“It was some time ago. You shouldn’t have been fighting.”
“I didn’t have a choice. You think I want this life? I have a little girl who didn’t ask to be born into this freak show. I planned to raise her far away from this shit.”
“Until they took her.”
“Yes. You know this.”
“We’re going to get your kid back.”
“Your little minion said you were dealing with it. Where is she?” She hated the spite in her voice. When she heard him arrive, she thought he’d been successful. If anyone could get her daughter back it would be Drago. As much as she hated it, she trusted him. In the years that he’d been in the ring, the rumors about him were always rife. He wasn’t a people person, but he was known to help people out.
She remembered one of the female fighters had gotten hooked on drugs. It seemed commonplace in their fucked-up world. She’d been fifteen and selling her body, and then fighting to deal with her habit. Drago found out, got her into rehab, and completely turned her life around.
“I couldn’t get her yet. Ben didn’t know anything.”
She saw the anger in his eyes. “What do you mean? That was supposed to be the last fight. They promised me I’d get her back after.”
Drago sighed. “Belle, you’re a sweet woman, but don’t you think you’re being a little naïve?”
“I agreed to the fights,” she said. “They gave me their word. Shouldn’t that mean something?”
“You and I both know they wouldn’t have given you your daughter. Not when you caved so easily.” She slumped, hating that it was the truth. “They’re not going to give her to you. Not when they can replace you with her.”
She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her body, trying to find some comfort in her own touch.
“No, she was going to have a better life than this. A million times better.”
He reached for her, but she jerked back.
They were going backward and forward right now, and it wasn’t helping.
“No, I can’t do this.” A rush of panic made her heart race. “They were going to let me have my daughter. We had a deal. I didn’t kill myself for nothing.”
“Belle.” When his hands rested on her shoulders, holding her in place, she didn’t jerk back. She couldn’t feel his touch, and everything was suddenly numb. “Look at me, Belle. Fuck, you look a mess. Ten fights, how long between each fight?” he asked.
“I need her back.”
“How long between each fight?” He snapped the words out, shattering her daze.
“None!” She yelled in his face. The past ten days had been the most intense of her life. “There were no breaks. No time to recover from the fights. I’d been out of the loop for over two years, and suddenly I had to fight for my life and for hers.”
“You were out of practice.”
She wiped away the tears, hating how vulnerable she felt. There was no way she’d trust a man again. Never.
“I could do it,” she said. “I was so close.”
“No, you couldn’t. It’s time for you to understand. Something was going on here, Belle. Don’t you get it? The best of us need a break between all the fights. What you went through, that was a fucking nightmare. There was no chance of you ever surviving all ten fights without a rest. You weren’t supposed to make it to the end. Now, it makes me curious, why would your father sell you out like that? Who wanted you dead?”
“I don’t know. That’s ridiculous. They took my kid, and I made this deal. I don’t know what my father does, Drago. I never did. You know this life more than I do.” She’d always been disgusted by what went on in their world. She was taught it was normal, but it was far from it. “When I had an out, I walked away.”
“And someone knocked you up. How do you know that guy wasn’t working for your father?”
She pressed her hands to her face, hating that everything was so confusing to her. This wasn’t how her life was supposed to be. There shouldn’t be so many challenges.
Everything felt a little dizzy, and as she lost her footing, Drago was there. His arms wrapped around her, supporting her weight.
He was so much bigger than she was, muscular and strong. There had been times growing up that she wished she’d been born a boy. Maybe then her father would have been more impressed, maybe then he’d love her. As it was, he made her train, made her ignore everything that she held dear.
She’d been his little fighter, but the truth was, she’d loved everything girly. From the color pink, to dolls, to dresses, and now all she wanted to do was be a woman. Why couldn’t she be like other women who lived life the way they wanted to? She’d been born into a trap that seemed impossible to escape.