Chapter 13
I sit in the truck for what feels like hours, getting more and more antsy as time passes. There’s no one else out here besides me and as the night draws in and it grows darker, I become more unsettled.
I’m not afraid of the dark, but sat all alone in a car in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees that looks like something straight out of any horror movie you’ve ever seen, not my first choice of places to be right now.
And speaking of horror movies, you know when you’re screaming at the woman on the screen who’s been told not to open the door and then she proceeds to do so anyway?
And then you yell ‘I told you so’ when something bad happens to her and you wonder why she was stupid enough to not listen to instructions?
Well, tonight, I am that woman.
Who the hell is he to tell me what to do?
“Screw this.” I pull the keys from the ignition and exit the truck, making my way towards the barn.
There’s a scary looking bouncer at the door checking IDs and I go to reach mine from my bag only to remember I left it in Killian’s truck.
Shit.
As I get nearer, my heart picks up speed, wondering how I’m gonna get inside without being seen. He doesn’t look like the type who would be easy to charm with flirting, not that I’d be any good at that anyway.
The bouncer is momentarily distracted by a rowdy group of guys behind him and he turns, allowing me to sneak past, blending in with a group of friends who were waved through just ahead of me.
I squeeze in tight behind them, pretending to be one of their number until I’m safely inside.
I stick close to the group, using them as shield as they carve their way through the crowd.
We’re packed in so tightly in here it’s almost hard to draw in a full breath of oxygen, which is just as well because the air is thick and humid which only enhances the pungent scent of beer, body odour and the distinctive smell of marijuana.
There’s got to be at least two or three hundred people in here, maybe more and as I head deeper into the crowd, what I’m met with is like a scene straight out of Fight Club. Everyone is surrounding a huge metal cage on a raised platform that commands the inside of the barn.
There are two men fighting inside the cage.
One of the fighters has his back to me. He’s absolutely huge.
He’s easily the biggest guy I think I’ve ever seen, at least six foot five or more.
His muscles make Hulk Hogan look like a matchstick—slight exaggeration—but you get the picture.
The other man is partially blocked from view due to the sheer size of his opponent.
They’re both shirtless, I know that much.
The air is charged with some kind of electrical current, the energy is palpable as all eyes are fixed on the fight in front of us.
The crowd hollers and cheers with every hit the fighters manage to land on each other and I can’t bring myself to watch. I hate violence. Even the sound of a punch has me flinching.
Killian was right, I don’t belong here.
As I’m about to turn around, my eyes are drawn back to the spectacle in the cage, and I catch a glimpse of the other fighter, my heart skipping a beat. The dark hair. The beard…
Is that… Killian?
No, surely not.
Abandoning my plan to leave, I instead push my way further forward through the crowd to get a closer look, weaving in-between the mass of bodies. I’m so preoccupied, I don’t see the man moving towards me and I collide with him head-on.
His hand closes around my bicep to steady me.
“Oh! Sorry!”
“Not a problem, sweetness.” His hand lingers on me for a few seconds too long and the look he’s giving me has alarm bells blaring in my ears.
Get away from him.
“Excuse me,” I say, subtly pulling myself free from his grasp as I move through the crowd putting as much distance between us as I can.
I stop a few rows back from the cage, my eyes fixed on Killian.
What the hell is he thinking? Does he have a death wish? The guy is huge!
Sweat glistens on his naked upper body, his muscles rippling as he takes a swing, narrowly missing his opponents face as he ducks out of the way.
I might not particularly like Killian, but it won’t stop me appreciating how gorgeous he is.
Broad shoulders and a dusting of dark hair across the wide expanse of his chest. There’s barely an inch of skin untouched by ink, the intricate designs working their way down his chiselled abdomen I’m sure was carved from solid stone.
And as if the rest of him isn’t already enough to make my panties damp, the strip of hair below his belly button, disappearing beneath the low waistband of his jeans has liquid fire spreading between my thighs.
His opponent lands a hit to Killian’s abdomen, winding him before swinging his fist into his face, his head snapping to the left, sending him stumbling backwards a step, collapsing down onto one knee as blood drips from the cut to his brow and his lower lip.
It’s clear who the underdog is between the two of them. The crowd going wild as his opponent turns his back on Killian, his fists raised in the air as he amps up the crowd like the fight is already won.
My heart thunders in my chest. Killian is still on the ground, his head bowed.
“Dario! Dario! Dario!” the crowd chants.
“Get up!” I shout, my voice swallows up by the volume of the crowd that deafens me. “Get up Killian!” I shout louder.
Killian’s head snaps up, those molten chocolate eyes boring into mine as though he heard my voice. There’s no way he heard me. He couldn’t have.
I see the moment surprise morphs into anger. I disobeyed him. I broke my promise to stay in the truck.
Seeing me in the crowd fuels him, sparking something inside him that gives him the strength to rise to his feet. The other man, Dario is still unaware of Killian’s recovery and Killian uses it to his advantage.
He uses the element of surprise as he comes up behind Dario. He kicks the back of Dario’s knee, forcing him to the ground before gripping him in a head lock. Dario delivers blow after blow to Killian’s abdomen to weaken him but Killian stays strong.
I’m so engrossed in the fight that I don’t feel a body slide up behind mine until two large hands land on my hips.
“Well, hello again, sweetness.” The hot breath against my neck makes me shiver and I recoil away, spinning around to find the creepy guy from earlier peering down at me.
He’s shorter than Killian but I still have to crane my neck back to look up at him. He’s well-built, but if his beer belly is anything to go by as it brushes against me, I’m guessing a lot of it is fat rather than muscle.
“You didn’t need to run off so fast earlier, I don’t bite… much,” he adds with a grin.
“It’s just as well, a tetanus shot wasn’t on my to-do list this evening,” I retort in an attempt to be strong, to show this guy he doesn’t intimate me, but I can feel that strength crumbling with every second he scan me from head to toe, undressing me with his eyes.
Eyes that unsettle me more than I want to let on.
I take a couple of steps back, my eyes darting around to find an exit route or someone close by who’s noticed what’s happening, but every pair of eyes are fixed on the fight, totally oblivious to me and this man.
I take one more step back and slam into something hard.
My neck snaps around to find another man peering down at me, his eyes just as unnerving.
This guy is a little younger than his friend, thinner in build and reeking of beer.
“You were right, Al. She is a sweet little thing, isn’t she? I’d love to get a taste,” he says.
“You don’t mind us sharing do you, sweetheart?” The first guy, Al asks me.
“Actually I do. That’s my boyfriend up there in the cage. Do you really want to find out what’ll happen if you touch me?” The lie falls from my mouth too easily, but it’s worth a shot.
Al laughs as the other guy glances over his shoulder at the cage behind him.
Somehow Dario has managed to overpower Killian, both of them are on their feet now, circling each other. Dario throws a punch but Killian blocks it, landing one of his own into Dario’s gut.
Al turns back to me. “Your boyfriend seems a little preoccupied right now. How about we keep you company?”
The two men have me sandwiched, unable to move as their hands begin to wander.
“Get your hands off me,” I warn, though my words are weak and my voice shaky as it becomes increasingly apparent that I’m not only outnumbered, I’m also out muscled. No way am I going to be able to fight my way out of this.
Even above the music and the chants from the crowd, I can still hear my heartbeat in my eardrums.
“Stop!” I shout as the guy behind me slips his hand down the front of my jeans, cupping me roughly and tears spring into my eyes.
The guy in front of me chuckles. “I don’t think you really want us to stop do you, precious?”
“Fuck, I bet your pussy is so fucking tight,” the guy behind me grumbles into my ear as his fingers spread me open.
“Stop!” I shout louder, driving my knee up into Al’s junk as hard as I can and he stumbles, clutching his dick as he doubles over.
A beer bottle dangles from someone’s hand to the right of me and I stretch to reach it. I rip it from the guy’s hand and swing it behind me as the glass shatters against my groper’s head.
His hand disappears from inside my jeans as he clutches his head that’s pouring with blood.
The noise from the crowd seems to grow louder, boos filling the space. I only hope that means Killian is winning.
I go to run but Al curls a hand around my arm, dragging me back.
“You little cunt!” he spits, and before I can prepare myself, the back of his hand cracks across my cheek, the force of it radiating across my face.
He grips my chin roughly between his thick fingers, forcing me to face him.
“You’ll pay for that. Let’s see if we can put this mouth to better use. ”
“I’ve got a better idea,” a voice says, and in a split-second, Al’s fingers are ripped away from me and a second later, he’s on the floor, taking a couple of other people down with him as the crowd around us disperses.
A hand wraps around mine and I look up to find Killian standing in front of me. I could cry with relief. He glares at the man standing behind me and I’m tugged out of the way, positioned safely behind Killian.
The thinner guy who just had his hand down my pants comes for Killian, swinging out at him but Killian blocks him, and with one swift, sharp blow to his face, his head whips around so far I’m sure he must have snapped his neck as he collapses to the ground, motionless.
In the commotion, everyone around us has shifted their attention from the cage and watches on in stunned silence.
Killian turns to me, lifting my chin gently with his finger, his eyes zooming in on the bruise I’m assuming is blossoming across my cheek, and his expression turns murderous. He goes to speak but movement out the corner of my eye catches my attention.
“Killian!” I shout as Al attempts to rise to his feet. He goes to push himself up off the floor, but Killian is there and kicks him back down again so he’s lying flat on his back.
Killian crouches over him, the guy’s collar wrapped tight in his fist. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t end you right now.”
“She wanted it, man. You’re girlfriend’s a little cock tease.”
“Does she fucking look like she wanted it, asshole?” Killian spits.
Al glances over at me, noting my tear-soaked face and the tremble in my body and he actually has the gall to smirk.
“They all pretend they don’t want it, b—” he doesn’t get a chance to finish before Killian’s fist smashes into his face. Over and over again.
It’s like watching a wild animal as he pummels the guy on the floor who’s now bleeding and unconscious.
“Killian, stop. Stop,” I cry, reaching for his arm to pull him away and after dispensing one final punch, Killian finally lets up and turns to face me. “He’s not worth it,” I tell him.
He considers my words for a moment before he tosses one final glance at the men on the floor before barging past me, heading for the exit as I hurry after him.