Paxton's Promise (27 page)

SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT. The smell of the air, everything was off. Red firmly held my arm and pulled me along, but instead of cement beneath my feet, it was grass. There wasn’t supposed to be grass. “Where are we?” I asked. My body screamed for me to run, that danger was ahead.

Digging my feet into the ground, I tried to jerk out of his hold and lift the blindfold over my head, but his grip tightened even more. “Relax. We just took a little detour.”

“A detour? What the fuck are you talking about? I’m supposed to be fighting.”

I walked up a couple of steps and then a door creaked. “Not tonight you’re not, but we do get to watch it.”

He helped me inside and the place smelled musty, like no one had been there in a while. “Watch it? I don’t understand.”

The ominous chuckle that escaped his lips made the hair on the back of my neck stand straight up. “You’ll see, sweetheart. It’s going to be fucking epic.”

He pushed me down in a chair and before I could relax my arms, he pulled them behind me and bound my wrists together. “What the fuck are you doing?” I tried to jerk free, but it was no use. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t see. However, it didn’t stop there. When he started on one of my ankles, I panicked. Instinctively, I jerked up with my knee and clocked him in the nose.

“Stupid bitch,” he growled, slapping me across the cheek. My head snapped to the side and my eyes watered. It hurt like hell, and unfortunately, it caught me off guard. He used my hesitation to his advantage and finished tying me down. Now, I was completely at his mercy, or anyone else who decided to come along.

“You’re going to pay for that,” I hissed low. “I think it’s pretty pathetic you have to tie me up. Are you afraid I’m going to escape?”

“Hardly,” he scoffed. “Now shut the fuck up.” Before I could come up with a reply, he left the room. My bag was still in his truck, so hopefully, the trackers would lead Mason and his team here. There had to be someone close by. Red came back in, and it sounded like he was setting something up in front of me.

It wasn’t until he lifted my blindfold that I saw what he was doing. It took a few seconds to adjust to the light and it didn’t help that my face stung. The room we were in was a living room with ratty navy furniture and smoke stained walls. I could even smell the stale stench of cigarettes in the musty, moldy air. There were no windows, but over Red’s shoulder I could see the kitchen . . . and a door. One way or another, I was going to escape out of that door. Red fiddled around with a laptop and once the video came into focus he set it down on the table.

“Are you ready for the show?”

Swallowing hard, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from speaking. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach and the bile rose to the back of my throat, gagging me. The screen showed the fighting ring I recognized all too well. Two people were battling it out and blood was everywhere. There was no sound to the video and I was almost thankful I couldn’t hear the screams.

Averting my gaze, I turned to Red who watched on in fascination.
Disgusting maggot.
Why couldn’t
he
be in the ring getting the shit beat out of him? It didn’t take a genius to figure out what we were about to look at next. After this fight, it was going to be Paxton and Rage. They didn’t want me there so they could mess with Paxton’s head. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.

“You’re not falling asleep are you? The most exciting part of the evening is coming up,” Red mentioned.

My eyes snapped open and I glared at him. “I don’t get off on watching people hurt and kill each other. Now, if it was you in the ring, I might have a different opinion.”

“Trust me, I’ve done some damage in there, but tonight isn’t about me. It’s about you.”

By the time I looked back at the screen, the fight was already over. I had no clue if anyone was killed, and I didn’t want to know. By the amount of blood on the mat, I’d say someone met their maker. Three men, dressed in hooded robes, sprayed off the mat with water hoses like nothing ever happened. Even through the screen I could smell the blood. Knowing Paxton was about to enter that same ring terrified the shit out of me.

“Here we go,” Red announced excitedly.

Keeping my eyes glued to the screen, I stared helplessly as I watched Paxton enter the ring, confident and completely pissed off. With his body tense and ready to kill, he was almost unrecognizable. The camera was set back a little too far, but it didn’t take away from the murderous gleam in his eyes.

Without me there, I was afraid of what he would do. But when the door to the cage opened and three men ventured inside, it no longer mattered what he would do . . . it was what they were going to do to him.

“Oh, my God.”

“That’s right, sugar tits. You might want to watch because this will be the last time you see lover boy alive.”

“IT TAKES THREE of you cowards to fight me?” I snapped angrily. Scar was by the door, blocking it, while I was surrounded by the three cocksuckers. One had on a black hood, while the other two were ready to fight. A thick set of chains dangled from one of the fighter’s hands, and the other had brass knuckles with spikes.

Camden had yet to come into the room with Gabriella, which infuriated me more. I needed to see her, to make sure she was okay. If not, every motherfucker in the room was going to feel my wrath.

“No, I think two will suffice,” the one in the hood spoke.

“Who the fuck are you?” I asked. Judging by the malevolence pouring off him, I had no doubt who he was . . . and I was going to kill him. At least that way, I would know for a fact he couldn’t go after Gabby.

He chuckled, but kept his face hidden. I wanted to know who the fuck he was; his voice was familiar. “You know who I am. I’m the one who’s going to walk right out of here and go straight to your girl. Someone has to console her after she finds out your dead.”

Growling, I lunged forward, but was stopped when both of the other fighters grabbed a hold of me. Rage laughed and stalked forward. “You’re not going to touch her, you psycho ass motherfucker. I’m not going to let you hurt her like you did the other women you stalked, harassed, and killed.”

“Those bitches had it coming. They fucked me over and paid the price. However, I don’t plan on hurting Gabriella at all, if she submits to me. You see, she’s different. I could see it in her eyes that she wants me. If it wasn’t for you, I’d already have her. Once you’re out of the way, she’ll be mine.” Turning on his heel, he headed for the cage door.

“So you’re a pathetic coward then,” I spat. “It’s funny because I thought you were going to fight me on your own. I guess you’re scared of the Reaper.”

He stopped mid-step, his hands clenched at his sides. Slowly, he turned around and I could smell his anger permeating the room. I needed him to stay in the ring, at least until Mason and his people got into place. “I’m not scared of you,” he growled low. “I’d just rather be fucking my girl than being here, wasting my time with you. Farewell, Reaper.”

Scar opened the door and before Rage could stroll out, I head butted the guy behind me, breaking his nose, and punched the other in the side of the head. All I could see was red as I charged toward Rage. Still, it wasn’t fast enough before the cage door was slammed in my face—Rage on the other side, walking away.

Scar smirked. “It’s been good having you around Reaper, but your time is up.”

I heard the chains being whipped into the air only mere seconds before pain exploded in my head. Blood oozed down my neck and back, but I couldn’t focus on the pain. Rage exited the room and I knew it was only a matter of time before Gabriella would be in his grasp.

“DAMN, DID YOU see that hit?” Red blurted excitedly. “I bet he’s got one hell of a headache right now.”

I’d seen the hit and it made me sick. Screaming for Paxton to turn around, tears welled in my eyes when he took the hit.

“I’m kind of bummed though. Rage was supposed to murder his ass.”

“That was Rage who left?” I asked, stomach clenching. I was hoping it wasn’t him.

Red nodded. “He’s probably on his way to you. He’s been hard up for you ever since Vegas.”

Holy fuck. What was I going to do? “How far away are we from there?”

Red huffed and grabbed my chin, turning it to the television. “That’s none of your concern. Now watch the damn fight.”

When I tried to jerk out of his hold, he clenched down harder, keeping my face in the direction of the laptop. Fighting off two men with weapons wasn’t easy, and every minute that passed by, I could see Paxton slowly begin to falter.

Where the hell was Mason? The guy with the spiky knuckles took a swipe at Pax and it sliced across his chest, blood oozing down. When Paxton stumbled, the fighter with the chains reared back and pummeled him on the side of the head. Paxton went down . . . and everything in my world shattered. I struggled to breathe, to think, as I sat there looking at his still form.

“Get up,” I shouted as the tears welled in my eyes. Red laughed as both fighters circled the ring triumphantly. I ignored him and kept my focus on Paxton, my fighter. He had to get up, he just had to. There was no way in hell I was going to imagine being in a world without him.

“He’s not getting up. He’s done,” Red chuckled victoriously. “That was too fucking easy.”

Both fighters circled around Paxton’s motionless body and moved closer and closer.
Come on, Pax. Get up.
My stomach clenched and when I thought I couldn’t watch anymore, Red shut the lid closed, just as the other fighters were about to start beating him again.

“What are you doing?” I spat, tears blurring my vision. “I have to watch him get up. He needs to get up.” Fighting against my restraints, my skin burned with my struggles and I didn’t care. I had to get out of there.

Red jumped to his feet and grabbed the tape, ripping off a piece and slapping it over my mouth. “You just don’t know when to shut up, do you? Now fucking be quiet. Someone’s here.” Quietly, he crept out of the room and disappeared.

Please tell me it’s Mason.
I tried to stay quiet so I could listen, but nothing could prepare me for what I heard next. The gunshot was so loud my ears rang, followed by the loud thud of a body hitting the floor.