Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 144

JUSTIN’S POV

She’s here.

Allison is in this dumpster of a place, watching me fight and God, she’s too close. I want to glance at her again, just for a second, but I can’t. Hash will see it as an opening and land another punch, just like last time. Or maybe… I’ve just seen enough.

She’s here with that mouth-breather of hers, and they look cozy. I guess they’ve patched things up already. In what universe, what timeline, will Allison ever dump him and stand her ground?

“Already tired?” Hash sneers, cracking his neck.

If I’m tired, he’d already be on the ground. I’m just warming up because realistically, a fight’s supposed to last at least ten minutes to entertain these morons. There’s no point putting him down too fast.

I gesture for him to come get me and of course, he takes the bait. He swings, and I duck, taking the chance to steal a glance at her again.

Where the hell is her jacket? Isn’t she cold? She’s probably freezing but fashion always comes before survival for Allison. She drives me insane sometimes.

“Aren’t you going to fight?” Hash demands when he misses me again. He’s getting pissed, and I haven’t even started yet. But since he asked for it, I’ll give him a little.

I move in fast and drive my fist into the side of his chin, then slam my knee into his stomach. He staggers back, barely catching himself and then drops to his knees.

I glance around the ring before he can recover and meet a ton of shocked faces. They’re surprised I actually managed to hurt him and that’s good. Surprise means more money for it.

“If you ask for a fight,” I move toward Hash, “be ready to take it.”

I wait as he straightens, and a deep scowl is carved into his face. In sociology, we call this the aggressive escalation phase. He’s about to come at me with everything he’s got which is perfect because it will only make his fall faster.

He rises to his feet, huffing and puffing, then charges at me like a bull. And here’s the thing about bulls: they’re powerful, but they’re thoughtless.

I sidestep his left swing, but his right hand clamps around my leg, his fingers digging in hard. The crowd roars because they think he’s got me.

I twist my body and drive my elbow straight into his back twice. He groans, his grip loosening, and I use the moment to wrench my leg free. Before he can reset, I slam my forearm across his jaw and his head snaps to the side.

I give him another gut punch, another to the side of his face, and his knees buckle. One final strike, and he collapses, cold on the ground.

A collective gasp ripples through the room as I rise, staring down at Hash’s unconscious body. From the corner of my eye, Allison’s jumping excitedly beside her mouth breather…who, unsurprisingly, doesn’t look happy at all.

Xero, the guy running the fights, rushes into the ring and crouches beside Hash. “You didn’t off him, right?”

I wipe the blood from my nose and grab my shirt and jacket from the ropes. “If I wanted him dead, he’d be dead. But no, I didn’t off him.”

Xero looks up at me, frowning, as I pull my clothes on. “He’s my best fighter.”

“And you owe me money,” I reply.

He gestures for a couple of guys to drag Hash away before straightening. “Let’s talk in the corner room.”

He walks off, and I hesitate before following. We had a clear deal and anything he says that strays from it won’t be taken lightly.

The corner room is small and when I enter, he’s already got his hand stretched out. “Total bet was twelve hundred,” he says. “You take six.”

I take the cash and start counting.

I’m almost at the stairs when a voice stops me cold.

“Why’s Allie wearing that jacket?”

I turn slightly to my left, and my gaze falls on her supposedly well-mannered boyfriend, surrounded by his friends. All of them are staring at her.

“I bet she got it from a dude,” one of them says. “Sean, looks like someone’s after your girl.”

Mouth breather grins. “But that’s the point,” he laughs. “Everyone wants what I have. They see those boobs and instantly think…damn, what a lucky guy who gets to suck on them.” He smirks, clearly pleased with himself. “That’s me. I’m the lucky guy and I sure as hell suck on them as much as I like.”

They burst into laughter and the sound feels like glass in my ears. My fingers curl slowly into fists at my sides, my knuckles tightening until they ache.

I should walk over there. I should break his jaw and stop him from ever talking about her like that again.

If Allison won’t leave him, maybe I should kill him instead. I’d be doing her a favor, whether she understands it or not.

“Did the flower work?” Josh, another asshole I can’t stand, asks.

“Of course it did,” Mouth Breather replies, grinning. “She’s gonna be sucking me off in no time tonight. Fuck, I’m hard just thinking about it.”

I step forward, ready to do what I’ve been clenching my jaw over, but then Allison’s voice as she calls for him stops me.

I turn to see her walking toward him, a bright smile lighting up her face. And all I manage to do is turn on my heel and storm out. I run like a coward, just like I’ve been doing for the past two years.