than necessary before speaking. "I told you that I wasn't perfect, okay? I don't have the nice little life you do and school doesn't pay for itself. One thing led to another and I take care of the bets." That doesn't explain anything.

I weakly reach up to catch her arm. "The black eye," I push out, finding it hard to form the words.

She sighs, sitting beside me and taking my hands into her lap. "Paval, I know that you want to protect me from anything and everything but I got myself into this mess. It comes with the territory."

"Bullshit. Who ?"

Cairo cackles as he approaches. "Goddamn, he's like a rabid animal, I love it." Tia's man is confusing to me. He's pretty. Like really pretty up close. Those blue eyes and faded haircut make him look like he's walked out of a magazine—not just out of a stage fight. He's also larger than I am, muscles lining his shoulders, arms, and torso. And yet, his words are flirtatious and soft.

He's warm and while I don't want Tia anywhere near this world, he seems like the safest option. Cairo grins down at me, his tongue coating his lips as his gaze rakes over my body. A tingle of desire grows in my stomach before I push it down. I'm not sure I want to entertain that.

My heart is with Tia.

There isn't anything left to give.