much?”
The guy licked the corner of his lips and eyed me in the mirror again. “A grand.”
“No way. Not for a sparring dog. He’s not worth that to you. I’ll give you a hundred bucks for him.”
“Five,” the guy said, turning into the motel lot.
I was running out of time. “Two-fifty,” I said, “and another twenty-five for gas money since you saved my ass.”
He considered the offer for a minute. “Fine. He’s yours. I’ll take it out of your share of the winnings.”
“Winnings? Nobody said anything about winnings. How much?” I wasn’t sure I wanted money earned for fighting in an underground match, but I hadn’t planned how I was going to take care of Danny. I needed the cash.
“Depends on the number of bets, but there was a big draw tonight. I’m thinking your take is probably around five grand.”
I nodded, not letting the shock and mixed-emotions of relief and guilt show. “How’s Rollo? Do you know?”
He shook his head. “Not good, man. Alive, but not good.”
I inhaled deep, trying to dull the acidic pang of regret creeping up my throat. How could I take money I earned from illegally beating the shit out of Rollo? For losing control?
Danny shifted beside me, reaching a finger through the bars of the puppy’s cage.
How could I not take the money?
For her.
That’s why I did this to begin with, and whatever it took from me, I’d see it through. I’d lose everything if it meant saving her—not turning my back on her this time. “Come on,” I said to her, opening the car door. “We’ll take him inside. You can name him.”
Her face lit up, her blue eyes gleamed and she was the same Danny I knew when I was twelve. My Danny.
“I’ll drop the money off here tomorrow,” the guy said. “You’ll be here?”
I thought of Austin and the fight. Could I make it? What would I do with Danny and the dog? Bring them with me? I ran into this blind without a plan. What possible plan would’ve played out like this though? “I’ll be here,” I said.
Somehow in the past few hours, I’d gone from an up-and-coming semi-pro MMA fighter on the brink of going pro to a man who might have permanently injured Rex The Renegade, a man responsible for a drug-addicted, emotionally-damaged woman and a mutt meant to be sacrificed.
“I’ll be here,” I said again, because where the hell else was I going to go now?
Refuge In The Woods
Once upon a time Princess Danielle woke to a rattle at her bedroom door. Fearing it was the evil Baron Striker¸ she curled into a tight ball under her covers and squeezed her eyes shut tight.
She heard the doorknob turn and then familiar whispers. “Princess?” Sir Alex said.
She sat up and sighed in relief. Sir Alex and Sir Tyler stood just inside her open door.
“Come with us,” Sir Tyler said. “We found something today near the pond at the end of the lane.”
The three of them tip-toed through the castle, peeking around corners for the baron. Once outside, moonlight lit their way. Her nightgown swished as she ran, desperate to keep up with the two knights. They’d never leave her behind. She wished she was bigger and didn’t hold them back.
“There,” Sir Alex said, stopping and pointing up into the trees on the far side of the pond. “Do you see it?”
“Is it a tree fort?” she asked, squinting into the darkness.
“Something like that,” Sir Tyler said, taking her hand before she tripped over a fallen log. “It’s used to spot game while hunting.”
“Let’s go up,” Sir Alex said, taking the lead around the pond.
The ladder was almost rotted through, but held them as they climbed, one by one, up to the platform in the highest branches of the old elm.
“You can see for miles,” Princess Danielle said, spinning in a slow circle. “The castle doesn’t look so big from up here.”
“This can be our secret spot,” Sir Tyler said. “When we need to get away and hide. When the time comes to run. The other two will know
The guy licked the corner of his lips and eyed me in the mirror again. “A grand.”
“No way. Not for a sparring dog. He’s not worth that to you. I’ll give you a hundred bucks for him.”
“Five,” the guy said, turning into the motel lot.
I was running out of time. “Two-fifty,” I said, “and another twenty-five for gas money since you saved my ass.”
He considered the offer for a minute. “Fine. He’s yours. I’ll take it out of your share of the winnings.”
“Winnings? Nobody said anything about winnings. How much?” I wasn’t sure I wanted money earned for fighting in an underground match, but I hadn’t planned how I was going to take care of Danny. I needed the cash.
“Depends on the number of bets, but there was a big draw tonight. I’m thinking your take is probably around five grand.”
I nodded, not letting the shock and mixed-emotions of relief and guilt show. “How’s Rollo? Do you know?”
He shook his head. “Not good, man. Alive, but not good.”
I inhaled deep, trying to dull the acidic pang of regret creeping up my throat. How could I take money I earned from illegally beating the shit out of Rollo? For losing control?
Danny shifted beside me, reaching a finger through the bars of the puppy’s cage.
How could I not take the money?
For her.
That’s why I did this to begin with, and whatever it took from me, I’d see it through. I’d lose everything if it meant saving her—not turning my back on her this time. “Come on,” I said to her, opening the car door. “We’ll take him inside. You can name him.”
Her face lit up, her blue eyes gleamed and she was the same Danny I knew when I was twelve. My Danny.
“I’ll drop the money off here tomorrow,” the guy said. “You’ll be here?”
I thought of Austin and the fight. Could I make it? What would I do with Danny and the dog? Bring them with me? I ran into this blind without a plan. What possible plan would’ve played out like this though? “I’ll be here,” I said.
Somehow in the past few hours, I’d gone from an up-and-coming semi-pro MMA fighter on the brink of going pro to a man who might have permanently injured Rex The Renegade, a man responsible for a drug-addicted, emotionally-damaged woman and a mutt meant to be sacrificed.
“I’ll be here,” I said again, because where the hell else was I going to go now?
Refuge In The Woods
Once upon a time Princess Danielle woke to a rattle at her bedroom door. Fearing it was the evil Baron Striker¸ she curled into a tight ball under her covers and squeezed her eyes shut tight.
She heard the doorknob turn and then familiar whispers. “Princess?” Sir Alex said.
She sat up and sighed in relief. Sir Alex and Sir Tyler stood just inside her open door.
“Come with us,” Sir Tyler said. “We found something today near the pond at the end of the lane.”
The three of them tip-toed through the castle, peeking around corners for the baron. Once outside, moonlight lit their way. Her nightgown swished as she ran, desperate to keep up with the two knights. They’d never leave her behind. She wished she was bigger and didn’t hold them back.
“There,” Sir Alex said, stopping and pointing up into the trees on the far side of the pond. “Do you see it?”
“Is it a tree fort?” she asked, squinting into the darkness.
“Something like that,” Sir Tyler said, taking her hand before she tripped over a fallen log. “It’s used to spot game while hunting.”
“Let’s go up,” Sir Alex said, taking the lead around the pond.
The ladder was almost rotted through, but held them as they climbed, one by one, up to the platform in the highest branches of the old elm.
“You can see for miles,” Princess Danielle said, spinning in a slow circle. “The castle doesn’t look so big from up here.”
“This can be our secret spot,” Sir Tyler said. “When we need to get away and hide. When the time comes to run. The other two will know
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