Chapter 5 Wren
WREN
Holy freaking shit. I should’ve known it was Seth Michelson. I could feel it in my gut. The comparison to Nikolai was just too uncanny.
When we left California to visit Vegas, I thought we were leaving the mafia and all that danger behind. Boy, was I wrong. I had been duped by Seth’s brother and could’ve easily lost my life because of it. I didn’t want to be anywhere near him or those kinds of people.
Unfortunately, when Ripp told me the reason Seth was in Vegas, it didn’t look like I had a choice but to be around his kind.
I dumped all the contents from my bag onto the hotel bed and stared at the envelope full of money.
Judging by the thickness of it, I’d say there had to be at least a hundred thousand or more in it.
Ripp had lied to me about the whole process.
I thought it was regular people bidding on the fights, but that wasn’t the case at all.
What I didn’t know was that only certain fighters actually got paid.
The woman I fought tonight didn’t get a cent.
The betting was all for Seth and his mafia friends; they reaped the benefits along with the select fighters who got paid.
A knock sounded on my hotel door, and I stormed over to it, ripping it open. I thought it would be Ripp, but it was my brother.
A light smile tugged at his lips when he looked at me. “Still pissed at Ripp?”
I stepped out of the way so he could come inside. “You could say that.”
Parker walked past me and set his laptop on the desk in the corner. “I think he’s going to give you some space for a while. There was a moment tonight when I thought you’d punch him.”
Huffing, I threw my arms in the air. “And I wish I had. The cocksucker knows he doesn’t have to lie to me.
That’s what infuriates me more than anything.
” I turned away from him and paced the floor.
Why wouldn’t he have told us the truth? “Out of everyone in our group,” I said, turning back to him, “you and I are the criminals. If anyone should know about the shady shit, it’s us. ”
Parker shook his head and laughed. “Yeah, we’ve dabbled in a lot of illegal shit over the years.” He pointed over at the envelope. “How much did you get?”
I shrugged dismissively. “Don’t know. I haven’t looked. You’re more than welcome to, though.”
Parker walked over and opened the seal, his eyes widening the second he looked at what was inside. When he was done counting the money, he set the envelope back on the bed, clearly astonished by the incredulous look on his face.
“Fucking hell, Wren. You could add up all the money we’ve stolen in our lifetime, and it still would only be a tiny minute fraction of that.”
I didn’t want that to entice me, but my traitorous heart raced excitedly; I hated myself for it.
“How much is it?” I asked, wondering if I really wanted to know or not. It was the mafia’s money . . . blood money.
Parker cleared his throat and stood. “Three hundred thousand.”
The breath whooshed out of my lungs and all I could do was stand there, frozen in place. Surely, I was mistaken, right? There’s no way in hell I’d been carrying around three hundred thousand dollars in my bag.
A laugh escaped my lips. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”
Parker stared at me, his gaze more serious than I’d ever seen. “No, Wren.” He pointed at the envelope. “You need to make sure you hide that shit. If I was one of the maids here and found that . . .”
He didn’t have to finish his sentence. Now that I made my own money, I no longer have to worry about stealing. But I would’ve taken that cash and ran if this was a year ago. Reaching down, I picked up the envelope and peeked inside. Chills ran down my arms when I looked at all the dollar bills.
“I always wondered how Ripp earned so much money these past few months. Now I know.”
“I don’t want to scare you, Wren, but I think we might have a bigger problem besides the Labyrinth fights,” Parker said, his voice tight with worry.
I dropped the money back on the bed and jerked my head toward him. He was usually stoic and calm, so whatever he had discovered must be serious.
“What’s going on?”
Parker walked over to the desk and sat down in front of his laptop.
He typed in his passwords, and the screen came to life.
Several files popped up, three of them showing young females in their midtwenties with long, dark hair.
I recognized each one instantly, and my stomach clenched with dread at seeing them.
“Are those FBI files?” I asked.
Parker’s jaw tensed as he turned to me. “They are. I’m not supposed to tell you any of this because it’s confidential information and part of the investigation on Nikolai.”
His eyes softened when they met mine before turning back to the laptop. As he scrolled through the documents, an ominous silence filled the room until I saw it; a word written in bold red letters: Deceased. Bile rose up the back of my throat and I swallowed hard.
“Dead. They’re all dead, Parker. Those are the girls I was with in Louisiana.”
With a heavy sigh, he met my gaze and nodded. “They were murdered, but it was made to look like accidents. One was found in a lake in South Carolina. Another died of an overdose, and the last was found hanging in her apartment.”
I’d met those women, fought against them even, and none of them were suicidal. The women were also loners with no families, just like I used to be. That was why they were chosen. If anything were to happen to them, they had no one to ask questions; their deaths would be inconsequential.
“What does the FBI think?” I asked.
Parker closed his laptop and shrugged, his shoulders sagging in defeat.
“They’re looking for evidence against Nikolai, but the guy’s smart.
He’s always a step ahead. Not to mention, his family probably has so many people in their pockets.
It wouldn’t surprise me if some of the people in the FBI were on their payroll. ”
If Parker was right, it meant Nikolai probably knew where I was.
I’d be on that list, too, if he were trying to tie up loose ends.
A few months ago, Nikolai interviewed me in a hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He had been searching for dark-haired women between the ages of twenty and twenty-five who could fight.
He told me I was being auditioned to play the role of Gabriella Reynolds.
She was the reason why I wanted to fight professionally in the first place.
Being connected to her in any capacity was a dream come true. Now, she was my coach.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know then that the role was for a sick movie Martin Fairchild had created.
The man was a big-time Hollywood movie producer.
He had become obsessed with Gabriella almost thirty years ago after following her around and filming her.
His obsession with her heightened when she gave birth to Peyton.
I later discovered that there was an underground fighting ring called the Dark Side where Gabriella had been forced to fight men to death.
Nikolai’s father orchestrated this entire fiasco behind the scenes, and no one knew the mafia was involved.
So, when the Dark Side got shut down, it put the Michelson family at risk of exposure.
That was why Nikolai hated all my friends—their parents were involved in that takedown.
They’d worked with the police to end it for good.
The Michelsons had to lay low for a while to get the FBI off their backs.
That didn’t bode well for their business.
And now, Nikolai wanted revenge on behalf of his family.
It was the reason he worked with Martin Fairchild to abduct Peyton and Ethan.
Since she was Gabriella and Paxton’s daughter, it would be the perfect payback to them if she were taken.
The same went for Ethan—he was Ryley Jameson’s son and Peyton’s boyfriend at the time.
Nikolai could kill two birds with one stone.
Luckily, it didn’t work out that way for him. Peyton looked exactly like her mother, but the problem with using Peyton for Martin’s movie was that she wasn’t a fighter. That was why Martin wanted a selection of women who looked like Gabriella and Peyton to play the role.
I thought it was the chance of a lifetime when I was chosen.
Peyton was told to coach me on how to act like her mother.
I never thought I’d be in the presence of a Hollywood starlet who was famous all over the world.
When she told me the truth of what was going on and that I would be fighting men to the death, I had a hard time believing her.
It was too surreal and farfetched to even be believable.
Sadly, it was all true. I had to fight men .
. . and I killed one in the process. My lack of remorse impressed Martin Fairchild, so he offered me a job on his security team.
I was to watch over Peyton and so, that’s what I did.
I knew she was in trouble and needed a way out, but I didn’t know what to do at the time.
We were outnumbered on all fronts, but I promised her I’d do everything possible. Luckily, we were found, and I was able to help bring her to safety.
Parker watched me curiously and I could see in his expression there was something he wanted to say that I wouldn’t like.
“What am I supposed to do, Parker?” I asked, throwing my hands in the air. “I’m not going to hide from that cocksucker.”
Parker hung his head and huffed. “That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”
Was I scared of Nikolai? I’d be stupid to say no, but I wasn’t the type to back down from a fight. If he wanted to kill me, he was going to have a hell of a time achieving it. It was evident from the worry on Parker’s face that he was concerned for my well-being.
I sat down on the bed and blew out an exhausted breath. “Seriously, Parker. What do you think I should do?”
He shrugged a shoulder noncommittally. “You could always get Ripp to talk to Seth.”
I shook my head. “Seth Michelson doesn’t give a damn about me. I’m a nobody. Ripp and our friends are worth something.”
Parker’s face darkened. “You are just as worthy as the rest of them. Peyton is your best friend and an A-list actress. She doesn’t see herself as being any better than you.”
It was true, she didn’t. It was one of the things I loved about her.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, standing. “I don’t want Seth’s help, and I’m not about to beg for it.” He probably wouldn’t help me anyway.
Parker stood and shook his head. “Are you really going to let your pride get in the way of your safety?”
I walked over to him and placed my hands reassuringly on his shoulders. “I can handle Nikolai. I’ve been fighting my entire life, you know this.”
With living on the streets every once in a while, I’d fought off numerous men who tried to assault me. Surviving is what I was good at.
Parker shifted out of my hold and grabbed my arms. “Promise me, Wren,” he said, his grip firm. “Promise me that if you get any inclination that Nikolai is coming after you, you’ll seek Seth’s help. I don’t want you getting in over your head.”
I had a strange feeling Parker would make sure I got help if I asked for it or not. His hands slid down my arms, and I wrapped mine around his waist, laughing lightly.
“I don’t know why I’m promising. You’re going to go behind my back no matter what.”
He chuckled. “That’s because I love you. You take care of me, and I take care of you. That’s always been our motto.”
And it always would be.