Micky tells me he is going to do a drive around the city and leaves me to check the more serious places. I’m half-way to her step-mother’s place when a text comes through on my phone. I pull it out of my pocket and open the text. I come to a screeching halt in the middle of the road when I see the picture before me.
Charli lay’s on a wet concrete floor in what looks like some kind of basement. She is bloodied and bruised with her hands and feet bound, her clothes torn and duct tape across her mouth. She seems to be passed out and my blood runs cold.
My eyes instantly snap down to the message below.
Unknown – Throw the match or you’ll never see this little bitch again.
“Fuck,” I roar.
I should have known. Fucking ‘Pitt Bull’ has my woman. How stupid could I have been to assume this was about Charli, that it was her stepmother? But of course, it’s about me. The moment I’m finally in control, someone has to come along and fuck it up. But this dickhead is finally going to learn his lesson. You don’t fuck with what’s mine.
The thought crosses me that I should do as he says and I’ll safely get my girl back but the fight is still two days away and who knows what could happen to her in that time. He’s an unpredictable bastard and probably wouldn’t stand by his word.
I pull Coles truck around in a screeching U-turn and hit the gas. I make it back to Rebels Advocate in no time and I burst through the door. Cole and Jace are already standing there waiting. I pull out my phone and toss it over to Cole who looks it over with wide eyes before they come narrowed and full of fury.
“How the hell am I going to find her?” I ask.
I see the answer laying beneath his eyes. “Let’s go,” he says. We all pile back into the truck while Jace gets on his phone and gives Luke a call, asking if he can get his friend to track it the number the message came through on before telling him to meet us at Mario’s ASAP, he then calls Caden and says the same. I recognise the name instantly, he is the guy that does all the paperwork for the Underground. He’s dodgy as fuck but he’ll know where I can find ‘Pitt Bull’.
We come to a stop in front of some old restaurant and find Luke and Caden already waiting. We catch up with them and before I know it, the five of us are storming into the place. I follow Cole’s lead and it’s damn obvious they have been in a similar situation before.
We walk straight past the gawking diners and through the kitchen before Cole busts down a door. We come into an office which has Mario sitting behind a desk. He doesn’t startle and I realise it’s because he knew we were coming. The whole side wall of his office is covered in monitors and surveillance equipment making me wonder just how dodgy this mother fucker is.
He stands from his expensive chair, placing his hands down on his desk and fixing us all with an intimidating look, though, this guy must have something special up his sleeve because he stands before five guys who are all twice his size, as confident as ever. “Gentlemen,” he says. “I’d love to say what a pleasure it is to see you again, but that would be a lie.”
Cole lets out a grunt. “We need information on ‘Pit Bull’,” he demands.
Mario lets out a scoff. “No can do, you know the rules of the game,” he says.
“Mario,” Cole says, using a reasoning voice. “You know how this is going to end. You can either give us what we need or we’ll find it ourselves.” His eyes narrow dangerously on Cole before flicking to the rest of us. He lets out a sigh and sits back down in his chair before going through some paperwork in his desk drawer. “Good choice,” Cole says with a thick sarcasm lacing his tone.
“Well the last time you idiots ransacked this joint it cost me nearly ten grand in damages,” he informs us.
“Lesson well learned then,” Jace murmurs, earning himself a nasty stare from Mario.
Mario finds what he is looking for and silently hands it over to Luke. “This is all I’ve got,” he says. “Now, can you please leave? It’s bad for business.”
Luke looks over the papers and he clearly doesn’t seem happy about it but he grunts anyway. “It’s going to have to do.”
He hands the paper to me and all I see is the name and address of a gym. “Let’s go.”
Moments later we are back in the truck, tearing down the street towards the address on the piece of paper. Cole pulls up and parks up on the walkway, in front of the gym and I’m out the door before he has even flicked the ignition off.
I push the door but it’s locked, then I give it a good shake just to be sure. “Fuck.” I groan.
Luke and Jace appear behind me and see the dilemma. “We’ll check around back,” Luke says before they swiftly disappear. They return moments later. “No luck.”
I shrug my shoulder’s. If we can’t get in the right way, then we’re doing it my way. I take the few steps back to Cole’s truck and search the back. I come back with a crowbar in my hand and without a second thought, I smash through the thick glass doors.
The alarm instantly goes off and the five of us make our way inside. “We don’t have long before the cops are here,” Caden says, making us all move a little faster.
I head straight for the office with Cole on my heels. I kick in the door and instantly start rifling through the filing cabinets for any type of clue who this fucker is and where he would have my girl.
Cole hacks into the computer and we spend the next few minutes searching. Each minute searching is another minute that Charli is in the hands of that bastard, doing who knows what to her. The thought has another spurt of anger coming on. I finish searching through the cabinets and come up with nothing.
I’m two seconds away from ripping the cabinet off the wall and trashing the joint when Jace comes darting in with a picture frame. He slams it down on the table, sending a big crack right through the centre of the frame but that’s not what’s caught my eye. ‘Pit Bull’ stares straight back at me with text below stating he was last year’s most promising fighter and his name right next to it.
Jackson Fucking Delaney.
Cole instantly gets searching through the gym's records and pulls up the fuckers file, finding every bit of information on the guy we could possibly need and more.
We’re out the door with moments to spare and turning onto the main road when we see the cops heading in the opposite direction.
“Where are we heading?” Cole asks.
I look over the paper once again and find two addresses. One is a residential address while the other seems to be a warehouse. I give Cole the details of the warehouse and he hits it with Luke and Caden following behind.
It’s just past nightfall when we finally get to the place we have been looking for. The warehouse is old and abandoned with dim lights coming from inside. The place reminds me of the locations where the underground fights have been and I don’t doubt that this place would probably be used in the future.
We all get out of the trucks and make our way towards the doors.
Hang in there, Charli. I’m coming for you.
Chapter 21
Charli
A loud noise has me startling awake and it takes me a moment to realise what the hell is going on.
I’m in some cold, concrete room with my hands and feet bound together. My head throbs and my wrist screams for medical attention.
Holy shit. How the hell did I get myself in this situation?
I want to scream out for help but with the duct tape covering my mouth, it’s useless. Besides, who is going to come? I’m sure the dickhead who put me here isn’t going to come down and help me out. My only saving grace is Xander but how the hell would he know where to find me? I have no doubt he will come but how long is it going to take? I mean, no one even knows ‘Pit Bulls’ real name.
I look around the room and… Holy Shit. Is that a fucking guard dog sitting by the door? And a big mother fucker at that.
The bastard growls at me as I make eye contact. My heart rate rises and fear settles in for the long haul. Of course, the dickhead pu
t a fucking guard dog by the door. There isn’t even a window for me to escape through. Only a door which, no doubt, leads me straight to my captor, though it’s not like I’d be getting past this big fucker of a dog anytime soon. He looks just as lethal as ‘Pit Bull’ with those sharp teeth that I’m sure could tear through my skin in seconds.
Fuck, I’m scared. The tears begin streaming down my face. Why did I have to go and tell the guy he was chicken shit? Maybe he would have been kinder had I not provoked him. Maybe I’d sitting in a warm room with my hands and feet free. Maybe he would have let me go.
As the tears flow, so do the sobs which only pinpoint just how sore my ribs are. I notice the dog tilting his head curiously in my direction and I glance up at him, nervous as shit that I could be making a bad move but I see sympathy in his eyes. What the hell?
I awkwardly try to get myself up into a sitting position, keeping my eyes locked on the dog to make sure he stays on his side of the room. I bite down as hard as possible on my bottom lip, trying my hardest not to scream out at the pain the movement causes. It takes a while but I finally make it.
With my hands tied tightly behind my back and a shattered wrist, it makes it nearly impossible to lean back against the wall, so I turn to the side and try to make myself somewhat comfortable, after-all, when Xander comes for me, which I know he will. I need to be ready.
I take a look down at my body and try to take note of the injuries. My wrist and the bump on my head are the most obvious but my whole body is covered in scratches, bruises, and cuts making me wonder exactly how I got into this room. I doubt I was carried and by the grazes along my arms, I’d assume I was dragged.
I close my eyes, trying to block out the pain and think of Xander. The way he holds me in the night or the way I catch him looking at me when he thinks I’m busy. The sexy way he smirks when he’s teasing me and the way the words ‘I love you’ sound coming from those lips.
I repeat the thoughts over and over again, just waiting for it to be over.
Please, Xander. Hurry
The dog’s ears suddenly prick and he turns his head in the direction of the door with a growl. Clearly sensing that someone is coming. I just don’t know who.
The door flies open and suddenly some guy is standing right before me with a sick, twisted grin on his face as he palms his dick through his pants. Fuck. What is with the guys in this city all being perverted sick fucks? He takes one step towards me and suddenly the dog turns on him.
I stare, wide-eyed as the dog lowers himself down with his ass up in the air, ready to attack. What the hell? Is the dog protecting me? That couldn’t be right, I mean, he is their Guard dog, not mine.
The guy focuses his attention on the dog and I see the hesitation in his eyes. He wants me but he doesn’t want to take his chances against this beast of a dog. With a curse, he slowly backs his way out of the room and slams the door behind him. I hear a lock sliding into place and I let out a breath of relief. Holy shit. That was damn close.
The dog relaxes as he turns back around to face me. I give him a grateful look, also feeling like an idiot because come on, it’s a dog, as if he knows what a grateful look means but then he shocks me as he slowly approaches me, lays down beside me and places his giant head on my lap.
Wow. In that same instant, I feel like I have some sort of connection with this beast and the need to reach out and give him a scratch radiates through me but that will have to wait until Xander gets here and my hands are free.
I briefly wonder just how badly the dickheads in the other room have treated this poor dog for him to turn on them the way he did but one this I know for sure is that the second I get out of here, he is coming with me.
With my protection detail right by my side, I let my mind take me back to the sweet memories of Xander, hoping that will be enough to make the pain of this reality sink away into the background.
Chapter 22
Xander
I’m flying up the pathway which leads to the entrance of the warehouse. There’s a big metal roller door with a normal, wooden door beside it. There’s a lock on the door but with one angry kick, the wooden door splinters into pieces and comes crashing down.
The boys and I push our way through to find a group of at least seven men, waiting for us inside, All up and standing, facing the entryway as if they knew we were coming. ‘Pitt Bull’ stands front and centre, wielding a knife and a sick grin.
Without a doubt, this is coming down to a fight. I have no idea if ‘Pit Bulls’ other men are carrying weapons but I know with just one look at them, they haven’t been keeping up with their training. ‘Pitt Bull’ is definitely the biggest threat here and he is all mine.
The boys and I rush forward and immediately jump into it.
My eyes remain locked on ‘Pitt Bull’ but some dickhead cuts in front of him. I raise my fist and send him flying with one punch. I hear the crunch of his bones as the familiar sound of flesh being pounded into echoes’ through the room. I hope my boys are ok, but I know they can handle themselves just as well as I can.
I finally reach ‘Pitt Bull’ who scowls at me with the knife clenched hard in his fist. His arm strikes out but I’m ready for him. I block him with ease and I see the wariness in his eyes when he realises the knife isn’t going to stop me. I’m here for my girl and nothing is going to stand in my way of that. “Where is she?” I growl as my fist comes up in an uppercut to his stomach while my eyes remain locked on any movement he makes, especially any movements which include the knife.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he spits before attempting a kick to knock me off balance. I easily duck out of the way which only seems to infuriate him more. He comes at me with both arms swinging and his moves are a mess, sloppy even. It’s clear this loser has had a few drinks which is definitely a mistake on his part. This isn’t the same brutal dickhead I’ve been watching at the Underground. This guy isn’t thinking straight, he isn’t clear in his mind and every fighter knows you don’t go into a fight without a clear head, otherwise, you make mistakes.
Big. Fucking. Mistakes.
The angrier he gets the worse the taunts become. “You should have heard her scream when I fucked her,” he smirks.
No, No. There’s no way. He has got to be lying. I would feel it.
Whether it’s true or not. I see red.
“You want to win on Thursday night with this shit? Hell, you can’t even nick me with the damn knife.” I taunt him with a smirk as his skills start becoming comical, in any other situation, I’d be laughing by now, but this fucker deserves everything that’s coming his way, especially after claiming he laid his hands on my woman.
He lets out an angry growl before rushing me, just as I knew he would. The knife is launched back behind his head and I have no doubt he is looking for a kill shot. My leg comes flying up in a spinning kick and smacks him right across the face. He stumbles backward and I take my chance. It’s clear he only has formal training in boxing which is no match for my extensive MMA skills and it’s obvious he has finally come to this realisation, which is probably what all this shit is about. He wants the money and he knows he doesn’t have the skill to take me down.
All this time, after watching his fights, I thought he would be my hardest opponent but what I’m witnessing now, it’s like going up against a beginner or maybe I’m just that filled with rage and desperate to get to Charli that I don’t notice his skills or if he even has any.
I push forward and lay into him but I don’t have time for bullshit. My fist rears back and I nail him as hard as I can in the temple, once for Charli, once for me and once for the rest of his opponents who were brutally attacked by this lowlife. I follow it up with a punch to the jaw and a few to his eye for good measure.
The fucker goes down in an instant with the knife clattering to the concrete floor.
I grab the knife and slide it into my back pocket. I look around to see that the guys have mostly dealt with the rest of ‘Pit Bulls’ men and
I’m no longer needed. I push myself forward. There is only one other door in this place and I rush to it as fast as I can.
A big lock blocks my entry and I bring my foot up once again. The door takes a few tries but eventually gives way.
The first thing I see is Charli and I start to rush forward before I notice the big fucking dog standing before her. My hands instantly fly up, showing the dog I mean no harm as I fully start to comprehend what’s going on. Is this dog protecting her?
I stand still as my eyes roam over Charli. I’m desperate to get to my girl but I know I need to get past this dog first. My mind goes through all the ways to show the dog that he can trust me but I’m coming up blank, all I can think about is Charli and the way she looks.
The dog must see something he likes as the deep growls coming from his throat stops and he takes a step backward. Keeping my eye on the dog I slowly make my way towards Charli, not wanting to make any sudden movements.
Charli lays in a heap on the floor. Her precious face is tear-streaked and those blue eyes that I love are clenched as tightly as possible. I notice her clothes are torn but they are still on her body, so in this shitty situation at least I know he didn’t touch her. “Charli?” I whisper as I gently as I can as to not freak her out. I place my hand gently on her shoulder and her eyes ping open.
Her eyes sought out mine and she looks at me with fear, begging for me to take her away from this place as the tears come streaming down her face.
I reach for the duct tape across her mouth and try to slowly peel it off but the shit must be industrial strength and won’t budge, though, I know it’s probably only hurting her more. “Sorry,” I say, leaving the duct tape and moving onto her hands and feet knowing she desperately wants it off but if I was to rip it, she’d probably lose half her lip.
I pull the knife from my back pocket and instantly the dog goes on guard again. I move ever so slightly so the dog can watch my every move as I take her hand in mine. Charli flinches and attempts to scream in pain, though the sound is muffled by her tapped mouth which only pisses the dog off more. I focus closer on her hand, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkened room and it becomes starting obvious that her wrist is broken. “Fuck,” I grunt, wanting to get back up and give the fucker a second beating, the only thing stopping me is how desperately Charli needs me right now.
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