“I was a little girl!” I scream. “It shouldn’t have mattered, you shouldn’t have looked.”
“You used to climb onto my lap,” he roars. “You asked for it.”
“You’re an asshole, a fucking piece of shit. I’ll make you pay, I promise you.”
“You already made me pay,” he snarls, sending spittle over my face. “You fucked my face for life. No one will look at me now. No woman will fuck me. You should be giving it to me, considering you took it.”
He reaches down and takes my leg, curling his fingers around my thigh.
“You know,” he murmurs. “Fucking you won’t affect your fighting.”
My entire world stops spinning and I begin to struggle, shoving at him. He grins, as if my struggling completely turns him on. He leans down and grips both of my thighs, pulling them apart. I can’t punch him, because my wrists are cuffed. I shake my head from side to side and kick my legs as hard as I can. I only manage to make contact with his thigh. He rears his hand back and slaps me so hard my face jerks to the side.
“You monster, let me go!” I scream, thrashing as best I can.
He presses his hands on the insides of my legs and my vision begins to blur as fear courses through my veins. He slides them up until he reaches my button and then he proceeds to tug my pants down. At least he tries to—I am squirming so much it’s next to impossible, but he’s managing. Tears tumble down my cheeks as I thrash, trying desperately to figure out a way to escape this. When one of his hands cups my breasts, I begin to dry retch.
“You always fucking loved it,” he murmurs. “Loved when I was inside you.”
I begin to cry harder, still squirming, still desperately trying to escape. His fingers slide inside my pants and my vision begins to go black. Inside my already damaged mind, I begin to pray.
“Roger!”
I hear Damon’s voice pounding on the door and hope swells in my chest. Roger snarls and pulls his hand from my pants, getting to his feet. He swings the door open and barks, “What?”
“There’s an urgent visitor. I’ll watch her.”
Roger turns and grins at me. “Enjoy your dinner.”
He leaves and I crumble. I begin sobbing so hard my body shakes. Damon steps in and closes the door before walking over and kneeling in front of me. He takes one look at my unbuttoned pants and the way I’m shaking, and a curse leaves his mouth. He reaches out and touches my cheek gently. “All the teaching I gave and not once did I think about how to teach you to fight off a predator. How long has he been . . . ?”
“I . . .” My voice trembles. “He did it first when I was twelve. It continued. When I was sixteen I got away and haven’t seen him again until recently.”
“How’d you get away?” he asks, his voice tight.
“I stabbed him . . . a lot.”
His eyes widen. “You did that to his face?”
I nod, feeling my lip tremble. “I thought he was dead and . . . then he showed up at one of Dimitri’s fights.”
“Is Dimitri your . . . lover?”
I nod again, dropping my head. “I don’t even know if he will guess where I am. If he doesn’t find me, Roger will . . . will . . .”
“Hey,” Damon says, lifting my chin and meeting my gaze. “He won’t touch you, I’ll find a way to make sure of that. I’ll get to Dimitri.”
“Why can’t you get me out of here?” I whisper.
He drops his head. “Because Roger gives me good money for what I do. Without that money I can’t support my family. My wife was in an accident four years ago. She’s completely disabled now and it’s around the clock care. That kind of care isn’t cheap and so I’m working to train illegal fighters to make enough money to keep us afloat. If he suspects . . .”
“I understand,” I whisper, cutting him off.
He looks me dead in the eye. “But I will get you out of here, I’ll find Dimitri.”
“When you do, tell him . . . tell him L-L-Livvie knows where I am.”
He nods and stands. “If I stay too long, he will get suspicious. Eat, you need your strength. I’ll stand guard tonight, don’t worry about Rex . . . ahh . . . Roger. I’ll make sure he doesn’t come in, I’ll figure a good excuse out. You’ll be safe to sleep.”
I smile weakly. “Thank you, I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
He smiles back. “I think I can guess.”
He turns and leaves the room and I slump in relief. I hope to God he can find a way to get me out of here, because if he can’t there’ll only be so long I can fight Roger off. Eventually, he’ll find out a way to get to me and if he does, he’ll take everything I’ve fought so hard to build up. I drop my head and tug on my cuffs. How the fuck am I supposed to eat when I’m shackled?
With a sigh, I reach both hands out and bring the tray closer to me. It’s got some plain rice, vegetables and some sort of stew-like concoction. I use the fork in both hands and I stab it into a piece of broccoli. I carefully bring up both hands and place it in my mouth—okay, so that wasn’t as hard as I first thought. I do this over and over until I’ve got most of my plate finished. I have dropped a few pieces on my pants but I manage to clear them off with great difficulty.
When I’m done, I lie down and curl onto my side. My ribs are aching and my heart is sore. I want to go home, to the only people I care about. I don’t want to be here, not knowing what each day will hold. I could go into the fight and end up getting killed before Dimitri reaches me, or I could do well and only encourage Roger more. I close my eyes and take a deep, steadying breath.
Above all else, I have to stay strong.
Strength is the only thing I have left.
“Move,” Roger growls, shoving me through the massive crowd.
My knees begin to tremble as I stare at the hundreds of people surrounding the large cage in the middle of the old warehouse we’re in. It’s the night of my first fight and I’m not feeling confident at all. Damon spent another day with me, but while I think I know enough, I’m still not sure that I’ll make it out of here unscathed.
“In there,” Damon says from behind me.
He told me he’s trying to find Dimitri, but he’s hoping to get some straight answers here tonight. He’s also going to have my back in the cage. In other words, he’ll be the one yelling at me to keep me focused. We step out into a back room that looks very familiar to the ones I’ve been in when Dimi has fought. Roger storms over to a locker and slams his fist down over it, swinging it open.
He pulls out a set of small cotton shorts and a crop top. He walks over and shoves them at me. I stare down at them. That’s it? He wants me to fight wearing next to nothing? There’s nothing here that will protect my body at all.
“Stop staring and get ready, we start in ten.”
I give Damon a look and he nods at me. I go to step away to get changed, only to have Roger take my arm and squeeze it. “You get changed here.”
“There are people around,” I protest.
He leans in closer. “You want me to take you out back and change you myself?”
My skin crawls.
“No? I didn’t think so. Then you change here.”
Hesitating, I slowly pull my top off, thankful for the invention of bras. I pull on the tiny crop top and then manage to unclip and remove my bra without showing any breast. Then I drop my pants and slip into the cotton shorts. Roger spins me around, a seedy expression on his face. He grins at me and I fight the urge to spit in his face. He takes hold of my hands and jerks them out in front of him, strapping them. When he’s done, he stands back and looks over at Damon.
“I hope she’s ready.”
“She’s as ready as she can be after two days,” Damon snaps.
“Remember, fight or get fucked up,” Roger says to me. “No one will be saving you if she beats the shit out of you; you’re all you have in there. Make it count.”
I take a deep breath and try to remember everything Damon has taught me. I can’t let him
down right now. I turn when Roger does and follow him out into the large crowd again. People stare, taunt, cheer, poke and shove me as we pass through. They’re wild, off their trees on drugs and alcohol. Some of them are waving around hundreds of dollars’ worth of cash.
“Here we are again,” a voice comes booming across the loudspeaker. “Who’s ready to fiiiiight?”
The crowd goes wild and I cover my ears, cringing. They’re all sick, watching women fight like this. Roger shoves me up onto the small stage beside the cage and I catch my first glimpse of my opponent. She’s bigger than me without a doubt, but Damon has taught me to fight someone bigger so I am slightly relieved. The bad thing, however, is that not only is she bigger than me but she’s also a great deal . . . chunkier. She’s got quite a decent amount of fat on her body, which could be a problem for doing damage.
“We’ve got two new contestants for you tonight!” the man roars into his microphone. “Rex Rock’s new girl, Blair, and Jay Jarrod’s new girl, Pinkie. Who’s ready to see them fight?”
Rex Rock? Seriously?
The crowd screams and I find myself being shoved into the cage. When we’re in, the door’s slammed closed. I suddenly feel claustrophobic, wanting to get out. I turn with shaky knees and face my opponent. She’s glaring at me, lips pursed, legs spread and ready. I get myself into the best stance I can and try to block out the rest of the world.
Fight until your last breath.
“One!”
I lift my fists, staring her right in the eye.
“Two!”
She wipes a drop of sweat off her forehead and grins at me.
“Three!”
She charges first, just like Damon said. She also swings high. Feeling my chest swell with hope, I duck her fist and drive mine into her stomach only to find she barely flinches. Fear courses through my veins as she reaches down, gripping my hair and pulling me backwards so hard I feel some of it being pulled free. When my head is back she drives a fist into my mouth, splitting my lip wide open.
“Blair!” I hear Damon roar. “Remember what I taught you. Focus.”
The girl hits me again, still holding my hair tightly.
“She’s a fucking failure!” Roger bellows. “You can kiss your job goodbye, Damon.”
No. Damon. I snap my eyes open and, after a second, take in the position I’m in. She’s got my hair, yes, but she’s left my arms and legs wide open. With all my might, I swing my leg back and I bring it right up into her groin. A scream escapes her throat as her fingers uncurl from my hair and she stumbles backwards. Like Damon said, her body automatically doubles over and so I charge forward, taking hold of her hair and bringing my knee up into her face.
I feel her nose bust open against my leg, and I have to fight back the good in me and remember that the only way for me to get out of here is to fight and not think. Her hand flies up to her nose and she straightens, swinging her fist aimlessly. I duck it and instead ram another fist into her groin, bringing her down to her knees. I take the chance to launch at her, using my foot to hit her so hard in the face she goes flat on her back. The crowd is roaring so loudly I can’t hear myself think.
“One!”
She doesn’t move; she’s choking on her own blood.
“Two!”
Should I help her? God. I’m a monster.
“Three!”
The noise from the crowd has me momentarily deafened. Before I know what’s happening, Damon is in the cage and taking hold of my face, saying something I can’t understand through the noise. Roger comes barreling in and the victorious smile on his face tells me I’ve won this fight.
“And it looks like this fight is owned by Blair!” the emcee yells.
The crowd roars again as Damon leads me off the stage and out back.
“You won!” he says as soon as the door is closed behind us.
I stare at him, still completely in shock. I won? I won?
“I won,” I whisper.
He leans in close, taking my face in his hands. “You live to survive another day, and another day means you’re a step closer to getting out of here.”
I smile now.
He’s right—the longer I last, the longer Dimitri has to find me.
Maybe there’s hope after all.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Dimitri
My phone rings, stirring me from my sleep. I’d only just drifted off after days of trying to track down Livvie, who disappeared when we were still on land. I’ve worked for at least twenty-four hours straight, but I had no leads and felt myself dropping off to sleep at Hendrix’s desk. Now my phone is ringing. I lift my head and stare at the screen. I don’t recognize the number but I’m not missing one call until I’ve found Jess.
“Yeah?” I mutter, answering it.
“Is this Dimitri?”
I don’t recognize the male voice.
“Yeah, who’s this?”
He’s silent a minute.
“Hello?”
“Sorry, my name is Damon. You’re a hard man to track down.”
“Do I know you?”
“No,” he says. “But I have information for you.”
“What about?”
“Blair.”
Blair . . . My eyes suddenly pop open.
“Is this a fuckin’ trick.”
“No, it’s not. My name is Damon and I work for Roger. I teach his fighters how to fight. He has Blair.”
Roger. Roger has her? My head spins and wild anger swells in my chest as I imagine all the fucked up things he’s doing to her.
“Tell me she’s okay?” I rasp.
He sighs. “He’s got her fighting, Dimitri. So I guess in the scheme of things, for now she’s okay. Though she’s had the fucking shit beaten out of her by two opponents so far. He put her in her first real fight last night. She won.”
That’s my girl, that’s my fucking amazing girl. Fighting to survive.
“How badly is she hurt?”
“A few cracked ribs, split lips, a couple of black eyes.”
“Fuck,” I growl, clenching my fists.
“It could be worse,” he mutters. “I’ve already stopped him from—”
“From what?” I bark.
“From raping her, Dimitri. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to stop it for long. You need to get to her.”
“Where is she?”
He gives me a location and I curse loudly. “I’m at least two days away.”
“You’d better hurry the fuck up, because he’s jumping the queue with the fights. He’s putting her in another one in two nights, but, Dimitri, she’s going up against Fire Cat.”
My body stiffens. Fire Cat is one of the best women fighters there is underground. Jess, no matter how strong, would never be able to fight her.
“She’ll crumble.”
“You’re tellin’ me,” he says. “I’m doing my best to train her in time, but you need to get here before then. If she goes in that cage, she’ll be killed.”
“I’m going to be there, you tell her . . . I’ll be there.”
“Hurry.”
He clicks the phone off and I drop mine, turning and charging out of the room. I make it into the dining room where Hendrix and the boys are still partying. At my entrance, Hendrix stands.
“What is it?”
“I know where she is.”
His eyes widen and Indi stands up beside him, her expression full of fear. “Where?” she asks.
“Roger has her.”
“Fuck!” Hendrix barks.
“It gets worse—he’s got her fighting. Her next fight is in two days and she’s going up against one of the best female fighters there is. We can’t let her get in that cage.”
“How long until we can get there?” Hendrix asks.
“I don’t know that we’ll do it in two days,” I say, feeling that familiar tightening in my chest again.
“We’ll fuckin’ get there,” Hendrix growls. “Men! Let’s move. We need to pu
sh this baby up to full speed.”
I give Hendrix the address and walk up onto the deck, gripping the railings so hard my knuckles ache. If I don’t make it in time—if she dies or is severely injured because of me—I’ll never forgive myself. I let her down, I believed she had run instead of even thinking she might have been taken. If it wasn’t for my fuckin’ mistake, I could have found her earlier.
“Are you okay?”
I turn to see Indi staring at me, her face full of concern.
“How can I be fuckin’ okay? I thought she’d come back to Hendrix. If I didn’t have my head rammed so far up my ass, I would have gotten to her sooner.”
“It’s not your fault, Dimitri.”
I spin around. “Then whose fault is it?”
She tilts her head and studies me. “You love her, don’t you?”
I turn away, clenching my fists.
“It’s okay to feel like that,” she says softly. “You should never fight how you feel.”
“She changed me. She made me see things differently. No matter what I did, she always had a way of coming back at me and completely throwing me. She never showed fear. But she’ll be scared now, Indigo. She’ll be so fucking scared.”
“She’s a tough girl, she’ll fight for those she loves.”
I shake my head. “You don’t understand . . . if she gets in that cage, she won’t be coming back out. He’s putting her in a death trap.”
“That fighter, she won’t kill her . . . will she?”
I turn and stare into her eyes. “She’s killed before and with someone Jess’s size, she’ll do it again.”
She makes a small squeaking sound. I know I shouldn’t be so blunt with her but she has to know. She can’t live in fantasy. Her friend is in danger and if we don’t get to her in time, she’ll likely be killed or beaten so severely her face won’t ever be the same again.
“We have to get to her, and we have to be quick about it.”
Indi nods.
She knows I’m right.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Jess
He’s coming for you,” Damon whispers as he spins me around, pressing me to his back. “Now get out of my grip.”