Invincible (21 page)

39.

(Rose)

My hands were at least untied. I was able to get changed and look presentable. The notion was pretty simple though - Luke was going to fight and kill Wes. Then Luke was going to take out Aton. That
’
s when the control would happen. If by some chance Wes had a chance to kill Luke, then all hell would break loose.

This wasn
’
t a fight.

This was a death mission.

There was nothing I could do, I was being escorted by two of Luke
’
s guys. Mark my fucking words, if I had a chance to escape, I was going to take it.

But for now, I was on the second floor of the abandoned building. Leaning against a metal railing, I looked down at the empty circle. There was a little bit of a warm up fight to get the crowd rowdy. Two guys took cheap shots at each other. They weren
’
t real fighters but probably dealers that needed to settle debts.

Like Phantom.

He was sent to fight Wes with no knowledge of fighting, and that was an attempt at Luke to get me. To mess with me. Probably to track me and Wes down to make his final attack.

I had to keep composure. I had to see Wes alive and well.

A man stepped into the circle and waved his hands and whistled.

“
Are you ready for this?
”
the man yelled.

The crowd cheered.

“
This is the greatest fight
…
ever. A fight of revenge. A fight of passion. A fight
…
with no rules. No rounds. No stopping until the fighters decide to stop. If your stomach can
’
t handle this, leave. Leave right now. This is going to be bloody!
”

The people loved it. They went wild.

The guy had to whistle again to calm everyone down.

“
Let
’
s make this happen now,
”
he said.
“
First up
…
from a world of pain
…
from a world of regret
…
a man who watched his own brother die in a circle just like this one
…
here comes Wes.
”

My heart pounded as I leaned forward. I had to see him. I wanted to be the first person to see him. It was wild.

And there he was.

Wes came walking to the circle like a beautiful nightmare. He stood in the circle, hands tight into fists. His hair in his face. I wanted to see his face. I wanted to scream his name and tell him I was there. I was watching.

But I didn
’
t want to distract him. I had no idea how this all would turn out.

Luke made it clear that Danny was waiting to end it. Danny, the guy who had been with Aton. He was with Luke now. Luke had paid him off to turn on Aton. That
’
s how Aton got shot. That
’
s how everything got mixed together.

“
Now, for his opponent,
”
the guy in the circle yelled.
“
A man who went into retirement after murdering someone! After murdering
…
Wes
’
s brother!
”

The crowd let out a collective
oooohhhh
sound.

They loved a good story behind a fight. Yet they didn
’
t realize this wasn
’
t fake.

“
He fought under the name
the Assasin
…
but tonight
…
he fights as his true self. He fights as Luke.
”

That
’
s when Luke came forward.

Well, he came running forward.

Wes had his head down, maybe trying to get into fight mode. But Luke being Luke - he was always ready for a fight. He ran up behind Wes and pounded both fists to Wes
’
s back, sending him to the ground.

That
’
s when I finally found the courage to scream.

40.

(Wes)

I should have fucking known better.

There I was, head down, trying to talk to Shane. Me, talking to Shane. Talking to a dead guy. I thought maybe I could try something cool. I could tell Shane this was for him. I could come up victorious and all that shit. Just like in those action movies we used to watch.

I heard the crowd yell a second before Luke attacked me.

His fists felt like a sledgehammer to my back. I was then on the ground. I had enough sense to at least put my hands out and try to break the fall.

That didn
’
t matter.

Luke was ready to fight.

Ready to kill.

I heard a scream through the cheers and noise and knew it was Rose.

Fucking Rose was here and she was alive.
For now.

He unleashed kick after kick to my side, trying to crush my ribs. It was a smart move to make because if he could crack my ribs the right way, they
’
d puncture my lungs. And then I wouldn
’
t be able to stand, breathe, fight, and Luke would kill me in a minute.

I took the first few kicks as best I could. I wasn
’
t going to scramble away from him - I was here to fucking fight.

The next kick I was ready for. I dropped flat to my stomach. The kick went over me and I rolled to my back. There was a split second when Luke was on one foot. I grabbed his knee and twisted and pulled.

As he toppled down, I rolled away and climbed to my feet. The left side of my body was on fire. But I couldn
’
t let him know that. I had to fight. I really didn
’
t want to think about Shane and lose my edge, but my mind kept going back to that night.

This was the guy who did it. He was finally standing right in front of me.

Luke was back on his feet.
The Assassin
didn
’
t wait around again. He was a skilled fighter, rushing right at me. He wiggled his right shoulder as though he was going throw a right fist, but I saw the way his left shoulder tensed up. It was a fake out. I looked at his right shoulder and hand though, letting him think he had me.

I saw the left hook coming from a mile away. I lifted my right hand and blocked his punch. Being cocky with the punch, Luke left the right side of his body open and exposed. I came across his ribs with a hard left. I felt something crack and it wasn
’
t my knuckles. I then lifted a right elbow to his chin, sending his head snapping back.

Now I had him.

I got him with punch after punch, face, chest, ribs, stomach. I controlled the fight, walking him across the circle. I kept my hands up, always ready for an attack. But I really had Luke reeling. His legs spread and he held a stance. I came down with a right fist that popped his jaw and had him reaching back, looking for the ground.

But then someone reached from the crowd. Someone put something in his hand.

That something I found out a second later.

It was a razor blade.

And Luke swiped at my throat.

41.

(Rose)

I saw it all happening and I couldn
’
t stop it. Luke going after Wes with a knife or razor or something. Wes reacted fast enough to turn and offer his shoulder. The scream Wes let out was enough to make my blood run icy cold. He stumbled to the right and turned. When I saw his shoulder, I thought I was going to pass out. That was too much too fast.

Luke wasn
’
t done.

He ran after Wes, the blade in his hand.

This wasn
’
t allowed. No weapons. No cheating. Did it surprise me that it was happening? Not at all. Nobody would stand up to Luke. The people who threw money down at Wes winning the fight were getting screwed but they all feared Luke. And why not? He was tall, thick with muscle, and had a blade in his hand and a killer
’
s instinct in his eyes.

I
’
d rather lose a couple thousand dollars than face Luke.

Luke swiped the blade to Wes
’
s back, cutting him open again. He then grabbed Wes
’
s hair and twisted, pulling Wes back. Luke brought his hand around and put the blade to Wes
’
s throat.

The crowd started to go silent. A second ago they were cheering. But now they understood what they were about to witness.

And that
’
s when Luke looked at me. He smiled. He wanted me to see it happen.

Wes looked up at me too
…
my eyes filled with tears as Luke pressed the blade to his throat.

42.

(Wes)

I was not going to die in front of Rose. Not with a razor blade to my throat. Not with Luke
’
s tight grip. Not in the middle of the circle. Not like Shane.

I
’
m not going to die.

Yet I was in a bad position.

I looked up to Rose and saw her eyes glistening. Goddamn crying, again. I hated that she cried because it tore through me with a fire that I never knew I had.

The blade pressed against my throat and started to burn.

If I panicked, I
’
d be dead. If I stood still, Luke would slit my throat.

So I had to move fast and accurate.

My right arm was loose. My left shoulder throbbed as it gushed blood. My body started to feel cold. I was losing too much blood too fast.

I had one chance at this.

In one swift move, I reached up for Luke
’
s wrist. I pulled him - and the razor blade - away just enough to give me room to throw my head back to his face. There were a million things that could go wrong
…
except they didn
’
t. My face smashed against his and his grip lessened on me instantly. I focused on my hand holding his wrist, staring at the razor blade.

Do not lose sight of the weapon
…

I kicked back at Luke, hitting him in the knee. He bent and leaned against me. I felt his goddamn breath on my shoulder like he was trying to mount me. I pushed my ass back and flipped him over me. My grip was tight on his wrist and his wrist twisted so hard, he let the razor blade go. It hit the concrete ground
…
a second before my left fist came down and smashed his face. His head hit the ground hard.

Just like Shane
…

Luke
’
s mouth opened and he picked up his head.

I hit him again.

His head hit the ground again.

I crouched down and started to unleash on him. I let his wrist go and now had both fists to destroy him. The razor blade was within my reach, but I wasn
’
t going to cut him. Fuck no. I was going to beat him to death.

Just like Shane
…

Luke grabbed at my arms, but he had no strength. The blows to his head had him disoriented. He tried to look around, obviously looking for help. I should have taken cue and made sure nobody was there to send a bullet through my head. I just couldn't stop myself though.

I straddled Luke, hovering over his chest. My hands were balled up as tight as I could make them. And I came down with punch after punch, watching his head smack against the ground, hearing the sound of it. The hard thuds slowly became wetter from his sweat
…
and then his blood
…

It was only a matter of time before his head would open and spill everywhere.

Just like Shane
…

The crowd started to cheer louder. They started to chant my name.

Wes! Wes! Wes! Wes!

A few people were boo
’
ing and throwing drinks at me. I guess they had been the ones who bet against me.

I took a break for a second and stared down at Luke. My entire body hurt. My heart hurt. Everything just fucking hurt so badly. I saw Shane sitting on the edge of the old brown couch. His eyes wide. A smile on his face. On the TV was the final action scene of a movie. The hero, dangling from a wire, reaching for the beautiful woman. Guys on the ground shooting but the bullets never hitting the hero.

“
You fucking took him from me,
”
I growled.

Luke
’
s head rolled left to right. His mouth moved but he couldn
’
t talk. Everything was too swollen. Everything was beat up.

I put a hand to his throat and held him to the ground. I put my feet down and started to stand up. My hair hung in my face as I stared into his eyes. The eyes of
the Assassin
. I didn
’
t need to wear a fucking mask to make my final stand. Not like Luke had done to Shane.

Luke put his hands to my wrists but gave up after a few seconds. He then started to nod at me. The fucking guy nodded. He was accepting death.

No
…

That
’
s not how it was supposed to be. Luke was supposed to fight to death. He was supposed to be afraid of death. There was no accepting death. No greeting death like an old friend waiting at the bar for a cold beer and some stories.

So I did something I never thought I
’
d have the will to do.

I took my hand from Luke
’
s throat.

And I walked away, leaving him to live.

~ ~ ~

I looked up at Rose. I wanted to do something, but I knew this was far from over. This wasn
’
t just going to be a walk away kind of thing. Not like the movies where the hero throws his arm around the woman and leaves.

I touched my shoulder and my fingers slid into the open wound. The squishy feeling and the pain were enough to make me feel sick. I swallowed and my throat felt like it was closing. With my right hand I reached for someone, needing help.

“
Hey. Drink.
”

The guy - some asshole in a loose tie - pushed back and waved a hand.
“
Get the fuck away from me.
”

I cupped my shoulder, trying to pinch the cut shut.

That was going to help.

I took a step forward. I needed to get to Aton or Danny to get some medical help. When I took that step, my body decided to call it quits. My knee gave out like it was broken. I fell to the ground. Hands and knees on the cold ground. I heard the crowd
oohhh
and
aaahhh
like they were about to enjoy another show. Rose screamed my name, but I couldn
’
t react to her. I couldn
’
t even lift my head. My body was like stone, my muscles shaking, my mind starting to slip.

Christ, I wanted to die.

I really did.

The blood seeped from my wounds. A tingling weakness climbed throughout my body. There was almost a blanketing feeling too. Like a welcoming feeling. Hell, I lifted my head, wondering if I was going to see a white light.

Instead of a white light, some guy looked down at me and shook his head.
“
You
…
better
…”
His voice waved in and out.
“…
watch
…
out
…”

I forced myself to my knees. I put my arms out and kept my balance.

The entire crowd started to scream. Rose screeched like she was being hurt.

I turned my head and saw Luke standing there. The son of a bitch was already back on his feet. Worse yet, he had the goddamn razor blade back in his hand. Blood covered his face except for his eyes. They were small, dark, deadly. Violence kept him alive and my death was his final feast.

I knew I had no chance at defending myself.

Christ, I was supposed to be invincible. That
’
s how I lived after Shane died. That was my way of staying alive. I never exposed myself.

But it was too late.

I got too involved. I got involved with Rose and I fell for her. I let Shane
’
s death win the battle. And now Luke was going to end me.

I curled my right hand into a fist.

Luke charged at me, the razor cocked back in his hand. Maybe the first wouldn
’
t kill me. But the second, third, fourth
…
eventually
…

I smiled.

I fucking smiled at Luke.

I had no fear of him.

“
Fuck
…
you
…
,
”
I yelled with my last good breath.

Luke was inches from me when the gun went off. The bullet hole was a small black dot in the center of his forehead. His head snapped back and he took another step before collapsing.

The crowd screamed and started to break up.

There was Aton
…
standing with a gun in his hand. His lip curled.

“
I still got it,
”
he said.

I looked at him and smiled.
“
Holy shit.
”

Aton then pointed the gun at me.
“
Wes, I
’
m sorry. But I know that you aren
’
t married to Rose. You lied to me
…”

Darkness. Again.