Fighting hearts

Fourteen

"But... why does Carlisle need me?" Evie asked. She had hoped to avoid her boss for the rest of her shift.

"I dunno," said Shura, shrugging his broad shoulders. "I'm just doing what's been ordered and that was to fetch you. He's in the communal space. Come!"

"Alright, we'll be right there," Roth said. When the others left, he looked at Evie. "What was it that you wanted to tell me? What did Carlisle do?"

Evie shook her head. "Nothing important. I'll tell you later. Let's just get to the communal room now before he gets upset because we're making him wait."

The communal space was a large room where fighters and staff could hang out before or after the matches. Carlisle would occasionally be here with a few high-placed friends if they wanted to meet his fighters. Evie herself came there seldomly.

"Are you sure? You can tell me everything," Roth said looking at her, and Evie knew he meant every word.

"Yes, I'm sure." She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her. "Let's go."

Secretly holding hands, they walked through the hallway. "What do you think my prize will be?" Roth asked. "I think maybe Mr. Steel left a big tip. He was really rooting for me today."

"Yes, maybe that's it." Evie wanted to believe that was it, but she had a bad feeling that this prize was going to be entirely different from a tip from a fan. Something like...

"Plenty of girls have applied to your newspaper advertisement. I have picked out some—virgins only."

But Carlisle had also said the women would swing by tomorrow and not today, so her hunch didn't make sense.

Still, Evie feared for it.

And she had every right, because when they walked into the communal room there were a handful of beautiful women lined up. They were in their twenties at the most, and clothed in fine dresses made of lace and silk that were heavily embroidered and decorated. If these women were indeed the ones that had replied to the newspaper advertisement, Carlisle must have bought them dresses, because no rich woman would sell her body to fighters in the Pits.

"Holy fuck, they're gorgeous..." Shura cursed under his breath, and he wasn't the only one who was in awe. There were more fighters in the room—at least a dozen of them—eyeing and lusting for all that feminine beauty.

Roth stayed silent, but he frowned, looking at the ladies. Had he figured it out too? Because Evie certainly had: Roth's prize was a woman. One to warm his bed tonight and please him as he wished. And she was here to witness it.

Suddenly, the nauseous feeling she'd felt earlier this evening was slowly coming back to her.

"There is my best player in the house!" Carlisle declared, looking at Roth.

The rest of the room grew silent.

"Thank you, Carlisle," Roth said.

"Take a good look at these ladies here," Carlisle said, grinning. "As you can see, there are a few flavors to choose from!" He gestured at the women, who were all very different but all human.

One of them was skinny, fair, and ginger-haired, and the one standing next to her was a black woman with short, frizzy hair. The third was short and petite, her hair long, silky, and dark brown. And the last was a woman with hair like golden threads and big green eyes. The first two smiled and seemed excited, while the last two looked slightly uncomfortable.

"You should've seen the look on Donald's face! It was priceless!" Carlisle laughed loudly. "You did well today, Roth. Very well. In fact, it was your best match this year! And he who performs the best will receive a reward."