Page 24 of Bought By Torch

I make my way through the crowd, wanting to plug my ears. Everyone is betting on the second fighter of the night. They think the first one will tire Torch out, and that the second one will finish the job. Those have been my same thoughts all day.

“Did you say goodbye to that outlaw?” my dad asks as I take a seat. In all my life, I’ve never been so hurt by anything he’s done or said. But this comment stabs me right in the heart.

“Why would you say that about the man I love?”

He shakes his head. “Because he’s going up against the two most dangerous opponents in the circuit. Don’t need you getting your hopes up that he’s going to survive.”

I sit back against the booth, feeling my stomach knotting tighter.

“Don’t listen to your dad,” the woman named Lola says to me. She came with Deuce and Lauralyn this evening to watch the fight. From the moment she arrived, I instantly liked her. She’s real and kind and was immune to my father’s charms. He instantly started flirting with her, but she just rolled her eyes. “Torch has never lost a fight. And now that he has someone he’s fighting for, I can guarantee he’ll be winning tonight. I’m so certain, I placed two hundred grand on him.”

It doesn’t make me feel better, but I appreciate her trying. And I love her for giving my father a glare.

“If I’m right…” My father looks toward her. “Will you spend a weekend on my yacht with me?”

My father’s been trying to show off his money ever since she arrived. I don’t know what happened to the Portia girl, but she’s thankfully out of the picture. Now, my dad is trying to move in on Lola. I almost wish she would be charmed by him. She’s reallybeautiful and much closer to his age. I’d say she’s in her late thirties. The other one was my age, which is just disgusting.

“I would never spend the weekend with a man who bet against one of my closest friends. Now, if you don’t mind, the fight’s about to start.”

I rise from my side of the booth and go take a seat next to her. She instantly locks arms with me and squeezes my hand. “Promise he’s going to be fine, sweetie.”

I’m going to take her word for it.

As soon as Torch enters the ring, the crowd goes crazy, chanting, “The Exterminator needs to annihilate!” It’s obvious he’s the favored fighter tonight, which makes me feel a little better. When his eyes find mine through the crowd, him mouthing the words,I love you, my heart skips a beat. I blow him a kiss mouthing them back, and he pounds the left side of his chest and smiles. “This one’s for my girl,” he tells the crowd.

Lola’s hand squeezes tighter. “Told you. That man is going to clean the floor with those two.”

I hope she’s right.

My dad on the other hand looks angered by Torch’s display, or maybe it’s Lola’s reaction because she’s been dodging his advances all night. Finally, there’s a woman who isn’t after his money. In fact, she looks annoyed by the fact that he’s trying to lure her with his wealth.

The other fighter enters the ring, and everyone boos. I get up and do the same. But he doesn’t seem affected by the crowd’s dislike for him. He takes the microphone and gives Torch a snarl. “We’ll see whose name you’re chanting after I kill this fucker.”

That knot tightens, almost suffocating me in my panic.

The announcer comes on, then the ref starts the fight, and the air gets caught inside my lungs. I watch Torch dodge swing after swing, his body swiftly moving around the ring, keepinghis opponent bouncing on his toes. Another attempt, and I gasp as it narrowly misses his handsome face. I don’t want him to be injured. His nose, his jaw, his lips, his eyes—I don’t want any part of him marred.

Torch turns and then he swings. One hard blow to the man’s ear, and the guy drops like a fly, out cold. The ref enters the ring, counting down, and then he announces Torch the winner. Finally, air fills my lungs and I can breathe again. When his eyes find mine in the crowd, the knot loosens. He gives me a wink, exuding confidence, and my stomach flutters. The man still hasn’t regained consciousness and is being dragged from the ring.

“Next up is Crusher!” the announcer shouts into the microphone. “The man who’s been known to crush a man’s skull with his bare hands. This is the fight everyone’s been waiting for. Are you ready to find out who the true killer is? How many of you want one of them to leave in a body bag?”

The entire crowd goes crazy, and the sick feeling is back, especially when Crusher takes the stage and I see how big he is. And how mad he is. He looks to Torch and the warning he gives has me wanting to beg Torch not to fight him. “I’m taking you out once and for all, Torch. You’re going to be exterminated.”

“No, you won’t, jerk face!” I call out, and Torch’s eyes whip in my direction, smiling. “He’s going to kill you.”

Torch nods and gives me a wink, then he takes his place.

“Evian, you need to get ahold of yourself. You’re a Hemsworth. He’s an outlaw biker. You can do better.”

I whip my head in my father’s direction, fury raging through my veins. “I love that man, Dad. And if anything happens to him, I promise I will never speak to you again.”

He looks taken aback by my remark. I am also one who doesn’t give a shit about his money. He could cut me off andI’d be perfectly happy. The only thing that would break me is if Torch doesn’t make it out of that ring alive.

“The fight you’ve been waiting for, ladies and gentlemen. The Exterminator versus Crusher. May the best man live!”

I want Torch to knock out the announcer too for making that horrible comment. Why is everyone rooting for someone to die?

The ref blows the whistle, and the guys start circling the perimeter, both swift and steady, like two stalking lions trying to corner their prey. Crusher makes the first swing, but Torch dodges it with ease. It’s like he can see it coming from a mile away. Another attempt by Crusher, but Torch ducks and spins to the other side of the ring, chuckling. I don’t know how he can find this funny; I feel like I’m going to be sick.