Page 65 of Undertow
Raquel was smart enough to believe me.
Good, that would make things easier on both of us.
She was beyond useful too because I was able to meet with Avior, the bookie, that night and the manager of the club to get Sagan’s money. Neither could hide their shock that I was the one who showed up.
“I told you she was backed,” Avior told the manager. “I knew she was in with the Metcalfs somehow, but I didn’t have a fucking clue she knew the favorite Metcalf princess.”
“You still should have warned me,” the manager snapped.
“Boys, boys, you’re both pretty,” I purred before this got out of hand. “Let’s handle what I’m here for and then I cananswer afewof your questions.” I handed Avior back his card. “I also would like the contact you have for that magic since I’ll be in town for a while.” I chuckled when they both flinched. “Relax. Not like that.”
“So you’re not here to move in,” the manager hedged.
“No, this is my side fun with myonefighter who I owe a lot to,” I said, already having gone over the cover with Sagan. “I’m here for a legit job to help the family’s… Standing.” I chuckled darkly when they were dripping with curiosity. “I know the princess from school. My king wanted someone on her team as a sign of good faith.”
“And she was stupid enough to pick aMetcalf?” the manager hissed.
But Avior was the smart one, throwing back his head and laughing. “Oh, shit is about to get interesting around here. The princess isn’t as righteous as Rhys.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but she’s a single woman in a sexist world, so she’s smart enough to know that she needs a tiger at her side,” I corrected.
Pun intended.
I was impressed with what Avior finagled for Sagan. Setting aside the twenty million prize and the two and a half million for the bet she’d made, he’d done well by her. He’d given her a four-million bet of his own on credit, so that was a hundred million.
But he’d also placed some other bets with bookies that night, and even after taking the agreed-upon cut, she was walking away with an extra fifty million.
“She made it clear if I impressed her, I would get the meeting I wanted,” he told me firmly, studying me carefully.
I chuckled darkly, understanding that he was going to be greedy and act like I wasn’t enough. “This was beyond what you expected and we both know it, darling. Plus, I now like you, and Idon’t fuck over people I like.” I rolled my eyes when he frowned. “My father and brothers don’t have people they work with. They have people they’ve taken over.”
He swallowed loudly and nodded. “I look forward to beingyourally then while you’re living here.”
Good boy.
I confirmed the wires and listened as they talked about how everything played out. After the initial crazy and people blowing up about Sagan winning, people were rabid for a rematch between her and the same fighter. Others were interested in a female mystic on the scene.
“We’ll talk. We’re interested and we’ll talk,” I said coyly. I gave a half shrug when the manager couldn’t hide his shock. “I let her play because she was bored and I was delayed, but honestly she wasn’t all that impressed. She’s fought in much better conditions, and the guy was talking about raping her when she was out like it was normal.”
“Not here,” the manager spat. “He was—I can’t control that any more than you could, but this place—that’s not the show we run. Come see anytime for yourself. And I admit I was rude and an asshole to her that night, but I was worried about them tearing the place apart. I’ll eat my hat even because she was right and I didn’t get in trouble.”
No, quite the opposite from the desperation I felt from him. People were jonesing for the idea of a real female fighter. It would bring in big fighters for the shot at a mystic dragon from what they rambled.
“You have my number and it’snotto be given out, gents,” I warned them. “I’m fine with a few finding out I’m dipping this toe in here only because I don’t want to be bored, but make it clear this is just for fun. I don’t want problems.” I stood and let my hand shift into my claws. “You don’twantthere to be problems.”
“No, I never do,” the manager said firmly, not even flinching. “And it’s not how we roll. I’ll even cover more security when she comes back to fight. We weren’t prepared. That was my bad and I’m embarrassed. No matter male or female, we weren’t ready. We will be next time.”
I believed him and that this was Sagan’s ticket to get out of the shit she was in.
It took me a couple more days to go over everything she dumped on me, and what I found was so ridiculous that I was beyond pissed. Her family had gotten screwed at every fucking turn.
And her parents had just let it happen.
There has to be more to this. Fuck, I never thought I’d pity a princess, but this is beyond—poor Sagan.
Clearly, Raquel knew more of what was going than she was willing to say because she personally brought me lunch… And some insight that would help.
Specifically copied pages from her great-grandmother’s journal talking about how some elders at the time had shut down renting out other De la Rosa properties. They had listed a bunch of reasons saying it could influence the family and made the royal family look bad, but her ancestor made it clear it was selfishness so the elders had access to the properties.
