Fighter

Karolia's POV

"Hey," someone said in my ear from behind me, and I shrieked as fear ran throughout my body and I turned around.

"Scarlet!" I pushed her face away from mine, which was very close to mine.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she quickly admitted, her eyes widening and her hands raised in surrender. I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

"Anyway..." she began, her face breaking into a smile, immediately changing the subject. "I have a surprise for you," she exclaimed, her blonde hair dangling from its usual ponytail. My brows twitched in bemusement as she took two tickets from her bag and handed them to me.

"I got UFC tickets!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her heels.

"UFC?"

"Underground fight club, duh," she squealed again, and I looked at her blankly.

"I think you're crazy"

"Nope," she replied, popping the letter p, which irritated me more.

"What makes you think I'll show up at this 'UFC'?" I asked her, accentuating the word "question."

"Because," she emphasized, "it's fun, and I believe this is the best opportunity to take vengeance on Logan Watson."

"First and foremost, fighting isn't fun to watch, and I'm pretty sure you hit your head somewhere. You're talking nonsense," I rolled my eyes, and she made a face.

"You must have faith in me in this." I looked her in the eyes, and she sighed loudly, "I told you I'd make it up to you, and this is one way."

"All right, it's official. You're delusional," I said, turning around to take my bag from the locker before closing it. I began to walk away from her, but she stopped me.

"Please, Karrie, just trust me," she begged, her hands clasped tightly. I gave her a look that said, "Convince me." Scarlet got down on her knees and looked up at me with her puppy eyes.

"What in the world are you doing? Get up! People are looking at you " I snapped at her as I looked around, noticing people giving us strange looks.

"Please... please... please. I'll buy you a big box of your favorite chocolate chip ice cream." She begged. I sighed in defeat and rolled my eyes.

"Okay, I'll come. Get up now "I muttered, my gaze fixed on her.

She squealed, rose to her knees, and drew me into a bone-crushing hug, closing my airway.

"I can't... b-breathe," I stifled. She immediately drew back, an apologetic smile on her face.

"It better be good."

"Oh, you're going to love what you're going to find tonight," she smirked, and I hummed in response. I seriously doubt it.

We walked around the silent house on our tiptoes, checking back every few seconds to make sure no one was following us. I breathed a sigh of relief as we walked up to the front door without making any noise. Scarlet and I are currently attempting to sneak out. I chose to stay with Scarlet today because we thought it would be easier as she lives alone in her apartment. But, to our surprise, her parents decided to pay her a visit and spend the weekend with her. I must admit that I was delighted to see them, and we shared many pleasant memories over dinner. However, they made the task of sneaking out extremely stressful.

I held my breath as Scarlet gently inserted the key into the lock, turning slowly so that the loud click didn't startle her parents down the hall. We were able to get into the car without a problem and were soon back on the road. We arrived at our destination after one frigging hour. When Scarlet pulled up into space, it was quiet and dark. I frowned as I noticed the parking lot was full, but there wasn't a soul outside. There was total silence.

"Are you certain this is the correct address?" I asked Scarlet as soon as we started walking to who knows where.

"I hope so," was her only response, which perplexed and scared me. She snatched my arm and we linked our arms. I grimaced as the floor was littered with dull cigarettes and other trash. We made our way through an alleyway before arriving in front of a large warehouse. With his arms crossed, a large man stood in front of the closed shutter. My heart began to race as we got closer to that man, but Scarlet was full of life.

Scarlet showed that man the tickets.

"What's the code?" the man asked, his voice gravelly. Code?

Scarlet replied calmly, "PYTGH85." I stood there expressionless as if I understood what they were saying. Nevertheless, the man nodded and raised the shutter.

"That's just to make sure we're not cops," Scarlet explained the code's secrecy.

"Cops?"

"Of course! This is illegal."

"Illegal?" In total perplexity, I inquired. "What exactly is this location?" I asked her as I skidded to a halt.

"Uh…" Scarlet scratched her head in confusion before realizing what had happened.

"Did you think this was some sort of WWE thing?"

"Yeah, duh!" I replied. If not, what exactly is this?

"Oh, Karrie," she laughed, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "UFC is somewhat illegal. Let's say the fighters here have brutal fighting style," she explained slowly. I huffed in uneasiness.

"Trust me, you'll see," she said confidently. What on earth have I gotten myself into?

As we walked ahead, we were greeted by a slew of cartons, but I could hear faint cheering from somewhere. I noticed a stairway off to the side, and a man standing near the stairs nodded as we showed him the tickets again. As we climbed down the stairs, deafening screams echoed off the walls. The smell of sweat, smoke, and cigarettes permeated the air. Hundreds of people were yelling the names of their favorite players. Some even offered money to a bouncer in order to place bets on their favorite player. The noises made my ears bleed, but the rush of adrenaline inside me was something else. We wiggled our way to the front, eliciting a barrage of expletives from onlookers.

There was a large ring in the center, and two men were fighting ruthlessly. I tried to capture their expressions, but the only one that caught my attention was severely bruised and bleeding. Though I felt sorry for the guy, I'm curious about the opponent's appearance. From the bruised guy's pitiful state, I realized one thing for certain: the opponent was damn strong and merciless, despite being half the size of the bruised guy, who was huge and intimidating.

Despite the fact that boxing is bloody, I never expected it to be this entertaining to watch. The merciless man wore no shirt, his muscles flexing with each punch he threw at his opponent. Scarlet was giggling beside me when I heard her. I initially thought she was enjoying the fight, but she was actually flirting with a guy. This lady...

The bruised guy was knocked out cold, and the opponent turned around, facing my side, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. My body went numb with shock as I saw who was in front of me.

"The king of Evil has won, Logan, The fearless man is the CHAMPION AGAIN," the host declared as the crowd erupted in applause. Logan shook the host's hand and took a towel from another man who smiled at him in appreciation.

"See, I told you you wouldn't be sorry," Scarlet smirked.

"But, h-how?" I spluttered out, still stunned. "Grecia never mentioned Logan's illegal fighting."

"Perhaps Grecia Watson is still unaware," Scarlet smirked knowingly, and I smirked back, having finally caught up with her plan.

"This is what you said I can take revenge on him," she happily nodded.

"How did you find out about this?" I asked.

"You see that guy?" she asked, pointing to a man with sharp features, dirty blonde hair, and tattooed arms. "I met him a few days ago and discovered he is Logan's best friend," she explained. "And I enticed him to tell me more about Logan, which was extremely difficult by the way," she declared.

In boredom, Logan scanned the crowd while wiping his arms and chest with the towel. His eyes scanned me for a split second before moving on to his knuckles. But he froze and shot up, his blue eyes fixed on my brown orbs. When he saw me, he stiffened and his face hardened. Scarlet shoved her car key into my hands, and I looked at her, perplexed.

She apologetically smiled. "You see, in order to get the details about Logan, I had to make a deal with Patrick," she shrugged.

"A deal?"

"Yeah. I have to go on a date with him."

" Right now?" She chuckled nervously as I narrowed my eyes. "I guess he's a night owl," she grumbled. We both know this isn't just a date, and I sighed loudly.

"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes. It was her decision, and I have more pressing matters right now.

"How am I supposed to proceed now?" My mind appeared to be shutting down right now. I turned to face Logan, and my eyes widened slightly as I realized he was trying to make his way through the crowd to me, but people were blocking his path, most likely congratulating him.

"Don't allow him to catch you. For a while, play hide and seek with him. I'm sure he's afraid you will reveal his secret to Grecia Watson."

I didn't waste any time fleeing, and as soon as the cold air bit my skin, I tightened my jacket around my torso. I was relieved that only a few people were loitering around the parking lot. I spotted Scar's car and dashed towards it, not wanting to stay in this creepy place any longer. But before I could get there, an arm wrapped around my waist and drew me to a hard chest. I squealed in surprise and turned my head to Logan, who was now glaring at me. Uh-Oh.

Logan growled as I gulped, "You're coming with me." So much for hiding and seeking. I squirmed under his grip and tried to get away from his firm grip.

"NO! Let go of me! Please help!" I yelled as I continued to fight under his grip. Everyone around us was staring at us, but they quickly turned away and pretended nothing had happened. Seriously?

"Don't make this difficult for yourself," he said in my ear, but that didn't stop me from yelling and punching him wherever I could.

"Now, because you're not going to leave easily, we're going to leave the hard way," Logan growled and my eyes widened. He spun me around before bending down, picking me up, and tossing me over his shoulder, causing me to scream even louder. I began hitting his back and tried to jerk myself away, but he firmly gripped my knees.

When we arrived at a secluded location, he put me on my feet, quite harshly. "You didn't have to do that," I exclaimed, my heart still pounding. I stood there watching him as he took a cigarette from his pocket, placed it between his lips, and lit it.

"Smoking is bad for you," I grumbled. But he just chuckled and blew smoke in my face. I coughed, glaring at him as he smirked. Asshole!

"What exactly do you want?" I inquired, becoming irritated by his lack of response.

"Mom should not know about this, so you should keep your mouth shut," Logan said, leaning against the wall.

"What do you mean?" I asked, pretending to be dumb and causing him to growl slowly.

"About my profession," he explained.

"Your profession? Everyone already knows you're the CEO of Watson enterprise." I innocently blinked at him, and he took a threatening step forward, and I took one back, bumping up against the wall.

He leaned in, his hands on either side of my neck, his breath fanning against my lips. My heart was racing wildly as I clutched my hands together.

"Don't test my patience, love," he snarled, his voice deep and seductive.

"What do I get in exchange?" Instead, I asked, crossing my arms against my chest and attempting to put some distance between us. My arms squished between his hard abs as he leaned in closer. Is this guy familiar with the concept of personal space?

"Anything," he said quietly. His breath smelled like a cross between smoke and mint.

"I'm going to need some time to think," I explained. I couldn't think of anything good to say, probably because I was exhausted and he's very close to me. He reflected on what I had said. "Fair enough," he mumbled as he leaned back. Phew! I could finally breathe normally.

"Why do you have to do this at all?" I abruptly inquired, "I mean...you're rich," I stated matter-of--factly.

"None of your business," he said coldly. I made a face as I tried not to roll my eyes.

"How did you find this place?"

"None of your business," I retorted, and his jaw tightened.

A door to my right swung open, and two brawny men stepped out, and their gaze immediately fell on us. Logan unexpectedly grabbed my arm and pushed me beside him, his hand slumped on my shoulder. I sighed slightly at our height disparity; I could barely reach his shoulder. My heart was pumping loudly at our proximity and I took an inaudible deep breath to fill my sense with this wonderful masculine smell.

"Logan," a blond-haired man said, his gaze lingering on my figure. I drew closer to Logan, intimidated by their presence. My breath caught in my throat as a dark memory from my past flashed through my mind. No, no, no! I took a deep breath, attempting to push the traumatic memory to the back of my mind, where it belonged.

Logan wrapped his arms around my waist when he noticed my discomfort.

"Congratulations on your victory. I doubted you'd make it through this round with Drake, but you did." the guy said. Logan stiffened beside me.

"I always win." Conceited much?

"My name is Maurice," he introduced himself, grinning at me.

Logan instead said, "We should get going," and dragged me away before I could even open my mouth. I staggered along, attempting to keep up with his long stride.

"Who exactly were they?" I asked.

"They are no one you should be concerned about," he replied. My eyes widened as we came to a halt in front of a motorcycle.

"Is that a Ducati?" Logan was taken aback by my inquiry, clearly not expecting me to be familiar with the brand. Well, I'm a little obsessed with these things.

"Yes, and now get on," he said, straddling his bike and revving the engine.

"Scarlet handed me her car key. So I can-"

Logan hissed, "Listen up, love. Unless you want to be raped by those douches tonight, I suggest you shut your mouth and get on the vehicle," he said brusquely. When I turned around, those two men were still staring at us. Logan's right, those guys are staring at me hungrily. A shudder ran through my spine.

I quickly slid onto the bike behind him, and as soon as I sat down, he sped away. To keep myself from falling off the bike, I wrapped my arms around his torso. I could feel his sculpted abs through his shirt with my fingertips. With such a hectic schedule, how did he stay so fit?

"Geez, slow down," I muttered, and I could hear him laugh. I pressed my cheeks against his back and closed my eyes, enjoying the breeze that rushed against us. It was an exhilarating sensation. This is the first time we are this close, and it's causing a swarm of butterflies to flutter in my stomach. His jacket's leather is warm against my face.

Raindrops began to fall from the sky, and thunder rumbled above. I used to love it when it rained. It's a state of total ecstasy. Logan cursed aloud, "Shit." "Hold tight," he says, doubling the speed. As we flew past several buildings and houses, I wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could, digging my nails into his skin.

"Logan," I yelled, but my voice was muffled by the thunder.

"Logan" When I shook his shoulder, he cocked his head and asked, "What's the matter?"

"I decided what I wanted," I whispered into his ear, hoping he could hear me now. He tensed up slightly but nodded.

"I need you to show me how to ride this bike."