Her Deliverance (vol. 2) ON HOLD

Forty-three

Too tired to edit the chapter so ignore minor mistakes for now, I'll go back to it later. :)

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H a r r y

Xavier wants to know if you've decided if you're up for the fight or not. Money went up, winner gets 10,000 now. He needs to know asap. I personally still don't think you should do it, Harry. Have you even told Emmeline?

My eyes scan the text I had received from Cameron earlier this morning, lips pursed as I thought over what to respond. I knew she was right, I could have gotten seriously hurt in the last fight but I got lucky. I should have walked out of there with a broken rib at the least but one swift punch to the lad's face had knocked him out cold. It was a miracle how I was able to find the strength to punch him considering how I had been on the verge of passing out myself. If anyone was going to end up unconscious on the floor, it should have been me.

Which was why I understood why Cameron kept discouraging the next fight. The man before had been shorter than me but what he lacked in height he made up for in strength and muscle. Now as for the lad I would be set to fight if I agreed, I heard he was both tall and muscular. His bulkiness was one of the main reasons he was undefeated in the first place and I could honestly say I wasn't sure if he was someone I could defeat. I should say no if I wasn't one hundred percent confident in myself to win. It's a given. But, ten thousand dollars?

That was a lot, and I didn't think I had it in me to turn it down just because I was nervous about getting hurt. I could suck it up, couldn't I? There was a chance I could win. If I practiced and trained harder, spoke to his other opponents he'd gone against in the past to figure out his weaknesses, I could do it. I could win it.

With this in mind, I make the decision. Biting down hard on my lip as my fingers tap against the screen before hitting the send button.

Me: Tell him I'm in.

I sighed, ready to lock my phone when it vibrated in my hand with a new incoming text from Cameron.

Cam: Seriously? You're so fucking insane. You're going to get hurt, Harry.

Me: Wow, nice to see how much faith you have in me. I'll be fine.

Cam: Have you told Emmeline about this? She can't possibly be alright with it.

At that, I pause and frown down at the text. Because no, I hadn't told Em about the fighting and I don't think I was ever going to. This would be my last fight and I'd quit all together before she could ever find out. There was no point in telling her and yet, I felt guilty for keeping this from her.

"Harry?"

My head snaps up at the voice I knew all too well calling my name, eyes falling onto Em who stood at the doorway of our bedroom for the weekend. Her hair was hanging in long beach waves, face bare of any makeup and cheeks slightly flushed. Looking over the white cover-up she had over her pink bikini, I could see that despite it being November, she still managed to get a tan just by sitting out in the sun yesterday afternoon after we had arrived.

She moves to lean against the doorframe, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting out her hip as she tilted her head at me curiously. "What are you doing?"

Glancing down at my phone, I immediately lock the screen and shrug, tossing it onto the bed before standing up. "Just answering a text from Cameron. She wanted to know If I'd go to the gym with her."

"She doesn't know you're out of town?" She asked in confusion, head tilting back as I neared her.

"She does, just forgot." I lie, giving her a tight smile when I feel the familiar pang of guilt in my gut. "You look ready to jump in the ice-cold water," I joke as I look down at the top of her bikini that was visible with the plunging neckline of the cover-up. Fingers moving to fiddle with the knot messily tied to keep it closed, I bite my lip when I meet her eye. "You should jump into bed with me instead."