Broken: Round One (Broken #1) by Skyla Madi Read Free Book Online Page B

Stone. I’ll last a few minutes—maybe.”
    “And maybe you will, but don’t forget, if you play it right, it can take a second to win a fight.” He pushes off of the wall and saunters closer. “So you don’t have any technique or strength. Big deal.”
    Gee, thanks.
    “You have speed and logic on your side. Most fighters are trained to think one way, and one way only: win, at all costs. They’ll take a single look at you and go for the knock out, completely bypassing ground game and submissions. If you don’t panic and learn a little about position and evasive techniques, I think you’ll do just fine—or, you won’t die, at the very least.”
    He stands a foot away from me, hands placid at his sides. I wonder if he’d still offer to help me if I didn’t owe him ten thousand dollars. If by some freaky chance I managed to win back the money, would he dump me on my ass to fend for myself? Or would he continue to help me? He said he has a goal down here and that I’m a distraction. What’s his goal? To win money? What does he need that kind of cash for? It seems he has plenty of it. All of his clothes are branded with top-end sports logos, his little music player is Apple, and let’s not mention the twenty thousand dollars he casually pulled out of his pocket for us to be accepted. He doesn’t need eighty thousand dollars.
    “You want to help me?”
    His jaw tightens for a few seconds before he relaxes it. “You owe me money and I need it back.”
    Intrigued, I angle my head. “What do you need it for?”
    Jai’s blue eyes darken and in this light, they appear black. “What does it matter? It was mine to begin with.”
    Slowly, I join a little piece of it together. “Money can’t be what you’re here for. If you were in desperate need for money, you wouldn’t have wasted ten thousand of it on me.”
    His dark eyes flare as he squares his shoulders to tower over me. Normally, I’d cower at such a sight, but right now, I’m making progress. I need to know just whom I’m being associated with.
    “Careful, Kitten. My business is the last thing you want to paddle around in.”
    The way he says it intrigues me. Maybe I want in on the danger. Next, I recall the way he was looking at Skull. Everyone else watched him with absolute adoration, but not Jai. I saw his distaste. I felt his anger. There’s something much bigger going on here.
    “I saw the way you were looking at Skull.”
    His poker face remains fierce and firm and I briefly wonder if he’s ever been in the army. The way he holds himself feels … disciplined.
    “I saw the way you were looking at him too. You like the skull? It turns you on?”
    Fire rushes in to my face, painting me red before settling in my cheeks. His tattoo might intrigue me, but I’d never go as far as to say it turned me on.
    “I may have been a little curious,” I admit, not that it’s any of his business. “But Skull is a disgusting human being. His lack of compassion for human life overshadows any freaky fetish I might have conjured up.”
    His lips tighten into a straight line. Could he be jealous? Is that even possible?
    “He may look like he has the world at his feet, but he’s one careless step away from losing it all.”
    Oh, shit. There it is. I was expecting some kind of messed-up plan, but that … that is actually insane.
    “You want to take him down?” I ask in a harsh whisper. “Are you insane?”
    Of course, Jai plays indifferent, as if I spoke to him in another language. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “You implied—”
    He shoots forward, slamming his large body into mine and clamping a hand over my mouth. His face is etched with red-hot fury and I fight against him, but a firm hand planted on my lower back keeps me from getting any distance.
    “I’m not going to ask you to stay out of my business again. I didn’t save your life so you could fuck mine. All I’m asking is that you win your fight and return the money