by Penelope Sky
I stood halfway down the stairs with the tray in my hand. Motionless, I just stood there, thinking about everything she’d said, that she was so unbelievably selfless I could hardly believe it. I let out a deep sigh and closed my eyes. “Goddammit.”
I paced my living room as I called him.
He picked up on the first ring. “What happened?”
I wasn’t the kind of man that lied. It didn’t suit my self-interest because I simply had no reason to hide information from anyone. I was at the top of the food chain, having no enemies of consequence. But I lied now. “He hasn’t called back.”
He growled into the phone. “I want that fucker dead.”
“I know. That’s why I’ve come up with a better plan.”
He remained quiet.
“Challenge him to a fight in the ring. We both know he has no chance.”
Liam was still quiet, but when he didn’t reject it right away, I knew he was interested. His beef with Damien was personal, intimate, and he wanted to destroy him with his bare hands. Whether Damien handed himself over or they met in the ring, the outcome would be exactly the same. “You think he’d go for it?”
“Absolutely.” Damien was impulsive and stupid, and he would agree to this without thinking about the consequences. He would either believe he could actually win, or he wouldn’t think that far and would do anything he could to get Anna back.
“I like that idea better. I can kill him in front of everyone…and Anna.”
Twenty-Two
Catalina
“Get up.”
I stirred from my cot on the floor, my back aching from lying on the hard surface all night. Washing my hands had made me feel better, but now it’d been a few days since I’d showered and that was uncomfortable. I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes and tried to make my vision cooperate.
“I said, get up.” He came to the cage and stared down at me. Instead of holding a tray of food, he held handcuffs.
“What are you gonna do?” I leaned against the wall and watched the metal cuffs shift back and forth.
He tossed the cuffs on the ground. “Put these on.”
“Why?”
His gaze darkened in irritation.
He was obviously going to move me from the cage, so it was probably in my best interest to comply. But I would never be able to get the restraints off because they were solid metal. My only chance was to run. I grabbed them from the floor and secured them in front of my body.
He unlocked the door. “Let’s go.”
I pushed my back against the wall as I rose to my feet without using my hands. “Are you gonna let me use the bathroom? Because this is still going to be hard.”
He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the cage. “No.”
“No?” If he wasn’t gonna let me use the restroom, then what was he going to do with me? Did he talk to Damien? Was he about to hand me over to my brother? Or did Damien say no, and now I was going to be executed?
Maybe this was the end.
Everyone died at some point, so I could be scared or brave. I chose to be brave. I went quiet and allowed him to guide me upstairs to the next level. It was an entryway that led to a much bigger staircase. There was a sitting room that seemed unused, and lots of paintings and sculptures.
Didn’t seem like his style at all.
He guided me into another room that connected to his garage, and he put me in the passenger seat of his truck.
Maybe he was going to hand me over. Didn’t make sense to execute me at another location, unless he’d already dug my grave and would shoot me once he threw me inside.
I felt anxiety and fear, but I forced myself to stay calm and not give in to my emotional response. Mind over matter. Courage over fear. Peace over despair.
The garage door opened, and he pulled out. He turned onto the street and drove away.
Not that it mattered, but I glanced at the street signs and memorized the address. Just in case I managed to escape and wanted to know where I could find him again to finish the job. The fact that he let me see where we were and where we were going meant only one thing.
He was going to kill me.
As we drove down the street in silence, I tried to think of a way to survive. I could throw myself at him, make him lose control of the wheel, and put us in a bad crash. With any luck, the collision would kill him, and I could get out of there.
But it could also kill me.
Too risky. I’d have to wait until we reached our destination.
He made a few more turns then approached the building where my apartment was located. It was ironic, to pass the place where he’d originally grabbed me, the place I called home.
He drove right by it, but then he stopped. He pulled up to the curb and put the truck in park.
What the fuck was going on?
I turned to him, completely bewildered. Did he want me to go inside and grab a few things? Was he taking me somewhere else for a long time? Was there something in there that he wanted for himself? A keepsake of his victim?
He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled my cuffs closer to him. He dug out the key from his pocket, unlocked them, and then pulled the metal off my wrists. He left them on the seat between us and looked straight ahead.
Was this a test?
His deep voice shattered the silence. “You can go.” I didn’t look at him, watching the cars pass by until they disappeared in the distance.
“What?”
“I said you could go.” He turned his gaze to me, his blue eyes devoid of any emotion.
“Why? I don’t understand…”
“There’s not much to understand. I said you can leave, so leave.”
“Does that mean Damien took my place?” Did the thing I feared most come to pass? Was I going to lose my only brother? The man I looked up to? “I’d rather die than let anything happen to him.” I pushed my wrists toward him. “Take me back. Please.” I’d fought so hard to be free, was even willing to kill this guy for it, but now I asked for the exact opposite.
Without looking at my wrists, he pushed them away. “No. Damien isn’t taking your place.”
“Then why are you letting me go?”
He looked away. “Doesn’t matter. Get the hell out of my truck and go home.”
I looked toward my building and stared at the entryway before I turned back to him. “Is this a test? Are you going to come back for me later?”
“No test. No strings attached. And you’ll never see me again…thank fucking god.” He turned to look out the windshield, his arm resting along the windowsill. He was in a blue shirt and jeans, his tattoos stark against his fair skin. His short brown hair was unremarkable, and there was a shadow along his jawline that matched the darkness of his ink. I’d thought I understood this man, but now he was the biggest enigma I’d ever met.
“What’s going to happen to Damien?”
He took a long time to respond. “Liam is dealing with him directly. That’s all I’ll say about that.”
“So, you don’t need me anymore?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
God either answered my prayer, or I was just incredibly lucky. Or…he had something to do with it. I looked at my apartment again, but I didn’t get out of the truck.
“You fought me the entire time, tried to kill me with a goddamn plunger, and now we are literally at your doorstep…and you just sit there.”
“I just…” I turned back to him, staring at the side of his face. “I just don’t understand why you’re letting me go.”
He leaned his head back against the headrest and sighed. “I just told you.”
“No. I don’t understand why you are letting me go.”
After a few breaths, he turned back to me, his gaze dark and guarded. He probably hoped I wouldn’t figure out he was the one who’d granted me freedom. It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t prayer. It was all him. “Good luck, Catalina.”
Now that I knew this was real, that I really was f
ree to go, I opened the door and got out. “My friends call me Cat…” This man could’ve been my executioner, but he’d decided to spare my life instead. I didn’t think of him as an enemy anymore.
He was still as cold as ever to me. “I don’t want to be your friend.” He leaned forward and grabbed the door handle before he slammed it shut. He gave me one final look of irritation before he pulled away from the curb and headed down the street.
I watched him go before I turned around and looked at my apartment. I’d thought I would never see it again. I’d thought I would die in that cage, but that my death would give my brother life and happiness.
Instead, the Skull King gave me those things.
Twenty-Three
Damien
I lost my fucking mind.
My woman was being held hostage somewhere, and I didn’t have a single lead, a single idea where she could be. What kind of man was I? How could I let this happen to her? I paced in my bedroom, needing to move constantly because sitting still made me feel worse.
Then I got a phone call…from the Skull King.
He’d refused to help me, to give me any clue, and he enjoyed making me suffer, enjoyed the taste of revenge. I almost didn’t answer, but in the back of my mind, I knew I couldn’t afford to reject any possibility. I answered. “Hope you’ve changed your mind.”
“I’m the kind of man that never changes his mind.”
“Then what the fuck do you want?”
He wasn’t as argumentative as usual, as if he wanted to say as few words as possible. “Liam wants to challenge you.”
I stopped pacing and went still. My breathing stopped altogether, but my body needed oxygen more than ever before. “Meaning?”
“Tonight. You and him. Fight to the death.”
Liam had the upper hand because he was an experienced fighter, and he also had rage on his side because of everything I’d done to Annabella in bed. He was also familiar with the surroundings of the ring, with the shouts of the men in the stands. And the reason he only gave me twelve hours’ notice was so I would have no time to prepare for the battle.
“One-time offer. Take it, or never see Anna again.”
I wasn’t stupid. I knew my odds of winning were slim, despite my knowledge of martial arts and my own experience street fighting. But I’d been searching for her for weeks and hadn’t figured out a single detail. If this was my only chance, I was going to take it. Liam could disappear with Annabella and forget about me, but he was spiteful, vengeful, and angry.
He was willing to lose Annabella just to kill me.
I had to take advantage of that. “Yes.”
“I figured you’d say that.” He hung up.
Hades watched me pace back and forth. “Are you sure you wanna do this?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t mean to doubt you, but Liam has the advantage. He has the size, experience, and training.”
“I’m aware. But I don’t have another choice. This is my one and only opportunity.”
“But what kind of opportunity is it if you’re likely to lose?”
I never did anything unless it was a sure thing, and this was definitely uncertain. I was quick on my feet, with strong reflexes, and I could anticipate things before they happened. But that might not be enough for a fight like this. “I’d rather die trying to get her back than give up altogether.”
“You don’t have to fight him. We’ll find her.”
“But how long will it take? What if it’s a year? Two?”
He leaned back into the wooden chair and rubbed the back of his head. “If you’re worried her feelings will change in that amount of time, don’t. What you have is real. There’s no way Anna would fall in love with a man who’s committed these kinds of crimes.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.” I kept walking.
“Then what?”
I stopped and looked out the window. “She could get pregnant…have a kid.”
“I was always under the impression that was unlikely.”
“But not impossible.” I turned to him. “If they have a kid, they would have what they’ve always wanted. She might not want to rip them apart. And even if she did, he would always be a problem. And as a father of her child, she would never let me kill him, then. That happens…it doesn’t look good for us.”
“This is all under the assumption she’s sleeping with him.”
I knew she wouldn’t get into bed with him willingly. “She may not have that choice…” It hurt to say that out loud, to even think that way. It was why I had to do this, to put this to bed before it got worse. “I appreciate what you’re saying, but I have to do this. You, of all people, should understand…”
He dropped his gaze. “Yeah…unfortunately.”
Loud footsteps sounded outside the door before Catalina appeared. She stopped and stared at me, her eyes taking me in with a look I’d never seen on her face before. There was relief, love, so many other things. Then she ran to me and jumped into my arms.
I staggered back as I caught her, having no idea where this reaction had come from. I hadn’t even told her Annabella was missing.
“I’m so happy to see you…”
I hugged her back but shot Hades a quizzical expression. “Everything okay, Cat?”
She kept her face buried in my chest and nodded, but she didn’t release me or look me in the eye. She squeezed me like she never wanted to let go. “You’re the best brother in the world. I’m sorry I never told you that before.”
I cupped the back of her head and still didn’t understand. “Did something happen?”
She pulled away and finally looked at me, her eyes filled with a hint of tears. She took a few deep breaths and touched my biceps and forearms, like she’d almost just lost me. She closed her eyes for a second. “I just had a bad dream…that I lost you.”
I was touched by her affection, by the way she wore her heart on her sleeve for the first time. I always knew my sister loved me and I didn’t need to hear her say it, but it was nice…once in a while. “Well, I’m fine. And I love you too.” I kissed her on the forehead before I let her go.
“He’s fine…for now.” Hades sat in the chair with his chin propped on his knuckles.
Catalina stared at me, no longer comforted. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
My initial annoyance with Hades faded away because this conversation was inevitable. I couldn’t go down to the ring without telling her I might not come back. “This is going to be a lot to take in, just so you know.”
“I know Anna is missing. And I know Liam took her.” With her arms crossed over her chest, she stood in a white halter dress with a jean jacket.
I assumed Sofia had told her. “Well, a mutual friend just called me and invited me to fight Liam directly in the ring.”
“Who is this mutual friend?” she asked. “The Skull King?”
I didn’t realize she and Sofia talked that much. “Yes.”
“Fight in the ring?” she asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means Liam and I will fight to the death. Winner gets Annabella.” It was a lot of pressure on my shoulders, because if I lost, not only did I lose my life, but I lost my woman too. She would be a prisoner to him for the rest of her life. “I can’t lose.”
Catalina watched me as if she expected me to say something else, to elaborate on this insane plan. When I was quiet, she expressed her skepticism. “Fight to the death? That’s barbaric. Are we in ancient times?”
“That’s just how it is.”
“Can you just show up and shoot him?” She turned to Hades, as if she expected him to agree with her. “Or I could shoot him. I have good aim.”
“No,” I answered. “That’s dishonorable.”
She rolled her eyes. “This whole thing is dishonorable. So, you’re really going to do this?”
I expected her to be more difficult about it, to beg me to change my mind. She was oddly understanding of the whole thin
g, which was even weirder because she knew nothing about my world. “I don’t have a choice.”
She looked down at the floor for a few seconds before she lifted her gaze once again. “You have to win. Alright?”
“I know.”
“He’s never fought you before?”
I shook my head.
“Then you can catch him off guard. I kicked his ass in that restaurant because it took him so long to process what was happening. He’s big and slow. Be unpredictable. Be fast. That’s how you’ll win.”
Did my little sister just give me fight advice? “I appreciate your support in this. I figured you would beg me to walk away.”
She shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair. “I know how much she means to you. I know you can’t walk away and leave her.”
“You’re right. I can’t.”
“So, you need to win. You have to.”
“I know.”
Twenty-Four
Annabella
My brain wanted to disassociate from reality because it was such a burden to think about Catalina locked away, to think about how worried Damien must be, to think about my own horrible fate.
It was too fucking much.
Tears were stained on my cheeks, and my eyes burned because they were completely dry. Every time I took a breath, my chest ached because I’d been hyperventilating on and off all day. He’d captured Catalina, my closest friend, and either she would die, or I would never be free.
I really wished Liam were dead.
Liam didn’t knock before entering my bedroom.
I already hated him, but now my feelings were much more intense. The energy in the room was totally different, very much kidnapper and prisoner. Our past relationship no longer existed in my mind. He was just my tormentor now, the man ruining my life and the life of everyone else’s I cared about.