My heart’s going a hundred miles an hour, but he hasn’t actually made a move toward me since he tied me up.It’s lucky for me that he was either skittish about hurting my wrists or really terrible at using ropes.It’sgoodnews.But I’m sick of forcing myself to look on the bright side of awful situations that I wanted no part of.
“Okay.You don’t care about the boxing match.Got it.”
He didn’t care very much about the kidnapping, either.It annoys me all over again.
“Are you the one who called in the threat against the school?”
Mountain Man turns at the corner so he can pace back across the ring, the floor squeaking as it adjusts under every step.“It was too easy.”
“That’s kind of my point.”
“That your boyfriend does everything the hard way?”
I’m on the last part of the knot.The rope’s twisted, and I don’t want it to drop off my hands too early.Thatwould make things tough.He’d have no choice but to learn how to tie a real knot then.
“That you could put more than the bare minimum into your extortion plots.Calling in a threat on a school?Seriously?You scared all those kids and their parents when you could have just…I don’t know.CalledWill?”
His face has turned an angry red, and I get a glimpse of how he would look in the ring, charging after his opponent.Even charging after Will.
“Is that how it works for you?You just call him and he hands over his wallet?I bet he makes you spread your legs before he hands over the cash.”
“There’s no correlation.”
He snarls.“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“There’s no correlation between spreading my legs and getting money.I took money from himbeforewe had hot office sex, which is the opposite of the point you’re trying to make.”
“Do you ever shut up?
“Do you ever talk to people instead of punching them?”
“Not if I can help it.”
The door on the warehouse wall opposite the ring flies open, hitting the wall with a metallingbang,and Will strides in.“Leave her the fuck alone.”
He’s not dressed for an underground boxing match, or even a solo fistfight with Mountain Man.His jacket and tie are the only pieces of his suit missing, and despite how angry I am, despite the fear I felt, my heart thrills.Will could be in a magazine in those charcoal slacks.He’s pushed the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows, which puts his strong forearms on full display.And hisface.His face is the most beautiful fury.
I shouldn’t be checking him out.
Will approaches the ring, and Mountain Man laughs.“Finally, asshole.Let’s finish this.”
“Finish fucking what?You lost a boxing match, you unhinged piece of shit.I won, and then I got banned because I kicked your ass too hard.Are you okay?Were there not enough people after me to lumber around after?”
Will’s eyes cut to me, and his face changes.There’s a heartbeat of naked fear embedded in the blue-green color of his eyes.Then the emotion shutters, becoming something much darker.
I’ve been afraid of what Mountain Man might do to Will.
Now I’m afraid of what Will’s going to do tohim.
If Will gets into the ring, Mountain Man isn’t getting out.I don’t want him to get away.I donotwant this man going after anybody else.But I don’t want Will to kill him, either.Even if this man kidnapped me, even if Will would be protecting me and probably a lot of other people by taking him out, Will would take it as proof that the dangerous parts of him outweigh everything else.I’m a monster.You don’t want me.I promise.
Mountain Man takes a couple steps in my direction, away from the ropes at the edge of the ring.“I beat plenty of people after you, and I’ll beat plenty more after we’ve settled this.”
Will’s fists open and close at his side.“Is that what you want?Me to come up there so we can settle up for what you did?”
“You’re the damn fool who wanted to fight me in the first place.”
There wasn’t much warmth left in Will’s eyes.It turns to nothing.He stalks forward, ready to leap up over the ropes.“You think this is about a fight?You think I care at all about the games people play here?”