Chapter 19 Ezra
Chapter Nineteen
EZRA
I could kill the fucker in front of me and not give a damn. I should after all Noah has put me through. I know the fighter in front of me is one of his guys. It would be all too easy to kill him. Take money out of Noah’s pocket.
Instead, I slam my fist into his temple, allowing him to take a little nap.
Noah’s slow clapping fills the room as he comes over to me. “Now that’s over, you and I are going to have a little conversation about what the fuck it is you think you’ve been doing with the Lynde family.”
I hop down from the ring and grab my towel out of my bag, dabbing the sweat from my head, “Told you. I’m spending time with Jade and learning what moves her family are currently making. It’s what you wanted me to do, isn’t it?”
“Yes. And now I want an update on how that’s going.” He turns and strides toward the locker room, not waiting to see if I follow him or not.
Of course, I’m going to follow him. It’s not like I have any other choice.
I step into the locker room and the second I do, my gaze roams to Tyson.
He’s strung from the ceiling with chains, his torso covered in black and blue bruises.
Noah stands to the side, two of his enforcers on either side of Tyson. Both of them are mean-looking bastards, faces and hands covered in scars, dead looks in their eyes.
I look at Noah, not sure what is going to happen, but it’s going to be bad. He wouldn’t have Tyson chained up like this if it wasn’t going to be hell.
All it takes is a slight nod from Noah, and the two men start beating Tyson.
I do my best not to react, knowing that’s what he wants.
Noah takes a seat on one of the benches. “You told me you were going to spend time with Jade to get some information on her family. I’d like to know what you’ve learned in the time you’ve been spending with her.”
I’m so fucking screwed.
I don’t have much information. I haven’t been looking for it. All I really know is the way they interact with each other. But he can’t know that. “They’re stronger than they used to be.”
“Sure, sure.” Noah looks to the men, and they stop hitting Tyson. “Now, what I want to know is, in what ways are they stronger?”
“Family is united with each other. The drug lord is in good with them. Think he’s going to be establishing more connections.” I do my best not to look at Tyson, but from the corner of my eye, I can see the blood dripping down the side of his face.
He’s probably missing a tooth or two. And he’s going to need stitches.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he had internal bleeding.
Noah sighs and stands up, clasping his hands behind his back and pacing back and forth.
“Now, if I wanted vague bullshit like that, I could’ve sent anyone to get information for me.
You’re living with Jade Lynde. You’re fucking her.
You have made your case to keep her alive and in your care, and the best you can give me is vague bullshit? ”
I clear my throat, shifting to the side as the beatings begin again. “Look, I don’t know what you want me to tell you. She doesn’t trust me fully, and she’s keeping things close to her chest. I just need a little more time.”
“Seems like she trusts you well enough if she’s willing to let you lick whipped cream from her pussy, don’t you think?” He stops and stares at me, a sick smile spreading across his face.
My fists clench, blood boiling.
I could kill the bastard for invading my home like that. For watching me and Jade together and using it against me like this. I should kill him for it.
The sound of fists on flesh fills the room again.
Tyson groans low, the chains rattling. His head lolls forward, eyes rolling.
Noah nods to Tyson as the men step back. “You could end this. You don’t have to watch me kill him. I just need to know what you’ve actually learned about the Lynde family instead of the bullshit you’re trying to feed me.”
“It’s not bullshit. She keeps things close to the chest. She’s making a career change, though. Was going to be taking over the businesses from Skyla, but now she’s going to culinary school. Wants to open restaurants. There could be a way to exploit that for us. Make her indebted.”
He clasps his hands behind his back, shaking his head. “She’s going to school on your dime. If she doesn’t think she owes us something already, then you haven’t been doing your job.”
“Aren’t you the one who preaches patience?” I fight the urge to punch him. It’d help with some of the anger boiling through me right now, but in the long run, it would only fuck up my plans.
What those plans are, I’m still not sure, but Jade is supposed to be in them. I didn’t work this hard for her not to be.
And I’ll be damned if Noah is going to take her from me because he thinks he can.
She’s mine to do with as I please. Mine to fuck. Mine to kill.
Noah moves closer to me, but I don’t flinch, standing there and holding my ground like nothing he could do is going to bother me. Showing weakness is only going to make everything worse.
He stops in front of me, that smile still in place.
“You didn’t think I was going to know about that, did you?
You didn’t think I was going to have your every move watched, but here’s the thing.
After two of my own blood have turned against me, I’ve learned that there’s nobody in this world you can trust. Not even your champion fighter. ”
“You want me to get her to trust me without giving her something she wants?” It’s a desperate answer, playing right into the way he likes to deal with people.
He is a benevolent bastard, enjoying people down on their knees and begging for his mercy. If he thinks I’m going to beg for forgiveness, he’ll relax.
Noah shakes his head. “Don’t even try to spin this in your favor.
I should’ve known your obsession with her was going to get us in trouble.
I saw this coming, but I believed you might have been telling the truth.
After all, you’ve been a good solider. You killed your family for me.
And now, you’re going to kill that whore you’ve been fucking, and you’re going to remember who the fuck you are. ”
“You’re making a mistake with all of this. You know having one of the Lyndes on our side is going to be vital to winning the war. Aiden isn’t going to kill his own sister.”
“You don’t know what he’s capable of because you haven’t been doing the work to find out.” Noah’s tone is sharp, his voice growing a little louder. “I’m tired of waiting for you to get your shit together. This ends today.”
“Well, you’re making a mistake. One that could cost us a lot in the end.” I try to loosen up, not wanting him to know what’s coming. “You’re the patient one. It’s only been several weeks. I thought you were interested in playing the long game.”
“You think I’m going to let you stand here and try to manipulate me for whatever your game is?” Noah laughs and shakes his head. “This is over. You’re going to kill her in the morning, or I’m going to make your life hell.”
“As if it’s not already. You had me beat to shit. You’re stalking me, and here I thought I was the one with the obsessive issues, and now you want me to make this war worse.”
“Are you arguing with me?” His hands drop to his hip where a gun is no doubt hidden beneath his jacket.
“I am.” I shrug, tucking my hands in my pockets, slumping in on myself.
“Look, you want us to succeed in this. Sure, family has been killed before, but if you go after his sister, you know there’s going to be no turning back from that.
We just need to wait a little while, and then when we have more information, you attack. ”
Noah’s glare rips right through me. He motions for the beatings to continue.
I’m not going to get a better chance. I lunge.
I don’t think about anything else. There’s not another option. His minions can’t stop me as I shove him back hard into the wall.
My hand slams into the side of his face, the other one going around his neck and holding him there.
His knee rams up into the side of my thigh.
The second my grip loosens, he jerks forward, slamming his head into mine.
With a drop of his shoulder, he rams into me, sending us both to the ground.
I scramble to get on top.
The only problem with training me from a young age to be lethal in a fight is that he’s never been able to keep up. Every time we sparred, I always had the upper hand.
And I have it again.
I’m on top of him, knees on either side of his arms, keeping them pinned down. One shot to the face follows the other.
I don’t know whose blood is covering my hands, and it doesn’t matter. They’re stained red regardless.
Within a couple of seconds, I’m hauled off him and thrown to the other side of the room.
The two men block my way, both of them more like brick walls than humans.
I stand up, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
Noah shakes his head, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “That was a fucking mistake you’re going to regret.”
“Going to kill me?” I chuckle and stare at him, my gaze locking with his. “You need me, and we both know it. I’m the one bringing in tons of money with the fights, and for you to replace me would mean that you didn’t just have the fucking shit beat out of Tyson.”
He glances at Tyson, who is passed out, his body limp and hanging from the chains, purple bruises already spreading.
When he looks back at me, there’s a cold look in his eyes. “Who are you loyal to?”
“You.” I don’t hesitate, even though it’s a lie. “I’ve been loyal to you for my entire life. I killed my parents and my brother for you. It’s fucked that you have to ask that.”
“Really, because after you attacked me, it seems like a perfectly reasonable question to ask.”
“You weren’t thinking straight about everything going on. You know I’m on your side and always have been. I just think you’re moving faster than you would if you weren’t feeling pressured by the snakes surrounding you.”
It’s the only thing I can think of to get him to listen.
He’s always been suspicious of anyone in the inner circle who isn’t blood, and now with Gia and Zoe turning against him, he’s been more paranoid than ever.
If I play to the logical part of his mind, he might see past whatever’s happening right now and stop to think for a couple of minutes.
“Or I’ve thought about the fact that my own family turns against me. That they lost sight of the bigger picture.”
“That was them. Not me. I’ve done everything you ever asked of me.”
“And yet, here we are.” He pulls out the gun, flipping the safety.
My heart slams into my ribs, and the rest of the world fades away.
He’s going to kill me. I know he is. He’s known me since I was a child. He spent a lot of his time turning me into the man I am today.
Noah’s finger wraps around the trigger. “Who are you loyal to?”
Fuck.