Love and Wargames: A Bad Boy Hacker Romance

by Kiss, Tabatha

  Amy takes a step closer to Tobias and lowers her voice for only his ears. “The Dames have also asked me to pass onto you that we expect a professional fight tonight. The ring is no place to settle old grudges.”

  “I got it,” he mutters.

  Amy folds the money and stuffs it inside the glass jar stashed under her arm. “Once Pike makes his fashionably late entrance, we’ll get started,” she says with a smile.

  “Come on,” Tobias says to me, pulling me along with him.

  “Oh!” Amy steps in front of us, standing firm in Tobias’ large shadow. “No groupies allowed in the locker room. St. Louis’ rule, not mine.”

  I drop Tobias’ hand. “I’ll be fine out here,” I say. “Go.”

  He hesitates. “You sure?”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her,” Amy offers. “Trust me, there’s only one fight happening in this room tonight. She’ll be fine.” A knock strikes the door and she turns on her thick-heeled boots to answer it.

  “Go,” I tell him again. “I’ll see you after.”

  He pulls me back in. “Be careful,” he whispers in my ear.

  “I should be telling you that,” I say.

  His lips twitch once before he tilts my face up to kiss me. There’s fear in my eyes, but he stares back at me with strength and confidence. “I love you, Claire,” he says.

  My heart swells, sending warmth throughout my entire body. “I—”

  “Don’t,” he interrupts. “Tell me after.”

  I nod and kiss him one more time before he pulls away and walks into the crowd. I watch him go, regretting every step he takes that I don’t stop him.

  “Well, isn’t that sweet?”

  I don’t turn around. I fill my lungs with air and open my mouth to scream for Tobias, but I feel the cold hand wrap around my neck and the sharpness of a blade dig into my side.

  “Shh, shh,” Rick whispers into my ear. “None of that now.” He puts pressure on me to lead me away from Amy. I look over at her, but she’s far too preoccupied with the new arrivals at the door to notice my struggle. “Don’t say a word, Claire. This way…”

  I plant my feet into the floor, but he jabs at me a little harder with his knife and we step even deeper into the unsuspecting crowd. “Let me go, Rick,” I tell him.

  “Not a chance,” he says, pushing me further towards the center. “Stop.” He squeezes the back of my neck and I slow to a halt about ten feet away from the cage. “This view should do us just fine.”

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “You know exactly why I’m here, Claire.”

  “You’re too late.” I crane my neck to look at him. “I’m not going back with you.”

  “We’ll see,” he smirks, searching my face with amusement.

  The crowd screams behind us and we turn to see Pike and his people coming through the black door.

  “Ahh, good,” Rick says. “This will all be over soon.” His eyes fall on mine. “The suspense was killing me.”

  “Let me go right now, or—”

  “You’ll what?” he asks.

  “He’ll kill you,” I finish.

  He rolls his eyes and grins. “Nice threat,” he jokes.

  “It’s not a threat,” I say, shaking my head. “You have no idea what he’s been through—”

  “I know all about little cousin Mary’s death, Claire,” he says. “No one cares about some dead girl out in hillbilly country that couldn’t hold her booze.”

  “He does. He’s out for blood, Rick.”

  “So am I…” He smirks at me again. “No one takes what’s mine and gets away with it.”

  “You’re delusional.”

  He chuckles. “That’s a big word for you. What else did you learn out here? Square dancing?”

  “You—”

  “Shh!” He presses his nails into the back of my neck to silence me. “The fight is starting!”

  I look to the arena and watch as Lillian Tombs climbs inside. With her arms raised above her head, she waves and beckons to all of us. “Hello, St. Louis! Welcome to the final hour of this year’s Midwest Alpha tournament!” She tries to wrangle in the crowd, but they pulse with an insatiable hunger.

  “Ladies — Ladies…” Lillian cries out. “Gentlemen! We’re not animals here!” The people laugh and scream. “Okay, maybe a little…” She jokes with the audience, playing with them, until finally bringing a finger to her thick, red lips. The voices cease. She controls them with a subtle charisma and they eat out of the palm of her hand. “Tonight… is the fight we’ve all been dreaming about since their names first touched mortal ears: The Punisher and The Untouchable!”

  The crowd splits on either side of the arena, allowing for the fighters to take their walks towards the stage. They scream their names over and over again, rocking the room with a rumbling bass. I catch sight of Tobias at the other side and Rick’s fingers cut into my neck a little deeper.

  Tobias climbs into the arena, his thick muscles flexing with anticipation. His eyes, dark and cold, land on Pike at the other side of the ring and don’t look away from him. They won’t either, I know they won’t. They won’t search for me. They won’t see Rick’s hand around my throat or the knife he has shoved against my back. I’m a distraction and it’s the last thing Tobias will risk right now.

  I hear Rick audibly scoff as he looks Tobias up and down. Even under these circumstances, I can’t pull my eyes away from his form, fit and perfect beneath his tight black, shorts. I lick my lips as my body recalls the experience of his bed mere hours before.

  “I hear an athlete performs better after getting laid,” Rick seethes in my ear. “How long after I left did you wait before giving it up, huh?”

  “Go to hell,” I spit.

  “Him first.”

  Lillian holds up her hands at the center of the ring, once again in a futile attempt to silence the pulsating crowd. Finally, the silence starts to shift in her favor and she points her left hand towards Tobias.

  “In this corner, I give you Tobias the Untouchable!”

  The crowd erupts with chanting voices, calling out his name again. Rick twists the knife against my skin and I wince from the sudden pain.

  “And in this corner…” Lillian points to her right. “The defending Alpha and my personal favorite. The one and only… Pike the Punisher!”

  Hands clap and boots stomp as Pike raises his hands to delight his fans. Once again, Tobias stands still, refusing to play games of showmanship. Still, the crowd battles it out, equally chanting both names with excitement.

  Lillian retreats from the arena and reaches for her whistle.

  Pike bounces fast on his toes. His entire body twists back and forth, loose as rubber, while Tobias stands as firm as stone. I look at him, my heart a swelling battleground of love and terror. He raises his thick fists and lets them hover in front of his smooth cheeks.

  Protect your face.

  The whistle sings and the final fight begins.

  There’s a long moment of suspense as Pike and Tobias linger in their corners, each refusing to attack one another. Tobias never throws the first punch and Pike knows it. He shifts back and forth, teasing Tobias, baiting him with his own silly flair.

  “Come on!” Pike shouts.

  Tobias doesn’t budge. Only his eyes move, flicking around with Pike’s quick movements.

  Finally, impatience gets the best of Pike and he finally lunges with his bare fists held high. Tobias’ body tightens, his muscles flexing with anticipation of the first blow.

  I cringe as Pike’s fist strikes Tobias’ ribs, but I force my eyes open. Tobias grabs Pike’s wrist from the air and yanks him forward, pulling him off balance. With lightning speed, he lands a quick uppercut against Pike’s chin. Pike stumbles backward and shakes it off as blood dribbles down his mouth.

  Tobias charges forward and sweeps low, knocking Pike down to his knees. He reaches down and takes hold of Pike’s thick neck, squeezing him tight. Panic shines in Pike
’s eyes before he forces them closed to shield himself from Tobias’ coming fist. It connects with his eyes and Tobias delivers a pattern of punches repeatedly to his face.

  The rage builds in his eyes, the same rage I saw in the barn when he spoke of killing him. I bite my cheek as another tear falls down my face. Tobias promised me he’d spare him. He said it twice, but I didn’t factor in the adrenaline.

  I step forward, but Rick snatches me back. “Tobias!” I scream, but I can barely even hear it myself as they crowd begs for blood.

  Suddenly, Tobias stops, his fist raised. He takes a breath, frozen in his stance, staring deeper into the eyes of the man that killed his little sister, then finally drops him to the floor.

  Pike flips over onto his hands and knees to crawl away from Tobias into the corner nearest to us. He spits his own blood and teeth out of his mouth, but shows no other signs of backing down or tapping out.

  I look at Tobias’ face and smile with relief, but I still have to remind myself to breathe.

  “I wouldn’t celebrate too early if I were you, Claire,” Rick says into my ear.

  “You already tried to beat him,” I fire back. “It’s over.”

  “You actually think he’s better than me?”

  “He is better than you, Rick.”

  “You’re wrong, Claire. Look at him.” My eyes look for Tobias and I watch him pace about the ring, waiting for Pike to get back up. “You’re scared of me? What do you think he’s capable of doing to you?”

  “He’d never touch me.”

  “Or so he says,” he growls in my ear. “You can call me a lot of things — a liar isn’t one of them. Be honest with yourself, Claire. You feel no safer with him than you did with me.”

  “That’s not true. It doesn’t matter anyway. You couldn’t beat him then and you really won’t beat him after he finds out about this. You failed.”

  “Oh, yes. I did… but I get the feeling he won’t.”

  I turn back to the stage and look into Pike’s bloodthirsty face. His lips turn up, teasing a deep secret that no one else can see. I look back at Rick and he smiles at me, baring his teeth with sweet amusement. “What did you do, Rick?” I whimper as another tear rolls down my cheek.

  “That’s the thing about small towns, Claire. Everyone is awfully chatty, especially the dorky checkout girl at the market. It wasn’t too difficult to find out how Tobias the Untouchable spends his nights.” He yanks me back and looks down at me with black eyes. “I told you I wasn’t leaving this dump without you. If getting him out of the picture is what it takes, then…” His eyes fall back to the cage.

  I follow his gaze and panic grips my chest as Pike pulls a metal shiv from his shorts and hides it inside his thick palm.

  “You know, Claire,” Rick continues. “If I were a better man, I’d tell you to look away, but… I really want you to watch this.” He holds my neck tighter, forcing me to keep my eyes forward.

  “No!” I scream. I jump forward, but Rick pulls me closer to him and wraps his arm around my throat. He pushes his knife further into my side, scratching deep enough to draw my blood.

  Pike stands up, spins on his heels, and lunges for Tobias.

  Tobias is ready for him and easily knocks him back against the cage. But still, Pike smiles wide and rushes Tobias, this time wrapping his arm about his neck to draw him in. He pulls the shiv back and plunges it into Tobias’ side.

  I cry out as his body tumbles to the floor.

  Chapter 15

  The Untouchable

  “Tobias!”

  I wipe the tears from my eyes to fight my blurring vision.

  The crowd boos, instantly turning on Pike the Punisher. Judging by the look on his face, he doesn’t give a shit. He holds up his hands in personal victory and walks circles around Tobias’ limp form.

  “Get up!” I scream.

  Rick gives my hair a firm yank. “This is all your fault, Claire,” he growls. “Remember that.”

  I twist in his arms, trying to break free, but I cry out in pain as his knife slices me a little deeper.

  My breath catches in my throat as Tobias moves on the mat, shifting his hands beneath him to push himself up. Pike notices and walks back over to bend down and slam his fist against Tobias’ face.

  Untouchable.

  “Stop it!” I shout.

  Several in the crowd approach the cage to try and climb inside to stop the fight, but Pike easily knocks them back out. The rest of them cower away as soon as they catch sight of the blood lust in Pike’s eyes. He barks and laughs at them while Tobias attempts to pull himself up again.

  The screams of the crowd draw Pike’s attentions back on Tobias. He watches with wide eyes as Tobias grips the shiv and pulls it out of his side. Blood spills out of the wound, staining his white skin as it falls down to his feet.

  I look at his face, at his tragic and black eyes, and know that there’s nothing holding him back this time.

  Tobias is going to kill him.

  “Pike only had one condition,” Rick whispers in my ear, his lips curling. “He’d take Tobias down for me if he got ten minutes alone with you.” My body shakes with rage as his chuckle fills my head. “I promised him twenty.”

  I raise my foot and slam it down on his as hard as I can. The blow shakes him off balance and he drops his arm, allowing me to spin around. I curl my fingers into fists and raise them up to my face. He looks at me in shock as I shift my feet and twist into a fighting stance.

  “You bitch!” he growls.

  I draw back my fist and aim it for his nose. It connects with him, hard. Blood immediately shoots from his nostrils. I ignore the pain firing down my wrist and snap back to deliver a second, harder blow to his eye.

  Rick tumbles backward and falls under the feet of the screaming crowd.

  I spin back to the arena. “Tobias!” I shout.

  Tobias charges forward and strikes Pike’s surprised face with fierce punches. I push forward, shoving my way closer to the cage, fighting to get there before it’s too late.

  “Tobias!” I scream his name, praying that he can hear me, but his eyes never stray from his target.

  Pike falls to his knees. Tobias grabs his head and digs his nails into Pike’s shaggy hair to hold his limp body up and expose his neck. He readies the shiv and lays it against Pike’s throat.

  “Tobias!”

  I reach the cage and grab it to pull myself up, screaming as loud as I can.

  “Tobias, stop!”

  He blinks and finally looks up at me. His eyes beg me to look away, to avert my gaze from what he has to do, but I shake my head.

  “Don’t…” I cry. A sob chokes in my throat, taking my voice away from me.

  If you kill him, I’ll lose you forever.

  Tobias closes his eyes. His fingers twitch, just an inch away from his revenge.

  I fill my lungs with burning air. “Tobias, I love you.”

  He opens his eyes and his grief shines through them. I see his pain. I see every bit of regret he’s carried on his shoulders since all of this first began. I grip the cage and let the rusted metal dig into my skin as I pull myself closer to him. I can’t imagine the torture he’s feeling, but there’s no way I’m going to let him carry it alone anymore.

  Finally, he looks back at me and nods.

  I sigh with relief as Tobias lets go of Pike and his body falls to his feet. He walks away from him, tossing the bloody shiv away as he goes. I jump off the cage and rush to be by his side as he limps off the stage. I throw my arms around him and I feel him wince with pain, but it doesn’t stop him from holding me even tighter.

  The crowd sits in awe and silence, their eyes wide with confusion over what just happened. A few of them climb into the ring to check on Pike and confirm that he’s still breathing.

  I reach for Tobias’ side and my hands immediately turn red with his blood. “Come on,” I say, sniffing through tears. I position myself beneath his arm. “We have to get you some help…”<
br />
  “I’ll be all right,” he grunts.

  “Don’t you dare say you’ve had worse—”

  I look up as Rick steps in front of us. Blood pours down his nose and his vengeful eyes show pink and bloodshot. “Claire…” he mutters through his teeth.

  “Rick, leave now and don’t come back,” I tell him.

  “I’m not—”

  “I won’t stop him next time.” I hold Tobias a little tighter and I stare back at Rick with anger.

  Rick’s eyes move back and forth between us. His expression shifts from amusement, to annoyance, and finally, defeat. He turns around and disappears into the crowd without saying another word.

  “Did you do that?” Tobias asks me, pointing at his face.

  “Yeah,” I answer.

  “Damn…” he chuckles, wincing in pain. “Not bad...”

  “Don’t talk. Save your strength.” I reach into my pocket for my phone as I pull him towards the exit.

  ***

  “No hospitals.”

  I sigh once more, my eyes falling to Tobias’ wound. “That’s not up to you.” I put more pressure on it with my rolled up jacket and he cringes from the pain.

  “I’m barely bleeding. It’s just a scratch, Claire.”

  “Stand up and say that,” I challenge him.

  He glares at me from his leaning position against his bike seat, but quickly shifts his weight to stand on his feet. He stumbles as he moves, but eventually rights himself and drops his hands to his sides. Pain fills his face, but he takes a deep breath and cracks a forced smile. “It’s just a scratch,” he wheezes quickly and then immediately sits back down.

  The parking lot is still packed with cars, but the excitement has dwindled since the minutes following the fight. Tobias wanted to leave immediately, but there’s no way in hell I’m letting him ride his bike in this condition and I don’t know the first thing about riding a motorbike myself. He’s also half-naked, clad in just his black shorts and a thick layer of blood and sweat — not the best attire for a late night ride down the highway.