When I turn to Ivan, expecting him to be just as worried, he shocks me by grinning down at me. Either he has lost his damn mind, or he knows something that I don’t.
Confused, I turn my attention back to the fight. Roman’s opponent gets two more punches in before things take a sudden turn.
Without hesitation, Roman starts to throw punches... real punches. He hits his opponent so fast and with such force that I can almost hear the bones crack from across the ring. I cringe, my heart pounding in my chest.
I watch as he continues hitting him, jab after jab, in the lungs, face, head, no spot is unclaimed by Roman. He's like an animal claiming its prize. Nothing stops him or slows his movements, and I watch the darkness consume him. I see blood on his hands; the man is now on the cold hard floor. Roman keeps hitting him, even though the guy is clearly unconscious.
I can’t watch anymore, I can't. Ivan must know this because he pulls me into his chest.
“It’s okay, Kitten. I got you,” he whispers into my ear over the screams of the crowd. I bury my face deeply into Ivan’s shirt, inhaling his unique scent. I may not be watching, but I know Roman is killing that man, beating his head into the concrete.
A short time later, Roman is announced as the winner and the crowd goes wild. Everybody is screaming Roman’s name and cheering him on. As the crowd moves, Ivan and I are jostled around. I look up into the crowd, pulling away from Ivan and see large stacks of money being handed over.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself and my erratic heartbeat. At least it’s over now and Roman is alive. For a second there, I was worried. Just when I get my erratic heartbeat under control, I hear someone screaming a few feet away from us. I furrow my brows in confusion because it doesn’t sound like the other screams around us. This one is filled with terror, not excitement. I look over to see what’s happening when the sound of a gun going off echoes through the basement and the crowd erupts into a frenzy of panic.
Everything happens so fast I can't even digest what is taking place. People are screaming and trying to get away and then more shots are fired, making the blood in my veins turn to ice. I didn’t escape the cell and all those evil men just to die in this place tonight.
Ivan holds my hand impossibly tight as things around us go from frantic to pure chaos. Together, we are pushed away from the ring as a tidal wave of out of control people try to escape. He starts to pull me off to the side and away from the insanity but there are just too many people trying to go the same way. I try to hold on to Ivan’s hand, but someone pumps into my arm. A sharp pain radiates from the limb, and I lose my grip on his hold.
I look around helplessly, the crowd jostling me back and forth as I’m trying to push through. I’m almost at the stairs when someone slams into me from behind, shoving me to the side. In an instant, I lose my footing and fall into the crowd, landing painfully on my knees. The impact is jarring and makes my teeth rattle. I try to push up off the floor but there are just too many people moving around me. Every time I gain an inch, someone pushes me back down, immobilizing me to the floor.
I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing for Ivan to find me, and hopefully before I’m trampled.
Then, as if my silent prayers are heard, someone grabs me by the arm and pulls me up off the floor. Ivan. Before I know it, strong arms are lifting me up. Instinctively, I throw my arms around his neck and wrap my legs around him, burying my face into the crook of his neck, holding onto him like a monkey.
“Calm down, Kitten, or Ivan is going to get jealous.”
My eyes fly open when I hear Roman’s deep voice next to my ear instead of his brother’s.
With one arm around my waist, he uses the other to push people out of the way, working his way through the crowd and in the direction of the locker room. My chest heaves, oxygen barely entering my lungs as we fight the crowd. I watch as Roman grits his teeth, pushing and shoving, using his strength and body to get us where he wants. Once we reach the entrance to the locker room, he settles me onto my feet. I lean against the wall, my knees damn near buckling beneath me.
“Stay here while I find Ivan and Devin.” Roman looks at me for a moment with something that looks a lot like concern before walking away.
“I got her.” Mac startles me, coming up to my side. “Let me see your arm,” he orders. I don’t know what he is talking about or why he’s asking for my arm until I look down and see rivulets of blood dripping down my arm from a scratch. “Come on, I have a first aid kid in here.”
He leads me into the locker room and while my mind is still reeling from what just occurred, Mac starts cleaning the scratch. Just as he places a band aid over the scratch, the door flies open and a very terrified Ivan bursts in. He gives me a quick once over before taking me into his arms.
“Are you okay?” He presses his nose into my neck. He squeezes me to his chest for a long second, his entire body shaking. I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline, or the fear of possibly losing me that has him shaking, but I’m feeling the same thing.
“Yes, thanks to Roman… only a small scratch on my arm,” I squeak, just barely getting the words out. I suck in a precious gulp of oxygen, my hands are shaking, and I feel tears prick my eyes. I came so close to dying again, to losing Ivan again.
“Everybody good?” Roman asks, stepping into the room. “Because the party at my house is still on, which means we need to get fucking going.”
By the time we leave the locker room and head upstairs, the crowd has cleared out. Ivan has an iron grip on me the whole way to the car and when we get in, he pulls me into his lap instead of letting me sit beside him.
“I’m fine. Really,” I try to assure him, but he never loosens his grip. When we get to Roman’s house, people are already waiting in the front yard for us. Roman gets out of the car and people start cheering and whistling; a few even slap a hand on his back, congratulating him. Roman smiles and opens the front door, allowing everybody to pile into the house. As we walk inside, I see more cars pulling up the driveway and within minutes, a full-blown party is taking place in the living room and slowly spreading throughout the house. Roman seems to be in an unusually good mood, laughing and joking with everyone. I remain seated on Ivan’s lap while he sits on the couch.
Devin walks up to us and hands Ivan a bottle of beer.
“You want one, Violet?” he asks me. I’m not really sure. I’ve never gotten drunk and the last time I tried the whole partying thing, it was anything but good, but last time I wasn’t with Ivan, and I know no one is going to hurt me here. Not with Ivan looking after me, or Roman. I know no one is going to hurt me with them both here.
“Sure, I don’t know what I like though. I’ve never tried anything with alcohol,” I admit shamefully.
“Hold on, I’ve got you.” He walks to the kitchen and returns a moment later, handing me a bottle with a liquid in it that looks the color of beer. “Here.” He hands it to me. “All the girl like this.”
“Thanks.” I look at the bottle in my hand, the label has an apple on it, and it reads hard cider. I take a sip and a sweet, bubbly liquid hits my tongue. It’s different but not in a bad way, more like something I’m not quite used to yet. I take bigger sip the next time, enjoying the sweetness of the liquid and the coolness of it as it slips down my throat.