Chapter 23 #2
“Drum roll, please, people,” the announcer says and the crowd grows even louder.
“If you have joined us before, you know we like to play for high stakes. Stryker’s opponent is here tonight to fight for something a little unconventional.
And very romantic.” He covers his chest, really playing it up for the audience.
“A girl, and not just any girl but a beautiful Italian goddess.”
Screams and hollers continue as I feel the color drain from my face as my brain kicks into gear as to what’s happening. What the actual hell? This fight is over me. I can’t decide if I want to puke or start throwing punches myself. The two assholes at my sides will be the first to fall.
“Winner gets the girl’s hand in marriage. Loser will be lucky to leave alive. And just because we know the home favorite is such a top guy, tonight he’s fighting on behalf of his brother.” The announcer does his own drum roll on the microphone. “Please welcome his opponent, Leone Russo.”
Leone strolls through the crowd to boos, but it doesn’t deter him. He strides with confidence, head held high and chest puffed out. When he takes the stage, his eyes come directly to me, sending an icy shiver down my spine.
This can’t be happening. I want to disappear, melt into the metal seat like the Wicked Witch of the West, never to be seen again. “How can you gamble my life like this?” I shriek in utter horror.
“It’s not a gamble when the game is rigged.” Asher laughs cruelly.
Cruz and Leone size each other up. They’re both goliaths of men, well over six foot and built like they were made for fighting. Their broad chests glistening under the well-lit arena. Their muscles bulging. “Why would Leone sign up for this shit if it was?”
Asher leans in closer, his breath dusting over my neck. “We may have led him here with a little white lie. The fucker is huge, but he’s dumb as a doorframe.”
“It’s doorknob,” Jagger mutters under his breath.
Asher shrugs it off, not caring.
I scan the darkened audience below, fear filling me. “Is my brother here?”
“Doubt it,” Jagger says.
Asher winks at me. “Your brother had to take a quick trip back home, some urgent media business to tend to.”
My pulse races. “What did you do?” I whisper, half in awe, half mortified they set all this up. “What was the lie?”
“The lie is none of your concern, flower. I did my job, and after tonight, we will have one less threat to worry about,” Jagger growls, his heavy hand landing on my thigh, making me nearly jump out of my skin. “Now be a good girl and sit back and enjoy the entertainment.”
These cocky bastards are actually insane. Who comes up with evil plans like this? Part of me feels like I’m stuck in some action movie, it’s just all too unbelievable. But as Leone lands the first blow to Cruz’s cheek, the fear choking up my chest tells me it’s very real.
Cruz throws his head back, laughing. He looks psychotic, and that only makes his groupies cheer with more enthusiasm.
Cracking his neck, his piercing gaze fixes on the powerful man standing in front of him.
He mutters something with an evil cackle, but we can’t hear what.
When Leone’s face pales, Cruz lunges, his feet moving with lightning speed and his hands with precision.
The first hit disorients Leone, the second has him swaying on his feet.
He tries to get one back, but Cruz is too swift, blocking him then following up with a quick upper cut that knocks Leone flat on his back. His head flies back, and he cracks his skull.
My hand covers my mouth to stifle a scream.
This is too much. As I watch, Cruz beats the shit out of his now knocked-out opponent.
With no sign of anyone stopping the horror, my anger rises.
I don’t know what it is, maybe the violence of it all or how hopeless I feel trapped in this situation, sitting in between the other two brothers with no voice.
But the same sensation I felt in the days after my operation comes over me.
I don’t want to just be stuck in limbo, taking orders from the guys.
I want to forge my own path. Living the life I dreamt of.
Demanding my family respect me and let me live my own life.
I want desperately to be back at work with the new friends I was making, feeling like I’m living my life to the fullest. But not like this.
This, this is crazy. Are they really going to let him beat him to death on a stage in front of all these people?
Jagger’s grip on my thigh tightens, and he lowers his lips to my ear. I’m so on edge I damn near jump out of my skin.
When my angry eyes lock onto him, he raises a curious brow. “Relax, flower, I was just going to say this is the best bit.” A psychotic grin spreads over his face. “Cruz has had enough toying with his prey, now he’s going to end him.”
My eyes go wide as saucers. “You mean win?”
“Yeah, that’s what we mean,” Asher agrees, but his voice isn’t convincing.
I sit forward, pushing out of their possessive holds on me, my ass only just balancing on the edge of my seat.
I don’t want to see this, but I can’t look away either.
The scent of smoke hits my nostrils, but it’s not cigarette smoke.
It’s something thicker. My heart kicks up a beat as I glance back at the boys. “Can you smell that?”
Jagger’s eyes go wide. “Fuck.” His realization hits as a commotion erupts in the audience.
“Fire!” people shriek as the audience scatters.
Asher grips my hand, pulling me back by his side, and we’re standing before I can think.
I glance back to Cruz, and he’s hustling out a side door with a couple of security by his side.
Leone’s body lies motionless and bloody in the ring.
He’s not a good man. In fact, from what I had seen in the past, he was an evil motherfucker, but this is too much.
He shouldn’t die here like this over me.
“Come on, princess. We have to get you out of here, before this old piece of shit falls apart completely.”
The boys are at my sides caging me in as we move quickly down the stairs and into the bottom floor. The security is gone, must have taken off as soon as they got a whiff of the fire.
Jagger coughs, and I cover my mouth as the smoke gets thicker and the walls in front of us get harder to see.
“Keep moving, Jagger, it’s not like last time,” Asher calls to him with a cough.
The burns on his chest. I find his hand and lace my fingers with his. But he’s right there with me hustling through the frantic screams and sea of bodies trying to escape.
We head in the opposite direction to the masses trying to squeeze through the double doors at the front entry, and instead, head back in the way we came in through the back.
“Fuck, the door is blocked,” Jagger cries, and I feel his whole body tense. He grips my hand so tight it hurts.
My head spins, and my body feels weak as I try to suck in breaths.
“Help me,” Asher shouts as he tries to move the beam restricting our access to the door.
I give it everything I have, but it’s so damn heavy I can’t budge it.
“Jagger,” Asher yells. “If you can’t do it for yourself or me, fucking do it for her.”
Jagger seems to snap out of his daze, and he shoves forward, the three of us pushing the beam aside with a thud. We scramble for the door. The moment Asher pushes the door handle, we’re plunged into the cool night, gasping and spluttering for fresh air.
Asher ushers us away from the warehouse and over to a nearby clearing of concrete behind a shipping container. There are panicked people everywhere, bike engines roaring to life as they try and flee the horrible commotion.
I stare back at the scene, gasping for breath. There on the back wall of the warehouse is a massive black-and-green serpent spraypainted on the tin.
“Fucking Serpents,” Asher growls, and I know he’s seeing what I am. He pulls a gun free and clings to it, scanning our surroundings.
Jagger drops down to his knees and sucks in ragged breaths. “Flower, you okay?” He coughs.
I inhale deeply and collapse down on the concrete beside him, not too far from where we parked the car. “I’ll live.” But fuck, what if they are out here someplace waiting for us?
“Ash?” Jagger growls out.
“I’m fine. But where the fuck is Cruz? We need to get out of here.” He looks frantic, and I know how he feels.
Where is he? He got out of the building before we did. He knew where the car was parked, he should have beaten us here with his security by his side.
A hiss comes from the building and something explodes. Then the whole roof crumbles, collapsing into the center with almost a scream as the metal gives in to the heat.
A silent sob wracks through me. Please let Cruz be out here somewhere and not trapped in there looking for us or something.
Tears stream down my cheeks as I stare back at the boys.
Jagger is out of it, not his normal in-control self at all.
His body shakes, and he stares into space in a way that scares me.
But Asher is calm, his eyes locking with mine as he hands me his phone.
“Call him, while I keep a look out,” he says, holding his gun, protecting us.
I press call and wait. I hear a faint phone ringing in the distance, but he doesn’t pick up.
Out of nowhere a shadowy figure comes barreling toward us, covered in soot and blood. “Get in the fucking car. The cops are on their way, and the Serpents aren’t far behind,” Cruz yells to all of us.
We’re up and running in no time, the four of us jumping in the Jeep, Cruz and Asher in the front, with me and Jagger in the back. Asher’s flying down the street before I have time to buckle my belt.
Jagger’s eyes are haunted in a way that sends a shiver down my spine. I take his hand and lace our fingers because I have no clue what else to do.
He pulls me into his lap. “You’re alive,” he tells me like there was a question about it. He’s not himself at all, and that scares me more than what we’re running from. What the hell happened to him when he was younger?
I take his face in my hands and slowly kiss his lips. “So are you.”
He grips me so tight it nearly hurts, but I let him because I can see it’s what he needs.
It’s what I need as well. Anything to make him feel better.
“I fucked up,” he whispers. “What the fuck happened?” he growls at his brothers as he seems to regain his composure. “That plan was fucking foolproof.”
“Not all security was ours. I killed two guys before I got back to you all. Both with serpents inked up their arms, disguised in our men’s attire,” Cruz says, his furious voice sending goosebumps over my skin. I fucking told them, nowhere is safe from my family.