Fury (New Adult Romance) - #1.5 Fierce Series

by Clarissa Wild

  Wes grins at Killer and he opens the cage for him to step inside. The guy is enormous, but I can already tell he’s not balancing himself properly. I could topple him easily.

  Wes closes the cage again and the crowd starts to cheer.

  “And … Fight!” Wes yells.

  Killer roars, sets his feet apart like a sumo wrestler, and holds out his hands, signaling for me to come forward. I shake my muscles loose and crack my knuckles. This is it. I’ll fucking punch him into oblivion, and then the next, and the next one after that. No matter how many come at me, I will take them down. I will fucking win, and I will get out of here so I can nail the leader … Brody … and protect Leafy from him.

  I charge at the guy and punch him in the stomach, but he barely moves. He doesn’t even wince; instead he catches my hand with his, raises his leg and kicks me in the side. Momentarily off balance, I shift my weight to my other leg and slip around him, trying to hit him from behind. I throw punches and jabs as fast as I can, trying to get him disoriented. One blow from him, though, and I’m seeing stars.

  He’s strong, and I’m just fast. I need to go at this a different way. I back away and run back at him at full speed, jumping onto his back like I’m straddling a horse. I pound in on him, my knuckles breaking against his tough skull. He grabs me and throws me off him in one big motion, and I land head first on the stone-cold ground.

  Fuck.

  My entire body hurts. Bruises cover my skin, and the mark Wes’ cigarette left on my arm is still clearly visible. Just looking at it enrages me so much I burst with energy. I immediately get up to my feet again and dance around Killer, punching him when he least expects it. Even though I’m the one hurt the most, I won’t give up on this match.

  When the crowd starts to chant his name, I’m even more motivated to win.

  He storms at me like a ball of muscle, and I prepare for impact. He slams into me, pinning me to the cage, but I raise my fingers and poke his eyes. He screams, stepping back, his hand waving about, trying to grab me. I duck and punch him in the nuts. He grunts and stumbles back to the center, giving me room to breathe again.

  Now that he’s blinded for a second, I should take my chance. I wipe the blood leaking from my nose and spit on the floor. Then I run toward him as fast as I can and ram him. I crash into him with full force, and he falls down to the ground head first. A loud thwack is audible, and the audience screams ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs.’ I scramble off him, knowing he’s probably not even able to fight anymore, and put all my strength into it to pick him up.

  “Fuck you,” I say, right before I punch him in the face a couple of times.

  He’s a fucking bloody mess before I’m through with him.

  I let go of him and he lands on the ground, his body limp and lifeless. Maybe he’s alive, maybe he’s not. I don’t fucking care. It’s not my problem; this wasn’t my choice.

  “It’s a win for the Hunter!” Wes yells, scowling. He opens the door and tells some guards to keep watch while he and some other dude check up on the blacked-out Killer.

  I turn toward the crowd and latch onto the cage bars, looking each and every one of them in the eye. I want them to see that I’m not messing around. I’ll fucking kill anyone if I have to, but I will get out and I will protect the people I love.

  I roar from frustration and because I’m feeling victorious. The audience goes mad with me. “Who’s the motherfucking Hunter?”

  “You are!” the crowd chants.

  One of the hookers standing near the sidelines fans herself while staring at me. She picks up a bottle of water and brings it to me, which I’ll gladly accept. I’m heating up like a motherfucking radiator, so I pour the water over my head. Refreshing.

  The guys drag Killer out of the cage, and Wes closes the door again, locking me inside. I know I wouldn’t stand a chance if I tried to escape now; he’s got his buddies watching me, too.

  I keep my gaze on the crowd, trying to make them excited so they get all riled up. I want them to see me as the victor so they’ll be cheering me on once I get out of this cage alive. I don’t want them against me once I break out and beat the crap out of Wes.

  As I scan the audience, my eyes fall on the face of the girl who stole my heart. And now that I realize she’s here, it’s shattering, too.

  I can’t believe she’s here.

  Why the fuck did she come? How did she get in? Shit!

  She’s biting her lip, her body shaking as she stares me down.

  I don’t even have time to yell at her before someone grabs my shirt, hauls me back from the cage, and pounds me in the back. Fuck! That hurts.

  Blood spills from my mouth. I need to defend myself, so I kick backward in a desperate attempt to free myself from my attacker. Luckily, I hit him in the nuts. Panting, I turn around. I get angrier than I even thought I could be. It’s that fucking son of a bitch, one of the Bentley boys who tried to rape my girl. Fuck him. He won’t get out alive this time.

  “I’m going to kill you!” he yells.

  I crack my knuckles, waiting for him to make the first move. I’m holding back all my fury for that one blow I have prepared for him.

  Suddenly, a scream pulls me from my concentration. “Hunter!” Leafy screams. “Knife!”

  I turn my head toward her because my attention always goes out to her first. But the guy launches at me with his fist first, punching me right in the face.

  I feel myself being shoved back into the bars, the pain stinging in both my back and my nose.

  Shit. I’m getting distracted because of my girl, and it’s not good. But I spotted the knife she was talking about. I’m going to use it against him.

  Wiping the blood from my nose, I charge at him with full force, ramming him in the chest and neck area with two fists. He winces, buckling over, but quickly regains his posture. Then he pulls out the knife.

  “I’m going to fuck you up so bad, you can start calling yourself a lady from now on,” he says.

  He holds out the knife, and the crowd boos in response. I know I’m in danger, and that this is a life or death situation, but I have no choice. I need to get out alive, and for that, he needs to die.

  He thrusts the knife forward, and I can barely avoid it by jumping back each time. This cage doesn’t give much room to escape. I’ll have to face him head-on.

  When he pokes at me again, I grab his arm and twist it, breaking the bone. He screams in agony, and I snatch away the knife, stabbing it in his own chest. He squeals like a pig, and for a moment I’m fucking happy. This guy … he deserves to die.

  I slam him to the floor, pounding in on him as hard as I can. The blood on my knuckles could be from either of us, but I don’t care. I’m fucking wasting him.

  I continue until his muscles start to twitch, until his entire face is botched up, and until his blood is spilled out on the floor. Once I’m sure he’s unconscious, I take the knife from his chest and get up from the floor. Tucking the knife in my back pocket, I hope nobody has seen it.

  My head is spinning, though. I’ve taking so many blows and hits that I feel like I might collapse. But I can’t. I won’t let myself give up. I won’t stop until this is over.

  “Hunter.”

  When I hear her voice I’m instantly pulled back into reality. I turn around and see her scared, teary-eyed face. Oh, God.

  I step forward and grab her hand through the bars. “Fuck. I can’t believe you came here.”

  “I can’t either. What the hell are you doing? Is this just for the money?” It feels terrible when she jerks her hand away from mine. I want to hold her and tell her everything’s going to be okay.

  “No, wait, let me explain,” I say, and I reach for her hand, but she scowls and pulls away. It tears what’s left of my heart to shreds. When I look at the blood on my hands I realize nobody would want to touch me like this. I look horrendous.

  “Why are you doing this? How could you …” she stammers.

  “They found out Jaret and I w
ere looking for the boss. They put me in here as a punishment, so I could regain his trust.” Or so he could kill me …

  “Why would you agree to that?” she screams, tears welling up in her eyes. “You just beat people up in here, and you think that’s okay?”

  “I need to do this. There’s no other way. Besides, I can’t get out, they locked me in here.”

  “Why in the hell would you let them do this to you?”

  “There’s no other way to save my brother. I need their trust, so I can finish this.” I lean forward, putting my head through the bars. “Listen to me. I never wanted you to see this, but you have to go, right now.” I’m lying to her now, but I don’t want her to know that they put me in here against my will. I don’t want her to be scared, but she really needs to go, because I don’t want her to witness this either.

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s fucking dangerous in here. And now I finally understand why they got you in here. They’re testing me by using you.” They know she’s my girlfriend, so they let her in here to make me see that they’re the boss. That I have no way out. Well … I’ll show them.

  “Where did you get the tickets?” I ask.

  “What does that have to do with any of this?”

  “It’s important. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t. C’mon!” I snap.

  “Jaret gave them to me. He said he got them from Brody.”

  “Fuck!” I slam the bars with my already brittle fists. “This is really bad.” This only confirms my suspicion of them trying to drag her into this.

  “Brody just helped me understand what the hell it is you’re doing here,” she says.

  “No! Don’t you see? He gave you those tickets so he could use you against me.”

  “What? But he―”

  “He’s not who you think he is!” I yell. “He wants to have power over me, and he’s using you to do it. You have to get away from here as fast as you can. You’re in danger. I’m the one they’re after. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “What are you talking about?” she says, her face full of revulsion.

  “Jaret and I found out who the courier was.”

  She crosses her arms, closes her eyes, and sighs out loud. She’s not taking me seriously, and now she’s even turning her head away from me.

  “Listen!” I yell. “The courier was Scarlet.”

  Her mouth drops open. “What? Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. She was diverting our attention every time. Her buying drugs from us was just a diversion to make us think nobody knew who the courier was.”

  “But she’s dead!” Tears are running down her cheeks now.

  “Time for the next round, bud. Stop chatting up your girlfriend,” Wes muses, laughing a little. Fuckface.

  I focus my attention on Leafy again. “Yes, she’s dead. That’s exactly why I’m telling you you’re in danger. You have to go. Now.” I glance back and forth between her and Wes, knowing he’ll put a new guy in the cage soon.

  “Time’s up,” Wes says, and he opens the cage and signals for another guy to step inside. Fuck. I don’t have any more time.

  “Go. Home. Now!” I say, holding onto the bars for dear life. I don’t want her to witness me fighting like this, but I also don’t want her to get hurt. She should avoid Brody at all costs.

  She starts backing up from the cage, shaking her head like she refuses to believe what I just told her. She needs to pull herself together. She’ll get herself killed if she doesn’t get to safety. I can’t lose her …

  “And whatever you do, do not go to Brody. Do you hear me? Don’t go to him!” I yell, my voice strained with fear. “Promise me! Do not go to him. I don’t want you to get hurt. I can’t get out of here. Please, don’t put yourself in danger.”

  But she’s already turned around and started running. Fuck. FUCK!

  I slam the cage with my fists, furious that she’s probably gone to talk to him. If she tells him what I just told her, he’ll kill her too. I can’t let that happen. I need to get out of here so I can save her.

  I turn around, looking my opponent straight in the eye as he stalks toward me. This man, this cage, this entire club won’t hold me back from her or my brother. No one.

  Chapter 29

  Sweet Revenge

  The guy in front of me just stands there, cracking his knuckles, waiting for me to make the first move. I decide that it’s now or never. If I want to get out, I’ll have to be quick and decisive.

  So I charge at him at full speed and right before I hit him in the chest, I maneuver to the left, take out the knife, and jab it in his waist. He grunts, collapsing underneath me, and I give him a knee to the face. It instantly knocks him out cold.

  From a distance I can see Wes staring at me, his eyes widening and then narrowing again, his lips slammed together. He doesn’t look too happy. Good. I want him pissed. I want him in here, now, so I can rip off his head and be done with this.

  He roars and shoves a guard aside, snatching the keys from his hand. “Give me that!” Frantically, he opens the cage and throws the keys back on the table. “Nobody gets in or out until either one of us is dead!” he yells, sealing our fate.

  Fine. If that’s the way he wants to play it, I’m all game. I wanted to kill him the moment I set my eyes on him. Now that I finally have a chance I won’t let it go.

  The moment he steps into the cage the air feels thick and full of rage. The usual smirk on his face has been replaced with a look of outrage and hatred. I savor it.

  Wes charges at me, surprising me with a drop kick. I’m knocked back into the cage bars, a loud, painful groan escaping my mouth as I land on the ground.

  He crawls up immediately. “You want to die? No problem.” From the corner of my eye I see him take the knife from the guy’s body and wipe it on his shirt. As I get up from the floor, he gets ready to attack me with the knife.

  “You’re lousy entertainment, you know that? I know how to give them a show,” Wes muses as he twirls the knife in his hand. I look around the cage, trying to find anything to defend myself with, but there’s nothing tangible I can use to smack him. I settle for the same strategy as I used earlier: just wait until they attack and then snatch the knife away from them by slamming their arm in the weak spot.

  “C’mon, chicken,” he taunts. “Or are you too scared?”

  I snort. “I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time.”

  He chuckles. “I bet you have.” With the knife pointed forward he storms at me, poking at me from different directions. I can barely avoid getting gouged, but I manage to slap the knife from his hand. He laughs, grabs me by the throat and lifts me into the air like I weigh nothing.

  “You little fucker …” he says, throwing me down on the floor. He takes a swing at me, pounding me in the face. Wincing, I buckle and punch him in the leg. Stumbling, he goes and grabs the knife. Quickly lunging over me, he points it at my face. Shit.

  Desperate to survive, I clamp onto his wrists, pushing him back with all my power. The murderous look on his face speaks volumes. I put all my strength into raising my legs and kicking him back. The knife is still in his hands as he falls down.

  “Hey!” someone whispers.

  I’m vaguely aware of someone standing behind me, and I turn around to look straight into Jaret’s eyes. His face is hidden behind a mask, but I can tell it’s him from the look in his eyes. That look I used to trust.

  He slides up his sleeve and takes out a small pocket knife, slipping it through the bars next to my head. “Kill him,” he whispers, and then he turns around and walks to the other end of the room, keeping his eyes on me at all times.

  I snatch the pocket knife from the floor at the same time Wes charges at me. One good aim and I throw it straight at his face. The sound it makes when it cracks his skull is eerie. The knife is lodged between his eyes.

  Like a bag of sand he drops to the floor.

  And suddenly it’s all over.

  An
ending so weak it’s almost laughable. Pathetic.

  He looks disturbing, sickening even, but I don’t care. I killed him. I fucking killed a human being.

  And I’m okay with it.

  I don’t know if this is normal, or what I’m supposed to be feeling, but I don’t feel any different. Nothing’s changed. Only the fact that I’m the survivor and that this will soon be over.

  I’m still lying on the ground, panting, my body broken and drained of all energy. But I made it. I fucking made it.

  Now I only need to get out of this cage.

  Fortunately, someone throws the keys right in front of me. It’s Jaret, and he signals me to come out quickly while he runs off to a back entrance. He managed to sneak between the guards and snatch away the key while they were busy with Wes’ death. The crowd is going crazy, booing and throwing garbage at the gang.

  I run to the exit as fast as I can, meeting up with Jaret. There are a couple of guards tailing us, but not the entire gang. Most of them are still gaping at Wes’ body, probably baffled that he’s dead. I’m not. I hope he rots in hell.

  Jaret helps me out the door and slams it shut behind us, barricading it with a chair.

  “Thanks …” I mutter, still catching my breath.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry,” he says, taking off his mask. “They forced me to tell them, and I didn’t want to end up in the cage. I didn’t mean to rat you out. Brody made me give the tickets to Autumn.”

  I frown, not knowing what to say.

  “I’m sorry, dude! I didn’t want to get in trouble with the gang. They’re all I have, you know that,” he says. “But I came back for you. I knew I couldn’t leave you there. I put on one of my old Halloween masks so they wouldn’t recognize me and I could come in unseen through the back door.”

  Whoa … what an elaborate plan.

  “It’s my fault they put you in there, and I’m sorry,” he adds.

  I sigh, leaning against the wall, wiping the blood from my face. I can’t believe he fucking betrayed me like that. Then again, I probably would’ve done the same. I can tell he feels guilty, and I know that feeling. Doing something you think is right always hurts others. But he came back for me, that’s what matters most. He helped me get out of there.