Damn it! That first punch knocked me on my ass, I wasn’t expecting it. But he also never expected me to get back up. He’s fast. Antonio’s picked well. Every strike I make he makes two more. I can taste my own blood. My head’s sore, the adrenaline keeping me going. It feels like a good five minutes of nothing but solid punches until I finally pick up the black bat. He does as well, and he steps back. I step forward.

He has a smile on his face like he knows he’s about to win. I don’t want to give him that satisfaction, I’m here for more than just money. I’m here for a life, Barbie’s life in particular. And I’m not leaving until I have her with me.

Quinn has direct orders. If I’m to die in the ring, he’s to do all things necessary to get her back. Even if that means killing everyone here. Which I think about doing several times every second while I’m here.

My name’s shouted, and it distracts me for a moment. Just enough for him to clock me across the jaw. My feet step back, and I quickly step forward. My hand with the bat strikes first, followed by my own fist. I’ve gotten in several solid hits before he’s able to hit me back.

The crowd starts cheering, or chanting. I’m not paying attention. I can hardly work out what they’re saying. But all it takes is one minor distraction, of blonde hair, for him to get in his hit. It knocks me back to the ground, and the Arena goes quiet. He starts hitting into me, the bat followed by his fist, followed by his feet. He’s damn fast I’ll give him that. But he doesn’t expect my feet to move just as fast. I knock him, so his head slams back into the ground, the moment I heard the crack, I’m on him and beat him until his eyes no longer open and his face is nothing but blood.

Everything falls silent, and I manage to stand back up. Everything’s sore, even my toes. Isn’t that a weird feeling? Why would I notice that my toes are sore? Then I can feel the blood dripping from my eye, feel the swelling on my lip, and feel the cracked rib as if I can’t breathe.

Cecilia walks back out to the stage. She’s one of the girls we collected at the very beginning. When I was still learning. She’s good, too good to be here. But that’s why he keeps her, because she’s good at what she does. And Amy even likes her, and that cunt doesn’t like anyone. Unless it’s herself, then she’s in love.

“Gentlemen, it seems we have a winner. Mr. Lord is still on top, and those that bet against him, I hope for your sake he never finds out.” Cecilia laughs and looks around the room. “Now let’s give him another round of applause, and I expect every one of you to buy him a drink. Especially those that bet against him.” She taps my shoulder, softly as she puts down the mic. She follows me down the stairs, but before we reach the bottom Antonio’s voice comes through the mic, “You didn’t kill him. You cannot claim what you came here for if you do not kill him.”

Cecilia looks at me, then her eyes search across the room. Following her line of sight, I see her. Barbie is seated next to Amy, who seems to have a hold on her. I look around the room spotting Quinn, I motion with my head to where she is. Walking back up the stairs, Quinn throws me a knife as he walks around to where she’s sitting. This place is no weapons, they can’t stop me from bringing in my own. I reach the man, he’s still passed out, and in one swift movement I cut open his neck. He bleeds out everywhere. I look up to Antonio. He’s smiling as he watches me. He wanted to see that side of me. Plus, now he knows a weakness of mine.

There are two things in this world that you should never do.

One—owe someone a favor. Unless you plan on killing them.

Two—let someone know your weakness.

I’ve done both now within the span of a few years. I’ve royally fucked up. But that doesn’t matter because I’ll give everyone the same treatment they just gave this man on the floor, whose blood now soaks the bottom of my feet.

As I pass Cecilia she doesn’t look to me, and I don’t look at her as I walk straight over to where Barbie is seated. I can’t see her face because Quinn’s now blocking my view, but when I reach them Quinn steps back, and that’s when I see the blood on her, her red face, and Amy sitting there smiling brightly, holding her.

Everything in me boils. It’s the last damn straw of my sanity, and it’s snapped. With the knife still in hand, I step up closer and lean down and kiss Barbie’s cheek, the sore one. Whispering in her ear, so Amy can’t hear, I ask her a straightforward question, “Did she do that?”

Barbie confirms with a look down, and a small, “Yes,” leaves her beautiful lips softly. Then I insert my knife fast into Amy’s bare leg right next to Barbie’s. She screams loudly, so the room goes silent. Antonio stands so he’s right near me.

Anger radiates from him. “You have some nerve, Lord.”

My lips turn up in a smirk as he snaps his fingers. A group of men come out all holding guns in their hands which they raise and point at me. I shake my head at them, and him. “Do you think that’s smart, putting a gun to my head?”

Antonio looks to his wife, who still has the knife implanted in her leg.

I reach down and pull it out. Her hands cover her wound, and Barbie sits there smiling. “You think you can let your whore touch what’s mine and me be okay with it?” I ask, looking back.

Quinn nods his head, his hand on his belt where his gun is located. He passes me one, sliding it into my hand as I reach around the back. Pulling it out in front of me, Antonio looks to it.

“What’s the bet that I finish you before a bullet touches me.”

His eyes scrunch in anger. “You wouldn’t.”

I step up close, the gun lifting to his head, and I touch it to his temple. “If you don’t tell your men who the boss is, I’ll fucking do it in an instant.” He breathes heavily. “Tick, tock.” I click in his ear.

“Stand down.”

I look around as all their guns drop. “Now tell them... tell them who the fucking boss is, Antonio.” Half the room has cleared out, so now it’s mainly his men and us. They could finish me if they really wanted to, but I would take a whole lot with me. Antonio’s eyes fall on me, he doesn’t want to do that. He doesn’t want to show weakness. Not in front of his men who will now think less of him anyway. “Michael knows who’s the boss, you need to know as well.”

Antonio pipes up at his brother’s name. “You... you are boss.”

I lean into his ear. “Say it fucking louder.”

“You are boss.”

I step back, dropping the gun, and look down at Barbie. She’s holding her leg where it’s bleeding. Amy’s seated next to her still crying.

“Do you want to hurt her?” I ask.

Barbie looks up to me, then Antonio. She’s unsure.

“Slap her, the same way she did you, Barbie. I can see her handprint right there on your cheek.” She touches her cheek, and Amy stops crying and starts to beg her husband to save her. He won’t because he can’t. No one can save that bitch now. She’s just lucky I don’t put her in a body bag where she belongs. “I told you not to touch her.”

Amy automatically shuts up, and Barbie stands from her spot on the couch and looks down at her. “You were so mean, for no reason whatsoever. “You beat me, for no purpose. Why?” she asks her. Amy looks at me then back up to her, her hand still covering her leg that’s bleeding.

“You don’t deserve him. You’re just a younger version of me. You think you’re prettier? I see the way they all look at you. Even him...” She points to Quinn next to me. “They all used to look at me like that.”

“So it’s jealousy,” Barbie asks her, confused. You beat me because you were jealous?”

Amy smiles brightly, her teeth showing, and Barbie’s hand lifts and slaps her straight across the face. We all hear the sting, and as I go to step up to touch her, she does it again. Hitting her again. “You fucking bitch, I couldn’t move because of you. Could hardly breathe.”

I grab her around the waist and move her back, so she isn’t close to her anymore. Amy’s always been vindictive, but this is a new low.

“You better remove your wife before she leaves here in a body bag,” I threaten Antonio. He looks to his men, and the guys come over picking her up and carrying her out. “Barbie.” She looks back to me but doesn’t make a move to touch me. I look to Quinn, and he takes her by her hand and removes her from the room.

Now standing beside me is Cane. I didn’t even see him come over, but it feels good to have more than one loyal person near me.

“Our deal has ended,” Antonio says sitting back down on his seat.

“Your brother filled me in on a few things. You want what’s mine. Do you think I should let that slide?” He didn’t know I knew that they were related. Michael let it slip the night before we left. When he was telling me his brother’s plans on taking it all over, stepping out of the club and into my role, I wasn’t going to let that happen. No fucking way.

“He’s lying,” he says, shaking his head.

My body is starting to come down from the adrenaline. I can feel it wanting to drop. “No. No, he wasn’t. But you seem to be hellbent on trying to take what’s mine. Even the girl.”

“That was payment, you knew that.”

“That’s about to stop. I’m changing the rules.” Quinn walks back in next to me. “From now on no payments for a life. If I take a life, I’m allowed to take a fucking life. Do you want to know why I can take a fucking life?” I lean in close to him, my blood dripping on his clean white trousers. “Because I’m the fucking boss and what I say goes. Now repeat it.”

Antonio doesn’t want to. He wants to hurt me more than he’s ever wanted to in the past. But I have proven myself tonight, and I have the upper hand now. He thought I’d be dead. He changed the rules last minute, and yet here I stand.

“You’re the boss.”

I shoot the gun into the air, it cracks the roof’s drywall making pieces drop all around us. “Now I don’t want to hear from you a-fucking-gain unless it’s business. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, boss.”

I stand up tall. Then walk out to the entrance. “Where is she?” I ask Quinn. He takes the gun and goes to grab me because I’m close to passing out. I can feel it.

“In the car.” He opens the door, and I see inside the car. But I don’t see her. All that is in front of me is an open door.

“Fuck!” I scream. Then I do what I thought I was going to do. Too many head injuries, too much blood loss. So, I pass the fuck out with Barbie nowhere in sight.

Fucking Barbie.