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Leo moved in, throwing a punch that landed on the side of Romeo’s face, and his mouthpiece shot out as he stumbled into the ropes.
I gasped, along with the thousands of fans packed in the arena. As if we’d all just felt the hit. I squeezed Brinkley’s hand so hard my knuckles were white, and we both jumped to our feet.
“Unbelievable. How is this guy still standing?” Rod said, as we all watched the ref talk to Romeo and hand him his mouthpiece.
Tears ran down my face. It was almost too much to bear.
But he held his hands up, letting the ref know that he was okay.
I glanced at his corner, and it was impossible to miss the distraught look on Joey’s face.
He wanted them to call the fight.
He shouted something at the ref, and Romeo turned around and shouted something back.
Lincoln looked pissed as he yelled at both Romeo and the ref. He punched the side of the ring in frustration.
“Oh my God,” Brinkley whisper-hissed. “Lincoln’s losing his shit.”
River’s gaze locked with mine from a distance, and he gave me a nod. As if he were saying everything was okay.
But I did not miss the pained look on Hayes’s, Nash’s, and Kingston’s faces.
No one thought they should let Romeo continue.
But the ref agreed that he was okay, and that was when I saw it.
Complete panic written all over Leo’s face.
He was desperate for them to call the fight.
Because he was also hanging on by a thread.
I squeezed my eyes shut as they finished the rest of the round, and Brinkley grabbed my face when Romeo went to his corner. “Look at me.”
I opened my eyes; my vision blurred as the tears were coming fast now.
“Demi, he’s a fighter. He’s made it eleven rounds. He’s still standing. Listen to the people chanting his name. He needs us right now. Do not fall apart. You wanted to be here for him, so you need to be here. Through the good and the bad.”
I sniffed and pulled myself together. “Okay. One more round.”
“One more round.”
And this time when I looked over at his corner, Romeo was looking right at me. One eye was swollen completely shut while the other found mine, and the corners of his lips turned up just the slightest bit. No one else would have noticed, but I did.
He was telling me that he was okay.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I grasped my heart and shouted his name.
My fierce warrior.
And then he moved to his feet. Joey whispered something into his ear, and he nodded.
The bell rang, and they both moved toward the center of the ring. The next three minutes would be the longest of my life.
They took turns throwing punches. One after another. They were leaving it all out there. And Romeo was throwing as many as Leo now.
One for one.
