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The dull roar of the crowd fades into the background as I cal dad’s rules to the letter Even if you’re bleeding frorier than a bull with a red flag in it’s face, you keep yourself under control, never let your emotions show It’s part of the rules

Rule 1—Family first

Without saying a word, I stare at Ewan’s hideous face My brother, Liauard and leans close, hisround my neck “Nasty prick is weak on his left He never reht uppercut” I already know this, but reviewing your enemy’s flaws is part of the ritual dad beat into our skulls Literally

I nod and shrug Lia I feel like I ht is one of dad’s regulars, Tohters have a go without interfering tooelse in dad’s eyes

Tohters to the center!”

Ewan and I walk towards each other, converging in theI’s,in my shorts

I never break eye contact withhim I’ll never back down Tommy’s voice booms over the sound system and I simply stare when Ewan frowns The noisy crowd falls silent as he announces the match

“Tonight you’re in for a great show We have two forhters for the first time”

Loud hoots and hollers bounce throughout the open space of the warehouse that holds the fight club Toer at Ewan

“In the black corner, we have our challenger, last year’s welterweight under eighteen London Underground chaht and a half kilos or one-hundred ninety-five pounds, Ewan Blaaaaair!”

Ewan does a three-sixty spin for the crowd, holding up his hands and air-punching as he goes round What a tosser The idiots in the audience eat it up, going wild

for Blair Dad told etting a slight edge in the odds Ewan and I have never fought before because until recently, I hadn’t been in his weight class—that plus I used to fight without the thin, fingerless gloves I’

To up job of whipping the crowd into a frenzy

“Aaaaand in the red corner, standing six foot three inches, weighing in at ninety kilos or two-hundred pounds, we have last year’s London Underground seventeen and under bare-knuckle boxing champ, Dax Daaaaaavies!”

Wild shouts come from all sides of the warehouse The men (and quite a feoled in are a few boos and hisses, but I could care less I’ to do it quickly Yep, I’ cocky bastard, but I’ve earned every bit of it

We step to the center, tap gloves, and it’s on