Forever Branded (Billionaire Love Series #1) (24 page)

Fit and muscular, the fighters circled each other as they traded punches. One appeared to be stiff and hesitant, while the other was fluid and dominant.

The blood-hungry crowd went wild as the fighter in the blue trunks shot a vicious right hook against the temple of his opponent, who immediately crashed to the ground in a heap.

That was over quick.

As one fighter raised his hands in victory and the other was slapped awake by his trainer, I grabbed my cell phone and hit Emma’s number.

“What’s happening? Are you okay?” she asked nervously as she answered.

“You’re never gonna guess where I am.”

“Tell me!”

“I’m at some kind of fight club,” I offered.

“What?”

“Yeah, there’s a big cage where guys are going at it,” I explained.

“Why are you at fight club?”

“I’m here at Mr. Shepard’s request or so his butler tells me.”

“His butler is at the fight club?” Emma asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, I guess. I think it’s a safe bet Beau’s behind our sanitation shut down.”

“Well you need to talk him out of it, Marla.”

“How do you suppose I do that?”

“Sweet talk him. Men love that.”

I sighed. “I don’t know what I’ll say. I’m not feeling very sweet toward him.”

“You don’t have to feel sweet. Just use your magic touch and get him to leave our salon alone. Oh, and you should try to have fun on this little adventure. You never know where it’s going to lead you.”

“It seems to have led me to a dingy little room where I am watching men beat the crap out of each other.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been to a fight before.” I shrugged. “I guess it’s kind of hot.”

“Just have fun. Remember to be nice to Beau. Call me when it’s over. I want to know all the details.”

“Okay, I will,” I promised as we hung up.

I was going to try to remember my sister’s words, but I was still wondering why Beau had brought me to an underground fight club.

“Here’s your wine, Ms. Matthews,” the butler offered, handing me a glass.

I sipped it, trying to get past the bitterness of the alcohol.

But I couldn’t stand it.

So I put my glass on the cement floor as another fight was announced to satisfy the restless natives who were busy placing bets with their bookies.

“Beau “The Assassin” Shepard taking on Nick “The Sledge Hammer” Brown!” A man in a black tuxedo called out with a microphone as the crowd roared in excitement.

That explained a lot.

Beau was going to fight.

In front of me.

My heart raced as he made his way to the octagon. Confident…no…arrogant swagger was in Beau’s posture as he climbed into the cage. His jaw was set in a hard line, his physique slick with sweat. I’d always loved the way he smelled when he was sweaty; the aroma was musky and masculine.

It drove me crazy.

Predatory energy dominated his ripped body. His torso was lean, his back and arms were dense with muscle, showcasing his chiseled definition. His thighs were long, making me remember how solid they felt when they were pressed against me.

A long, jagged scar ran along his knee and wrapped around to the back of his thigh. It was the first time I’d seen the evidence from his accident.

I wanted to kiss that scar and make it better, even as tenderness and bloodlust warred within me. I didn’t want him to get hurt, but I did want him to kick some ass.

His opponent entered the ring with a mean frown and a compact, but powerful body. He reminded me of a bulldog, thick and short to Beau’s long leanness.

The fighters met briefly with the ref, before they bumped fists and went to their corners. Beau had a fierce scowl on his face and I knew he meant business. That didn’t make it any easier to watch. My stomach was queasy and my palms were sweaty as I waited with baited breath for the fight to begin.

Ding!

Beau came out ferociously, throwing a combination of punches that had his opponent backing up toward the fence. Fighting back, his foe rallied with a few good jabs. It was difficult to absorb, but I couldn’t turn away as the action demanded all of my attention.

Beau easily landed his punches, but Bulldog, as I’d come to call Beau’s opponent, struggled to get inside Beau’s reach. The fighters were a mismatch. They may have weighed similar weights, but Beau was taller, with an incredible reach.

A total advantage.

Riveted, I leaned forward, practically hanging out the window as Beau’s fight unfolded before me. The sounds were incredible. The grunts of pain, the crowd cheering, the puffs of air released from the fighters’ gloves as they tried to annihilate one another.

Beau was in control, landing different combinations of kicks and punches as he kept coming after his opponent. The two fighters grappled against the fence as Beau landed a blow with a stinging right hook, snapping Bulldog’s head back.

Shaking it off, the shorter man dove into Beau’s torso and tackled him to the ground. I held my breath as Beau twisted out of his grasp and shot back to his feet. Bulldog had no choice but to follow.

I wanted to be closer....

I got up from my chair, standing at the window, just as Beau spun around, landing a wicked back kick to the side of Bulldog’s side.

That had to hurt.

Beau seized on his momentum, going after Bulldog, throwing some knees at his torso with deadly precision. The shorter man was barely holding on as he tried to take Beau down again. Bulldog couldn’t force Beau to the ground and he couldn’t reach inside; but he was scrappy and hung in there.

It was an all-out brawl, so I was relieved when the first round ended. Pacing nervously, I wondered how I would survive more rounds of fighting. What bothered me more was the fact I was so far away.

I needed to be closer...

Without a second thought, I took off my sexy heels and tore down the stairs, pushing my way through the surging crowd as I fought my way to the front, determined to get up close to the action.

I grabbed onto the fence as I locked eyes with Beau. His glance was as fiery and intense as the first time I saw him stand up for someone, winning me over completely.

“So when do you want to get together and study for the trig mid-term?” Stacy asked me one ordinary spring day as she followed me out of math class into the crowded hall.

“I don’t know,” I muttered as I came to halt, my instincts sending out all kinds of warning.

“What’s going on?” Stacy asked.

“I’m not sure.” There was a weird energy spiraling around me that I couldn’t put my finger on. But above the screech of high tops on the linoleum, the laughing teenagers, and bubble gum poppers, I heard a sickening sound.

Fist hitting flesh.

I threw my backpack down as I caught sight of a crowd in the far corner of the hall I was in. I started running full throttle toward the crowd of spectators who were cheering on whatever blood sport was happening in the nucleus of that circle.

I barreled through the anemic mass of people, taking in the large asshole senior, Jeremy Brockman who, looking like a demented bull with his hands balled, was standing over my cowering friend, Jonathan.

I couldn’t stand violence or people picking on others they considered weaker than themselves.

I didn’t think.

I just acted.

Scrambling up Jeremy’s back, I wrapped my hands around his brutish face and dug my nails into his skin.

“Ow! What the hell?” He swiveled around, trying to throw me off.

I just squeezed him harder with my legs. “Leave him alone, you asshole!” I screamed as he danced back and forth in pain.

“Get off of me, you bitch!” He tried to peel my fingers off his face.

“No, you big bully! Leave him alone!” I screamed in his ear, digging my fingernails further into his skin. “How dare you pick on him! You make me sick!” I yelled in outrage, undone by his unjust treatment of Jonathan.

He just laughed bitterly like he was an evil villain from some Disney movie as he swiftly rotated his body around and threw his back against the unforgiving metal lockers, ramming my spine and ribs together.

I gasped as I lost my breath in a world of hurt and fell off him. I slid to the ground in a thud, wondering how I could be in so much pain as I lay on my side.

“That’s right, bitch. Stay on the ground, like the dog yo—” he said, turning his viciousness on me, as he raised his leg to kick my stomach.

“What the fuck, man? Were you really going to kick her?” Beau asked as he jumped in front of me. “Not cool, man. Not cool.” He thumped his hand hard against Jeremy’s chest.

“What’s it to you?” Jeremy spit out.

They were almost even in height, but Beau had him by about an inch. Jeremy was hefty, but Beau’s rage made him hesitant.

Beau grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and tossed him up against a locker on the other side of me with a loud bang. “How does it feel man?” He made sure Jeremy’s head slammed against the locker. “You like it?”

Jeremy gave a mean smirk. “Come on, man. I was just joking.”

I glanced over at Jonathan, who had a split lip. “This is not a joke! He’s bleeding, you asshole!” I screamed furiously, trying to get to my feet.

Beau glanced at me, his gaze softening for a second. “Marla, I got this.”

“Yes, you do. I’m just mad at this jerk for hurting Jonathan,” I said as my back spasmed in serious pain and I collapsed back down to the linoleum floor.

“What’s happening to you, man? Since when do you give a shit?” Jeremy fronted, but I could tell he was scared.

Another ferocious scowl filled Beau’s face. “I give a shit when you mess with people I care about.”

“Why the hell would you care about a retarded kid?”

“Wrong answer,” Beau said, slamming Jeremy’s head against the locker again. “Don’t ever touch them again. Do you understand?”

Jeremy scoffed as he tried to break Beau’s hold, but the hockey player wasn’t having it.

He clasped the sides of Jeremy’s chin in one hand. “I want to hear you say you’ll leave them alone.”

“Damn, man. All right, I’ll leave them alone,” Jeremy agreed in a whiny voice.

“That better be true or I won’t be so nice next time. Now apologize.”

“I’m sorry,” Jeremy mumbled as he was released, slinking off as the crowd dispersed.

“You better be,” I yelled after him as I slid over to Jonathan who was slumped over against another locker.

The corner of his mouth was bleeding while his normally bright brown eyes were blank with shock.

Poor guy.

“Oh, Jonathan. Are you okay?” I took some clean tissue from my pocket and dabbed it on the side of his mouth.

His brown eyes went super sad. “He wanted a pop, Marla, but he wouldn’t pay fifty cents. I tell him, fifty cents. He just laughed and then he hit me.”

“I’m so sorry Jonathan that he was mean to you. You were so brave standing up to him. You’re brave guy.”

“I am?”

“You sure are. You and Beau both.”

“Let’s not forget about you, Sunshine. You took a nasty hit back there. How are you feeling?” Beau questioned as leaned down and gently put his hand on the small of my back.

I relaxed as he touched me. “I’ve been better. But I wasn’t about to let Jonathan deal with that jerk on his own.”

“Now I know who to call when I’m in trouble,” he joked as he gingerly picked me up and carried me down the hall.

He walked Jonathan down to the nurse, but Beau didn’t put me down. Instead, he continued walking toward the parking lot.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“To the chiropractor. I think you need an adjustment.”

“The chiropractor? What do they do?”

“Crack your back. I’ll take you to mine. I get adjusted all the time.”

“Is it safe?” I asked as he shifted me in his arms.

“Yeah and you’ll feel better.”

“How did you know to come help me?” I asked as we went through the exit door.

“Stacy found me. That was brave, Sunshine. I’ve never seen anyone stand up to Jeremy like that.”

“I hate bullies.”

“I can see that. How’s your back doin’?” he asked as he put me in the passenger seat of his car.

I hissed in pain. “It hurts.”

“Yeah, now you know what it feels like when I get rammed into the boards.”

“You’re strong, you can take it,” I teased, despite my agony.

He laughed, but his blue eyes grew shiny and sincere as he ran his hand along my face. “So are you. You’re the strongest girl I know, Marla Matthews.”

And with that, my shell cracked open and I gave my heart to Beau Shepard forever.

The bell rang again, the fighters meeting in the middle of the ring.

“Give him hell, Beau!” I screamed, caught up in this gutsy, passionate, complicated man.