Chapter 682
Right next to her, Elliott’s eyes were glued to Christina like she was the only person in the world. On the outside, he looked cool as ice, but inside, his blood raced like fire through his veins. Waves of fierce admiration crashed over him. His heart hammered against his ribs so hard he was sure everyone around him could hear it.
Out of nowhere, Elliott’s skin prickled with warning. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. His head snapped up toward the expensive seats high above the arena. He couldn’t see anything obvious, but that didn’t mean anything. The feeling of being watched by a predator clung to him like smoke.
The handsome man lounged in his chair with one leg crossed elegantly over the other, his expensive black suit pants stretched tight over powerful thighs. His shoes caught the light, polished to a mirror shine. His eyes had narrowed to dangerous slits. Even in the dim lighting of his office, those eyes promised pain and suffering to anyone who got in his way.
Down near the ring, hidden behind his mask, Elliott’s eyes stared back at the handsome man with equal intensity.
The two men locked eyes across the distance. Pure intensity and barely contained hostility crackled between them.
The handsome man’s mouth curved into a slow, dangerous smile. He dragged his gaze away from Elliott and focused it on Christina like a hawk spotting a rabbit. Christina was the one prize he had lost before, and he’d be damned if he was going to let her slip through his fingers again.
Eloise caught her brother’s sudden movement out of the corner of her eye and followed his gaze upward, her face scrunched in confusion as she tried to figure out what he was looking at. She squinted at the fancy seats above them, but nothing looked wrong or out of place to her. “What are you staring at?” she whispered, leaning closer to her brother.
Elliott jerked as if someone had slapped him, tearing his eyes away from the upper sections. He forced his voice to stay calm and casual. “Nothing. Just thought I saw something, but it’s nothing.”
He resolved that the second this whole betting thing was over, he was getting Christina out of here. His gut was telling him they needed to run. Something about this place made his skin crawl. It felt like walking through a minefield blindfolded.
Christina’s eyes swept across the crowd like a queen surveying her subjects. Her voice cut through the noise. “Anyone else want to step up and try me?”
“Hell yes, plenty of us want to try you! Did you also pay off this challenger, you cheating bitch?” Thea snarled, her face twisted with rage and humiliation.
“If you think I’m such a fraud, why don’t you get your ass up here and try yourself?” Christina’s mouth curved into a cold, mocking smile.
Thea’s face went pale as death, and she stumbled backward like Christina had just pulled a gun on her. “W-why the hell should I go up there?”
Deep down, Thea knew the truth. She didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell against Christina. Getting in that ring would be like signing her own death warrant.
“You’re the one running your mouth about me pulling off tricks, so naturally, you should put your money where your mouth is. Come up here, and I’ll convince you the hard way,” Christina said.
“I…” Thea’s voice cracked as panic set in. Then she grabbed Kole by the shoulders and shoved him toward the ring. “He’ll fight you! Kole will be your next opponent!”
Kole’s face went white as a sheet. Christina had already beaten him once before. Stepping into that ring would be like signing his own death warrant. Christina hated his guts and had every reason to want payback. If she decided to settle the score tonight, he was completely screwed. The Boxing King was supposed to be unstoppable, but Christina had made the Boxing King look like a child. There was no way in hell he was climbing into that ring.