Always For You (Books 1-3) (41 page)

I was watching through my fingers as I
saw the man lumber towards him, toying with his prey. Cain managed to
get to his feet before he got there, shaking the webs out of his head
and returning to the cat and mouse game that was being played out in
front my our eyes.

They continued to jostle in the ring,
the giant landing a few punches but Cain able to miraculously
withstand them, his own attacks causing the odd wince of pain on the
monsters scarred face. The blood wasn't being spilt though, the crowd
beginning to grow frustrated. I turned to look at the announcer,
whose face was beginning to contort as he looked around at the crowd.

I saw him nod to a man in the corner as
he stepped forward, the crowd immediately turning to him, casting
their gaze out of the pit as the two men continued to battle. He
lifted his arms and shouted only one word, his voice shattering the
sudden quiet in the room.

“WEAPONS,” he roared, as the man in
the corner sent a series of tools and implements down into the pit.

This was about to get bloody.

Cain

I dashed straight
for a pair of knuckle dusters as they came clattering to the floor,
quickly slipping them on as I saw Tombstone pick up a large, heavy
net. There seemed to be no knives thrown in, nothing to cut, nothing
to kill outright. It seemed the announcer wanted to spice things up,
but not end things quickly.

The giant began
swinging the net above his head, building some speed, and then
launched it towards me. I jumped to the side as the crowd roared, and
managed to just avoid it's clutches. He quickly drew it back in, once
more swinging it and sending it at me.

I dived again but
the net caught in my foot, it's wiry frame twisting around my ankle.
I reached for it with my hands, trying to set my foot free, but I was
quickly rocked back as Tombstone heaved on the rope, pulling me
towards him.

With a metre
between us he started swinging violently, turning round and round on
the spot like a hammer thrower, sending me tumbling across the
concrete in a circle, my foot still caught in the netting. He was so
strong, so forceful, lifting me off the ground in the net and heaving
me into the concrete wall. I felt my hip crack against it, my head
bouncing off the stone, as I crumpled to the floor. My head went
dizzy for a second, the whole left side of my body aching and
throbbing in pain.

In the haze I saw
his figure looming forward once more, and quickly reached for my
ankle. It came free, dislodged from the net by the force of the blow.
I dragged myself away with my hands, scrambling up against the wall
as he came in at me again.

As he reached in I
swung heavily with my right hand, seeing the arrogant look wiped from
his face as the knuckle dusters connected with his cheek. He hadn't
seen it coming, hadn't seen me putting them on. I felt the steel tips
of the dusters crack against his face, saw his eyes wobble in their
sockets, as he stumbled backwards.

I saw
my chance and launched myself off the wall, flying at him as his huge
arms lifted up to protect his face. He was rocking on his feet as I
danced from side to side, sending my fists flying all over his
muscle-bound body. I could hear the
clamoring
of the crowd grow, an excitement building as steel cracked against
bone. My rage overtook me as I reduced him to his knees, sending his
jaw going this way and that, his face swelling further with every
blow.

I swung
relentlessly, his face slowly turning to a bloody pulp, his jaw
cracked and limp, his lips and eyebrows split and spewing blood. I
punched and I punched, my eyes locked on my target, everything else
around me shrouded and blurred.

Then, suddenly, I
relented, leaving my hands to fall down to my side, blood trickling
down my knuckles and dripping off the tips of my fingers. The giant
slumped to the ground, unmoving. His arrogance had cost him, victory
had defeated him: all those fights won imbuing a confidence in him, a
confidence that caused him to underestimate me.

But he was not
dead. I could see his chest heaving up and down, blood gurgling in
his mouth, from his nose as the air was siphoned in and out of his
lungs.

The crowd were
silent now, no one breathing, no one speaking. Then, a heavy clank
hit the concrete behind me, and a turned to see a dagger there in the
center of the pit.

“Finish
him,” came a voice from above, loud and deep, cutting through the
silence. I looked up to see the announcer, his face stern. I could
see Emily there, bound in that room, a man circling her, ready to cut
her throat should I disobey.

I bent down and
lifted the dagger, cold and heavy in my hand, and turned back to the
giant at my feet, unable to defend himself, unable to plead for his
life.

The crowd remained
silent, every set of eyes on me, on the blade in my hand. I lifted
the man's hulking body up, kneeling on the floor behind him, and
brought the dagger to his neck. I looked up at the announcer, locking
my eyes onto his, and stared for a moment.

He saw the
opportunity, raising his arm, his thumb pointing out. He turned it
down, the order to kill, an order I could do nothing but obey. I
squeezed the knife tight against Tombstone's neck, feeling it slowly
sink through his skin, into his flesh. Then, with one quick movement,
I pulled the blade across his jugular, severing his veins and
arteries, cutting his windpipe, preventing any scream from emanating
from his mouth.

The blood poured
instantly, spurting from his neck to growing gasps from the crowd as
the silence was broken. I stood, letting the body slump back down to
the floor, blood gathering around my feet, my eyes still on the
announcer, burning into him for what he made me do.

Emily, I told
myself as I stood there, I did it for Emily.

October 25
^th
2014

Cain

“You did well Cain, I never would
have thought you'd win.”

I was having trouble not launching
myself at him, at ripping his fucking head off. Not with Emily still
in the building through, not with those armed guards behind him.

“I did what you told me, I
honored
my agreement.” I was burning up inside, my rage threatening to
spill over. “Let her go.”

“Done,” he said briskly, a smile
appearing on his face. “We let her go as soon as you'd seen her.
That's all we needed her for, all we needed to make you fight.”

“She's safe?” I asked, my voice
calming.

“Perfectly.”

“And - me?”

His lips curled slightly at their
sides. He didn't say anything, he just nodded slightly. “You can
go,” he said, stepping out of the way, and creating a path through
the door.

I stood gingerly, large swathes of my
body aching badly, lacking now the adrenaline that had kept any
stiffness and pain at bay. I walked past the announcer, keeping my
gaze from his. All I wanted to do was get out of there, escape this
fucking hell hole and never come back.

I could feel him watching me as I moved
down the corridor towards the exit, his cold gaze following me as I
limped forward. As I reached the door I heard his voice echoing down
the corridor, laughing lightly as he spoke.

“Oh Spartan, enjoy your retirement.”

Fuck you.

October 27
^th
2014

Grace

I couldn't watch when Cain ripped the
dagger through that man's neck. I'd seen his violent side, but
watching a man's neck get severed like that, seeing the blood gush
from his open veins, that wasn't something I wanted to witness. But I
knew, just like Brad did, just like Emily would, that it was what he
needed to do.

Brad and I met him outside after the
fight. He told me he'd been let go, that it was over, but didn't
sound convinced. I got the feeling that he'd never be free of it all,
that he'd need to still leave to escape everything. I was in the
crowd that evening, I knew what they were feeling. They'd want more
of him, more of their new champion - the Spartan, warrior elite. It
would become too tempting for the announcer to pull him back into
that world, coerce him once more by threatening the life of Emily,
the lives of others he cared for, others he loved.

He had to leave still, and that's
exactly what I told him. Even after everything, it would never be
safe here, at least, not now. How could he live always looking over
his shoulder, not knowing whether he'd wake up once more in the cell,
ready to be wheeled into the pit? How could he sleep knowing his
loved ones might be at threat?

There was nothing for it - he had to
go.

Cain

I stood with Emily in my arms, my hand
pressed on her belly.

“I love you Emily, you and our child.
I will always love you, always support you.”

She was crying, tears rolling gently
down her soft skin. I felt a well of emotion inside me, unwilling to
let it spill forth. Not yet.

“When will I see you again?” she
asked through her sobs.

“I can't tell you, but I'll call you,
I'll call you as often as I can.”

I was leaving, and leaving alone. I'd
realized that I was toxic, that my presence had only brought pain to
those I loved. The things I'd done over the last few years,
everything that I'd dragged my family into, dragged Emily into, it
was all my fault. I couldn't take Emily with me, despite what I
wanted. I couldn't take her away from her life.

I needed to leave, get my life in
order, let the announcer forget about me. Grace was right - he'd
never let me free, he'd get me back into that pit eventually. I
couldn't live like that, couldn't put everyone else in danger. I had
to leave, and I had to go alone.

I hugged and kissed Emily once more
before turning to Grace.

“Hey sis, you've been a rock. I'll be
in touch, take care of Em for me.” I could see her welling up as
well.
What is it with these women and crying.

I stepped in and gave her a hug,
feeling her squeeze me tight. She said nothing, looking at me through
wet eyes as I turned away and opened the door to my van.

“I love you both,” I said, “always
remember that.”

Maybe, once I get my life together,
I'll be able to show them properly.

Then, without delaying any further, I
started the engine and rumbled off down the road, watching the two
tear-ridden faces gradually grow smaller in my wing mirror.

“
I'll
be back soon,” I said to myself, a tear finally unleashed from my
eye, “this is home.”

A BIG Thank You!

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Sunrise in Bali
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Summer of Love
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Across the Pond 
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Across the Pond Trilogy
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