Page 23 of Nicoletta
I quickly shower and dress. Then I stick the knife into the inside pocket of my cut and head back to the cage. When I get close to the bleachers, Smoke and Blood greet me with back slaps and congratulations.
I play along as the big winner, then reach down and grab Nicoletta’s wrist. I drag her to her feet, then pull her behind me. When we get far enough away from the bleachers and the pounding noise, I spin her around and pin her shoulders against the brick wall of the gym.
I reach into my cut and pull out the knife. The lights shimmer off the long, thin blade. “Wanna tell me where this came from?”
CHAPTER 9
NICOLETTA
I gasp, and Bolt cocks his head, a deadly sneer covering his face.
“I don’t wanna hear any bullshit excuses, or worse, telling me some fuckin’ lies.”
“You don’t understand,” I murmur.
“Nah, babe, I understand it real clear. You already admitted you tagged me that first night, although you did leave out the part where you planted the murder weapon on me.”
“It wasn’t like that.” My words sound weak, even to my ears.
Bolt’s lips twist into a smirk. “So, humor me, tell me what it was like. Tell me how you thought you could set me up . . .” He slaps his palms against the bricks only inches from my head, leans in, and shouts, “With the fuckin’ murder weapon.”
I shudder, seeing and hearing the outlaw loud and clear. “Let me explain.”
“Ahh, no, babe, you had plenty of chances to explain, but you didn’t.”
“I tried a few times, but . . .”
“But what? You were too busy letting me get you off? I’msureBradleynever fucked you as good as me, but afterwards, when you were lying in my bed, you could’ve spit out the truth.”
“I did try earlier, then the Harlots showed up and?—”
Bolt takes a beat, then, “That’s what you wanted to tell me?”
“Yes, then when you asked me about it at The Tropics, I decided to wait until after your fight.”
For a few seconds, I thought I convinced him. Until?—
He shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter.”
“I understand you’re mad, but?—”
“Mad? Mad doesn’t even cover it. You fuckin’ played me now for days. Not to mention the first night when you literally planted a murder weapon on me.”
“But that was before I knew you. I was desperate and?—”
“Save it, babe, ain’t gonna work.” Bolt shakes his head. “One of the first nights you were here, Smoke suspected you planted the knife in my apartment, but I told him no. I said, there was no way you killed that fucker, Brad, but I guess Smoke was right all along.”
“No, no, I didn’t kill Brad.”
“Yet you got the murder weapon.” He holds the knife in front of my face. “Little too late for that, babe.”
“No, you don’t understand.”
“You keep saying that, when I’m seeing all this shit clearly for the first time.” Bolt huffs out a breath. “Gotta say, you did a good job. You really had me believing you, really thinking . . .”
“That goes both ways.” I narrow my eyes. “Maybe you wanna explain that little show with Gina after your fight.”
“The bitch is hot for me.” He shrugs. “Just giving her what she wants.”
