by Tracey Jukes
“Hey, sugar. You wanna see what a good time feels like?” I’m frozen with fear, and inside, I’m trembling. Before he can say or do anything else, Ash appears with Nyla.
“I suggest you remove those hands right now, Linc, if you know what’s good for you.”
Linc, as I now know him, drops his hands straight away. I feel relief, but I wish Reid were with me, as I know I would be a lot safer.
I look between the two guys. They obviously know each other, and the grin on Linc’s face is not a good sign. There seems to be a history between them from their tones.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Ace. She yours, is she? Because if I’m right, you don’t do girlfriends. Plus, she looks pretty fine where she is, so if you don’t mind, beat it.” He goes to caress the side of my face again.
By now, my eyes are wide. Where in the hell does this jerk get off telling Ash that I’m fine right where I am? My fear hasn’t gone, but I seem to have gained some balls out of nowhere, and one hell of a temper, which is starting to flare inside of me. Knowing where we are, it’s probably not the best place to start a raging war with a guy I don’t know, especially when I have no idea what he’s capable of. But I just don’t know when to stay quiet. I seem to be taking lessons from Nyla in that department.
I manage to whack his hand away from my face, and he laughs, which pisses me off even more. I’m pissed that he thinks it’s okay to touch me again, but he isn’t concentrating, and that’s when I take my opportunity.
“Does this feel fine?” I step forward and lift my right knee straight into his groin as hard as I can. He grunts in pain, but his hands move from me, and it gives me the space to step away from his grasp. He shoots his fist toward me, and I hold my breath, waiting for the blow. But it’s blocked by Ash, who grabs me and pulls me behind him.
“You’ve really got a death wish, Linc. I think she gave you her answer, but just so you know, she isn’t mine. I’ll give you one guess who she does belong to, and when he finds out you had your filthy hands on her, you’d better watch out.”
Ash doesn’t give him a chance to answer as he turns and walks away, pushing us towards the cage at the front of this so-called arena where there are people already hanging around. We’re standing ringside, and the commotion is deafening. We can hardly hear each other above all the cheering and chanting.
“This isn’t your normal boxing fight, Esme. Nyla explained it to you, didn’t she?”
I just nod. “I’m still pretty clueless though, if I’m honest.”
“Okay, well, it’s basically a mixture of combat fighting and mixed martial arts, hence no gloves. But be warned, there’s going to be a lot of blood. You all right with that?” I hesitate at first, then from somewhere, I pull up my big girl pants and decide yes.
“I think so..”
“I will be here the whole time. If you want to leave, just say, and we’ll go, I promise.”
I’m grateful Ash is being considerate.
“Esme, there’s something else. This type of fighting isn’t legal, hence the rundown warehouse. The rules are different here. It’s fight until someone taps out, or until someone is KO’d…”
Ash just looks at me, and I know what he’s trying to say. Nyla gasps beside me, and she’s shooting daggers at Ash. When they organized this night out, he obviously kept those rules out of the conversation.
“Listen, we can leave if you’re not happy being here, Nyla.” Then the commotion gets louder, and I look into the ring
The fight that was happening finishes abruptly, and there is a guy completely out of it on the ring floor. The security comes in and helps him out, and the poor guy has a bloody nose. There is still no sign of Reid. I’m beginning to think he isn’t going to show.
Nyla looks at Ash, and he is about to say something when the announcer calls the next two fighters. The music that starts to play is so loud I can barely hear the first fighter’s name, but I just capture it and Nyla and I start to laugh as it sounds so pathetic. I mean, who calls themself Pretty Boy? He comes out to the song, One and Only by Chesney Hawkes. By now, Nyla and I are belly laughing. Ash tells us to behave, and we try to control ourselves.
The guy they call Pretty Boy is far from a pretty boy. He has huge muscles and must be about six feet tall. He has shaved hair at the sides, but the top is longer and is tied back with a hair tie. The announcer calls out his opponent’s name, Thunder. Now that’s more like a fighter name. He strolls out to the music Thunderstruck by AC/DC with a hood up so you can’t see him clearly. Everyone is cheering for this guy, so he is obviously popular here.
He climbs into the cage and has his back to us, then he removes his top, and the ref calls both fighters to the center. That’s when I realize who Thunder is. I know those tattoos. It’s Reid. I turn to Nyla for some answers, as I’m confused.
“Did you know? Is that why you and Ash brought me here?” Nyla looks across at Ash, and the exchange they share tells me that she did know. I am livid they kept this a secret, and the fact that Reid didn’t even tell me what was going on makes it worse. I feel like they’ve all been keeping secrets from me. Some friends they are.
“Listen, Es, I did know he was going to be fighting tonight, and it was supposed to be a surprise for you. Obviously not a good one going by your reaction. I honestly thought that once you saw him up there you might become excited. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready to watch him beat on someone, or him take a battering for that matter.” Ash laughs. “It’s not funny, Ash.”
“Sorry, but you haven’t seen him fight yet, and you’re worried about him. He can handle himself.”
I look back at the cage, and the fight is about to start.
“So, tell me, Ash, why didn’t he tell me what he was doing? Is this why I haven’t seen him all week, aside from at the gym?”
“Maybe to protect you, but he has been working on top of training at the gym. You should also know he doesn’t realize you’re here tonight.”
“What? Why would you bring me here without him knowing?”
Ash drops his eyes from mine, looking anywhere but at me. He’s hiding something and I want to know what’s going on, so I continue to stare at him until he caves.
“Fine. I happened to let it slip about the fight when Nyla and I were talking, and she convinced me to bring you along to see him fight.” He looks down then back up at me. “I didn’t tell him because I knew he would go insane over it, and I didn’t want to let Nyla down either. So, I kept quiet.”
Wow, he’s truly taken with her.
The crowd roars as the fight starts, pulling my attention away from the conversation. Reid is slightly taller than Pretty Boy at six feet two, but otherwise, they are pretty much even. Reid is quick as Pretty Boy comes at him a few times, but Reid dodges the advances, and Pretty Boy stumbles, hitting the cage. Reid then goes in with an uppercut to his jaw, and Pretty Boy’s head swings to the side. That’s when Reid sees us. He stares at me, and my breath is stolen from my chest when I realize Pretty Boy is about to hit him from behind. I scream at him and he moves, but not in time, and Pretty Boy manages to get him in a chokehold, taking him down to the floor. I scramble toward the cage, but Ash pulls me back.
“Don’t!” he warns me. “Reid knows what he’s doing, okay?”
“Really, Ash? He’s choking him. I caused that distraction, and it’s thanks to you.”
“He can handle it, trust me.”
I look back at the cage, and Reid is now beating down on Pretty Boy like some kind of mad man. It’s like someone has unleashed the beast within him, and he can’t stop. Watching him defend himself when I thought he was going to be the one being beaten, I find myself chanting his name along with everyone else.
Pretty Boy is no match for Thunder, and finally, in round two, he taps out. The ref runs in and grabs Thunder’s hand, raising it in the air and declaring him the winner. Both opponents are bloodied, but more so is Pretty Boy. My guy has some pretty
beat up knuckles that need attending to, and a small gash on his cheek. I think his ego may be a little bruised from being taken down while distracted, but other than that, he looks okay.
There is a lot of shouting and music blaring again as the night is drawing to an end. We go to walk toward Reid when I see him standing at the edge of the cage just staring at me. He is all sweaty and bleeding, and boy, is he pissed. He storms forward.
Here we go.
“What the fuck is she doing here, Ash?” Reid makes a grab for Ash, but I move quickly and stand between them.
He grabs me by the hand and pulls me past the cage and down a small corridor into a room, slamming the door shut behind us. He runs his hands through his hair, growling through gritted teeth. Then, he starts punching the wall, and I’m annoyed with him when I should be scared.
Walking behind him, I place my hands on his back and start to rub, hoping it will calm him. Big mistake. He is totally wound up, and he turns around so fast I don’t have time to register what he’s doing. He picks me up, slams me against the door without hurting me, then kisses me so hard I can’t breathe. Eventually, he pulls back, but our foreheads remain touching and his arms have me caged in against the door.
“Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here. It’s no place for you.” He gently runs his hand over my face and then holds my chin. “Fuck, this place. It’s too dangerous for you to be here.”
I maneuver my hands over his sweaty chest and up to his face. I cup his face and make him look at me.
“Please, shut up. I haven’t seen you all week, and it’s been torture, so just freaking kiss me.”
“That I can do.”
He lifts me and I wrap my legs around him,as he kisses me with everything he has.He finally puts me down and rests his forehead to mine, staring into my eyes like he’s looking deep into my soul.
“I mean it. You don’t belong here. It’s far too dangerous, and I don’t want you here.”
I get the need to protect me, and after earlier, I understand why. But he can’t just dictate to me and think I’ll follow his orders without some real explanation, other than it’s dangerous. I know it’s dangerous, but I should be okay if I’m with him or Ash.
“I’m a big girl, Reid. I think I can handle a few obnoxious guys, like I did earlier.” I realize then I made a mistake as the hard look returns to his face.
“What do you mean like earlier?”
Damn, I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.
“It was nothing, really. Can we just focus on the here and now, please?”
I drop my gaze, but he puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face to him again. There is no way he will let this lie, but if I tell him, it will either be Ash getting it, or that guy, Linc. Either way, someone will pay for it.
“It doesn’t matter,” I tell him.
“Fine. Wait here and don’t leave this room, you hear me?” And he’s out the door, slamming it behind him. I jump back at the sound of the door whacking into the frame.
Oh, like hell am I going to stay here while he goes on a rampage, causing a thunderstorm. I follow him down the corridor. He’s fast, and I run to try and catch him, but he’s reached Nyla and Ash before I’m even at the end of the corridor. I race over to them as Reid grabs hold of Ash, but Ash can hold his own and he manages to knock Reid off him.
“What the fuck? What is wrong with you, Reid?”
“Tell me what happened with Esme earlier. I mean it, Ash. What the fuck happened?”
“It was nothing, just a misunderstanding.”
“Man, just tell me what the fuck happened.” He’s losing his shit real quick now. Ash looks at me, and he knows I don’t want Reid to know.
“I dealt with it. They know now who she’s with. Leave it, for Esme’s sake. Just go home.”
Ash understands I don’t want to see Reid get into any trouble, but unfortunately, I think my best friend forgot the memo because she decides he should be told.
“His name was Linc, and he manhandled her until she kneed him in the balls.”
Truth be told, I think she was just standing by Ash and not letting him take the flack for what Linc did. If that wasn’t bad enough, Linc walks by and can’t keep his mouth shut.
“Hey, sugar. Did you enjoy the fight? Oh, and I’m ready now if you are…”
He winks, and that’s all it takes. Reid dives on Linc, leaning into his face. He says something to him and then punches him square in the face over and over until Ash and a few others pull him off and get Linc out the way. Some women are screaming, and others are fawning over Reid, which starts to piss me off.
“You broke my nose, you bastard.”
“You’re lucky these guys pulled me away when they did because if I had my way, I’d have buried you.” The security has taken Linc away to stop anymore shit happening, but I’ve had enough. I look at Nyla.
“I want to leave now,” Nyla tells Ash, and he starts to escort us towards the exit.
“Esme!” Reid shouts to me, but I ignore him and carry on walking out. He catches up to us, stopping in front of me.
“I’ll bring her back, bro. You take Nyla.”
“I said I’m going back with them, not you.” And just like that, I’m over his shoulder and being carried away.
“Put me down! I can walk.”
“If that were the case, you would have done so straight away, so suck it up.”
Chapter Ten
Again, he slams the door shut, but this time he locks it. He’s angry. He lets me down, and I go to punch his chest, but he blocks me with his palm.
“What is it with you and throwing me over your shoulder?”
“Easiest way to get you where I need you. Now it’s my turn for questions. Why didn’t you tell me what that dick did to you, and why did you want to leave with Ash and Nyla and not me?”
“You know what, Reid, violence isn’t always the answer to every problem. My feelings on this subject are strong after what I went through losing my family. I lost them to violence, and it scares me. I don’t need you hitting everyone that makes a pass at me. Plus, you totally acted like a goon.”
His shoulders slump. “Understood. But, fuck, you’re stubborn. Did you ever think there may be a reason I lost it? Linc attacked a young girl. The girl happened to be the girlfriend of my best friend, Jack. She was only eighteen at the time, and it scarred her for life and resulted in her suffering psychological issues.” He looks shattered telling me all of this, and I can see the torment behind his eyes. “It was because of Jack and me that she was here at the underground. She followed us one night, unbeknown to us, and like tonight, Linc saw her before we did.” He sits down next to me. “Linc, being the strong guy he is, overpowered her, and she didn’t stand a chance. Someone saw what was going on, but it was too late. The damage had already been done. She went home and the police were called, but as it was an illegal place, there were no signs of people around once they arrived back there. The case was closed eventually because they had no leads, and she didn’t know his name. Jack struggled with the guilt until it became too much, and he committed suicide.”
Tears fall freely down my cheeks, and Reid tries to wipe them away. Now I understand why he was hell-bent on teaching Linc a lesson. Knowing what sort of a person he is now, let’s just say he deserved all he got tonight and more.
I straddle his legs, and he grabs my ass, pulling me into his lap, then he wraps his arms tightly around me. We sit there for what seems like ages, just holding each other while he calms down, and eventually he starts talking again.
“You don’t belong here, princess. This world is a dangerous one, and full of men and women who would kill if the need came.”
I understand what he’s saying, but if it’s dangerous for me, then it’s also the same for him. So why does he continue to come here? I feel the urge to tell him that as much as I hate violence, seeing him up there tonight fighting was a huge turn on. Yes, I was screaming, but what Nyla and Ash didn’t re
alize was that I was screaming for Reid, or Thunder, or whatever he was called. The adrenaline that started to run through me toward the end of the fight was something I had never felt before.
“Hey, look at me,” I say softly, and when his eyes meet mine, there’s so much guilt there.
“I never chose to come here tonight, but I also didn’t say no. Granted, I had no idea you were fighting, but even so, I still came.”
He leans his head back in surprise at my words. “Ash never told you I would be fighting tonight?”
“No. He just said you were running some errands and were meeting us here. Anyway, when I saw you up there, yes, I was shocked, scared even, but seeing you fight like that with all that power and rawness, it showed me a side of you I have never seen. It was beautiful.”
I give him a grin and remove my top before stepping back, kicking off my pumps, and shimmying out of my jeans. Now, standing before him in just my pink lace bra and panties, I’m practically quivering with delight. I don’t seem to be able to control myself around him, and watching him fight was an even bigger turn on. He’s looking at me like he wants to eat me, and I can see it’s taking all he has to keep his control.
“You wanna keep those?” he growls, his eyes fixated on my underwear.
He doesn’t wait for an answer before yanking them off me. He turns me to face the wall and unclasps my bra.
“Put your hands on the wall, princess, and show me that ass.” He groans, caressing my neck, then down my back until he gets to my ass.