I sit down on the benches in the warm up room as I wrap my hands for tonight. Third underground fight this week for me, and fifty thousand if I win. The guy I'm winning against tonight doesn't stand a chance and he's bet all of his winnings that he'll beat me, and he won't.

This is all I have left and I'm not losing it. My parents are gone and I'm the only child, meaning I'm fending for myself. And he beat up my step grandfather days ago and stole his wallet thinking it would mess me up, no, it isn't. I know he did it, I know he did and he's not winning. I'm winning.

I've worked my ass off for years since I dropped out of college and I'm finally making decent money doing this and I won't lose it. I'm not losing to that piece of shit.

I hear the door open as Carter walks in and gives me a fist bump. "How you feeling tonight?" He asks as I nod. Carter's been my manager for years, and I know he doesn't stay for the fights he just sets them up and trains me.

"Good man." I tell him as he nods. "Good. Everything is the same tonight, you have to win. Only difference is the crowd is full of chicks. Don't let it mess with your head." He tells me as I nod. Not that I care about them anyway, but it's nice to have the attention and know that the little preppy bitches from the college in town want me. I just feed it and keep them coming back for me, the more people here the more money, more money in my pocket.

The only one I mess around with is my usual, Poppy. Whenever I want or need sex, she's there, ready for me and that's something I don't think I'll ever get tired of.

"I won't. I got this" I tell him as he nods and taps my back before walking out leaving me to warm up on the punching bags. I got this, I know I do.

___

After winning the fight I slip on a hoodie, jeans and a black hat before getting my shit together. Just like that I'm fifty thousand dollars richer. I knew it wouldn't take much to whip that man's ass. I just hope I don't have to deal with his bullshit. What we do is illegal, which means I can't say shit about anything. As long as my money comes through every Thursday I'm fine.

I grab my keys and walk out into the alley towards my truck before I'm stopped.

"You stupid fuck! I wasn't supposed to lose this one!" Butcher tells me as I turn around. Here we go. I look him in the eyes as he stops.

"Really because I beat your ass. Now move, money is money and I won." I tell him pushing him out of the way. He knows he can't beat me in a fight, he'll never be able too, I'm bigger and stronger than him.

"I hate you young little piece of shit. You think you can come in here and take over because of who mommy and daddy were?" He asks as I turn around and punch him as hard as I can. He won't talk about them.

They both died in a car accident a few years back, and I've never been the same without them. I was in the car and in the hospital for three weeks before I got better and they never did. I lost my parents, and then fighting became my passion. "You don't know shit about my family and if you touch what's mine or hurt my family I will kill you." I tell him.

I see the blood rush out of his nose when I stop. "You asshole" he yells as I nod and adjust my hat.

"Fuck, I know." I tell him laughing before I start. "I'm not letting you win when you're a piece of shit." I tell him referring to his fighting.

"That's not what we agreed on. I just lost fifty thousand dollars!" He tells me as I stare. Agreed? I never agreed to shit, he wanted his last fight to be a good one, and I made it good.

That's before I hear a gunshot and then feel a sting in my foot. I look down at my shoe when I realize I've been shot and it hurts, painfully.

"What the fuck?! You asshole! I'm the best in the underground division." I yell as I drop down feeling the pain hit me. There goes my damn career in fighting, there goes everything I've worked for.

"You mother fucker I will kill you." I spit out as he walks off laughing from shooting me. I lean against the alley wall as I look at the blood gushing and try to stay awake.

Fuck I need Carter's help. I pull out my phone and call him as he answers.

"Carter he shot my foot. Asshole." I tell him immediately and he knows who I'm referring to.

"What? Right now? Shit Jaxton we got to get you help. Can you walk?" He tells me as I still.

"Nah it's bleeding too bad I can't walk on it." I explain as I keep my eyes open and try to stop the bleeding.

"Shit. You won didn't you?" He asks.

"Yeah made fifty thousand tonight, next week it's doubling." I tell him as he sighs. "Do I need to come get you?" He asks as I hear his son cry his name in the background. No, I'm not taking him away from that.

"I'll call someone, just come and get me if I call you back." I tell him hanging up and pulling my pant leg up as I see the blood. Hopefully it'll heal fast, it's painful as hell right now.

"Fuck that hurt" I mutter trying to stand up on my own but I can't. I can't call anyone because I don't have anyone but my step grandfather and grandmother. But I don't speak to them much and I'm not asking for help with this because they'll know what my job is, it's illegal.

"Oh my goodness are you okay?" I hear a soft voice come around the corner as I see a woman. I can't even really see her face though.

"I'll be fine. Fell in a hole, scraped my foot up." I tell her as she steps into the light and I see her face. She's breathtakingly beautiful and her green eyes are gorgeous. She's not going to know that I think that though. She grabs her wallet and shows me a hospital badge as I see she's a nurse. Rylee.

"I'm a nurse and I heard a gunshot when I was walking home. I work in the ER and the hospital is a block away." She tells me bending down to look at my foot. She needs to get the hell out of here before she gets hurt.

"I'm not going to hospital. Go home." I tell her as she shakes her head no.

"Let me help you." She tells me as I shake my head no. "No, fuck!" I yell when she grabs my foot causing pain.

"Shut up and accept my help." She tells me shedding off her coat to examine my foot. "Do you have a belt?" She asks as I shake my head no and try to keep my eyes open.

"Don't wear them" I tell her as she sighs and takes hers off to wrap around my ankle.

"Shit, give me your hoodie." She says when the bleeding won't stop. I can't look at it or I'll pass out any minute so I slip my hoodie off and give it to her.

"We need to get you to a hospital" she tells me as I shake my head no. "I'm not going to a damn hospital!" I tell her. If I go to the hospital they'll want to know how this happened and that can't happen. I'll lose my spot in the underground fighting ring.

"Then where can I walk you? You have to get the bullet out or you're going to bleed to death!" She tells me.

"Wrap your arms around my neck." She instructs before I have the chance to speak as she pulls me to her. I smell her hair and sniff coconut as she helps lift me.

"Holy fuck your weigh more than I expected." She laughs out as I stand. I know I do, I'm big.

"Two fifty and six foot six" I tell her as she nods. She hands me her jacket to hold as she wraps her arms around me. It feels good when her little body is trying to help me.

"Where is your car?" She asks. "Give me your keys" she demands two seconds later.

"I'll drive. My house not the hospital." I tell her as I grab her body in my hands. I have to drive or I'll fall asleep and that's not happening.

"No offense but I don't know you and I was going to get you to the hospital for help." She tells me as I realize what she means. She has no idea who I am and she's helping me. I open the passengers side door as she stands there.

"I'm Jaxton Rutledge. 27, and I just want you to get this bullet out of my damn foot, no hospital, I'll pay you." I tell her as she laughs at me.

"Fine, but I'm not a surgeon and I can't promise you I'll be the best, you don't have to pay me. I'll try, I'm Rylee Jane, 22." She tells me as I nod in agreement.

"I don't want to kill you promise." I tell her extending my pinky as she laughs making me smile. Good, she's adorable, and her laugh is contagious as hell. I look over at her and she smiles before I catch a glimpse of Butch coming to my truck. Hell.

"Shit, get in the car!" I tell her as I yell. "I'm not playing with you get in the damn car!" I tell her. She's zoned out when I grab her little hips and lift her into the truck without her consent. I slam the door shut and lock it before speeding off.

"Shit. Fucking dammit!" I whisper yell as I hit my steering wheel. What have I gotten into? Over a fight that I won?

"Slow down! What's the big deal?" She asks as I keep driving. I'm bleeding so much I'm about to pass out and I can't feel my foot anymore, that's a big deal.

I pull up to my house as I open the security gate and get in. I inherited it after my parents died and updated everything in it, it's somewhere I want to live the rest of my life and I don't have payments on it anymore so I'm just living here.

She wraps her arms around me and helps me out my truck into the house and through the kitchen.

"The couch" I mumble as she nods and helps sit me in the living room. "First aid kit in the bathroom." I whisper to her ready to pass out as she pushes me down onto the seat.

"Don't scream." Is the first thing she says when I realize she's dumping alcohol over my foot. She gives me a pillow as I hold it over my mouth containing the pain.

"Give me a few minutes" she tells me as she touches it and I can't help but scream in pain. How in the fuck did this happen?