Free UNBROKEN: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 2) by Tabatha Kiss Page A

him.”
    “Tobias…” I step forward and lay a cautious hand on his shoulder. He looks down at me and nods before taking a step back. Rick’s grin travels wider along his lips, his eyes peeking at me with thick amusement.
    Lillian looks at the two of us. “My office. Now.” She opens the door and waits for us to leave. “You, as well, Amy,” she adds.
    We move fast down the hall and step into her office. Lillian and Amy follow us closely and she kicks the door closed behind them. “Start from the beginning, please,” she says to me.
    “You saw what happened at the last tournament,” I say.
    “Yes,” she says. “I saw Pike stab Tobias in the ring. He’s been dealt with. What does this have to do with Rick?”
    “It was Rick’s idea to attack Tobias.”
    She scoffs. “Why?”
    I hesitate, finding the whole situation embarrassing to say aloud. “He wanted Tobias out of the way to get to me, ma’am.”
    “Hmm, yes,” she says, pushing a fallen hair back into her perfect hairdo. “He mentioned your rather taboo affair to me in passing.”
    “It wasn’t an affair—”
    “Whatever it was,” she interrupts, “it’s no concern of mine.”
    “Ma’am, if I may…” Amy steps forward. “I’d like to point out that Rick attacked Claire at that tournament as well.”
    “Yes, I saw that burst of self-defense on Claire’s part. As impressive as it was, it does nothing to link these two incidents.” She looks at me. “For all I know, it was a lover’s quarrel and you just want your ex out of the tournament for personal reasons.”
    “He conspired with Pike to murder Tobias during the tournament,” I say again with even more desperation.
    “Do you have any proof?” Lillian asks. I press my lips together. “I can’t disqualify a fighter based on the uncorroborated accusations of a freshman Dame. I’m sorry, but Rick stays in the tournament until he’s knocked out the old-fashioned way.”
    Tobias steps forward. “I want a blood duel,” he says, his voice firm.
    Lillian flinches. I watch in suspense, feeling more like an outsider than ever before. “Amy…” Her big eyes never leave Tobias’ face. “Do you witness this challenge?”
    I look at Amy and hesitation crosses her face. “Yes, ma’am,” she finally says.
    “Very well,” Lillian says. “Tobias, you have five minutes.” She steps around us and walks out of the room.
    I look between Amy and Tobias, waiting for one of them to explain, but neither of them speak. Blood pumps louder in my ears, eating away at me until I can’t take the silence anymore. “What is a blood duel?” I ask them.
    “A really, really bad idea,” Amy answers, shaking her head at Tobias.
    “Tobias, what are you doing?” I ask. He takes off his suit jacket and tosses it onto a nearby chair. “Tobias—” I turn back to Amy, frustrated at his refusal to answer me. “Amy, what’s going on?”
    Amy licks her lips and swallows. “A standing Alpha can challenge any fighter at any time to try and remove them from the tournament.”
    “Why would they do that?” I ask.
    “Theoretically, to remove more skilled fighters from other districts, giving your district a better chance at maintaining Alpha ,” she says, her voice stiff and cold. “But in practice, it left two fighters in the hospital and nearly exposed the entire league. It’s been taboo ever since.”
    I spin back around to Tobias. “You’re challenging Rick?”
    “I can beat him,” he mutters as he kicks off his shoes.
    “But if he doesn’t ,” Amy says, “then Rick steals his Alpha position and Tobias has to stay in the tournament to win it back.”
    I move myself in front of his eyes. “Tobias, you can’t do this.” He pulls his undershirt up and over his head.
    “It’s too late, Claire,” Amy says, her shaking eyes locked on Tobias. “He challenged Rick out loud with his Dame as witness. It’s already been done.”
    “Tobias!” I shout his name, hoping that he’ll look