“Yes.”
“No training fighters?”
“No.”
“I think Castle was hoping that you’d school Brick and Burrow. You know he won the fight the other night, and Brick will fight Lucky Saturday.”
Hook squinted. “Really don’t care. Been out of the gossip about that shit for a while now and for good.”
Spike nodded.
“Well, glad that you’re happy. I should go head inside so I can check out who I’m here to see. It was good seeing you, Hook. I mean that.” He reached out his hand again.
Hook shook it and nodded as he watched Spike walk away, and suddenly he was filled with mixed emotions. He wondered who he was here to see and if the idiot knew what would come of fighting for men like Spike and Castle. They dominated the circuit, and that definitely pissed off Torch, the slimy weasel. So Burrow won his fight despite the threats to Kerry? Whatever the next fight was it was going to be a doozy. He’d heard it could be Burrows verse The Cajun from Louisiana. What a name. One used by so many Louisiana fighters, but that guy was dirty and came close to killing people. Burrow could wind up dead. Oh well, to each their own. Hook had escaped his prison. He was uncaged and free and had no reason to think back on that time and the criminal element ruining men’s lives.
His focus was on Merica, and as he headed down the hallway, there she stood, three guys talking to her, and that jealous, angry feeling consumed him until she turned, smiled, and completely blew off the guys to run into his arms and kiss him hard on the mouth. He ran his hand so possessively over her, and when she released his lips, he saw the men had disappeared.
“Behaving, baby?” he asked, caressing her lower back.
“Always.”
He winked before they headed out of the gym and home, to where he would teach her how to box and defend herself but knew he would never let her get too far from his sight because she was his and the team’s and they protected what they owned and loved with all their abilities. This was his world, and Merica was the center of it now and always.
* * * *
Merica was talking to Tat, Basile, Vaccaro, and Spadaro at the bar as she worked. Her men hadn’t arrived yet, and she knew that Hook had an additional private training session and would be late, if he even showed up. She smiled wide when she saw Talia, Avana, and Tiana show up. They said they were coming by and mostly because Talia was in a bad mood.
She gave a wave, and Tat and Basile looked over toward Talia, and she noticed their interested expressions. So it seemed her men’s friends had their eyes on Talia? Interesting. She got them some drinks and then re-introduced everyone, but they said they remembered one another. As she bartended and got busy serving drinks, her men arrived and joined the others. She could only give a wave when they first arrived, as the bar got really crowded and then the fights were on the television. People were cheering and having a good time, and she couldn’t help but smile. Her men were here, some of her friends, and then she thought about Kerry. She was still laid up in the hospital, a complete mess of emotions, and Brick and Burrow were training hard.
She couldn’t believe that Burrow had actually fought after what happened to Kerry, but supposedly he’d won and tonight he was fighting some major guy. She didn’t know, but she knew that Brick would be fighting Lucky, and that guy lucky was a dirty mean fighter. That made her think about Hook and seeing him for the first time. Talk about intimidation, the man was the epitome of that. Actually, all of her men were pretty intense individuals. She missed them. It was crazy, but she hated being apart from them. That made her think about tomorrow night. She had that dinner to attend for work and some networking to do for the product review company. Her boss, Simon, was so excited about the opportunity to attend, and he even got them car service to and from the event. She would be getting picked up at seven. She thought about the dress she’d ordered and picked out for the black-tie affair. Her men didn’t look too happy about the way it looked on the hanger, but she told them she would make it up to them. Starting tonight after work.
She finally had a chance to head over their way at the other end of the bar, and right before she turned, some guys ordered some drinks. It was a vicious cycle, and soon the fight was over and the crowd was dying down. She had the chance to go say hello to her men.
“Finally,” Greco said with an attitude and then leaned up on the bar so she had to lean over to kiss him hello. Of course her shirt dipped lower, and when Greco released her lips, Romano was there to kiss her next and reprimand her for her outfit as the guys on the other side of the bar whistled as her ass stuck out.
“Your faults for making me bend over the bar,” she said but then kissed Rossi and Ricci next and finally Hook. She was shocked he was here.
“You made it,” she said, and he nodded, looking none the happier about being here, and she cupped his cheeks and kissed him long and deeply. “That’s for coming here tonight. Later, I’ll thank you more.”
“Oh really? Why?” he asked.
“Because I can’t stand being away from you guys. I don’t like the feeling I have at all,” she said very seriously, and then someone asked for her help, as Hook squinted at her and the others took her comment to heart.
* * * *
“Heard that Burrow got his ass kicked badly,” Tat said, after looking at his cell phone.
“Really?” Romano asked, and Hook remained silent.
“Yup, and Brick lost against Lucky,” he added.
“Guess they’re really screwed now,” Rossi added.
“Serves them right getting involved with that shit. They’re lucky Kerry is alive,” Ricci said.
“They were thinking about the money and the freedom, not common sense.”
“Well, they don’t have much to offer in the lines of fighting now,” Greco said.
“We heard there’s some buzz about two fighters facing one another. An ultimate match. There was hype over it and the rumor that one of the men was Burrow, but that’s obviously not going to happen,” Basile said.
“I wonder what they’ll do now?” Rossi asked.
“Continue to fight when they recover. They’ll owe money to their backer,” Hook said to them.
“It’s a fucked-up business, and once you’re in, you’re never really out unless you’re dead or you suck at fighting. Otherwise, they always seem to find a way to pull you back in,” Romano said and locked gazes with Hook. His brother knew the deal. Had witnessed what Hook went through. Thank God that was all behind them and also that they had Merica in their lives.
* * * *
Merica was smiling as she met another group of business people from a company in Houston. She was actually getting a little tired, schmoozing and socializing at this big banquet center. She missed her men, and they missed her. Greco had basically interrogated her boss as Rossi and Ricci interrogated the driver of the car service. Then Hook and Romano made sure her boss and the others knew she belonged to them, and Romano told her she was in for a nice long ass spanking for wearing the sexy dress and going to this event without one of them.
She smiled as she thought about their promises of making love as soon as she got home. She anticipated the feel of their hands smacking her ass and then stroking into her, making her come. It was wild how much they turned her on and how willing she was to try anything. When Greco tied her wrists together and looped the rope over the corner of the bedpost while he fucked her from behind this afternoon, she came so hard she felt lightheaded.
In fact, she was so lost in thought she failed to even pay attention to the conversation in front of her. She quickly excused herself, saying she needed to grab a water and a drink. Instead she walked away and headed down the hallway toward the ladies’ room. She freshened up and then pulled out her cell phone and texted her men. She told them that she missed them and that she was bored without them and couldn’t wait to come home to them.
When she came out of the ladies room, she stopped short, immediately stumbling into the gu
y who’d attacked her that day at her mom’s place. He grabbed her and dragged her down the hallway to the exit door. She, of course, tried to fight him off, and it earned her a smack to her cheek, and as she made a move on him, she felt the prick to her neck and then her arms being restrained behind her back.
“Going on a little trip, sexy, and while you’re traveling, I’ll get to do a little exploring of my own.”
She felt instantly lightheaded, and then her vision blurred. She heard tires squeal, and he rushed her, her legs shaking, to the awaiting SUV. At least it looked like one, but then everything was moving, her stomach lurched, and he shoved her onto the seat and next to another guy.
“All good?”
“Piece of cake. Let’s get to the airport.”
* * * *
Hook sat on the couch in the living room with everyone else. They were waiting not so patiently for Merica to arrive home. It was nearly eleven and still no text saying she was leaving and on her way. The event went until twelve, but she hadn’t foreseen being there that late. When his cell phone rang, he stirred then looked at the unknown number.
“Hello.”
“Ahhh, Hook, it’s good to hear your voice.”
Hook sat forward. “What do you want, Torch?” he asked, pulling the attention of his brother and the team from what they were doing. Rossi turned off the television.
“No how are you? How’s business? I miss you.”
“I don’t give a shit, so why would I ask?”
Torch chuckled.
“Well, you may have a change of tune soon enough. I have a proposition for you. Depending upon your answer, I take the next steps accordingly.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Don’t you want to hear the proposal?”
“No. I don’t want to know.”
“Then what shall I do with your woman, Merica, then? After all, she’s on a plane to a discreet location until you and I can work out the particulars to this proposal.”
“What?” he asked and stood up.
He heard the low chuckle.
“You know how I operate, and when I want something, I will do whatever is necessary to get it.”
He covered the mouthpiece. “Get Merica on the line now. She could be in danger,” he told the others, and now they were all texting and calling and looking at him.
“She is safe for now, but quite a sexy, beautiful woman, especially in this tight, black dress she’s wearing. Her legs, Jesus, the sight is incredible. She must be good to be spreading them for five men.”
“You fucking hurt her, Torch, and I swear I’ll hunt you down and rip your fucking throat out,” Hook yelled into the phone.
“No need to hunt me down when I’m going to tell you exactly where I’ll be and where you’ll be in three nights. The information will be delivered to you shortly. I don’t think I need to spell it out for you. You’re fighting for me against Castle’s man, The Cajun, Friday night. Vegas. Be there to warm up and train ASAP. No funny stuff, Hook. You will fight in that cage, and you will win, or your pretty little angel will suffer, starting with me breaking one of these sexy legs.” He ended the call, and Hook raged.
“What is it? What the fuck is going on?” Romano demanded to know.
His cell went off, and Hook looked at the picture Torch had sent him. His hand was between Merica’s thighs. She was restrained, out cold, and her cheek bruised, her breasts pouring from her top.
“I’m going to kill this motherfucker. With my bare fucking hands.”
Thirty minutes later, Hook, Romano, the team, as well as Tat, Basile, Vacarro, and Spadaro broke into the private gym and club belonging to Castle and Spike. He kicked in the door to the office and went right for Castel. He grabbed him by his throat and shoved him up against the wall.
“Where is she? Where did he take her?” he demanded to know.
“What the fuck, Hook? What is this about?” Spike asked as Romano held him by his shirt and had him pressed against the wall.
“You know damn well what it’s about. The fight Friday night. Me against The Cajun or Merica gets hurt.”
“What?” Castle asked, and then he looked at Spike. They both seemed sincerely shocked.
“That’s what the crazy fuck meant when he said a surprise fighter that will bring in more money than any fight before. Holy fuck. He abducted Merica, your woman?” Spike asked.
“Jesus, is he out of his mind? We didn’t agree to this,” Castle stated.
“We don’t need to agree with it. That’s why Caprico is running the entire operation, the promotions and everything,” Castle said as Hook released him and Romano released Spike.
“This is not fucking happening. I want my woman back, safe and sound, or I swear I’ll kill all of you,” Hook stated, and Castle swallowed hard.
“It’s not in our control. Caprico is running and operating the entire thing. Look.” He reached for his laptop. He turned it around to face them.
“It’s sold out.”
“See,” Spike said, and they looked at the screen as it blinked with a red banner going over the front. It read “due to the overwhelming number of interested attendees, the venue has been changed to a larger location capable of accommodating fifty more people. Secure your seats and your bets immediately. The Cajun vs Hook Cardesso Imperie.”
Right before their eyes they saw the chat site on the site began to light up with comments asking if this were real and if Hook actually returned.
“It’s a done deal, man,” Castle said to him.
“You fight or he kills her,” Spike said.
* * * *
Merica awoke, blinking her eyes open and feeling an excruciating headache. She moaned and rolled to her side, only to roll back to her back realizing her hands were restrained above her head. She blinked her eyes several times, noticing immediately that she was on a bed, in a large upscale room. A hotel room maybe. Through the parted curtains, she could see lots of lights and buildings.
“Ahh, you’re awake. I bet you’re starving. Seems that Logan gave you a little bit too much when he drugged you yesterday.”
“Yesterday?” She cleared her throat. The man before her was older, had dark brown hair, and was kind of fat. He stared at her body.
“You are stunning. No wonder Hook and his friends adore you so much.”
“Hook? Who are you? Why am I here? What do you want?”
“All in good time, Merica. All in good time. Why don’t we get you something to eat? You’ll be spending a couple of days here in this room until we head to the venue Friday night.”
“Friday? What?” she asked, trying to get her brain to function and follow this guy.
“The fight. Looks like your boyfriend took the bait. He’ll be fighting on my team against The Cajun. Hopefully making me over a million dollars.”
“Fight?” she asked.
“A cage fight, perhaps to the death. That’s what really brings in the big bucks, but the cleanup does make for a costly addition, and I’d rather keep the money to use to reinvest in further fights. Lets’ go over the rules. I’d hate to have to mess up this gorgeous face. After all, if Hook fails and loses, then I’ll need to sell you off to make some profit so I’m not at a total loss. Must always have a backup plan. It’s imperative in this business.”
“Sell me off? Are you out of your mind?”
“On the contrary, Merica, no I am not. I’m actually a pretty shrewd businessman, and I know to always be prepared. That being said, let’s get you fed and then showered and prepped. You’ll meet the man who may be buying you if the fight doesn’t go Hook‘s way. Then, as Hook lies there in a bloody defeated mess, my friend the Emir will collect you, pay me the money, and take you out of the country. All nice and neat and all from this hotel room.”
“No. No, I won’t let you sell me. I’ll kick and scream and fight him.”
“He’ll like that even more. The Emir has very particular tastes, and knowing that you’re so loose and easy screw
ing five men, it gives him the ability to really recreate his fantasies, even the ones that have caused women to die because their bodies weren’t strong enough. He will love that about you.”
As he went to untie her hands and she was free, she shoved him in the jaw, knocking him back and then she went to run from the bedroom. As she opened the door, a large man stood there and smirked.
“There is no escaping, Merica. I have control of your destiny. Try to escape again and I won’t be able to control how you look once the Emir collects you.”
She couldn’t just give up. She didn’t understand what was happening, and as she tried to push by the man, he punched her in the gut hard, knocking her onto her back, where she lay and tried to catch her breath.
“Food and then a bath. We meet the Emir in two hours.”
* * * *
“What’s the plan of action?” Spartan asked Romano. A bunch of them were gathered at the gym.
“Well, in order to not leak anything to law enforcement, this needs to be an SoJ job, but unofficial. This asshole will kill Merica to get what he wants,” Romano told them all.
Tat and his team were there, as well as Farrow, J.T., Panther, and Mink.
“How is Hook in all this?” J.T. asked.
“Beyond pissed but working on his connections to get a lead. We basically know that Torch is in Vegas. We don’t know if he’s in a hotel or a house somewhere or what. That’s where we need intel,” Romano explained.
“Can Hook work out a deal with Castle and The Cajun to win?”
“There are no deals. This is a set event. Hook will fight The Cajun. If he wins, then Torch should let her go. If not, then we don’t know what he’ll do to her. We have to assume that he’ll kill her because he knows that Hook will kill him,” Romano told them.
“Holy shit. I can’t believe that your brother was part of this. He was lucky to get out,” Hans said.
“You’re never really out. That’s obvious now,” Rossi said to them.
Sons of Justice 9: Fighting Chance (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 17