Page 79 of After the Burn

The entire front row scrambled backward.

I grinned as I climbed back to my feet. “Not bad, old man. Now it’s my turn.”

Mace vaulted over the broken rail instead of waiting for me to climb back inside.

We met halfway, and his elbow clipped the side of my head. The world flashed white for half a second, then I buried my fist in his ribs.

Something cracked, but he barely slowed.

Neither did I.

We traded punches that would’ve dropped ordinary men.

His left split the skin over my eyebrow, and mine broke his nose.

Blood poured down both our faces.

Mace swung again, but I slipped inside his reach and drove my forehead straight into his head.

The crack blurred my vision.

Mace stumbled and tried to recover, but I didn’t give him time and doled out three body shots.

One hook.

An uppercut that lifted him onto his toes.

And another shot to his already injured ribs.

He answered with both hands locked together like a damn sledgehammer. The blow smashed across my shoulders and drove me to one knee.

The ground beneath me cracked, and dust burst upward.

A woman screamed, and I heard Adrian’s voice somewhere beyond the ring. “Stay the fuck back.”

Mace wiped blood from his mouth and nose with the back of his hand. “I’m done playing with you.” He gave me a bloody grin. “I’m ready to bury this dick in that fine young pussy.”

I laughed. “The only place you’ll be burying that tiny prick is in Gage’s ass.”

He charged.

At the last second, I stepped aside, caught his wrist, and used every ounce of strength the meteors had left me.

His body left the ground.

Two hundred and fifty pounds sailed through the air before crashing through another section of railing.

The wooden posts exploded.

People in the first row dove out of the way.

Mace landed hard and stayed still for a beat before pushing himself back to his feet.

We collided like two bulls, no technique now, just violence.

Every punch shook my bones. Every block sent shocks through my arms.

He caught me across the jaw, and my head snapped back. I answered with a hook to his liver. He drove a knee into my stomach, and I buried an elbow in his temple.