Selena

52 | Malicious

ADELRAM ROMANO

A broken nose, busted lip, and bullet felt like enough punishment.

For now.

While Rossi removes the metal from his arm, he tells me about the underground fights hosted by the American mafia.

Another chance to talk to Selena.

I haven't been able to stop my head from running in circles as to what I'm going to say to her. How can I put into words how I feel.

She was dead but she never actually died. She came back and my best friend shot her.

It's fairly easy for us to sneak into the fight in a large warehouse by the docks. Red lights illuminate a second floor observation deck and the rest are bright white on the elevated square in the middle floor.

Selena loves a fight and that fact alone makes me certain she will be here tonight.

Not just watching from the safety of some private room, but in the ring in front of all these people. An announcer shouts commentary on the current fighters, but its chants and cheer from the crowd mostly drown him out. I keep my hood pulled over my head and motion to Rossi to stay where he is. His white hair makes him stand out.

I push my way through the sweaty people until my eyes catch her smile.

Her eyes are bright as her hand move like she's telling a story. She's facing a man who reflects her smile.

My fists clench as I try not to let my jealousy show.

Selena's black hair that is usually straight has a soft wave to it. It softens up her entire demeanor.

A small smile makes its way to my face as I watch her through the crowd.

Her muscles tense suddenly and her head whips in my direction. Her eyes searching the crowd until they land on me.

When she sees me, her smile slowly disappears. She says something to the man she was laughing with as I approach them. 

"Why are you here? You weren't invited," she cuts through me with a deadly glare. Her voice sharp and straight to the point.

"I need to talk to you."

Her expression slightly softens, but it's covered up a millisecond after. 

"Get out or I'll have my men remove you." She motions to the man she was just talking to. Immediately he turns his full attention to us, as if he wasn't eyeing me the entire time.

"Selena," I begin again but the man steps in front of her. I notice a snake emerging from the side of his neck.

Selena doesn't like tattoos.

My hand rests on my gun and before I even think of pulling it out of my hoodie, her hand is on his arm.

"Fine. Give us a sec," she nods to him and he looks unsure but nods back. He steps away without a word and disappears into the crowd. I can't figure out which way he went when Selena draws back my attention.

"Make it quick. What do you want?"

"Can we talk? Please." I see her eyes soften again, letting in the tiniest bit of emotion. She nods slowly as if she's testing the waters with every action she makes towards me. I glance over at the other men watching us and back at Selena. "In private?"

And like that her wall is back up.

"My fight's next," she states while pulling her black hair up into a high ponytail.