Engaging (Alluring Book 2)

by Sarah Curtis

  "Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it."

  "What's the plan?"

  Gage shrugged. "Other than finding the fucker that beat Cassie up and shoving my fist up his ass? I don't know, thought I'd play it by ear."

  Jack laughed. "Okay, well if you need someone to bail you out of jail, you've got my number."

  Gage chuckled. "Yeah, I can see the headlines now, Gage Hunter "hunted" down criminal and "Engaged" him in battle."

  Jack laughed outright. "That was pretty good. Ever thought of becoming a journalist?"

  "Hell no, I hate the fucking media."

  Jack laughed again. "Spoken like a true rock star."

  Two brawny guys walked up to them and introduced themselves as Chuck and Scott. Scott was tall, at least Gage's height, but more muscular, with mocha skin and closely-cropped, curly, black hair. Chuck was a little shorter but just as muscular with spiky, blond hair, brown eyes, and a stocky build.

  Gage explained why he needed them. "This is a dog fighting operation. I'm not exactly sure how many people are involved, and what we'll encounter, that's why I want backup, but I'm after one man, and he's mine."

  "I'm not a fan of animal abusers, so I wouldn't mind bashing in a few heads," Scott said, with an evil little smile that was rather sinister. Gage was just happy the guy was on his side.

  "What the hell is this? A party I wasn't invited to?"

  Everyone turned. Mase strode toward them, dressed in jeans and his football jersey with a shit eating grin on his face.

  He spread his arms wide. "Where's the love, people?" He took in the serious looks on everyone's faces and his smile fled. "What's going on? Is Alexis okay?"

  "Alexis is fine," Jack said. "This time it's Cassie."

  Mase turned his gaze to Gage. "What happened to Cassie?"

  "She got beat up yesterday, so bad she was hospitalized."

  "What the fuck? Is she going to be okay?"

  "Yeah, but I'm going after the fucker who did this."

  "Count me in," Mase said, raising his hand.

  "No way," Gage said, shaking his head. "If the media gets a hold of this, it'll be bad for your career."

  "This is my pups Godmother we're talking about here. There is no way in hell I'm not doing this."

  Gage shook his head. Mase really was a total kook. "Okay, then let's hit it."

  Gage's Escalade pulled up in front of the house Cassie had directed him to. Mase was in the front passenger seat next to Gage, and Scott and Chuck were in the back.

  Mase looked over at him. "What's the plan?"

  Gage looked at the house, then back at Mase. "Let's just walk up to the front door and knock. I don't think this fucker would be expecting something like that."

  Scott spoke up from the backseat. "What are the odds he's actually here? He's got to know the cops are looking for him."

  Gage turned his body to look at Scott. "If he's not here, I've got a list of addresses to hunt for him at that the cops don't know about."

  Chuck spoke next. "What's this Jeremy guy look like?"

  Gage closed his eyes, trying to recall what the dude looked like. "He's tall, probably about six-four or six-five, bald, and has a lot of tattoos." Gage looked at all the men. "Any other questions?" At their negative head shakes, he said, "Good, let's go."

  Gage banged loudly on the front door and rang the doorbell three times. No answer.

  "Could be he's in there but not answering 'cause he's worried it's the cops." Either Scott or Chuck said, from behind him.

  "Good point," Gage said, before he yelled, "Jeremy Beckett, this is not the police. Open the fucking door."

  He banged on the door three more times. Still no answer. Gage went around the side of the house and into the backyard. A large dog run, empty of dogs, took up a large portion of the space. He tried the back door, and the knob turned under his hand.

  A few minutes later, he stepped out the front door. "Place is empty," he reported.

  They tried two more addresses with the same result. "If it weren't for all this damn traffic, I'd think it was The Apocalypse," Mase said. "Where is this fucker?"

  Gage looked down at his GPS. It was leading them into a pretty shitty part of town. They pulled up in front of a fourplex. Gage went into his photos and pulled up the picture of the address list. "Shit, this doesn't have a unit number written on it."

  Mase looked over at the mini apartment building. "Then I guess we knock on all of them. It's only four units."

  They got lucky. The first unit they knocked at, a greasy dude who looked stoned, opened the door. After giving him a description, he pointed them to the unit Jeremy Beckett lived in.

  "How reliable do you think that guy was?" Mase asked, as they walked down the breezeway. "'Cause, I'm just saying, he was fucked up."

  "We're about to find out." Gage banged on the apartment door.

  The door was thrown wide, and Beckett stood in the opening with a pissed off look on his face. "What the fuck, man? Who the hell are you?"

  "Now that hurts my feelings, Jeremy," Gage said, planting both his hands on Beckett's chest and giving him a hard shove into the apartment, "that you don't know who I am. But I'll be happy to introduce myself."

  Jeremy stumbled backward into the living room but righted himself before he could fall. A look of disbelief crossed his face, and he pointed to Mase. "I know who you are. You're Mason Connor."

  Mase, in turn, pointed his finger at Jeremy. "And I know who you are. You're a fucking limp-dick woman beater."

  Jeremy seemed to catch on as to why they were there. His eyes got wide, and he got a panicked look on his face. He eyed all four men, then slowly raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.

  Gage gave him an evil smile. "Don't worry, Jeremy, you're all mine, and I don't like to share."

  Jeremy's eyes traveled back to Gage and locked on him. "Listen, man, if she would've just kept her nose out of things, I wouldn't of had to fuck her up."

  Gage reacted without thinking. He took a step forward, swung with his arm, and landed a punch to Beckett's jaw, knocking him on his ass. "Well shit," Gage said, flexing his hand to get rid of the sting. "I hope you're gonna put up more of a fight than that. Or do you only beat up girls?"

  Jeremy got up and made a lunge for Gage, who easily sidestepped, out of his way. Gage turned to Mase and gave him an exasperated look. "This isn't as fun as I thought it would be. He might be big, but he's slow and clumsy."

  "Sorry, dude, maybe if you try to rile him up a bit more, you'll get more action." Gage heard Scott and Chuck chuckle in the background.

  Gage looked over at Jeremy. His face was red, and a vein in the center of his forehead throbbed. Gage grinned, that's better. He flicked his hand casually for Jeremy to approach and that seemed to really piss him off. He charged arms straight out, hands made into claws, aiming straight for Gage's neck.

  Gage ducked, shoulder butting Beckett in the diaphragm and flipping him over his shoulder. He landed on his back with a hard thud.

  "Dude, this is getting ridiculous," Mase said, squatting by the wheezing Beckett. "He can't even land a punch."

  "I know," Gage said, looking disgusted. "I'm done playing. Get his ass up, so I can beat the shit out of him and get the information I came for."

  "I'm not telling you shit," Jeremy said, getting to his feet with the help of Mase.

  "Now, that's where you're wrong. You're going to tell me everything I want to know."

  "You're an asshole," Beckett shouted.

  Gage laughed, and Beckett lunged for him. Gage sidestepped him again, but
this time followed through with an uppercut to Beckett's jaw and a left-handed jab to his sternum.

  "I'm gonna fuckin' kill you," Jeremy shouted. He raised his right fist, aiming at Gage's head. Gage ducked then proceeded to beat the shit out of Jeremy Beckett.

  Gage felt arms encircle him from behind, and he was pulled into an upright position. "He's done," he heard Mase say, close to his ear. He mentally shook himself and looked down at the bloody mess that was Beckett's face. "Pick him up boys and move him to the couch," Mase directed Scott and Chuck. Then he said to Gage, "He's groggy but still conscious. If you want information, I suggest you get it from him now."

  Gage looked over at Jeremy, sitting upright on the couch with the help of Scott and Chuck sitting on either side of him and figured Mase was right.

  He walked over and sat on the coffee table across from Jeremy. "Tell me when the next dog fight is."

  Jeremy, whose head was down, chin resting against his chest, slowly looked up at Gage. "I can't tell you that," he mumbled, as if speaking were difficult.

  "This can get worse for you, Jeremy. See the two men beside you? They don't have a problem with breaking all your fingers." Gage looked at Scott and Chuck. "Men." He gave them a nod.

  Scott reached down and took a hold of Jeremy's pinky. Chuck, seeing this, did the same.

  "Wait!" It came out garbled, but they still understood. "There's a fight tonight."

  Gage sat up straighter. "Where?"

  Jeremy mumbled an address, and Gage plugged it into his GPS. The location came up. Gage recognized the area. The fight was being held in a commercial district a few miles off the strip.

  Next, he pulled up Officer Cruz on his phone and hit dial. No way in hell was he letting this asshole get away with what he did to Cassie and not pay the ultimate price for it. Beckett would go to prison, he would see to it.

  Gage informed Cruz of the fight taking place that night, told him he would be there, and last, shared where he could find Beckett.

  Gage heard Cruz sigh over the line. "If I send some officers to that location, will they need to call an ambulance?"

  "Let's just say, Beckett won't be going anywhere, anytime soon, so there's no need to rush over."

  "So noted," Cruz said, before disconnecting.

  Gage put his phone back in his pocket. "So who's staying with our friend here until the cops arrive?"

  "I'll do it," Chuck said. "It will be my pleasure to watch him squirm a little longer."

  Gage nodded, then turned to Scott. "I'll take you back to the hotel, so you can grab a car and come back for Chuck." He then turned to Mase. "You coming with me to the fight, or am I dropping you at the hotel, too?"

  "Hell no, I'm in."

  "You sure, man? This is where it can get tricky. If we're spotted at a dog fighting match, the media could be brutal if they claim we're there as spectators."

  "It's cool and for a good cause. I'm not backing out now."

  Gage gave Mase a chin lift and stood from the table. "No offense, Chuck, but I'm out of here. I don't want to be detained by the cops. It's one thing, them knowing I beat this piece of shit up and another, being found at the scene of the crime."

  Chuck grinned. "No offense taken. Get your ass outta here."

  Mase and Gage arrived at what looked like an abandoned building, about a half hour before the fights were scheduled to start.

  After dropping Scott at Allure, they'd had a few hours to kill, so they stopped for a late lunch at a small Chinese restaurant. Mase knew the owner, so they ate in the kitchen out of the view of prying eyes.

  While waiting for their meal, Gage called Laurie, and she informed him that Logan had arrived home safely and that Cassie was asleep, yet again, after taking another dose of painkillers.

  "We probably should've stopped at my house, to change my shirt. I kind of stand out in my jersey."

  They were in the Escalade, parked in the nearly empty parking lot, waiting for people to arrive for the fight. Gage wasn't sure what to expect and pondered how they would get in if it were an invitation only event. His only hope was that their notoriety would get them through.

  He shared his thoughts with Mase. "It might come in handy, getting us through the door."

  Mase nodded his head. "True, didn't think of that. Not exactly sure what we're planning on doing once we get in there, though."

  Gage shrugged. "Don't really have much of a plan. Just thought we'd hang out until the cops show up to arrest everyone, then sit back and enjoy the show. The only reason I'm here is to make sure the dogs get taken somewhere safe and that Cassie is notified when they're ready to be released. This whole thing started because she wanted to save the dogs, so I'm finishing it by saving those damn dogs."

  They watched the parking lot fill, and people disappear into the building. Mase turned to Gage. "Shall we get this show on the road?"

  Gage opened the car door. "Let's do it."

  Chapter Twenty-six

  It turned out to be surprisingly easy to gain entrance. All they had to do was give the bouncer at the door a hundred bucks each, and they were in. They wandered around a bit, taking in the sights. Gage eyed the ring in the center of the room. It was like a typical boxing ring, only low to the ground and it had chains attached to the four corner poles. Gage could hear dogs barking distantly in the background that confirmed one-hundred percent, they were in the right place.

  They bought beers to look less conspicuous and strolled around the perimeter of the room. Mase got stopped a few times by fans to chat about the upcoming season, and Gage was fawned over by a few groupies.

  Gage heard the screech of a microphone and looked to where he had seen a podium set up a few feet from the boxing ring. Standing behind the microphone, dressed in a suit and tie, was a shortish guy who looked to be in his mid-thirties. The suit looked cheap and ill-fitting, like it wasn't his usual attire and unfortunately for him, his yellow tie clashed horribly with his purple shirt.

  He raised his arms to get everyone's attention (as if the purple shirt and yellow tie didn't already do that) and spoke into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. We'll be starting shortly, so if you haven't already done so, please see Mike," he pointed to a guy sitting at a desk at the side of the room, "and place your wagers."

  The crowd cheered, and he made a down motion with his hands for silence. "But first, to whet your appetite, we have a real treat for you." The crowd started cheering again and with a huge smile on his face, purple-shirt guy let this go on for a few minutes before again putting a stop to it. "Our little Miss Roxy is in heat."

  Gage watched as a bikini-clad blond walked with a pit bull (presumably Roxy) to the ring. Roxy had a muzzle over her snout and tugged so hard on her leash, she made bikini girl stagger on her red, high-heeled shoes.

  The MC waited for bikini girl to clip Roxy to one of the chains in the ring before he continued speaking. "And to fight over her are Roscoe and Chaos. Bring them out boys."

  Two tall, muscular guys in jeans and matching black T-shirts that had Fight Night printed across the front came out, each holding the leash of an agitated pit bull. They entered the ring at separate corners, clipping their dogs to chains, and removing the leashes.

  Gage hadn't known much about dog fighting before Cassie, but after having several informative conversations with her over the last few weeks, he, unfortunately, knew what would happen next.

  The MC counted down from three, the handlers let go of the chains, and the dogs lunged at each other. Gage dropped his head to stare at his feet not wanting to see the events unfold. The noises were bad enough. He heard Mase swear under his breath, letting out a hiss and mumbling something about m
otherfuckers.

  Then all hell broke loose. Cops swarmed the building. People scattered, jostling him in the process, nearly knocking him off his feet. Gage looked around. The place was in pandemonium. People raced to the back exit, shoving each other aside, trying to squeeze through.

  The dogs were left unattended. Gage leaned over and yelled in Mase's ear. "You grab one chain, I'll grab the other. Let's get those dogs separated."

  Mase nodded his understanding before running around the ring and picking up the chain. Gage ran to the opposite corner and did the same. They each pulled on the chains until Roscoe and Chaos (he wasn't sure which he had) were separated and in their own opposite corners.

  Gage looked to the third corner. Roxy, the bait dog, laid on her side, panting heavily. At first he didn't see anything wrong with her, but then he noticed a small pool of blood forming under her abdomen.

  Gage wrapped the chain he held several times around the pole, shortening it enough to hold his dog back before whipping his T-shirt over his head and heading to Roxy. He ripped his T-shirt down the front, lengthening the material, hoping it was long enough to tie around Roxy's belly.

  Mase, seeing his intent, wrapped the excess chain around his pole, then went over to help Gage lift the injured dog.

  "We need to get out of here and find her some help," Gage said, lifting Roxy into his arms. "Get on the phone and find a local 24-hour emergency vet."

  They reached the main doors, and several cops blocked their exit. Gage looked around, trying to spot Officer Cruz.

  One of the cops grabbed Mase's arm. "Hey, now," Mase said, trying to take a step back.

  "Yo buddy, you're under arrest." The cop gave Mase a disgusted look. "And it pisses me off that a national figure like you would condone something like this." The cop gave a nod of his head to the room at large.

  Mase held up his free arm. "Woo, woo, woo, you've got it all wrong, man."

  "That's what they all say." The cop gave Mase's arm another tug.