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

up at me, but he keeps his brow low. “You haven’t trained in months —”
    “I can beat him,” he says again.
    “But what if you can’t ?”
    “Claire…” He pauses and stares down at me. “I can handle him.”
    My entire body shakes with fear as I look him up and down. I’m struck by a crippling nostalgia. Tobias and his tight, black shorts. His tattooed skin is perfectly clear, free of red and purple bruises. But not for long. “Tobias…” I whisper.
    Amy grabs my arm. “We have to go, Claire,” she says. “They’re starting.”
    I hold back my tears and follow her out of the office. She leads me towards the arena, towards the screams and shouts of those inside, hungry for violence and carnage.
    They have no idea what’s coming, but then again, neither do I.

Chapter 6
    The Blood Duel
     
    “Ladies and gentlemen…” Lillian says with her arms raises high above her head. “I have… the most delicious of surprises for you all tonight!”
    The crowd screams for her, heaving up and down with blind excitement. I stare at them from my spot near the door. Amy takes my hand and she looks at me with sympathy. The act worries me. She isn’t exactly the type to show physical affection of any kind.
    Lillian grins. “One of St. Louis’ newest and most promising fighters has been challenged by the Alpha. ” I close my eyes as the wild roar of the crowd pierces my eardrums. “You’re about to see Midwest Alpha history being made tonight. In the fifteen years I’ve run this tournament, I have never seen anything quite like this before.” She holds up her right hand and I cringe to watch Rick climb into the ring. I hear the ladies swoon for him and for a second, I don’t blame them. Rick has always been attractive, but as I look him up and down, I get a little more scared. He’s always been strong, but his body is far more tight and toned than it ever was. He’s trained for this.
    “This is Rick…” Lillian introduces him, “and tonight, he will earn himself a name.” Applause erupts from the crowd and Lillian raises a finger to her lips to silence them all. “His challenger is a man whose name we all already know… Tobias the Untouchable !”
    The crowd screams, echoing over her words before the name even falls off her tongue. Tobias climbs into the ring and stands still as their voices dominate the room with his name. They point to his scars, swooning and nodding with great lust at his body. Even our own fighters from back home, Mike, Devlin, and Sam, stare up at the ring with wide eyes.
    I stand back as a familiar wave of nausea overwhelms me. “This is my fault…” I mutter.
    Amy squeezes my fingers a little tighter, but says nothing to argue with me.
    Lillian speaks again, her voice noticeably low. “I have not witnessed a blood duel in ten years,” she says to the two of them. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was positively excited .” She lingers in her place and almost hesitates to step out of the ring before finally doing so and pulling the metal whistle out from between her thick breasts.
    The moment feels long, frozen in time. Tobias stands in his corner, his eyes locked on Rick at the other side. As much as I hate it, I feel a surge of excitement. I look at Rick and his confidence scares me. Tobias rolls his fingers down to make thick fists and holds them in front of his face. Rick laughs at him, but does the same, mocking him as an exact mirror image. Even his shorts are black, just like Tobias’, almost as if it were all planned from the start.
    Lillian blows the whistle.
    Rick moves on his toes, inching closer to Tobias, but he doesn’t attack. He gets in close, close enough to easily touch Tobias, but he doesn’t make a move. He bounces back, only to inch in close once again. It’s obvious how much he’s trying to make Tobias break his form. He’s baiting Tobias, pushing him towards the edge with each twitch of his toes.
    I realize I’ve stopped breathing. I take