Fighting Dirty: A Stepbrother Romance (When The Gloves Come Off Book 2) Read Free

doesn’t look angry, only surprised. I’ve never gotten physical with my dad before. We usually get along. Insulting Riley crosses a line that I didn’t even know existed.
    “Fighting was my idea. Riley had nothing to do with it. She wouldn’t even know about it if I hadn’t fucked up. They took her to punish me. We have to get her back.”
    My father starts to straighten his clothes and brush off the back of his pants as if the room has contaminated him with filth.
    “Riley’s not my concern. My responsibility is to my son.”
    I’m trying to resist the urge to punch him when he walks past me and opens the door.
    “Ivan,” he says, addressing the Russian like they’re old buddies. “I want you to see that my son gets to the airport.”
    “I don’t need a babysitter.”
    “You’re obviously not capable of taking care of yourself. Ivan will look after you.”
    The Russian smiles. His front tooth is chipped.
    “Ivan will take you to the airport,” my father continues.
    “Where are we going?”
    “Las Vegas. I thought I’d send you on a vacation while this blows over. Your friend Ivan offered to escort you.”
    “He’s not my friend and I’m not leaving Riley behind.”
    “I’ll deal with Riley.”
    “I don’t believe you.”
    “Ivan will find her. Won’t you Ivan?”
    “It would be my pleasure- for the right price of course.”
    “Of course.”
    “You’re a fool if you trust him,” I say.
    “Ivan helped us out tonight. He took a dive for you.”
    “What? I thought you said Tony paid you to take a dive?”
    “I lied,” Ivan says with a shrug. “I was trying to get you to follow me. I assumed that when you learned your father paid me to let you win, you’d be angry and leave without hearing what he has to say.”
    “You’re not wrong about that. I can’t believe you paid him to take a dive. I’ve won my last ten fights on my own. I didn’t need anyone to bribe the other guy to lose.”
    “Are you sure about that?” the Russian says with a smirk.
    I push him hard. He crashes into the wall with a thud. I want to wipe the smirk off his face, but he makes no move to fight me back. Is it because my father’s in the room? The Russian’s smarter than I realized. He doesn’t want to risk losing the money my father promised. If- and it’s a big if - he managed to kick my ass, my father probably wouldn’t pay him the money he was owed. Of course, the Russian could always threaten to tell Tony that it was my father who called the cops, blackmailing my father.
    “I saw you fight,” my father says. “You were good. For a moment, I was proud. Then I remembered where I was. No son of mine is going to be involved with gangsters and underground boxing clubs. With my money and connections you could have been anything you wanted and this is what you chose? It’s not too late. Put all this behind you, go back to college and move on. I can get you a job working at my firm. I’ll introduce you to some nice girls from good respectable families.”
    Translation: girls who aren’t like Riley.
    “I’m done,” I say. “Keep your money. I don’t want to see you again.”
    “Son…”
    I walk out of the room into the dark. I’m on my own now. I have no idea how I’m going to get Riley back, but I have to. It’s all on me now.

Riley
     
     
     
    The woman waits with me in Tony’s office. I want her to leave so I can search the room for a weapon. I’m not letting Tony touch me. If I have to kill him, I will. At least, that’s what I try and tell myself. I’ve never been in a fight before. I’m not sure I have what it takes to stab someone.
    “The things people do to survive,” the woman says.
    For a second, I think she’s responding directly to my thoughts. Then I see she’s moved over to the window. She’s staring down at the scene in the brothel below.
    “When you look at those girls you see whores. That’s not what I see. I see survivors. You’d be wise to take notice. They