she’s done, I nod. “Alright. Simple take down. First person to make the other one tap out, wins.”
She nods in understanding, but her body posture doesn’t change. She just stands there in stillness, watching me. She has a bored “you’re an idiot” look on her face, and the asshole in me admires it.
She can make a person feel like a complete fucktard just with that single look. It’s effective. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s used that look to make people second guess themselves about fucking with her. I would doubt it too if I weren’t fucked up in the head. Instead, I’m nearly buzzing in excitement.
“On my count,” I say, bending my knees slightly to get ready.
I’ll just do a simple maneuver. Cutting into her space, I’ll rush her from her left side—where she’ll be weakest since her dominant side is her right—and I’ll kick her leg out from under her and shove her shoulder back to throw her off balance.
It’ll be an easy, simple take down that quickly shows her why Pack Aberrant insists we train every member. It’s a rule I respect, which is why I’m one of Igor’s go-to pack members when there’s a need. Once she’s on the floor, I’ll win, and we can get started.
“Three, two, one, start,” I call, and then I rush in, ready to initiate my attack.
Except that doesn’t happen.
Because she pulls some fucking crazy ass move before I can reach her, and somehow flips over my damn head like a trapeze performer flying through the air to grab the suspended swing.
I spin on my heels in surprise, but it’s too late. She’s already landed. And then she’s on me.
I have to say, the next three seconds are the most humbling seconds of my life.
Boom!
Elbow to the stomach. I pitch forward automatically, but she’s already there to catch me. Unfortunately, it’s with her fist.
I see stars as her knuckles connect with my cheek, but I don’t even get to take in that blow either, because I get a knee to the pancreas, and a weird fucking finger gun looking motion to my throat, and just like that, I’m on the ground, planted face-first.
What. The. Fuck.
I’m so dazed and stunned I don’t even hear my other pack mates laughing.
All I can do is blink into the worn mat that my face is currently smashed into, and wonder what the hell just happened as my brain tries to catch up.
No fucking way.
No fucking way did she just do that.
“Holy shit!”
Somehow, I get hauled up, and I blink at Stinger and Joseph. I sway on my feet, Stinger helping me to make sure I stay upright. I wish I was still on the ground though, because Stinger and Joseph have the worst shit-eating grins on their faces that I’ve ever seen. I know right then that I’m never going to live this moment down.
My body struggles to breathe through all the different points of pain that were just inflicted on me. I can’t even catalogue all the parts that hurt, since she hit me in so many places and so damn fast.
“Cruella took you down like an ax to a tree!” Stinger exclaims, looking real fucking excited about it.
“No shit,” I wheeze, my throat rebelling against being used.
He pats me on the back. “She fucked me up when I tried to help her out of the cop car. I feel your pain, dude.”
I shrug his arm off, ignoring Joseph’s snickers as I look over at Jetta. She’s leaning against the mirrors with her arms crossed, watching me with a bored look on her face.
I stalk over to her, and she tenses, like she’s expecting me to retaliate. I immediately stop in my tracks. “I’m not going to attack you,” I rasp.
Her jaw clenches, like she’s angry I was able to read her. “I know,” she says snappily, even though that’s exactly what she thought I was going to do.
“I’m not mad,” I say, taking another tentative stop forward. She’s so tense she looks like she might bolt any second. I hate that she thought I’d try to attack her out of anger. It tells me a lot about the kinds of people she used to train with. “I just want to know how the hell you did that.”
Exasperation makes a huff of breath pass through her lips as she looks at me with annoyance. “You know, I’m starting to get insulted. What part of Troupe Delirium does this pack not understand?” she