Follow Me (Caged Hearts Book 3) by Heather West

and refuse to drink them? She could only hope so.
     
    As the announcer welcomed Jasper’s opponent to the stage, Kait knew without a shadow of a doubt that Carl Santino couldn’t be trusted and worse, that he was probably looking to ruin Jasper just like he had with all his other clients and his strange sports drinks were somehow a part of that.
     

Chapter 24
     
    Jasper could feel the adrenaline running through his veins. He was pumped up and on fire. As the announcer called his name and the crowd roared, he knew he could do this; he knew that he could win. He couldn’t even feel his bad knee which was wrapped with a supportive brace.
     
    Knocking his hands together, Jasper was ready. He bounced from foot to foot, unable to keep still. The hum of the excited audience further fuelled his energy. This was his moment to reclaim his status, to prove to the world that he wasn’t done yet, that Jasper Duboix still had something left to give.
     
    “Fight!”
     
    The first bell rung, and Jasper leapt at his opponent like a wild cat, throwing punches which landed with deadly accuracy. All the other fighter could do was try and remain standing while he took the blows. Jasper clamped his teeth against his mouth guard and kept punching. His arms felt like powerful springs which just kept releasing. He felt like he could go all night.
     
    Another bell rung. The first round was over, and Jasper was ahead on points, but the way he was performing, his opponent would be knocked out before too long.
     
    “That was amazing, Jasper, just brilliant,” Carl approached his corner of the ring as Jasper dropped on to a waiting stool and used a towel to try and dry up some of the sweat which was running down him in rivers.
     
    “Thanks,” Jasper replied breathlessly.
     
    “I knew you could do it,” Carl was patting him on the way as though he’d already won. “He’s basically all yours for the taking now.”
     
    Carl passed a plastic sports bottle up in to the ring. Jasper raised it to his mouth and drank heavily, too dehydrated to even glimpse at it. Once he was in a fight, he ran on auto-pilot. All of his behaviors were learned and tactical.
     
    “That’s it,” Carl commended him, “you’ll need all your energy to finish this guy off.”
     

Chapter 25
     
    “Jasper, no!” Kait was screaming to be heard over the roar of the crowd. Jasper was on the other side of the ring, drinking down the sports drink Carl had given him. Kait felt the knot in her stomach tighten with each sip he took. She kept screaming and waving at him, but it did no good; it was like he was completely spaced out and unaware of his surroundings.
     
    “Dammit,” Kait eventually had to admit as she sagged back down in her chair and the announcer declared the start of the second round. As she watched Jasper stand back up and approach the center of the ring, banging his fists together in an intimidating way, she felt sick. She sensed that something terrible was about to happen and there was nothing she could do to stop it; all she could do was watch.
     

Chapter 26
     
    With each step he took, Jasper felt the energy seep out of his body like water down a drain. He suddenly felt exhausted. Gone was the excitement, the adrenaline. In its place was never ending fatigue. Jasper felt like he’d looked down a well and the limitless darkness he saw had somehow invaded his body.
     
    “Come on,” he urged himself with a brisk shake of the head. Was one round really all he had in him? He’d been training harder than ever. Surely he could last longer than this?
     
    But as a punch connected with his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs, Jasper realized that one round was truly all he had to give. He did his best to avoid his opponent’s punches and kicks but his own movements were slow and sluggish. Each time he saw a punch coming, he was unable to move out of the way in time. He heard his own bones crack as powerful blows connected with his