“You lost him in the most horrific way.” He sniffs. “I know nothing I say or do can ever bring him back, but I wish there were something I could have done to stop him from climbing into that death trap.”
I wipe away the tears streaming down my face. “Me, too.”
Then, ever so slowly, my anguish morphs into anger, the fuel that reminds me of what my mission is.
10
EDGE
Gunner slapsthe mat three times. I release him. Sweat coats our bodies, and our breaths come out in pants. He rolls over and rubs the pain out of his arm and neck. I walk over to the table, grab our water bottles, and toss one to him. I take a long, deep drink.
Gunner tests my skills, pushing them to the max every time. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I can take him down and get him into a position that’s nearly impossible for him to get out of. But he puts up a fight and challenges me every step of the way.
“Thanks, man,” I say once I catch my breath.
He gives me a side-eye glance and takes another swig of his water. “For what?”
“You know, for letting me kick your ass every day.”
“Fuck you,” he says while huffing out a laugh. After draining his water bottle, he balls it into a plastic ball and tosses it at me. I catch it and send it back in his direction.
“Hey! Knock it off,” the sensei hollers from across the gym. “You’ve got ten more minutes of practice. You better use it.”
With his back to the sensei, Gunner rolls his eyes as he climbs to his feet.
“Let’s go again,” I suggest.
Kade and Levi grapple on the far side of the gym, and our sensei holds the punching bag while Python practices his hooks, grunting each time his fist connects with the bag. His quiet demeanor is almost disturbing. He rarely ever says anything unless spoken to. Python, otherwise known as Alex, is a year older than the rest of us. He also went to Monarch Prep but broke free of the monotony before he was suckered into college. Although we met him at one of the UG fights a few years ago, we knew nothing about him except that he was a great fighter. Because he was a kid at Monarch on a scholarship, it didn’t take much for my father to brainwash him to join Venom. He made the deal so sweet that Alex was all but drooling.
Three years later, I bet Alex regrets taking my father’s poisonous offer. He’s been a different person ever since the night he was instructed to kill Evan West. He had no idea what he was getting into when he signed on with Venom. None of us—not Kade, Gunner, Levi, or I—have talked to him about that night. We act like it never happened. But I know for a fucking fact that night left a scar on each one of us, especially Alex. The five of us have been taught to chug down the bitterness and regret and bury it as deeply as possible. It’s what makes us the ruthless fighters we are.
Sensei calls time on our training. Without unwrapping the tape around his hands, Alex grabs his bag and heads for the door. The only reason he still comes to our training sessions is that he doesn’t have a choice.
None of us do.
After the guys and I take showers, we drive out to Le Chalet’s Subs, a hole-in-the-wall sub shop with the best sandwiches in the world. I expect to have my usual, twelve inches of rare roast beef and all the toppings. What I don’t expect is to see my little Ninja, the girl who’s been the topic of everyone’s conversationssince she arrived at Monarch University only a couple of days ago. It seems like she’s been here forever, yet she still seems like a shiny new plaything. No matter what I do, I can’t get her out of my fucking head. I even tried fucking her out by taking Brielle over the desk. I knew Brielle wouldn’t pass up a fuck session. So, getting her to skip class was easy. All it took was a quick text:
Lab 229—10 minutes
Ten minutes later, she showed up in the physics lab, panty-less and ready to fuck. But when none other than my mesmerizing firecracker of a nightmare walked in on us, all bets were off. My dick had never been so hard.
Ninja sits at a small table in the corner with her books splayed out and a half-eaten sandwich on a plate. She doesn’t bother to look up when we come in until Levi asks about the soup of the day. Fucking weirdo. Who eats soup after grappling?
She looks up with a blank expression and then returns to her studies as though we’re as insignificant as pissants. She picks up the soda can and takes a sip from the straw. I instantly imagine those lips wrapped around my?—
“Dude! What do you want?” Gunner slaps my arm, then points to Val, the owner behind the counter.
I grunt. “The usual, Val. Thanks.”
I turn my attention back to Ninja. She obviously finds it far easier to ignore us than for me to ignore her. At least, that’s the impression she’s giving off.
Gunner taps me on the shoulder. “Isn’t that—” He stops mid-sentence as he confirms it for himself. His whole face brightens. The fucker turns it up to full blast, plastering on his come-fuck-me smile. I’ve watched that work for a hundred other girls. But he’s in for a rude awakening because there’s no way in hell it’ll work on Ninja.
I cross my arms over my chest and prepare to watch him go down in flames.
“Hey, Ninja, what brings you to this lovely establishment?” he asks, adding extra sauce to his voice.
Ninja looks up at him. Her face is unreadable. There’s a fifty-fifty chance she’ll either laugh and invite him to sit or throat-punch him.
