Spent - Part Three (Bad Boy Fighter Book 3) by Elise Holland Read Free Book Online

first time I stared at my reflection in the mirror at the hospital. I too looked broken and defeated.
    Stewart raises his hands in defense, “I only struck that fool after he inflicted the initial blow. It was purely self-defense purposes.”
    “Bull shit,” Luke mutters, his arms still crossed, “You’re a fucking coward hitting a man twice your age like that. You could have killed him.”
    Stewart arches his brow as he glares at Luke, as if challenging him to a fight, “He came up behind me and I just assumed it was one of the losers who train here trying to jump me when I swung around to hit him. If you can’t control your little victim bitch’s family, then…”
    Luke raises up, rage in his eyes, as if he’s about to lunge towards Stewart and finish him, but Mike jumps between the two men and grabs Luke, “Enough!” Mike booms. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him angry, and it is downright frightening, “I want all of you the hell out of my damn arena, now!” Mike finishes as he looks back and forth between my father and Stewart.
    No one says a word, but we all get up and walk out of the room, with Mike and the other security guard trailing behind us. Luke extends his hand to me. I grasp it, thankful for the sudden comfort of his skin connecting with mine. Until now, I hadn’t realized that I was shaking. Whether it was the overflowing levels of testosterone in the room, or if I had been shaking the entire time, I don’t know. But as Luke’s fingers strum along my hand and fingers, I begin to feel my entire body start to relax.
    As soon as all of us are out the door and in the parking lot, Mike locks the arena door, no doubt ready to head home himself. I turn around and mouth ‘Bye’ to him. Mike returns a perfunctory wave, but he’s clearly irritated by the dramatics and looks nothing like the Mike I’m used to. Anger boils up inside of me as I think about Stewart and my father managing to piss my friend off so much.
    Nearing our car, away from security, Stewart maneuvers his way in front of us and turns around, forcing us to stop and face him. I feel Luke’s muscles tighten as he grips on to me. I squeeze his hand, hoping to calm him down. He doesn’t seem to notice, but continues to glare at Stewart, every muscle in his body flexed and ready to fight.
    “Don’t worry, Richards. I won’t file any charges against your little lady’s old man. You’re lucky, really. I could probably get a nice settlement out of this all, if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m such a nice guy.”
    “You better get the fuck out of my way,” Luke practically growls. He’s angry, far angrier than I’ve ever seen him before. This time for once, it’s more frightening than sexy.
    “Hey man,” Stewart waves Luke off, “I’m not looking for a fight. You should calm down a little. But damn, it is nice to see the old Luke back.”  
    He turns to face me, “You see now sweetie, the old Luke always had that ferocious look in his eyes, just looking for someone to rip apart. Much like an unwanted dog, really.”
    For a moment, time stands still. The air around us comes to a sudden stop. Everything about Luke says he’s going to beat the living hell out of Stewart. I’ve never been afraid of Luke before, but now, I have no idea what he’s going to do. I honestly don’t know what he’s truly capable of, but I know that his body is a sheer powerhouse of muscle and anger right now, and that he could probably hurt Stewart beyond repair.
    And I’m afraid. Afraid that I want him to hurt him, and I’m aware that I want to leap forward and slap him myself again like that day in the locker room, and yet I know he’s goading us on purpose, hoping we’ll commit an act he can use against us. I glance towards the arena parking lot security cameras and wonder if they are on.
    “Have a good life, Stewart,” Luke mutters, as he pulls me beside him and begins walking towards our car.
    I can finally breathe again, as