Rio's Fire by Lynn Hagen

have for me?”
    The man splayed his hands wide, a crooked smile adorning his face. Fire cringed at the horrific oral hygiene displayed in the man’s mouth. “Why, I have no idea what you are talking about.”
    Fire was running out of time. He didn’t have time for this man’s bullshit. “Don’t pussyfoot around with me. Tell me what you have to bet on.” To entice the man, Fire pulled out five hundred dollars. That was all he had left to his name. He could see the greed in the man’s dark, gritty eyes. His tongue flicked out and then ran across his bottom lip.
    Fire had him.
    “How about some horses?”

    50 Lynn
    Hagen
    Fire didn’t know shit about horses. All he knew was that they had four legs, a tail, and flies loved to buzz around them. “You got anything on boxing?”
    The man gave a halfhearted laugh. “You go straight for the punch, don’t you?”
    Fire mentally rolled his eyes at the bad pun. “Will you stop fucking around and tell me what you have?”
    Using a hand with grubby nails, the man pulled out a sheet of paper from the inside of his jacket. “Give me a sec.”
    As Fire waited, his eyes flickered around the shop. Customers were at the counter ordering coffee, the smell of fresh grounds filled the air, but Fire wasn’t interested in any of that. The only thing he wanted to do was place his bet and get back over to the diner.
    Although by now, he was sure to be the most wanted man in Brac Village.
    As he watched the guy, Fire began to reconsider what he was doing. He had sworn off betting, but here he stood, jonesing like a junkie. A large part of him was screaming for him to get back over to the diner, but his addiction was kicking in, keeping his feet planted firmly.
    Fire didn’t want to do this, but was powerless to stop himself from wanting to place a bet. Inside, he felt like he was letting everyone down. Maybe Maverick was right after all and Fire was nothing but one big fuckup.
    As soon as the guy started talking, Fire’s heart began to race. The adrenaline from placing a bet was coursing through him and he knew there was no backing out now.
    “Got a fight this Saturday night. Sorto versus Lapina. Where you puttin’ your money?”
    Fire was familiar with both fighters. Although Sorto was good, he knew Lapina was still twenty to zero. Lapina was still the reigning champion.
    “Give me five hundred on Lapina.”

    Rio’s Fire
    51
    “On which round?”
    “Third.” Fire gave the man his money, and in return Mr.
    GrimyScum handed Fire a voucher ticket.
    “You’re all set. Win or lose, I’ll see you Sunday morning.” The man tucked the paper and Fire’s money inside his jacket pocket.
    Fire tucked the ticket into his pants pocket and left The Café. Now that he wasn’t around the small-time bookie any longer, Fire felt like shit. He had fallen off the proverbial wagon and landed in self-misery.
    Fire scrubbed his face, wanting to go back inside and call off his bet.
    But it was too late now. The guy wasn’t going to give Fire his money back.
    The alpha was right. Fire wasn’t ready to be out on his own. And he had betrayed Rio’s trust. That alone made Fire feel like the lowest scum on the planet.
    Maybe he really did need serious help. As he stood outside The Café feeling like the biggest loser, Fire remembered he was probably being sought out by Maverick’s men.
    Oh shit . Fire watched as Hawk stalked toward him, a fierce and promising look on his face. “Where in the fuck have you been?”
    Swallowing the tight knot in his throat, Fire’s eyes widened as he glanced around, the guilt hitting him hard. “What do you mean? Rio and I were walking into the coffee shop and the next thing I knew, I lost him.”
    “You are so full of shit. Get in my truck. And I promise you, if you give me any problems I will tie your ass to the hood so you can be my bug deflector.”
    There was no way Fire was going to argue with that issued threat.
    He hurried over to Hawk’s truck,