CHAPTER 16
CASHTON
I had driven straight to Savage Strike after leaving Landry at the penthouse. I had fucked up. Bad.
When I had walked into the apartment to find her standing there, cornered like a wild animal, I had absolutely lost it. White hot rage had come over me, every ounce of my blood an inferno. The petrified look in her blue eyes as they had met mine, wide with horror and despair, had been one of the worst sights that I had ever beheld. No woman ever deserved to feel that powerless. And the fact that it was Landry had only enraged me further. She was mine.
But the lines were getting blurred, and I had royally fucked up. I let my mind wander to the throb from the markings she had left on me. Her teeth breaking skin had single-handedly been the hottest thing I had ever experienced. Her wanton moans and little whimpers as I had pounded into her played in my head like a new favorite song. And then I had just left her up there by herself, like the complete asshole that I was .
She was ruining me. I was supposed to be breaking her, not the other way around. I needed to shift gears, and fast. I had called Kaptan and Zayn while I was in the elevator, the brothers agreeing to meet me at the boxing gym. It was well past four in the morning now, but they must have sensed the urgency in my tone considering how fast they both agreed.
If there was one thing to note about the Hawthorn brothers, it was their fierce and unconditional loyalty. Though they couldn’t be more different in most aspects, that was the one thing that they had in common.
I wasn’t surprised to see Kaptan’s R1 and Zayn’s Bronco already sitting in the parking lot as I had pulled in, considering that I had been coming from the city. I saw the lights inside already on and guessed that they must have already let themselves in, all three of us having our own set of keys.
Pulling my hood over my head, I made my way through the door, looking up to find Kaptan leaning his elbows up on the ropes of one of the boxing rings, phone in hand. I spotted Zayn sitting against the back wall, cigarette in hand as he laid his head back with his eyes shut.
The two got along for the most part, though they didn’t opt to spend much time with each other unless necessary. Kaptan was all business all the time, preparing himself to take over his father’s company, while Zayn refused to follow the family’s status quo. The latter chose to pursue the lifestyle of sex and partying as a big ‘fuck you’ to his dad.
They both looked up as I dropped my duffle bag, offering me a once-over and waiting for me to speak. They had to know that something was seriously wrong if I had called them this late. Or early, I guess you could say .
I didn’t have any words to give them, though. My brain felt like it was about to combust, all of the thoughts and emotions ramming into my mind at break-neck speeds, getting louder and louder by the minute until I felt as if a hole in my skull would be the only thing able to release the pressure and let everything drain out. My head was too crowded, too loud. I was on the verge of losing it.
One look at me, and their eyes widened just the slightest. Zayn sat up straighter as Kaptan put his phone away and turned to face me. I silently made my way to the ring, wrapping my hands in the process. We rarely engaged in hand-to-hand combat without gloves, but I needed to feel the pain right now. I needed something to anchor me.
I didn’t bother warming up, my blood already on fire. I turned as Kaptan walked into the ring, wrapping his hands as well. Our eyes met, and I saw the hesitance in his dark ones, the same obsidian as his brother’s. There was a question there, asking if I was sure about this.
Zayn took over Kaptan’s spot against the ropes, watching intently before putting his cigarette on the bottom of his boot and walking over to the sound system in the corner of the gym. Sleep Token blared through the gym as Kaptan and I paced around each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move.
I lunged, grazing his right side right as he dodged. I managed to land the next two jabs in quick succession before his right hook caught me in the jaw.
“You’re taking it easy on me. Stop it.” I ground out. Kaptan was a force to be reckoned with, his size alone enough to bring most grown men to his knees. I was just over 6’4, and he still had a few inches on me, not to mention the difference in muscle mass.
He must have noticed the pain in my eyes, and the need to let it all out. He paused long enough for me to land a jab to his stomach, his tattooed abdomen recoiling at the impact before flipping his switch and coming back at me with full force.
Zayn stayed silent as he watched us, Kaptan’s fist slamming into my cheekbone. Without the gloves, I felt every ounce of the impact.
Red took over my vision, the emotions from the day finally finding the outlet that I had been looking for as I swung back, throwing all of my weight into my attack and forcing him back.
I could feel the cuts opening underneath the wraps on my knuckles, and I welcomed the pain as it gave me the reprieve that I had been needing.
After a few rounds, I walked to the edge of the ring, pulling my hoodie over my head and throwing it over the ropes.
“Dude.” Zayn called, “What the fuck happened? It looks like you got mauled by a wild animal.”
I quickly realized that the bite mark on my shoulder and cut on my neck were now on full display. Fuck.
“What crazy bitch did that? And can I get a turn with her?” Zayn chuckled and my fists clenched at my sides.
“He fucked Landry.” Kaptan said from behind me, not needing to ask. I swear, nothing went unnoticed by him.
“Landry?” Zayn asked, clearly confused until the situation dawned on him. “Oh. Oh…”
The room went silent, the both of them processing as I mentally berated myself. What the fuck had I been thinking .
“Sooo what does this mean? Are we calling it all off?”
“No.” I snapped at Zayn.
He kept his mouth shut, waiting for me to elaborate.
“This could be a good thing.” Kaptan remarked, finally speaking.
“In what world was that a good thing?”
“Well, we know she must be into if she let you fuck her. That could prove to be beneficial. Think about how much easier it would be to break her if she starts falling for you. It would make her ten times easier to manipulate.” His words lacked emotion, his tone matter-of-fact.
I paused to think, letting Kaptan’s words sink in. He wasn’t wrong. Maybe this hadn’t been as colossal as I had thought.
“You wanted to fuck with her? Think about how much that probably fucked with her head already.”
“True.” I finally admitted. I didn’t want to admit that although it might mess with her head, it was already messing with mine in return.
“Where is she anyways? Aren’t you supposed to be making sure she doesn’t run away or get rescued?” Zayn asked.
“I left her at the penthouse. I turned on the passcode for the elevator, she won’t be able to activate it. And if her team wants to try to come and get her, they can have fun scaling twenty floors.”
Zayn chuckled, Kaptan coming up beside me and grabbing a water bottle from his brother. We were both spent, the clock on the far wall showing that we had already been at it for over an hour. I needed to get back to check on tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb, having locked them up in the rental that I had booked for the next few days. They could stay in there until finals came around, and I’d figure out what to do with them after the games were over.
I wouldn’t be going back to the penthouse, planning to leave Landry there until Friday morning. I needed some time to get my head straight, and there was plenty of food in there to last until then. Kaptan would stop by later today to install cameras so I could keep an eye on her from afar.
I was going to head back to the house I shared with Zayn and Kap near campus until the time came around to go fetch the three of them. I had plenty to work on between now and then including blueprints to review for the firm, school work, and the new addition to the house that I was designing for when Kaptan and Zayn’s little sister, Kenna, moved in next year.
“You have any luck with your target yet?” I asked Zayn.
“Oh yeah, we got him within the first twenty-four hours. He’s up at one of our teammate’s estates in the country. Pretty chill dude actually. He’s been partying it up with the rest of them these last few days. Even got his dealer to make the drive out there.”
Kaptan and I chuckled.
It looked like our teams would both be headed to finals on Friday, at least as long as none of our other teammates got abducted before then. I should probably check on Natalia and Jasmine at some point. I had rented them a separate apartment in the same building, instructing them not to leave and to call me if they needed anything.
The only communication had been the both of them requesting my company, all of the text messages going ignored. I didn’t fuck desperate. And besides, I was far too busy with Landry to entertain the idea.
“I’m gonna hit the showers.” I told them, grabbing my bag and heading to the back of the gym before pausing and turning back to the two, Zayn in the process of lighting a new cigarette.
“Thanks,” I said. “I needed this.”
We weren’t the sentimental type, but it felt wrong to not express my gratitude. They had met me here in the middle of the night after all, no explanation needed.
“Any time.” Zayn said.
“No problem.” Kaptan followed.
I was glad to have them at my side. I needed them.
“Hey Cash,” Kaptan called, him and Zayn both pausing on their way to the front doors. I turned back to him, meeting his eyes. “Make sure you keep the end goal in mind. I know she’s fucking with your head, but you can’t afford to get soft. Not if you’re still set on getting your revenge.”
My veins pulsed, teeth clenching as I let his words sink in. But he was right, I couldn’t let her get to me. I needed to get my shit together.
“I know.”