"And we've got ourselves the winner!" announced the referee. "Give it up for Karmin Desai!"

Karmin took in the cheering crowd, the discouraging words drowned out by her upcoming fans. She sighed tiredly, wiping the sweat off her forehead as she made her way outside of the ring.

This fight was against a woman named Mei Huang, who looked like she spent her weekends reading books to children and volunteering at the local shelter. She was thin and petite, but her composure and power were threatening.

Mei had obviously seen her last fight since she was targeting the exact spots that Mateo went for. Karmin was still sore, and she hadn't healed enough to take part in another fight. But that didn't stop her.

Maddox had told her that Mei often went for high kicks, but she wasn't able to balance herself quickly enough, so Karmin extorted her weakness. The moment she attempted to kick her, Karmin swiftly landed her own series of punches and jabs. A few bloody bruises and cusses later, she had won the fight.

Her mattress was quickly filling up with the money to almost 15,000 dollars, but she wasn't complaining. As a matter of fact, it was kind of terrifying to be in possession of that much money. She should probably invest in a safe.

"Here are your winnings," Ezra said as he grudgingly passed her the money without looking her in the eye.

Make that 18,000 dollars now.

She grinned ear to ear, seizing the money from his hands and clutching it tightly as she waited for Maddox. Her grip tightened when she felt someone tap her shoulder. It couldn't be Maddox, and Rhys wasn't here tonight either, so she curled her fists and turned around to see Mei.

"Hey," she greeted, her voice raspier than what Karmin had expected.

"Uh, hello," Karmin said carefully, eyeing her with suspicion. Was she here to punch me in the face or jump me for my money?

"I'm not going to take your money," Mei assured, taking her smaller bundle of money from Ezra.

Karmin smiled shakily, nodding at her. She stood there, unsure of what to do as Mei analyzed her.

"That was a good fight," Mei complimented. "I'm impressed with your skills."

"Thank you," Karmin said, feeling delighted at those words. "You almost had me there a couple of times."

"Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

Karmin shrugged, stepping closer to the wall when a group of drunk men stumbled past her. "I grew up learning, but I had some help," she mentioned, thinking about Maddox and his advice.

"I guess that paid off for your fight with Mateo," Mei hummed, sticking her hand forward. "I look forward to seeing your other fights."

She shook her hand, feeling the roughness of her palms. A small gasp left her lips when Mei pulled her forward, whispering something in a hushed tone. "I suggest you be wary of your surroundings. Mateo's boss isn't going to take this loss very kindly."

"Who's his boss?" Karmin asked quickly.

"Let's hope you never find out," and with that, Mei swiftly unlatched her hand and walked away, getting lost in the crowd.

People had got to stop giving me ominous warnings. It just made me more curious.

"You ready to go?"

Karmin jumped from the voice, only to see Maddox holding her pink bag. But before she had the chance to answer his question, Ezra interjected, a smug grin tugging at his lips.

"Judas wants to meet Karmin," he informed, gesturing his head to the office behind him.

That was weird. She had never talked to Judas since her first time here. Karmin glanced at Maddox, whose expression matched hers. "Do you know why?" she asked Ezra.

"No clue. But best to not keep him waiting."

"I'm coming too," Maddox said firmly.

"Whatever," he shrugged, stepping to the side to let them in.

Karmin clutched at the straps of her backpack, the noise of the club becoming muffled the second they entered the office. Lounging on the sofa in a three-piece navy suit and a drink in his hand was Judas Watkins, the owner of the club.

Her heart beat against his chest as he downed the glass of scotch, analyzing the two of them carefully. "I only asked for Karmin," he drawled.

"More the merrier, ya know," Karmin chuckled meekly as she stepped closer to Maddox.

"I suppose you're right," Judas smirked. "Would you care for a drink?" he asked as he got up to pour himself another cup.

She shook her head. "I'd rather know why you wanted to meet with me."

Judas leaned against the mahogany desk, swirling the drink in his hands. He exuded power and wealth from the way he stood to the expensive material hugging his body. With one glance, anyone could tell he was a man worth millions. She didn't know exactly what he did for his occupation.

"I have a proposition for you," he started. "It could lead to a lot of money."

"If it's about the card Cesar gave me, then I'm not interested," she rejected. She still needed time to think about it, and from Zara's warning, she needed to think long and hard about it.

"He gave you a card?" he said, quirking a brow in shock. "Smart man, but no, that's not what I'm talking about. You have proven to be quite the powerhouse in this fight club, and what you did with Mateo had everyone shocked. I can tell you that Ares is not happy."

"Who's Ares?" she asked quietly, but a part of her had an inkling.

"He's the leader of My Brother's Keeper. I bet you've heard of them."

Oh, that doesn't sound good. It was one thing getting into a fight with a gang member, but having the leader take interest in her was something else. Needlessly, she nodded, dread taking a seat in the center of her chest.

"He doesn't appreciate the fact that a 19-year-old girl beat up one of his men," Judas remarked amusedly.

"Well, if it helps, I'll be 20 next year," she smiled stiffly.

Judas grinned. "I don't think he really cares. Ares can't afford to have a taint on his reputation like that, so here comes my proposition. We want you to fight three of his men, back to back. Some of the best I have in this club."

"Don't be greedy," Maddox muttered to her.

She gazed at him, forgetting he was standing beside her with how quiet he was.

"That might be a little difficult, figuring that the amount I'm offering is 10,000 per win, so you have the chance to win 30K," Judas announced, his eyes shining with irritancy when he heard Maddox's comment.

"30,000 dollars?" Karmin repeated in awe.

"Yes."

"As in 30,000 American bucks? 30,000 moolah? Cheddar? Dough?" she questioned, her hands beginning to shake from the possible thought of that much money. If she took this fight, she would have more than enough for the down payment for her Dad's surgery.

Judas laughed at her reaction. "Yes, 30,000. However, there is a catch. For each fight you lose, I'll subtract 5,000 dollars from your winnings."

"And what if she doesn't win any of the three fights?" demanded Maddox, speaking up for the first time.

"Well, then she'll have to pay us back 15,000 dollars some way. Possibly from the money she has already won," Judas answered.

Maddox grabbed her arm, turning her towards him, and lowered his head. "This is risky. You might lose all of your money. Don't do it."

"But if I win," she whispered back, "then I'll have all of the money I need for the down payment."

He shook his head. "This isn't worth it. These guys are serious, and they'll probably be worse than Mateo. They don't give a shit about the rules."

Karmin processed his advice, thinking about the pros and cons of taking Judas's offer. She could get all the money she needed in one night. Once she got the money, she could go back to fighting once a week to earn the rest for the surgery. Sure, it endangered all the money she had tucked away, but she could do this. Her fighting skills had improved since her first day here. All she had to do was train some more.

She needed to take this chance.

"With big risks, comes big rewards. So, what do you say?" Judas asked.

"Even if you win, you really won't. Ares is going to be even more pissed," Maddox reasoned.

She looked between the two of them. Karmin exhaled sharply, closing her eyes tightly, and forced the answer out of her mouth. "I'll do it."

"Perfect!" Judas cheered.

"Why does she never listen to me?" grumbled Maddox to himself as he shook his head at her.

***

Author's Note:

Okay, so things are getting super super tense!

family dinner.

Until next time - m.k.t