43. Lincoln
FORTY-THREE
LINCOLN
M y heart was in my throat as I sprinted down a concrete path that led to the back entrance of the Pit. It was on the far end of the Student Centre, where deliveries were usually made. It was secluded and often deserted by the time night rolled around, just in time for the Pit to come alive.
Harper was right behind me, our footfalls echoing into the dark. If it had been any other time, I would have been impressed with her ability to keep up.
I fought down the edge of panic that threatened to take hold of me.
It was the same dread that gripped my body when heavy banging emerged from the front door that evening.
My mother had sent me a wide-eyed stare from the kitchen as I stepped into the foyer, readying myself for my sperm donor’s wrath.
Harper was the last person I expected to be on the other side of the door.
The asocial redhead launched into five seconds of explanation before I was running down the porch steps with her and getting into her car.
I had asked more questions along the way, trying to gauge what I was about to walk into.
Or how the fuck Claudio had gotten a hold of my phone.
I closed my eyes as I thought about the last time I had seen it.
My phone wasn’t something I was attached to, and if I was being honest with myself, I was pretty sure I hadn’t seen it since before I had gone to the Pit in search of my sperm donor.
Fuck.
One of his cronies must have slipped it out of my pocket without me realizing.
With my directions, Harper had managed to get us to campus in one piece. We rounded the bend that brought us deeper into the heart of the university and threw her car into park on the side of the road when we realized the gate to the back lot was closed.
That’s when we started running.
A familiar lanky frame came into view. He was dressed in his all-black work attire, blending in with the shadows that cascaded off the side of the building.
Andrew’s Jeep was parked by a dumpster in the empty lot. With no other way in, it was clear that someone had gone off-roading.
I had sent him a text from Harper’s phone, letting him know what the fuck was going on.
He had a late shift tonight, and I didn’t even really expect him to see it.
But I was desperate. I needed all the help I could get, and if the last few years had taught me anything, it was that I didn’t have very many people to turn to.
Andrew had come through, like he had every other time.
“No one else is here,” he informed me as I approached .
“She’s got to be inside,” I said, reaching for the back door.
Andrew’s hands collided with my shoulders. His usually light eyes had taken on a darker shade, the same shade of antiqued gold he wore when trying to talk me out of a bad decision.
“Just hold on,” he tried, “let’s think about this before we run into a potential trap.”
I shoved him off me, taking a threatening step forward. Best friend or not, I wasn’t going to allow Cali to get hurt because of me.
“Every second we spend out here is another moment she’s in danger,” I argued, jaw clenched.
“We need to call the cops.”
“Fuck that,” I spat, moving towards the back entrance again. “They’re fucking useless.”
Andrew grabbed me again, and I had to refrain from punching him in the face. “Then you at least need to simmer down.” His voice was firmer now. “I can’t have you going in there guns a-blazing. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
Harper piped up from behind me. “For once, I agree with the freakishly tall one.”
They were right. An emotional response was what Claudio wanted.
That was the only logical explanation as to why he’d take Cali and hold her hostage.
He wanted me to show up pissed as fuck. He wanted me to prove a point—admit that she was the reason why I had bowed out of the Pit.
He would use that against me. If I wanted to get Cali and myself out safely, I had to keep my emotions in check.
My lips formed a thin line as I drew in a shaky breath through my nose. “Fine. ”
“Alright,” Andrew said after a moment, the cold air whipping around us. “Let’s go.”
“You’re not coming.”
“I’m coming too.” Harper appeared next to me; arms crossed over her sweater-clad chest.
“You’re definitely not coming,” I said to her.
If anything happened to her friend, Cali would castrate me with a rusty spoon.
Harper tilted her head at me, fiery curls weighed down with precipitation.
“Unfortunately, you don’t have a say. The only reason why I came to find you is because I don’t know what kind of deranged lunatic I was dealing with,” she started.
“I understand that you and Cal have some sort of complicated relationship going on, but I loved her first.”
Harper’s hard stare fixed me to where I stood. “She’s my best friend, and I will be going with you.”
I ran a hand down my wet face. “For fuck sakes,” I muttered. “Fine, just stay hidden.”
Harper gave me a curt nod, and the three of us ventured towards the entrance of the Pit. The heavy metal creaked and groaned at being put to use. Andrew ushered us inside, and I led our rescue mission deeper into the tunnels that would bring us to the hidden basement.
When the last hallway opened up, my stomach flipped over itself. Harper and Andrew’s footsteps came to a stop behind me. I motioned for them to stay back—hidden in the dark shadows of the hall.
I inched forward, taking ginger steps as the boxing ring came into view. The harsh lights beamed down, drenching everything as if there was a fight taking place.
The silence told me otherwise.
Claudio stood a mere few feet from a shaken Cali. Her back was pressed into the cage that encircled the ring, fingers gripping the mesh behind her. He just leered at her wide-eyed stare.
“It’s unfortunate,” he said as if he were just having a lazy conversation. “I thought that after Halloween, Lincoln would come to realize how much danger he was putting you in.” He fiddled with something in his hand before dropping it to the floor. It clattered, falling flat.
My phone.
“Pretty selfish of him if you ask me,” he mused.
If possible, Cali’s complexion paled even more. Bile rose in my throat as I registered what he was saying. This entire time, Claudio had been trying to get rid of Cali. Putting her in danger so that she couldn’t interfere with his cash flow.
My fists closed, knuckles straining against skin.
That fucker was going to pay for everything he’d done.
“I’m the selfish one?” I called, ignoring Andrew’s whispered warnings.
Claudio turned his glossy stare towards me. Of course, he was high as a kite. How else would he have the balls to go through with this plan of his?
“Well, look who decided to show up,” he said, raising his arms out in welcome. “I didn’t think you’d show. After all, your match tonight was cancelled.”
He was trying to fish me in. It was a waste of oxygen. I already knew why he’d gone to such irrational lengths.
“Couldn’t find a replacement?” The malice lashed from my tongue like a whip.
Some semblance of his manic smile dropped as I took a menacing step forward. I exchanged a brief look with Cali, hoping that she understood my silent promise to get her out of this mess.
My mess .
“You need to let her go,” I said, the demand bouncing off the concrete walls.
“I will,” my Claudio promised. “Once I finish what we’re here for.”
He flipped up the edge of his shirt. His thick fingers wrapped around the handle of the gun that was tucked into his waistband. The obsidian metal glinted under the bright lights hanging over the ring. All the warmth in my body evaporated.
Andrew grabbed hold of my shoulders, pulling me into him. My back collided with his chest as we both stumbled backwards. His whispered curse met my ear.
Claudio adjusted his hold on the base of the gun. Then he pointed the barrel at her. A jolt of electricity ran through my body. Every facet of my mind was screaming at her to run, but she was frozen in fear. Cali’s wild eyes flicked towards me in a noiseless cry for help.
My breathing accelerated. The way I was heaving in greedy gulps of air made it seem like I had run a mile. But I was just so fucking scared.
“She’s not the reason why I stepped away from the Pit,” I managed to get out, moving away from Andrew’s protective hold.
“Don’t lie to me, boy. I’m not a fucking idiot,” he scoffed.
“Please,” I pleaded, wondering if I would make things worse if I attempted to take another step forward. “Please don’t.”
Cali’s hands were up in surrender, and her lips trembled.
On some deeper level, she knew he was perfectly capable of going through with this plan of his.
This wasn’t some drug-induced stupor. This was who Claudio was at his rotting core, something that my mother had endured for years before our arrangement kept him at bay.
It was that same fear that allowed it to go on for so long.
“Shut up,” Claudio muttered. He didn't so much as glance in my direction. His dark eyes were trained on Cali.
“I’ll come back,” I tried. My voice was firm, but there was a faint quiver.
“I don’t believe you,” he replied, finger still folded over the trigger. “But even if I did, it’s too late for that now. This ends tonight.”
The gun clinked in his hand. The sound echoed over the erratic beating of my heart. He was going to go through with this. Nothing I said or did would change his mind.
Nothing was going to stop him.
I wanted to shout at her to move, to get out of the way, but my throat was painfully dry. Instead, I propelled forward, coming to stand between them.
“You think I won’t?” Claudio challenged, an eyebrow raised.
I didn’t waver. “I know that if you kill me, you’re going to have to find someone else who’s okay with doing your dirty work.”
“You’re right,” Claudio muttered with pursed lips. “Guess I’m going to have to make a sacrifice.”
He was prepared to shoot me. Bile threatened its way back up.