Page 38 of Tico

“But you and Pyper aren’t alone anymore. You’ve got me. You’ve got Daemon. You’ve got the entire club at your back. Same for Rochelle if she wants it. And whenmi familia(my family)finds out about you? You’ll have them at your back as well. Maybe even Maria’s club, too.”

Ember stares at me in shock. “But we just met hours ago, Diego. Why are you doing all of this for me? We barely know each other.”

My grip tightens around her, and I lower my voice. “Because with you, I feel like I’ve come home. That you see me for me. Not for what I can do for you. Not for my patch and the status that comes with it. You see me. And outside ofmi familia y hermanos(my family and brothers), that hasn’t happened in a really long fucking time. But I also see you. I know you’re strong and can handle shit by yourself if need be. Your past and where you grew up does not define who you are. I see how you are with your sister. How supportive, protective, and caring you are. I see the real you just as you see the real me.”

Her lips part in surprise and then her body fully melts against mine. “I do see the real you. Thank you, Diego,” she whispers as she goes up on her toes to kiss me. When she pulls back, her brows furrow. “Wait a minute. Did you say Maria’s club? Who’s Maria?”

I smirk. “Yeah, she’smi hermana(my sister). She’s the President of the Royal Harlots MC, an all-female MC. Xochitl [SOH-chee] is her road name. Their clubhouse is up in Kiel.”

She blinks a few times as she absorbs that information. “Fuck, she must be badass to be a President of an all-female MC.”

I can’t help it. I laugh and the action startles Bobby for a moment before his face reverts back to neutral. I tap Ember’s hip. “She is absolutely going to love you, but we can talk about her later. Right now, we need to get you ready. It’s almost time.”

Forty minutes later, I follow behind Ember as we step out into the tunnel that leads to the pits. Daemon, Reese and Taco follow behind me. Casually, I look over at the northwest corner and immediately spot the Chrome Vipers. Their gazes narrow when they spot Ember, but none of them leave their spots. If Ember spots them, she gives no indication that she’s seen them—her gaze is fixated on Banshee. Behind me I can almost feel the fury and tension radiating off Daemon and I know he’s spotted them and his uncle as well.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Daemon mutters under his breath, but thankfully, he keeps his head and sticks to the plan.

We escort Ember to the ring, and before she steps into it, I snake my arm around her waist, pulling her into me. She looks up at me, surprised that I’m stopping her but before she can say anything, I lean down and kiss her.

“For good luck,” I whisper and she huffs and slightly shakes her head.

“Thank you, but I also know what you’re doing,” she whispers back and I cock my eyebrow at her.

“Are you pissed?”

She shakes her head and pats my chest. “Not in the slightest. It’s a good plan and I think it will throw them off their game. And yes, I did see them.”

I give her one more quick kiss. “Go get her, Vicious.”

She smirks up at me. “Will do, Handsome.”

I step back, following the others to where the trainers and managers stand . It’s only then that I notice the crowd’s and my staff’s reactions to my claim on Ember. A few people in the crowd look surprised. Others assessing. And surprisingly, some more money is exchanging hands quickly before the match starts. As for my staff, most nod their heads in acknowledgement, understanding my claim. However, a few of the waitresses look downright pissed and I’m going to have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t cause any trouble.

“Assholes and bitches, it’s time for our final fight!” our announcer, Big Al, yells into the microphone and the crowd goes wild. Then he extends a hand in Banshee’s direction. “In one corner, we have Banshee!” The crowd roars and then Big Al points towards Ember. “And in the other corner is someone I’m sure some of you have recognized. No longer does she go by Viper. Tonight is her first fight debuting as the Fox!”

Once again the crowd roars as Ember and Banshee both step forward and tap gloves before sinking into their fighting stances.

“Fight!” Big Al yells and true to Ember’s style she strikes first, fast and hard.

Banshee puts up a good fight, and a part of me wonders if I’ll be getting a phone call later from her manager, bitching me out for the last-minute change. However, it’s obvious Banshee is nomatch for Ember. Her punches and movements are a hair too slow. Ember picks up on it instantly before landing a couple of brutal punches to Banshee’s ribs. Ember dodges a punch and lands a hard right hook to Banshee’s jaw which momentarily stuns her, but she shakes it off. Like her other fights, Ember quickly darts out of range after landing her attacks.

I glance at where the Chrome Vipers are sitting and note that Drone and Bug are looking pissed as they watch Ember, but Scooter… Scooter is staring straight at me. He smirks and makes a finger gun gesture towards Ember before doing the same to me and then dragging his thumb across his throat. My phone buzzes twice, then one, then three times in my pocket, Wire’s signal that he saw the threat as well.

“Clocked it,” Taco says quietly and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Reese and Daemon give a slight nod as well, indicating that they saw it, too.

I keep them in my peripheral as I refocus back on Ember, but my gaze scans the room more frequently for other possible threats.

As the fight progresses, both women get in good, hard hits on the other, but then I notice Banshee is starting to flag. A few minutes later, Banshee stumbles after another blow to her ribs and Ember takes advantage, striking faster and harder. As I see Ember line up for another punch, I know it’s going to happen even before her fist lands against Banshee’s face. Her eyes roll and her body falls limp as Ember knocks her out cold.

My gaze focuses on Banshee’s chest, worry eating at me until I see the rise and fall of her chest. That’s the one major danger of this sport. One wrong hit could kill you. My gaze snaps to Ember’s, and her relief that Banshee is still alive is obvious. Big Al enters the pit and raises Ember’s hand declaring her the winner.

“They’re on the move,” Daemon whispers as he steps closer and my gaze snaps to the northwest corner, watching the Chrome Vipers retreat.

At the last moment before they disappear from view, Wrench looks over his shoulder and he does some sort of hand signal as he feigns running his hand through his hair. I feel Daemon stiffen next to me and then he breathes a sigh of relief.

“What the fuck was that?” I ask him and when I glance at Ember, I notice she was watching them, too, and saw it.

“It means,” he says and then he pauses as he and Ember share a relieved smile, “that we have a man on the inside.”