by Caitlyn Dare
Fuck. It. All.
It only takes me ten minutes to get to the location for tonight's fight. It's late, but that doesn't mean there aren't cars everywhere when I turn up to the old industrial estate full of dilapidated buildings.
I'm out of my car almost before I have the engine off and jogging toward the entrance.
"Jagger, it's good to see you tonight," someone I don't recognize says, patting me on the shoulder as he lets me inside.
The place is packed, the crowd’s cheers filling the vast space along with the heavy scent of both weed and nicotine.
"Conner, my man," Daz says as I walk up to him. "Once this sorry son of a bitch is put out of his misery," he says, nodding to the ring where there's a guy who's barely standing, "then you're up. You're ready for a fight, right?"
His question gets my blood pumping. Warren's smug fucking face from earlier when he possessively wrapped his arm around my girl fills my mind, and my fists curl.
"I want fucking blood."
"That's the attitude."
It only takes a few more seconds for the guy to go down and a roar to rip through the crowd as the winner celebrates his success.
"You're on, kid," Daz encourages. "I'll get your opponent."
Ripping my shirt off, I drop it on a chair beside one of the security guards along with my cell and car keys.
Cracking my knuckles and flexing my neck, I step into the ring.
A few people shout my name, but I ignore every single one. I don't need them or their encouragement. The adrenaline, the fear, the devastation that's flowing through my veins is enough.
There's a momentary silence that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Looking up, I see everyone staring at something—or someone—over my shoulder.
Sucking in a breath, I spin around and face the man Daz thought would be a good match for me tonight, and a trickle of anticipation races down my spine. He's fucking massive.
I swallow down my nerves and stare him dead in the eyes. He might be bigger than me, but I'm faster. I'd put money on it.
I can take this motherfucker.
If only winning would get my girl back.
The guy wastes no time; the second he's past the crowd he's on me. His fist connects with my jaw and my entire head snaps to the side.
I was not ready for that.
A roar rips up my throat as I retaliate.
The fight is brutal. For every hit I get, he manages to land two.
My face burns as blood trickles over my skin, dripping off my jaw. My ribs are in agony—I'm sure the fucker's broken at least one—but I refuse to show him that he might be winning.
I fucking need this.
I need the burn.
The pain.
I need the fucking distraction.
While we're throwing punches I'm not thinking about that asshole. About where he's dragged my girl and what he's doing to her. I forget the pain, the heartache, and focus on this one task at hand.
This guy might be bigger than me, but I won't bow down. I'd rather he kill me than admit defeat.
I force myself to continue through the pain and manage to land a few more punches, making the beast of a guy stumble into the crowd, but instead of weakening him, it seems to only fire him up.
When he comes at me, it's the last time, because the second his knuckles connect with my temple, everything goes black.
"You're a stupid motherfucker, do you know that?" a familiar voice barks.
I have no idea where I am, what happened, or why I'm being shouted at. All I know is that I want to go back into the darkness where nothing and no one existed.
Silence follows the voice, and I start to drift back off when a thought slams into me.
Kennedy.
I sit up so fast that my entire body screams in pain.
"Fuuuuck," I cry, my arm wrapping around my ribs as I slowly lower myself back down to what I now realize is a comfortable bed.
"Serves you right for being so fucking selfish," the same voice says, but this time, I recognize it.
"Fuck off, Cole."
"Fuck off? Are you fucking serious right now?"
"No. Leave me alone."
"I don't fucking think so."
"Have you found her?" I rip my eyes open to find what I expected. I'm in my own bed, and the sun is blazing through the open curtains.
My eyes find Cole, and I get my answer before he even opens his mouth.
"Fuck," I breathe. "Do we even know where she is yet?"
He shakes his head. "James is still working on it. But you getting yourself fucked up did not help things."
"It wasn't meant to," I mutter.
"Yeah well, when we find that cunt we need you in full fighting form. Assuming you want to be the one who takes him down."
"You fucking know I do." I roll to my side and suck in a breath, ready to attempt to get up.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"I need to see James. I need some motherfucking answers." I cry out in pain once again, reaching out to steady myself on the nightstand. My knuckles are a fucking mess, and almost my entire arm is covered in blood.
"Who was that guy?"
"No idea, but he was out for you. If we didn't get there when we did I've got a feeling he wouldn't have stopped after you passed out."
"Brilliant," I mutter, putting my focus back to standing but once again failing miserably.
"For fuck's sake. Get back in bed and I'll get James to come to you. You look fucking pathetic right now."
"Thanks for the sympathy."
"You get none. You did this to yourself. You're a selfish cunt. What if she needs you? You can’t even fucking walk."
"Would help if we knew where she was, eh?"
He mutters something as he walks out of my bedroom, promising to bring Dad back with him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kennedy
“Stop, please make it stop,” I cry as I watch the huge muscular guy drive his fist into Conner’s face. Screwing my eyes shut, I try to force out the images, but Warren tightens his grip in my hair, forcing me to watch the computer screen he dragged me to less than thirty minutes ago.
I didn’t need him to tell me it was a feed of fight night. I recognized it for what it was the second Conner appeared on the screen.
I have no idea if it’s a live feed or recording, but it doesn’t matter. Because it’s still real. Conner fought that hulk of a guy... and he lost.
As a couple of guys drag his lifeless body out of the makeshift ring, bile washes in my stomach.
“W-why?” I sob. “Why would you do that?”
“Because I can,” he sneers. “Because that is far less than Conner deserves, than they all deserve. But you’re the key, baby. When I end you, it’ll ruin Jagger. There will be no stopping him. He’ll either end up dead in that ring or he’ll off himself with a bottle of whiskey and a little trip to the ocean. Losing you will tip him right over the edge. But not before he rips apart his family.”
Warren moves around me and crouches. “Conner will never forgive James. When he loses you, it will tear them apart.”
“Oh God,” I whimper, thrashing against my restraints. Warren has me tied to the chair at my wrists and ankles. But it’s futile; I’m weak. Growing weaker every hour that passes. My stomach aches, desperate for real sustenance, and my mouth is dry and sore. The air in the warehouse is heavy with dust and debris, making my lungs burn every time I inhale.
I think I knew the second Warren stuffed me in his trunk that I wasn’t ever getting out of this alive. He’s fallen headfirst into psycho killer territory.
“Did you really think you and Jagger would get your happily ever after? To ride off into the sunset together in that piece of shit camp—"
I gasp. “How do you know about that?”
But it shouldn’t surprise me.
Warren knows everything.
It all makes sense now, the sneaking off at night and constantly being out to take care of
‘stuff.’ He was spying on the Jaggers, watching them, unravelling their plans. I should have known. But it was easier to believe the lie. It was easier to pretend that I would get out of this alive than just roll over and accept my fate.
I should have run.
Back when I first arrived at Sterling Bay, I should have packed a bag and run. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t just abandon Conner. He is my heart, the other half of my soul. Conner is the one good thing in my life, he always has been, and I won’t regret the time we had together. I only regret not telling him about Warren earlier. Maybe then it wouldn’t have gotten to this point.
Maybe someone could have intervened sooner.
Maybe I would have found the backbone to tell someone.
Maybe.
Maybe.
Maybe...
The thoughts run on repeat through my mind.
There’s so much I’d go back and do differently, but I can’t. This is my fate.
Maybe it always was.
Silent tears stream down my cheeks, but I don’t look at Warren. I can’t. He’s destroyed my life, ruined my spirit and future. And when he finally does it, when he watches the life drain from my eyes, he’ll destroy Conner. The boy I love more than anything else in the entire world.
It’s not fair.
None of it is fair.
But life isn’t fair.
It’s hard and messy and raw. And it hurts. It hurts so much.
Warren leans in, dragging his tongue along my cheek and collecting up my tears. It’s such an intimate thing, so evil and twisted, as if he wants to taste my pain.
I don’t think I’ve ever hated him more than I do in this moment.
“You know, I thought we were the same, Kennedy. I thought you understood me. But no, it was always him, wasn’t it?” The anger in his voice is tempered with sadness as he lays his palm against my cheek in a surprisingly tender move. “It wasn’t always bad between us, was it?”
Bitter laughter bubbles in my chest as I throw my head back and cackle at his words. I sound deranged, completely and utterly unhinged, but it feels good. The burst of pent-up emotion feels long overdue.
“Shut up.” Warren leaps up, looming over me like a dark shadow. “Shut the fuck up.”
“What are you going to do?” I snarl. “Kill me?”
His eyes narrow with contempt, but I’m not done. I need this. I need him to know he will never have me the way Conner has.
“You repulse me,” I spit. “You’re not even a speck of the man Conner is. He’s kind and gentle and he loves me. He. Loves. Me. You wouldn’t know how to love if it hit you in the face.”
Warren quietly seethes as he watches me break apart at the seams, spewing word after word at him. I’ll regret this in a minute, when he snaps and unleashes the monster I know lives inside him. But I can’t find it in me to care anymore.
“Everything about you makes me want to puke. You’re not a man, Warren. You’re a monster. A disgusting, spineless mon—”
He hits me so hard the chair shakes. Pain shoots down my jaw and into my spine. But I don’t cry. I won’t.
“Say that again—”
“I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.”
Whack.
He backhands me with such force, my head snaps back and stars swim across my vision. “You fucking bitch. You think you’re better than me? You think you’re so high and mighty because what? Jagger took pity on you and landed you in the middle of this? Look around, baby. They’re not coming. They don’t care about you. They only care about themselves. And when you’re gone, I’ll still be here to watch them tear themselves apart.”
I glare at him, pressing my lips into a thin line, smothering the pained cry trying to escape.
“You’re nothing, Kennedy. You’ve always been nothing, and you’ll always be nothing. Well, soon enough you’ll be worm food.”
Bile rushes up my throat, but I swallow it down.
“What?” He grabs my cheeks, squeezing. “Cat got your tongue?”
I remain silent.
Warren’s eyes flicker with rage as he shoves me back hard. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll have you screaming soon enough.”
And then he walks away like he didn’t just threaten to kill me.
Warren didn’t leave me there for long. When he returned, he was quieter. He didn’t utter a single word as he untied my restraints and threw me in the cage.
I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Time has no start or end within these four steel walls. The only hint of the world beyond is the sliver of light that pours in through the roof. It’s darker now, a silvery hue instead of the glint of sunlight earlier.
I stretch my legs, trying to fight off the numb feeling. My muscles ache, the cold floor beneath me hard and unforgiving. The restraints Warren used earlier left lacerations around my wrists, but something tells me it’s the least of my worries.
When he appears again, I smother a whimper. But he doesn’t approach me. Instead, he drags a chair to the empty space in front of the cage. I don’t know if it’s the chair from before, but it doesn’t matter.
This is it.
The final act of this living nightmare I’ve found myself in.
At least it’ll be over then. Hopefully, James will figure out a way to end Warren. He’ll keep Conner safe. Ace and Cole will be right by his side, and Remi and Hadley will comfort him. He’ll be okay.
Conner will be okay.
I have to believe that.
I have to believe that all this is worth something. Because one of us deserves to get out of this thing whole.
Tears prick my eyes as the pain of never seeing Conner again washes over me. If only I’d have known it would come to this, I would never have let go.
Warren glances my way and I steel my expression, my teeth grinding.
I want him to die. I want Conner to find him and tear him limb from limb.
I’m just sad I won’t get to see it.
Another wave of pain crashes over me. I want to be strong, I want to look Warren in the eye as he does it... however he chooses to.
Fear floods my veins, making my body tremble. It’s an involuntary action, a visceral response to knowing I’m about to die.
Warren disappears again, and I drag in a shaky breath. When he returns, he’s got a bunch of equipment with him. Meticulously, he sets up a tripod and camera, pointing it at the chair. I try not to think about what it means, pulling up every memory I have of me and Conner instead. The way he loves so fiercely. Tears roll down my cheeks as I remember how happy he was the other night when he gave me the key to Betty.
“I love you,” I whisper into the dusty air. “I will always love you.”
Warren stands back and surveys his handiwork, running a hand over his jaw. To think that I ever wanted him. But monsters wear many faces, and Warren Kraven had us all fooled.
“It’s almost time,” he says, approaching the cage. He unlocks the deadbolt and beckons for me to go to him. I don’t. If he wants me, he can come and get me.
He lowers himself and reaches inside, grabbing my ankle, but I kick out with all my might, slamming my boot into his face.
“Fucking bitch,” he grunts, reaching back in and wrapping a hand around my leg. This time I can’t shake him free and he drags me from the cage.
I try desperately to buck and bronc, but his arms are like a vise around my weary body as he dumps me on the chair and restrains me to the spindles.
“It’s a shame it’s come to this, baby,” he croons. “We could have had some more fun yet.”
I spit at him, feeling a lick of smugness. “Fuck you, Warren. Fuck. You.”
“Sadly, we don’t have time to play. Things to do, lives to ruin.” His lips curl with wicked intent as he stands tall before me like the reaper come to collect his payment. Fear trickles down my spine as I fight the tidal wave of emotion rising inside me.
This is it.
My hands curl into fists.
My e
yes shutter as I picture Conner’s face. He isn’t coming to save me this time.
No one is.
When I open my eyes again, it’s Warren’s face I see. The face of a cold-blooded killer.
He looks at me with another snarl and says, “Any last words?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Conner
"Argh," I groan as I lean forward and pull my sweats up my legs. My fucking ribs hurt almost as bad as when that motherfucker cracked them.
I breathe through the pain, determined to get dressed and go do something useful and try to find my girl. Lying here in pain and being good for nothing is driving me crazy.
Going to that fight was a mistake. I know that. It was a huge risk, and it didn't pay off. I wanted the pain, needed the distraction, but I wasn't meant to put myself out of action for days. Not while my girl is fuck knows where dealing with fuck knows what at the hands of that sadistic fuck.
The sound of footsteps booming up the stairs makes me look up at my closed door, but I assume it's just Cole, probably dragging Hadley behind him ready to put me through a couple of hours of torture as I'm forced to listen to her squeal and call for God.
I suck in a breath, ready to hunt down my AirPods to drown out the inevitable, when my door flies open so hard I think it's going to come off the hinges.
"You need to come now," Cole barks.
"Uh... sure." I bend down to pull up my sweats and he groans at my speed.
"It's K, Con. We need to go now."
"Fuck. Okay."
The pain is momentarily forgotten at the mention of my girl needing me, and I'm dressed and out the door in a heartbeat.
I expect Cole to turn toward James' office but instead, he heads for the stairs.
"Where are you..."
"No time, let's go."
I follow Cole out to the driveway where I find a black SUV with the engine running and the back door open. Cole helps me up, and the second I'm inside I find James and Ace waiting for me. The door is closed behind us and we're pulling out of the driveway before I've even sat back.
"What the hell is going on?"