Smash: A Stepbrother MMA Romance (Includes bonus novel Rock Hard!)

by Hamel, B. B.

  Rigley stood silent for a moment, staring at me with his insane and intense gaze before breaking out into laughter. He threw his head back and roared, practically shaking with it. Finally, he calmed down after what felt like an incredibly unnerving minute.

  “You have balls, Mister Smuggler.”

  “I’m only trying to do what’s best.”

  “What’s best. Yes, that’s a good way of putting it.”

  He walked over to me and threw an arm around my shoulders. “I will think about this. If it is as you say it is, then your debt will be erased and the fucking cockroaches down south will die.”

  I almost laughed out loud. I almost broke down in excitement.

  “Does that mean we have a deal?”

  His arm tightened around my shoulders. “Not yet. I am going to look into this story of yours first.”

  “It’s true. They had that much money in their safe.”

  “Yes, so you say. If they did, they’ve been stealing from us. Or, worse, they’ve been hiding extra profits. Maybe to fund this war you speak of.”

  “That’s what I would do if I were them.”

  He released me and then bent over and picked up the duffle. “Pray that is the case.”

  “How will I know? If we have a deal, I mean.”

  “You have a contact down south?”

  “Thom.”

  “Yes, Thom. I know the name. I will leave him a message if we have a deal.”

  “The rest of the money will be yours.”

  “The rest of that money already is mine. The only difference is, if we have a deal, then you will survive all of this.”

  I nodded. “Fair enough.”

  He unzipped the duffle and dropped it onto the hood of his car. He looked through it, briefly counting a stack. Once he was done, he looked up. “If we don’t have a deal, then you are dead and the money is still mine.”

  I nodded. “I understand.”

  “Good. We will talk soon, Mister Smuggler.” He paused then grinned. “Or should I say, Mister Thief?”

  I didn’t respond as he turned away, laughing to himself again. He climbed into his car and pulled away from the campsite, driving faster than usual.

  I watched him go. Once he was out of sight, I released a breath and collapsed back onto the picnic table, steadying myself.

  That was close. It was way closer than I thought it would be. But everything I told him was the truth. I was confident Jay and his people were stealing, preparing for a war, and that Rigley would figure it out.

  It had to happen. Otherwise, like he had said, I was a dead man.

  But I had a reason to live. I had a person I wanted desperately to see again.

  I quickly put my shoes and socks on, only marginally dry, and slung my pack over my shoulders. It felt light since I wasn’t smuggling any drugs back over the border.

  For the first time in a long time, I crossed back into America without a pack full of illegal substances.

  I hiked double-time, trying to get back home as soon as possible. I had someone I needed to see.

  Chapter Twenty-Five: Rebecca

  I was exhausted by the time I got back to the house.

  Reid was gone, up to Canada, and I had no way of knowing how things were going. I was stuck in limbo wondering if the gangsters he had robbed were going to forgive his transgression or if they were going to murder him in cold blood.

  I sat on the back porch. Don’t let yourself think that way

  , I admonished myself.

  I had to keep it together, at least for his sake. Even if inside I was a mess of conflicting emotions, torn apart in a hundred directions, filled to the brim with fear and confusion.

  Even if it felt like my world was teetering on the edge of a knife.

  As I bent over to untie my boots, my phone vibrated. My heart almost skipped a beat, but that wouldn’t be Reid. Not yet at least. He hadn’t even made it to the border.

  I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the message. It was from Lindsey.

  Hey can you come meet me at Clark Park in a half hour? I got something important to talk to you about.

  I narrowed my eyes. Why did she need me to meet her at a park to talk? She could always just call me.

  Can you just come over here or something?

  I sent back.

  She responded immediately. Gotta be at the park. It’s rly important I promise.

  I sighed. Okay. See you in a half hour.

  I didn’t know what she was up to. She probably wanted dating advice or something like that. Or maybe Jay had gotten violent with her and she needed my help. Whatever it was, I was her friend and would do what I could for her.

  I retied my boots and leaned back in my chair. It wasn’t worth changing since the park was going to take twenty minutes to get to anyway.

  With a grudging sigh, I got up and walked into the house. I grabbed my car keys and went out front, slightly annoyed that I had to go all the way out to Clark Park.

  Then again, maybe it would be a good distraction. I needed something to keep my mind off Reid.

  I pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. It was mostly empty except for a few other cars, though the people were nowhere in sight. I climbed out of my car and leaned against the trunk, texting Lindsey.

  I’m here, where are you?

  She responded right away. Over at the old pavilion, remember the one we used to hang out at?

  I smiled slightly to myself and set off. Sometimes, back in high school, when things were bad and we needed to talk, we went to this old pavilion that was hidden away from most of the rest of the park. I remembered all the times we sat around and chatted about boys and homework and other typical teenage angst.

  It was a funny memory, and it felt strange to be going back there again. I guessed it must be pretty serious if she was pulling me out to the pavilion again after all these years.

  I crossed down the paved pathway and turned off at a little dirt track. I followed that up through some trees and spotted it up ahead, looking exactly the same as when I last saw it.

  Lindsey was sitting on a picnic table, her feet on the bench, when I approached. She looked haggard, like she hadn’t slept the night before, and her hair was a mess.

  “Hey, Linds,” I said.

  “Becca. Thank god you’re here.”

  She looked seriously relieved but didn’t move to come toward me. I stopped in front of her, leaning up against a support pole for the pavilion.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I’m really sorry.”

  I laughed. “Sorry about what?”

  “There wasn’t any other way. I’m so sorry.”

  My skin prickled and I got goose bumps all down my spine. Her face was deadly serious, almost pleading, and there was something in her look that said I should run.

  “What’s going on?” I asked instead.

  “It had to be you,” she said, putting her head in her hands. “They won’t hurt you if you tell them the truth.”

  I took a step back, my mouth hanging open, and turned half away from her.

  Terror filled my stomach. Two men in suits, men I recognized from the party the other night, were walking up the path toward me. I turned back toward Lindsey.

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “I’m so sorry.” She didn’t look at me. “I didn’t have any other choice.”

  “What did you fucking do?” I asked again, frantic, but it didn’t matter. The two men stopped a few feet from me, and then I saw him. He stepped out from behind a large tree a few feet away and grinned at me.

  “Hello, Rebecca,” Jay said.

  He sauntered over, still smiling, and stopped next to Lindsey.

  “What’s going on?” I asked him, trying to play dumb.

  I had to make them believe I had nothing to do with what happened. They obviously suspected me, which was stupid. Lindsey saw me going into that office and knew my connection to Reid. They must have put two and
two together.

  “Lindsey here tells me you’ve been a bad girl.”

  I looked at her, but she avoided my eyes.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “My office was robbed. But you knew that already.”

  He took a step closer.

  “Get away or I’ll scream.”

  He laughed. “Go ahead, scream. I don’t mind one bit.”

  I opened my mouth but someone grabbed me from behind, his arms wrapped around my body and his one hand over my mouth.

  Something took over inside me. I bit his finger and stomped on his foot as hard as I could. He said something in French and let me go, and I began to run.

  I didn’t look back. I ran as fast as I could, heading for the trees, and began to scream my head off.

  Three seconds of glorious freedom. Part of me thought I might get away, until Jay grabbed me by the arm, yanking me back and down, throwing me to the ground.

  I hit the dirt and rolled. He was on me in a second, dragging me back up by my hair.

  “Run again and things get worse,” he said angrily into my ear.

  “Let me go, you psycho,” I screamed.

  He nodded at the other goon, who came over with a bandana. Jay yanked my hair back and pinned my arms as the men shoved the bandana into my mouth and tied it, forming a gag. The other man, the one I had bit, wrapped my hands in duct tape behind my back.

  My heart filled my skull with its thick pounding. I tried to scream and struggle, but they had me. I watched as Lindsey threw herself at Jay, burying her face in his massive chest. He stroked her hair, all the while grinning at me.

  They led me through the trees, across a stream, and into a clearing. Two black SUVs were parked there. I was put into the backseat of one, along with Jay and the goon I bit. The other took Lindsey in the other car.

  Jay sat close to me as we began to drive away from the park.

  “Your friend told us she caught you sneaking into the office.” He smiled and put a hand on my leg. “But I know you’re not a bad girl. I know you wouldn’t do something so stupid, like steal from me.”

  I wanted to retch and gag and throw his hand away, but I couldn’t. My mind kept running over the course of events, shocked that Lindsey would betray me, but even more shocked that I hadn’t really seen it coming. I knew it was a possibility, but I never considered she would throw me under the bus without even talking to me first.

  And Reid was so far away, trying to sell them out. I was in danger, kidnapped by the men he was trying to destroy, and he had no clue.

  Reid,

  I screamed mentally, please come help me.

  “I know you are close with our smuggler,” Jay continued. “You two are family, yes? Well, I know how it is with family. Maybe you did something for him, something very stupid. You tell me the truth and I’ll let you go, no harm done.”

  I looked him in the eyes, his disgusting piggish eyes. He reached forward and pulled down my gag.

  I spit right in his face. “Fuck y—” I managed before he shoved the gag back into my mouth. He reached forward and tore a piece of my shirt off, using it as a rag to wipe his face.

  “That was very, very stupid,” he said calmly.

  He turned away and didn’t say another word.

  My shirt hung in tatters on my frame, barely concealing my breasts. I felt exposed and destroyed, but I wasn’t going to cry. I wasn’t going to give the sick fuck the satisfaction.

  We drove for an hour and eventually pulled off onto an uneven and bumpy dirt road. We drove back, well away from any other living person, deeper into the woods. We came up to a gate, which slowly opened. Large fences ran all around the building and thick trees blocked the view of anyone who happened to wander by. The house itself was almost plain and boring, completely nondescript. They piled out of the car and pulled me out with them, pushing me up the walkway and through the front door.

  I looked around, totally unsure about where I was. Jay silently pushed me forward, herding me through a door and down some steps. We entered a dank, dirty-looking basement. Old exercise equipment was scattered all over the place, gathering dust.

  He shoved me forward. In one corner there was a metal ring in the wall with chains hanging down from it. Directly below the ring was a drain in the ground.

  I was positioned with my back to the wall directly below the ring. Jay took the chains and wrapped them around my neck, fastening them with a padlock. He stepped back and smiled at me.

  “You will stay here until you choose to cooperate.” He nodded at the drain. “Do your business there. We won’t bother you.”

  He was about to turn and leave but then thought better of it. He moved up close to me, his breath hot on my face. I tried to scream through the gag but nothing came out, only a muffled choke.

  “This is for spitting on me,” he said.

  He grabbed the rest of my shirt and tore it from my body.

  I struggled, trying to shield myself, but the chains choked if I moved the wrong way. He stepped back, laughing.

  “Beautiful girl. Will be a shame if we have to hurt you.” His eyes bore holes through my chest. “Tell us what we want to know and all will be forgiven.”

  I tried to tell him to fuck himself. I tried to scream all the horrible things I wanted to do to him, but nothing came. There was nothing else inside me as I stood bound, gagged, and chained, in only jeans and a bra to cover me.

  “See you later,” he said, and walked away.

  He disappeared up the steps. I heard the door shut, the lock turn, and I was bathed in near darkness. The only light came from a window that was covered by a thin sheet.

  I sagged up against the wall, falling to the ground. I had just enough slack to sit up, though the chains were tight.

  In that moment, chained in a gangster’s basement, half naked and cold, all I could think about was Reid. He had done so much for his family, so much for me, and I hadn’t even known about it.

  I had to be strong. He was going to come for me. I knew he would come for me. I just had to last until he did. He never let me down.

  That thought was my only solace as the day wore thin.

  Chapter Twenty-Six: Reid

  I woke up early feeling decent for the first time in a long time.

  I didn’t have a long hike ahead of me. Since I didn’t have a drug shipment to lug along with me in my pack, I could move a lot faster. Consequently, I was going to get back into town around noon, hours before I usually did.

  I broke down my campsite and repacked my bag, but kept my phone slipped into my front pocket instead of buried in some random pouch. I wanted to get any messages from Becca as soon as they came.

  I had messaged her the night before when I finally got on an American cell tower with decent enough service, something pretty rare. The little blue bubble said it was delivered, but the night went by without a word from her.

  That was unusual, I had to admit. That girl always had her phone with her. It was the most reliable thing in the world: the sun would rise, the wind would blow, and Becca would have her cell within arm’s reach.

  As I hiked back toward town, I began to get a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt anxious, like something was eating me up inside, but I wasn’t sure what.

  Yeah, the mob might still kill me, but it wasn’t that. I was confident about that.

  With about two hours to go, it hit me: Becca still hadn’t responded. There was no way she hadn’t seen my text. Even if she were mad at me, I doubt she would ignore a message like that.

  What was going on?

  I shook my head, forcing the thought out of my mind. There was probably some explanation. Maybe she dropped her phone in the toilet, or the battery exploded, or any number of reasons why she couldn’t shoot me a quick message.

  I concentrated on walking, one foot in front of the other, and resisted the urge to start running. That would only exhaust me, and I had a long day coming.

&nbs
p; Minutes turned into hours, and I was just outside of town when my phone buzzed. Excited, I pulled it out of my pants pocket.

  Come to my place when you get this

  , Thom said.

  I blinked at the message, feeling disappointed.

  Why, you hear something?

  I wrote back.

  Just do it.

  I frowned at his response but decided to head right over. It was actually closer than my house was, and that suited me just fine. I didn’t need a rest, didn’t want a rest. Becca was perfectly okay. I didn’t need to worry.

  It was a few minutes after noon when I walked up through Thom’s backyard, or at least the stretch of woods that led up to his trailer. I stopped outside his door and knocked twice.

  “Thom, it’s me,” I called out.

  He answered the door, looking haggard. “Hey, man.”

  “Did you hear from them?”

  He nodded. “But first, I have to show you something.”

  “What did they say?”

  “Come inside.”

  Something felt off. Had the Canadians said no to our deal? I didn’t have time to wonder, because Thom was already back inside his trailer. I followed him in, resolving myself to go with whatever was happening.

  He gestured to sit across from him at the table.

  “You’re annoying the hell out of me. What’s happening?” I asked.

  “I heard from the Canadians, but I got to tell you something first.”

  “What’s more important than the mobsters right now?”

  “This.” He held out his cell phone. “Take it.”

  I reached out and grabbed it.

  I was staring at a picture.

  For some reason, I was having trouble understanding it.

  It was a topless girl, a familiar girl. Her hands were tied up behind her back and she had a length of chain around her throat. The chain was connected to a steel ring set in the wall. It looked like she was standing above a drain in some dingy, disgusting basement.

  I stared at it. Slowly it dawned on me who she was.

  Becca.

  Becca was tied up. Chain around her throat.

  “What the fuck is this?” I asked slowly.