all for the ring?”
“Good question,” I said, “He’s the one who keeps showing up.”
“Aww, maybe it’s because he actually does care,” she teased, “He wants to be a proper big brother after all.”
Tony’s face changed - it morphed from his usual shitty smirk into something darker. “Listen, bitch, you keep your nose out of it, what’s between us is our fucking business.”
That was it. I saw red. I would have upended the table if it wasn’t bolted to the floor. Instead I half-stood, leaned across with a clatter, and grabbed Tony by the collar of his t-shirt. “Outside, you piece of shit,” I snarled, shaking him once and releasing him. I slid out of the booth and rushed for the exit, keyed up and ready to hit anyone who got in my way.
I pivoted once I reached the sidewalk and shoved him back hard as he tried to bull into me. “You don’t talk to my fucking girl like that,” I snarled.
“Then you better reign in that mouth of hers,” he snarled back.
“You sound just like our old man when you say that,” I smirked.
It was his turn to see red. I’d said it knowing it would set him off more than anything else I could throw at him. Sure enough, he came at me again, this time ramming his shoulder into my chest and hurling me back against the side of a parked SUV. He crushed me against it and punched me once in the side, the angle too awkward to do much harm. I brought an arm up and landed an elbow on his shoulder, then a punch on the side of his head. I didn’t have enough room to swing, couldn’t hit as hard as I would have liked. The vehicle’s alarm was sounding and people were shouting at us but I couldn’t hear a goddamn thing. I brought my knee up behind his and twisted, moving him off me just enough to get the upper hand. I landed a kick on the same knee with my other foot and he stumbled and nearly went down.
“Cops are on their way, shitheads!” someone shouted from the diner.
Tony landed one last glancing punch on my jaw before pushing himself away and taking off, not running but not quite walking. “This ain’t over,” he growled over his shoulder before shoving through the small crowd that had gathered to watch.
No sign of Riley. I wiped away the blood that was trickling from my busted lip and started walking in the other direction. I slammed a fist against the SUV as I went, leaving a dent that the owner certainly hadn’t deserved. Riley knew where I lived; she could catch up if she still wanted anything to do with me after that shameful display.
But I wouldn’t have blamed her if she didn’t want to see me again.
CHAPTER 7
Riley texted me about twenty minutes after the fight. I stood outside my building, smoking a cigarette and wondering if she was going to come by or if she’d taken off running. “Are you okay? Where are you?” the message asked.
“Home. I’m fine. Come back.” My fingers shook as I hit send. It was one thing to watch a fight in a ring, in a somewhat controlled environment. It was quite another to have your breakfast companions take swings at each other over the scrambled eggs.
I didn’t know where she’d ducked off to, but I spotted her shuffling down the sidewalk just a couple minutes later. I put out the cigarette - she’d never said it but I knew that she didn’t like the smoke. “Hey,” she said when she reached me, hands in her pockets, standing just a little further apart than I liked.
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry,” she blurted, taking another step back, “I shouldn’t have said that to your brother. I could tell things were tense between you, I shouldn’t have said anything at all.”
“Bullshit. You should be able to say whatever the fuck you want, this was his fault. Come here.” I reached for her but she dodged me. I flinched; was she afraid of me? I’d fucked up worse than I’d thought.
She paced in front of me. “I paid the waitress
“Good question,” I said, “He’s the one who keeps showing up.”
“Aww, maybe it’s because he actually does care,” she teased, “He wants to be a proper big brother after all.”
Tony’s face changed - it morphed from his usual shitty smirk into something darker. “Listen, bitch, you keep your nose out of it, what’s between us is our fucking business.”
That was it. I saw red. I would have upended the table if it wasn’t bolted to the floor. Instead I half-stood, leaned across with a clatter, and grabbed Tony by the collar of his t-shirt. “Outside, you piece of shit,” I snarled, shaking him once and releasing him. I slid out of the booth and rushed for the exit, keyed up and ready to hit anyone who got in my way.
I pivoted once I reached the sidewalk and shoved him back hard as he tried to bull into me. “You don’t talk to my fucking girl like that,” I snarled.
“Then you better reign in that mouth of hers,” he snarled back.
“You sound just like our old man when you say that,” I smirked.
It was his turn to see red. I’d said it knowing it would set him off more than anything else I could throw at him. Sure enough, he came at me again, this time ramming his shoulder into my chest and hurling me back against the side of a parked SUV. He crushed me against it and punched me once in the side, the angle too awkward to do much harm. I brought an arm up and landed an elbow on his shoulder, then a punch on the side of his head. I didn’t have enough room to swing, couldn’t hit as hard as I would have liked. The vehicle’s alarm was sounding and people were shouting at us but I couldn’t hear a goddamn thing. I brought my knee up behind his and twisted, moving him off me just enough to get the upper hand. I landed a kick on the same knee with my other foot and he stumbled and nearly went down.
“Cops are on their way, shitheads!” someone shouted from the diner.
Tony landed one last glancing punch on my jaw before pushing himself away and taking off, not running but not quite walking. “This ain’t over,” he growled over his shoulder before shoving through the small crowd that had gathered to watch.
No sign of Riley. I wiped away the blood that was trickling from my busted lip and started walking in the other direction. I slammed a fist against the SUV as I went, leaving a dent that the owner certainly hadn’t deserved. Riley knew where I lived; she could catch up if she still wanted anything to do with me after that shameful display.
But I wouldn’t have blamed her if she didn’t want to see me again.
CHAPTER 7
Riley texted me about twenty minutes after the fight. I stood outside my building, smoking a cigarette and wondering if she was going to come by or if she’d taken off running. “Are you okay? Where are you?” the message asked.
“Home. I’m fine. Come back.” My fingers shook as I hit send. It was one thing to watch a fight in a ring, in a somewhat controlled environment. It was quite another to have your breakfast companions take swings at each other over the scrambled eggs.
I didn’t know where she’d ducked off to, but I spotted her shuffling down the sidewalk just a couple minutes later. I put out the cigarette - she’d never said it but I knew that she didn’t like the smoke. “Hey,” she said when she reached me, hands in her pockets, standing just a little further apart than I liked.
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry,” she blurted, taking another step back, “I shouldn’t have said that to your brother. I could tell things were tense between you, I shouldn’t have said anything at all.”
“Bullshit. You should be able to say whatever the fuck you want, this was his fault. Come here.” I reached for her but she dodged me. I flinched; was she afraid of me? I’d fucked up worse than I’d thought.
She paced in front of me. “I paid the waitress
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