Page 118
I tried to give him a tiny, reassuring smile as I got back into position. Vince didn’t smile back, his jaw clenched and dark eyes simmering with angry determination.
“Go!” Hogbody barked impatiently, snorting cigar smoke out of his nostrils.
Vince flung my arm over his shoulder in a half nelson and grabbed the back of my neck. His other hand dropped to get the waistband of my shorts in a tight grip at my lower back. When he tapped my spine in signal, I bent my knees to help push myself off the mat so he could lift me up and slam me down face-first.
But just like the last few times, he stumbled, a strained grunt tearing from his throat as he bumped into my side and knocked me off balance.
“Fuck,” he shouted again, releasing me quickly and shoving a hand through his hair.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Burke?” Hogbody yelled. “You had this the other day. Put your fucking back into it.”
“I am,” Vince yelled back, then abruptly pointed a sharp finger at Crossbody, who was leaning back against the wall and watching us. “Will you just fuck off?”
Kenneth glanced up from the couch while Heidi and Mads looked over from the gym area, going quiet. Crossbody blinked in surprise before a condescending smirk tilted his mouth. He gave a slight shrug, arms crossed over his bare chest.
“I’m just waiting to rehearse with Kenneth. Which we would have been doing by now if you didn’t keep fucking up.”
“You’re fucking distracting me,” Vince snarled, shaking out his hands again. “I can feel you standing there and willing me to mess up.”
“Hey, woah—” I held up my hands and stepped toward him.
“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Crossbody drawled, sounding pleased that he’d managed to stoke Vince’s rage without even doing anything. “If you could just blame everything on someone else.”
“Asshole,” Vince hissed under his breath. I shot a confused glance at Crossbody, who was still smirking.
“Relax, dude,” I said quietly, gripping Vince’s shoulder to get him to stop pacing. “He wasn’t doing anything. He’s watched us rehearse a million times.”
“He’s putting me off. He’s such a condescending prick.”
“You’re kind of being a prick right now, too,” I said with a frown.
Vince exhaled sharply and scrubbed a hand over his face. After a few tense seconds, his shoulders sagged, head bobbing in a slight nod.
“Sorry,” he muttered, then sighed. “I’m just pissed at myself. And maybe a little tired. I should probably take a nap before—”
Just then, Crossbody decided to call out, spiteful mirth colouring his tone. “If you can’t do it with five other people in the room, how do you think you’ll be able to do it tonight with thousands watching you?”
Instantly, Vince stiffened up again.
“Fuck you,” he shouted, shaking my hand off and striding to the edge of the ring to grip the top rope so tight his knuckles bleached.
He even leaned right over the ropes as he jabbed a finger in Crossbody’s direction. He looked like he was about to launch himself out of the ring and attack him. Sharing an alarmed glance with Hogbody, I hurried forward.
“I can fucking do it,” Vince was yelling. “Stop trying to get in my head, Crossbody, just because fucking with other people is the only thing that brings you any fucking joy.”
Jesus. My brows shot up as I glanced between them. Crossbody was an arrogant douche, but that was a little harsh.
He finally straightened from the wall as his nostrils flared, dropping his arms to clench his hands into fists by his sides. “You don’t get to talk to me like that.”
Vince let out a harsh laugh. “Oh, why’s that? Because you’re royalty? No one gives a fuck but you, Crossbody. You’re not better than me just because your fucking mommy lives in a palace.”
“Enough,” Hogbody roared, so loud he broke into a snorty coughing fit and tugged the ever-present cigar out of his mouth as he smacked himself in the chest.
I firmly pulled Vince away from the ropes and hissed, “What’s your problem, man?”
“He is,” Vince snarled, jerking his chin forcefully at Crossbody, who now looked pissed off and tense. “He’s my fucking problem.”
“He wasn’t even doing anything.”
