7. Vivianna
VIVIANNA
Istomped around my room, tossing what I needed for the gym into my duffel.
I pulled on my workout clothes along with my favorite cropped hooded sweatshirt that said “I’m nicer after boxing.
” I decided that along with my hand wraps and a change of clothes, it’d be wise to take along my passport and other travel must-haves, just in case I found an opportunity to run.
At this point, I didn’t care about someone noticing the money withdrawn.
I just needed to get the fuck away from that asshole Vadik.
Tossing my bag over my shoulder, I headed back downstairs, grabbed my bike, and headed out the front door, not bothering to lock up since it didn’t seem to keep anyone out anyway.
My boxing gym was only a few blocks down the street near the river, but I was going to the hospital before I did that.
I needed to talk to Chief Mitchell since it appeared I might be quitting my job after all.
I took the longer route through all the neighborhoods, so if anyone was following me, they would have no idea where I was going.
When I got to the hospital, I went to the back where the medical staff offices were, hoping to avoid questions from fellow staff who knew I’d called in sick.
I went to lock up my bike but thought better of it.
If I needed a quick getaway, then I didn’t want to have to take the extra step to unlock it.
I swiped my ID badge, jogged up the stairs to the third floor, and wandered down the hall to Chief Mitchell’s office.
I knocked on his door, praying he was in and not doing his rounds in the A you sound like you’re afraid and in need of help,” Chief Mitchell said, grabbing my hand and patting it comfortingly with his other. “Can you go to the police? Or your mother?”
“Hell no, that would be worse. I’m pretty sure he could literally murder me and get away with it the way people act around him. As for my mother, she’s been his compliant puppet her entire life. She doesn’t know how to think or do anything for herself,” I said, shaking my head.
He looked at me for a moment before coming to some conclusion.
“I’m going to help you.” I opened my mouth to talk him out of it, suddenly feeling guilty for roping him into my problems, but he held up a hand, stopping me.
“I’m already in hot water with him—what’s a little more fuel for the fire?
I will get you the money you need, and it just so happens my daughter is on her honeymoon for the next two weeks, so you can borrow her car.
You just have to promise me that you will try and find a lawyer as soon as you can to help you get out of this mess. ”
I felt tears well up in my eyes. I’d never had someone stand in my corner like this. I’d only known love that came with conditions and ulterior motives. What Chief Mitchell was offering me right now was a miracle. I felt a tear escape and roll down my cheek.
“You have no idea what this means to me. I won’t ever be able to repay you for this,” I said, reaching out and hugging him, something I hardly did.
“Alright, Viv, let’s not get carried away. Any respectable man would help out a friend,” Chief Mitchell said, pulling me away from him. “I won’t be able to do anything for you today, but come back in two days, and I’ll have it all set up for you.”
“That’s amazing; thank you again. I’ll be back in two days unless you call to tell me otherwise. You are an angel, George Mitchell; you might have saved my life,” I said as I rose, and he walked me to his office door.
“Be safe, and I’ll see you in two days. I’ll manage things around here at the hospital, so don’t worry about mentioning this to anyone else,” Chief Mitchell said, giving me an encouraging smile.
I nodded and held on to the strap of my duffle bag as I headed out of the hospital. I decided to head straight to the gym, taking a completely different route from how I got here. I was going to make sure if Father had a tail on me, I made it hell for them to keep up.
I’d been boxing at Harrold’s for a while and had the schedule memorized, so I knew I would be alone when I got there.
Harrold’s was a mix of old and new; it was housed in an old brick warehouse that had once been a factory, meaning it had plenty of room for not only boxing rings, but lots of floor space for other workouts.
On nice days, they would open the garage doors and let the breeze in.
Once I got there, I decided not to put my bag in a locker, keeping it close by instead.
It had my passport in it, and even though I’d never had trouble with anyone taking stuff, I wanted to be sure.
I waved at Harrold, who was cleaning the mats in the ring from the class that had just ended.
He waved back, knowing I wouldn’t be up for talking till after my workout was over.
Wandering over to the wall of hanging bags, I went straight to my normal spot.
Taking a deep breath, I started to stretch, warming up my muscles and trying to push everything else out of my head. Then I moved into some light cardio squats, jumping jacks, and burpees. Finally, I was ready to start bag work.
I heard someone else enter the room as I wrapped my hands, but I didn’t bother to look.
This was the time I needed, and no one was going to pull me away.
Sliding my hands into my MMA-style gloves that kept my fingers free, I raised my fists up in the ready position, letting my body tell me what it needed.
I started with a simple combo of uppercuts and cross punches, followed by a few hooks.
I kept on my toes, moving in on the bag, throwing my combo, then bouncing back and shifting into my next spot.
Then I started throwing in some roundhouse kicks as fast as I could, dodging the swing of the bag.
The feel of the leather connecting with my shin fed something deep in my soul.
It was like I needed a little violence to balance out the turmoil in my brain.
Sweat started pouring down my brow as I picked up the speed of my combos, snapping out jabs, thrusting my whole body into my cross punches, and then spinning to kick out with the back of my leg.
I let my instincts take over, moving from punch to punch.
Dodge low, kick high. Then out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone moving in on me.
I ducked, spinning out of the way, and looked up to find out who the asshole was that’d tried to catch me off guard.
Vadik.
What the fuck is going on? Why is he even here?
I tried to keep the surprise from catching me off-balance as Vadik gave me a wide smile, showing all his teeth. He stalked toward me as if he intended to devour me. Not backing down, I circled him, trying to read what his next move would be.
He rushed in and tried to land a hit on my ribs in a quick right, left jab.
I blocked the first one and ducked under the second, kicking out while he was off-balance from the missed punch.
He went down on one knee but popped up faster than I’d ever seen anyone move before.
I quickly wiped the sweat from my face with my sleeve as I backed away.
Vadik continued as the aggressor, this time going for my head, followed by a low kick to keep me from ducking out of the way.
I dodged the attack to my head but took the kick solidly in the gut, causing me to stumble back and gasp for air.
I could tell he’d pulled back slightly, but it still hurt like a bitch—he almost cracked a few ribs.
My anger spiked. I was over being backed into a corner.
It was time I made my move. I darted in, giving two solid jabs to his gut, causing him to bend slightly.
This gave me the angle I needed to high kick him in the head.
It slowed him down enough for me to get behind him and throw everything I had into a swift kick to the back of the knees.
He crashed down onto the mats, shaking his head.
Vadik looked up at me with hunger—and not the sexy kind—telling me this definitely wasn’t a friendly sparring match.
Feeling real fear for my safety, I looked around, trying to see if I could find anyone else who might help me.
That’s when I noticed Harrold laying in the boxing ring, motionless, blood seeping out around him.
Holy fucking shit, did Vadik kill him? Who is this guy? Why would my father set me up with this maniac? Was he going to kill me next because I rejected him this morning?
I turned back to where I’d last seen Vadik, but in his place was a large dog.
Correction—a massive dog that looked more like a wolf on steroids.
The wolf-like creature was dark gray with white fur mixed in, but it had the same bright blue eyes as Vadik.
The wolf lowered its head and started growling at me, showing its teeth, drool dripping from its muzzle.
Fear clutched at my throat and kept me from screaming, my pulse pounding in my ears as a flood of adrenaline coursed through my body.
I was going to die. Here alone in the place that I’d trained at for five years to protect myself. How shitty was that?
Deciding that this was not how I wanted my story to end, I frantically tried to think of what I could use to defend myself, then took off towards the wall of dumbbells and kettlebells.
I didn’t even take the time to look behind me.
I wasn’t going down without a fight. Slamming hands-first into the wall, I grabbed the first thing I could pick up and hurled it in the wolf’s direction.
Catching the wolf off-guard, the dumbbell hit it squarely in the chest, causing it to yelp.
I grabbed for another but wasn’t fast enough to turn back around and dodge the leaping wolf at the same time.
Instinctively I pulled my gloves up, blocking my face just as I felt teeth tearing into the leather.
I shoved my knee up, catching him right in the jewels.
I didn’t know if it worked the same as with humans, but I was going to give it a shot.
The wolf let go and jumped out of the way, shaking himself before focusing back on me.
I lifted my gloves back to the ready position—if I was going to die today, then I was going to do it on my own terms.
The wolf howled before it charged towards me.
He bolted to the left, then at the last second, leapt up and latched onto the back of my neck, pulling me to the ground.
Trying to diminish the damage, I twisted to bear-hug the animal.
All the while, I punched as hard as I could into his ribs, over and over, unwilling to give up.
I knew I was losing this fight, but I wouldn’t surrender, even as the power behind my hits began to wane.
When my vision started to blur and darken, I realized I was rolling around in a puddle of my own blood—quite a bit of it.
“Enough, you’ve marked her sufficiently. Now let me stop the bleeding or this will all have been for nothing,” a strange voice rang out in the gym. “If we want her to survive the transformation, then we need to leave her something to work with, ya damn dog.”
The wolf snarled at the accusation, almost like he could understand what was being said.
“Shh, my child, I’m here now, I’ll take care of you,” the stranger said, petting my sweat-and-blood-soaked hair. I felt the strange man roll me onto my stomach and cut away my sweatshirt, putting pressure on my wounds while muttering something about me not being a chew toy.
“I wouldn’t have been so rough if she’d just submitted,” Vadik said.
When did he come back? Come to think of it, where had he gone when the wolf showed up? Why was there a wolf in downtown London—in a boxing gym, of all places?
“I warned you that I’d made it so she’d be an alpha. You should’ve had better control of your wolf,” the stranger snapped at Vadik. “If she wasn’t strong and dominant, then this whole thing would be pointless.”
The wolf was Vadik’s? Why did he let it attack me? Was this my punishment for what happened earlier? Oh god, I don’t feel well at all. Why am I burning up? Blood loss normally makes you cold, not hot.
“Damn it, the transition’s taking hold already. Pass me that bag, I made something just in case. We have to stop this fast, or we’ll never get her out of here,” the man said to Vadik.
I felt a prick in my arm, directly into the vein, and that’s the last thing I remembered.