Back To The Start Box Set: Five Full-Length Novels

by Aly Martinez

  “Eliza, look! There’s a kitchen! You can cook for us here too!” Quarry shouted from over the bar dividing the rooms.

  I rolled my eyes, but my smile snuck out, giving me away.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Quarry

  One Week Later . . .

  “QUINN.”

  “No.”

  “Queen.”

  “God no.”

  “Quillan.”

  “Uhhhh . . . I’m pretty sure you made that one up, so I’m going to stick with my original answer. No,” Eliza said, shooting me down for the hundredth time.

  “Come on!”

  “While I appreciate your efforts, we already picked a name.”

  “Blakely is stupid though. Everyone will end up calling her Blake for short. Q is a badass nickname.”

  “It’s also your nickname. Trust me. I don’t need to yell ‘Q’ any more than I already do. I can’t handle two of you.” She laughed as she scraped the mushrooms she had been slicing into a pan on the stove.

  “Oh, whatever. What are you cooking anyway?”

  “Hell if I know. Mushrooms just sounded really good.”

  “Plain mushrooms?” I curled my lip as I settled on the barstool across from her.

  “Yep!”

  “You’re disgusting.” I laughed just as someone knocked on the door. “Oh! I bet that’s our The Silencer T-shirts for the fight.”

  “God, I hope! They were supposed to be here yesterday.”

  I yanked the front door open, and a well-dressed man I didn’t recognize stood on the other side. His hands were shoved in his pockets of his jacket, and a bright, white smile covered his face.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for Till. Is he around?”

  “Nope.”

  “Perfect,” he purred as he slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets, revealing a massive, green tattoo with the head of a dragon shooting red flames down his fingers—the same fingers that were poised on the trigger of a gun. “Quarry, I presume?” He used the tip of his gun to push me inside.

  As the door clicked behind us, I heard Eliza from the kitchen.

  “Who was it?” she asked just as we rounded the corner.

  I didn’t even have a chance to react before his arm quickly looped around my neck to rest the gun at my temple. Her eyes popped wide and her hands flew to her mouth.

  “Oh my God.”

  I was in absolute shock. I didn’t know this guy, but I was terrified—and not for myself.

  “It’s okay.” I tried to soothe her as my heart slammed around in my chest.

  “Who the fuck are you?!” the piece shit spoke to her, and it enraged me.

  “Um, who are you?” Her shoulders moved as if she were searching the counter, but the bar blocked our view of her body.

  “Get your fucking hands up!” he barked.

  It caused her chin to quiver and rage to radiate through me.

  “Eliza,” she answered slowly, lifting her hands in surrender.

  “Okay. Now, Eliza. Who the hell are you and where the fuck is Till Page?” He turned the gun on her.

  Even through my blinding fury, I knew that she did not need to answer that question.

  “She’s my babysitter. Till’s at the gym.” I quickly covered, praying to fuck he thought thirteen-year-olds still needed babysitters.

  “Okay. Well, Eliza, this could actually work out. I need you to deliver a message to our good pal Till. Call him and let him know that Frankie Dragon stopped by to close out some unfinished business. It’s imperative that he gets this message. Do you understand?” His tone wasn’t harsh, but it was downright menacing.

  She quickly nodded. “Yeah. Absolutely. I’ll tell him.”

  “Great. Now, for insurance that this message is delivered in a timely manner, I’m taking Quarry with me.” There was a smile in his voice, but Eliza’s face slid to ghostly white.

  “No! I’ll deliver the message. I swear. Just leave him here.”

  “Yeah. That’s not going to happen.” He laughed. “I think Till’s going to need a little extra incentive for what I need. We all know how much he loves our little Quarry here,” he said condescendingly.

  A rush of relief hit me as the gun was turned away from her and aimed back against my temple.

  “Please don’t do this. Just leave him. I’m positive Till will do anything you want. You don’t need Quarry.”

  “Yeah. Sorry. I like my plan better.”

  I felt him shrug as he began to drag me backwards toward the door. I wasn’t struggling. I was all too willing to go with him if it got him out of that suite and away from her.

  “Stop! Wait! Please. I’m Till’s wife. Take me instead!”

  “No!” I screamed over her words, but it was too late.

  She ran from behind the counter, revealing her pregnant stomach and causing Frankie to gasp.

  “Just take me. Leave Quarry alone,” she cried.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled, but Frankie leveled the gun back on her.

  “His wife?” he asked before cackling.

  “Please. Just let him go.”

  “This just got so much better.”

  My entire body went stiff, and Eliza’s eyes grew impossibly wider as he roughly shoved me, sending me scrambling forward. Just as quickly, he grabbed Eliza and dragged her to the door.

  “No!” I jumped to my feet. He had no fucking business even talking to her, but I’d kill him before I let him hurt her. “Get your fucking hands off her! You’re not taking her anywhere!” I rushed forward.

  I heard Eliza screaming with every step, but adrenaline fueled me.

  She was ours. I wouldn’t let him have her.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake.” He spun Eliza to the side just as I got close, sending her crashing to the ground.

  I landed a blow to his side, but his hand folded around my throat and the cold, metal butt of his gun landed hard against my face. Pain exploded as someone dimmed the lights.

  I felt my body crash onto the floor, but I struggled to keep my eyes open. I was vaguely aware of Eliza screaming my name as she fought against his arms.

  “No,” I slurred, but my body had betrayed me.

  Seconds later, the darkness consumed me completely.

  Till

  My phone vibrated in my pocket as Slate and I watched Rick’s last fight for at least the hundredth time. I had long since memorized his every nuance in the ring, but I still watched every single second as if it were going to change.

  “Hey, pause it.”

  A text from an unknown number lit my screen.

  Unknown: I believe I have something that belongs to you.

  I read the text a few times, trying to let it process, but before I could respond, a picture I would never be able to unsee came through. A vision that, with one glance, was branded into my soul.

  It was Eliza. Her mouth was taped and her eyes were pouring tears. She was sitting on the floor of a hotel suite that looked exactly like ours. I could barely make out the round of her stomach as my eyes followed her arm up to a doorknob she was tied to.

  Entire dimensions folded upon themselves in that moment.

  In less than three seconds, I’d plotted the death of whoever had put her there. That picture could have been the joke I prayed it was, but someone would absolutely pay for the way my chest was caving in as I stared at my phone.

  Me: Who the fuck is this?

  I blinked at the phone, desperate for an answer, but my mind finally kicked into gear. There was carpet behind her—carpet I recognized.

  I sprinted from the conference room with one destination on my mind.

  My legs moved faster than I’d thought possible as I raced to the elevator. The seconds I was forced to wait for it to arrive were the longest of my life. It was only the last rational brain cell I had that forced me to stand there, knowing that it would take longer for me to run up the stairs to the thirty-seventh floor. Just as the doo
rs opened, Slate caught up and stepped in front of me.

  His mouth and hands moved angrily, but I couldn’t focus enough to figure out what he was saying. Shoving him out of the way, I frantically pressed the button to our floor and he barely made it inside before the elevator started moving. I was losing my mind trying to speed it up when my phone again buzzed in my hand.

  Unknown: Your old friend Frankie Dragon of course.

  It was followed by another picture of Eliza with her eyes closed and a booted foot pressed against her stomach.

  The world turned in slow motion, but my wrath grew rapidly.

  Me: I have no idea what you want, but your life is over.

  Him: Mine? Or Hers?

  The text was followed by a photo of a gun tilted to Eliza’s temple. My hand gripped the phone painfully tight.

  Slate snapped in front of me to get my attention. “What the fuck is going on?”

  “They took Eliza!” I shouted as the eternal elevator ride ended.

  When the doors started to open, I squeezed between them, sprinting to our suite. My shoulder slammed into the door as I twisted the handle, but the door remained in place. I patted my pockets down, suddenly realizing I didn’t even have my keycard to open it. I was in absolute hell. She was in there, with a gun to her head, and I was stuck on the other side of a fucking door.

  I pounded as hard as I possibly could. “Open the goddamn door!” But if someone responded, I’d never know.

  Slate appeared at my side with his phone to his ear, and something on the other side of the door immediately piqued his interest. He leaned in close and pressed his ear against the wood. I watched his mouth form a word that sank my heart even further.

  “Quarry!” He began to shake the handle to open the door.

  As I backed up, ready to bulldoze through that fucking door, I caught sight of Flint and Leo jogging down the hall. Flint quickly pulled a key from his pocket and swung the door open. He tried to enter first, but I snagged the back of his shirt to prevent him from rushing inside. I had no idea what was waiting on the other side of that door, but I was going to find out first. I swung him back in to the hall and then stormed in with Leo directly behind me.

  We found Quarry lying on the floor with blood pouring from his nose. He was struggling to sit up, and his mouth was moving a million miles a minute.

  “What’s he saying?” I yelled as I helped him sit up, but my eyes scanned the room, desperate to find her.

  I rose to my feet, ready to haul ass down the hall to the bedroom, but Leo stopped me. With his gun drawn, he motioned for us to leave. He must have lost his goddamn mind though, because I wasn’t going anywhere without her.

  Quarry waved to get my attention. “She’s not here. He took her. I tried . . .” His hands dropped to his sides and his head hung.

  Leo made fast work of clearing the suite and verifying that Quarry was right.

  I focused back on my phone. When my fingers started flying over my keyboard, Leo, Slate, and Flint sidled up beside me to read over my shoulder.

  Me: Where the fuck is she?

  Him: Phew, that took you long enough.

  Me: I swear on my life, I will kill you. Give her back to me.

  Him: No cops. Tell your daddy Slate to stand the fuck down.

  Slate’s head snapped back as he lowered the phone from his ear. And my phone immediately buzzed once again.

  Him: Better.

  Leo started looking around the room.

  Him: Tell Mr. James that he should probably be more worried about his own family than where my camera is located. His daughter seemed frightened when I killed her worthless bodyguard.

  Suddenly, with wide eyes and pale faces, Slate and Leo flew from the room.

  Me: I swear to god, I will kill you.

  Him: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I’ve heard it all before. So now that we are alone, I have a favor to ask in exchange for your precious wife’s return.

  Flint tugged on the edge of my shirt. We have to go. Don’t talk. Just sign. Leo told me to get you two to the conference room.

  Me: What do you want?

  Him: I need you to throw the fight. I’ve got 200k that I don’t exactly have riding on you losing in the third round. TKO.

  Me: Done. Now let her go.

  Flint continued to tug on my arm as he led me from the room.

  Him: As soon as the final bell rings, she’s all yours.

  Me: And what happens to her if something happens before then? I can’t guarantee that I’ll make it to the third round.

  Alex rounded the corner as soon as we cleared the doorway. He ushered the three of us to the elevator, while I stared holes in my phone.

  Him: Oh, I have a feeling you’ll do just fine.

  Him: Tell me, Till. How good is her mouth?

  It was followed by a picture of Eliza leaning against the leg of his slacks. Her eyes were squinted shut, and his hand was wrapped firmly around her throat, the tips of his fingers digging into her flesh.

  Me: Don’t you fucking touch her.

  Him: We’ll be in touch. You should go get ready. You have a fight to lose.

  Me: I’ll pay you more than what you’ll make on the fight. Just fucking give her to me.

  But as we made our way to the conference room, my text went unanswered.

  Eliza

  “I really didn’t think this would be so much fun!” He laughed manically as he ripped the tape off my mouth. “Shhh. Keep your fucking mouth shut or I’ll go back for the boy.” He winked.

  I’d sat helplessly, watching the camera feed on Frankie’s laptop as every single message he sent landed on Till’s face. The pictures were the worst.

  “Who the hell is that?” A man I vaguely recognized asked as he strolled into the room.

  “That is the insurance policy that allows you to live another day.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I thought Till throwing the fight was the insurance policy. I just need to talk to him for a few minutes. I couldn’t get him alone earlier—”

  “Well, you know what? I got really fucking tired of waiting for your lazy ass to make a fucking move. The fight is tonight. I was starting to believe that you weren’t going to follow through with this at all.” He tilted his head to the side accusingly. “This is both of our asses.”

  “I told you I’d handle it. I’ll get you your money. Then I’m done.”

  “Well, pardon the fuck out of me for not trusting a lying piece of shit who just got out of prison. You should be kissing my fucking feet right now. You’re welcome, by the way.” He shook his head in annoyance. “Clay, meet your daughter-in-law.” He clapped his hands. “Congratulations! You’re going to be a grandpa!” He mocked enthusiasm before rolling his eyes.

  My stomach knotted, and bile rose to my throat. Clay fucking Page.

  “Whoa. Wait just a fucking minute. You never said anything about involving his family.”

  “Well, originally, I was only planning to involve your family. But I figured she would be a little more enticing than your youngest spawn.”

  “You went after Quarry?” Clay yelled as he took a huge step forward.

  Frankie moved to the kitchen and poured a glass of amber liquor. “You know, I have to give it to you. For such a pussy, you managed to raise some fearless kids.”

  “He didn’t raise them,” I interjected into their conversation as I glared at Clay. “Till did. I did. He had nothing to do with those boys. Don’t you dare give him any credit for who they have become,” I growled. I shouldn’t have said anything, but Clay Page was somehow involved in this bullshit and it enraged me that he could do this to his own fucking son . . . again.

  He put his hands on his hips and leveled me with a glare. “Bullshit. Those are my kids. I raised them all until I got locked up.”

  “You are so full of shit. You’ve thrown Till to the wolves twice now. Flint’s a fucking nervous mess, and when I was dragged out of that hotel room, Quarry was unconscious in a pool of blo
od. Is that your idea of raising them?” I pushed to my feet, my arm still connected to the door. “You know what?” I turned my attention to Frankie. “You never needed me for insurance. Till would have been happy to throw the fight if you just promised to put a bullet in that asshole’s head.” I nodded toward Clay. My chest heaved as I finished.

  Frankie burst into laughter, spraying liquor from his mouth. “That bitch is tied to a door and still talking shit to you, Page. I like the spunk.”

  Clay held my eyes as his tongue slid over his teeth. Then he cracked his neck but didn’t respond.

  “Oh, look! The dip-shit bodyguard is back.” Frankie leaned over the computer that showed a grainy feed of my hotel room.

  I tried to lean around him to see the screen, but his back blocked my view.

  Clay waved to catch my attention. I sucked in a breath as his hands brokenly signed, They’re still my kids. Sit down. Shut up.

  Till

  “Why was no one watching them?” I yelled at Slate.

  “They were inside the room. Leo was on the door, but he took Flint down to grab some food. They can’t be everywhere.”

  “Bullshit!” I boomed. “What the fuck about Alex?”

  “He’s pulling nights!” Slate explained for at least the tenth time. “Not a single one of us could have anticipated something like this happening. All that matters now is that we get her back. So calm the fuck down and let’s figure this shit out.”

  Every muscle in my body twitched, but calming down wasn’t a possibility—not when she was missing. I intertwined my fingers and rested them on the top of my head.

  “Found it.” Leo rushed into the room and slammed a tiny, black camera the size of a pencil eraser down onto the table. “It’s cheap. Low end that you can grab almost anywhere. This guy’s no fucking professional.”

  As soon as we had gotten to the conference room, we’d found that, while Frankie obviously did know that Johnson was assigned to Sarah and Erica, nothing had actually happened to them. They were all safe and unharmed in the restaurant downstairs when Leo got in contact with him.

  We all congregated in the conference room with Alex and Johnson standing guard at the door.