she’s a force, making me feel like she’s bigger than I am. “Argh.”
She shoves me and I snap. I’m back in that basement again, shivering from the cold water they threw on me. Being slapped around and punched. Having piss tossed on me.
Suddenly, my father’s words fill my ears. It’s so loud, it feels like he’s right next to me. Not like the dreams or visions. This time the words vibrate in my skull.
“I’ve made you a hard woman to handle hard situations. Know when to be a princess and when to be a savage. It will save your life.”
I’ll never be that weak again.
I back hand the shit out of Val. Her head whips to the side and blood splatters to the mat.
“Val,” her husband, bellows her name and starts for inside the ring, looking at me with a death glare. I glare back, my chest heaving.
Val holds her hand up, a huge smile on her face as she wipes the corner of her mouth. “There she is. Come on, baby. Fight me. I’m them. I’m who you want. Come get me.”
A growl comes from deep down inside, rattling my chest. “Argh,” I yell back.
Betrayal consumes me. I don’t know who from, but I feel it. Loss swells inside. It too has a source I don’t understand or remember. I black out.
Val
That’s what I want. I know she no longer sees me, but her pain. Her eyes are distant and haunted.
She comes at me with so much force, I’m stunned at first. I block her first strike anyway. I’m ready for her when she spins and kicks out.
She’s good. “Don’t let the anger control you. You control it. Use it.”
A grin comes to my lips as I watch her adjust. A gasp leaves my lips as she connects her feet with my midsection. Uri growls in the background, but I ignore him.
“That’s it. Let it out. Come for me.”
I see the moment it clicks, but I’m ready. Roni jumps in the air, intending a spinning kick. I jump and counter with the same kick in opposite rotation. We send each other spinning in the reverse directions, landing in crouching positions.
Her chest heaves as she looks at me. The tears spill over and she falls back onto her butt. She’s done.
I crawl to her and sit behind her. My front to her back, wrapping her in my arms. Holding tight, I whisper in her ear.
“Let it out. That’s it. You’re safe now,” I coo. “We’ll get them. I promise.”
She starts to scream as I hold her. The screams coming from deep within her soul. Uri and Nate turn their backs as if to give us privacy. However, John stares with a tightness to his jaw.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think I were staring at an avenging angel. I nod at him, letting him know that I’m here to help. I’ll get her ready for the day I know in my gut will come.
The day she settles the score with all her demons. She continues to scream out, just as I had done to get her to fight me. I tighten my hold as her body shakes.
I lock eyes with John as I whisper in Roni’s ear. “This thing you want, what you want to do, it will not fix the darkness. That still lives inside, but it will free you.” She nods at my words. “I will call you, La rabbia della morte. Death’s Rage.”
Time seems to pass slowly as she cries herself out. John enters the ring and stands over us for a brief moment before he squats down. He reaches to place his fingers beneath Roni’s chin to angle her face toward him.
He kisses her forehead, causing me to pull back in shock. I look to Nate and Uri, and Nate shrugs his shoulders. “Angel, you want to get out of here?”
She nods and in the next breath, John has her in his arms as he stands to his full height. Nate and Uri hold the ropes open as John climbs from the ring with Roni held close to his chest.
It looks like he’s whispering in her ear from where I sit. Uri walks over and hands me his handkerchief. I take it and wipe at my mouth.
“I get it, love. She’s the reason you wanted to help.”
I shrug. “Maybe.” He nods and holds his hand out to help me up. “Are they a couple?” I ask Nate.
“They’re something,” he replies, shaking his head. “Now, what exactly?