Larry introduces me and I step into the ring, the crowd yelling. I glance around and see Hope moving away from the ropes and through the crowd. She shouldn't be up by the ropes alone. It gets rough up here. My opponent, Dan Smith, is bobbing up and down on his heels. The bell dings and he throws a punch but misses, falling forward a few steps and stumbling. I shift my weight and hurl my fist at his face. It makes a loud smacking sound when it lands against his sweaty cheek. The packed room erupts in cheers. He falls down but manages to lift himself to his hands and knees. I glance back at Hope and see fucking Silas standing in front of her. His arms are braced on the wall behind her, the side of his face that I can see is red. Hope's shaking her head. There's a loud pop and pain explodes along my jaw, my ear ringing. I stumble a few feet, a little dazed but my vision is still locked on Hope and Silas. I back away from Dan, giving him a quick glance as I jump away from his next swing. I look to the back of The Pit again just in time to see Silas punch the concrete wall behind Hope. 

Heat floods my face. My nostrils flare. And I throw myself out of the ring. A path clears as I start to the back of the room. Sweat drips down the bridge of my nose. My pulse hammers in my ears. His face in only an inch or so away from hers and all I want to do is beat his motherfucking arse. She shoves him back a step, her face twisted in rage. He just steps right back up, crowding her, intimidating her.  

Hope sees me. Relief fills her eyes just before I grab Silas' thick shoulder and jerk him back. I don't say a thing. I don't even take a breath. The second he spins around I slam my fist into his face, his nose crunching underneath my knuckles. He staggers and I grab his neck, holding him as I pound my head against his. 

"Finn." I hear Hope screaming. I feel hands on me, but I'm gone. It's all black; tunnel vision that leads right to this fucker right here. I thread my fingers through Silas' hair, gripping his skull as I repeatedly slam his head against the concrete. I hear people shouting, still pulling to try and get me off of him, but I can't stop. I don't want to stop. I'm trained to kill and that is one instinct I've yet to learn to turn off once the switch is flipped. He groans and attempts to fight back, punching me in the gut. I bring his face to my knee. Warm blood splatters over my skin. 

An arm wraps around my neck from behind, yanking and squeezing, but I'm still swinging. The next thing I know, I'm on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. My ears are ringing. My body is drenched in sweat and the entire basement is empty except for Kyan and Larry.  

"Jesus Christ," Kyan says. "What the fuck was that about?" 

"I..." I sit up, my head spinning. "Where's Hope?" 

"Oh hell!" Larry groans as he pushes to his feet. "Should've known it was over a damn woman. You boys and your goddamn testicles. I'm done with the bunch of you. Next time one of you wants to go beating the ever-loving-shit outta some poor fucking Nancy, you're own your own. You hear?" And with that Larry heads to the stairs and disappears. 

Hope appears over Kyan's shoulder, a worried frown set on her full lips. She presses her hand to her chest. "Jesus, Kyan, I thought you killed him, you stupid fuck."  

Kyan stands to face her. "Did you want me to let him kill the guy?" He points at me. "Because that fucker was going for full blown manslaughter." 

She folds her arms over her chest, hugging herself as she glances at me. I swipe a hand over my forehead, wiping the sweat from it. "He was being an arse." 

"You can't kill a fella just because he's an arse,” Hope sighs.

Kyan throws his hands up in the air and walks away. "He's all yours, ginge."  

And then it's just me and Hope. She lingers a couple of feet away from me and I push to my feet. I stretch my neck from side to side, working out the stiffness.

"Look," I say. "I can't handle that shit, okay?" 

She glares at me. "Define: 'That shit'…" 

I groan, tossing my head back and scrubbing my hands down my face. "Fucking, just...." 

"Thank you," she blurts in a rush. 

And I just....grab her. I take her face in my hands and slam my lips over hers. My hands work their way down her throat, her chest, until my fingers are skimming the waist of her jeans. Her hands go to the back of my head and she pulls me in closer. Her warm tongue dips inside my mouth and I grab at her pussy through her jeans, which coaxes a low groan from her. "Jesus fucking..." I breathe into her mouth before she kisses me harder, deeper. I sink my hand underneath her jeans, my finger swiping over her. Fuck, the slightest touch of her warm skin, the slick, wet feel of her…every last bit of me threatens to become unhinged. I yank my hand away and fist her hair, jerking her head back as I stare into her eyes. "Let's leave," I whisper as I step away from the wall, my hand trailing down her arm and to her hand.