32. ~Levi~

32

~Levi~

The big motherfucker went down hard again.

Thanks to me.

More specifically, thanks to the wrath I was channeling all my frustrations into.

The secret I was keeping from Brianna was weighing on me more with each passing day.

I'd listened to Mason's logic and reason, things that I'd normally refute and go with my instincts instead. But because of the agreement we had and the way things were going so well with the two of us, and all of us lately, I hadn't gone that route. I'd held back.

And it was killing me inside.

She deserved to know what was going on. It had a direct impact on her. It was as much a part of my dark and fucked-up past as it was hers.

Now there was another complication that had been thrown into the mix in the form of Chloe Anders. Her fucking timing of returning—even temporarily as I already knew it to be—couldn't have been worse.

The fear rolling through me of her fucking things up was a living breathing thing twisting me up.

And when I got like that, I tended to be… destructive.

So I was channeling it into a little street fighting.

Something Sammy had been really happy about, because I always brought in a hell of a crowd—and money for him—and I'd been away for a while immersed in Brianna and our foursome awesomeness.

The roided-out monster of a guy tapped out instead of getting up and coming back into the fight.

Pathetic.

Sure, he had a broken nose and bruised ribs, but that was nothing in terms of the damage I could really do.

As one of his buddies helped him to head out, I stepped out and walked to Sammy.

"That was a hell of a fight. You're really bringing the wild tonight," he said, slap-shaking with me, then tossing me a ratty towel to wipe my bloodied face. My eye was a little sore from a nasty hit I'd taken, and it was gonna leave one hell of a bruise. I'd wake up with a black eye tomorrow, no doubt. But it was nothing compared to what I'd sustained before during my training years.

And it certainly wasn't enough to purge what I needed to tonight.

"Give me another," I told Sammy.

"You sure?"

"You want to make money, or you want to worry about me?"

"Both, my friend."

I tossed the towel back to him. "I'm fine. Hit me up."

"All right."

I turned away and strode back into the fight space.

It wasn't two minutes before another guy joined me.

A guy about my size and a few years older with shaggy blond hair.

Sammy had just called the start of the fight when a sharp whistle rang out that stilled both my opponent and me.

I got a hell of a shock when I saw Brianna pushing through the riled up crowd.

I growled low in my throat when a bunch of them checked her out in her little pink skirt and her leather jacket, with a scoop neck hot-pink top beneath that did amazing justice to her breasts.

That antagonism was replaced by yet more shock when she stepped into the fight space and walked right up to my opponent.

I watched her slap a wad of bills into his hand and tell him something quietly.

He grinned happily, then gave her a chin lift and took off.

Then she moved into his place.

To take me on?

What was happening?

" Wildflower, what are you doing?"

"What do you think?" she bit back at me with an aggressive edge.

"I'm not fighting you. Ever. Step out."

She stormed toward me instead.

"How could you?" she yelled irately.

No, it was more than anger. It was… pain.

Disappointment and hurt—in me?

"Brianna, what—"

Her fist came at my face, the surprise of it actually managing to make me stumble back a step. And, damn, she had a solid punch. There was a lot of power in it, no doubt.

"You took my friend from me! Another mindfuck? Seriously? After everything we've been through, everything we'd worked through, and you do this? It's beyond fucked-up, Levi!"

I wiped a trail of blood out of the corner of my mouth. "It's not what you think."

"It's exactly what I think!"

" Wildflower—"

"Don't call me that!" she screamed. "And don't come by my place tonight! None of you!"

Before I could do a thing, she thrust her foot between my legs, making me choke and collapse to my knees.

And then she was storming off and disappearing through the crowds.

Motherfucker!

I swung my leg over my bike, finally able to ride out of the fight venue now the abuse to my balls had eased off enough.

I stilled on firing up my Harley and checked my phone again to see if she'd responded to any of my many text messages.

Nothing.

Fuck.

I was about to put it away and head back to the mansion to get Mason and Colt's input when my phone did buzz.

Instead of it being the one person I desperately wanted to text me back, though, it was something else entirely.

Blocked ID: You come after me, kiddo, I come after what you love. Just like back then.

A chill rolled down my spine.

Kiddo.

It's what he'd called me in that hellscape.

Levi: Royce.

Blocked ID: Clever boy. What's not clever is you coming at me and threatening to fuck me over with Malcolm. Bad move. You need a lesson.

How did he know? I'd been really careful like Mason had asked me to be.

Motherfucker, it had to be Kyle. He'd told Royce about my little visit, and it had enabled him to put the pieces together.

Levi: Cut the cryptic.

Blocked ID: I already told you. Coming after what you love. Still such a pretty little thing, isn't she? Even more so. Come at me again and the damage will be permanent.

Fucking Christ.

Brianna!