Cage (17 page)

“Your job is to help me patch him up and get him out of here,” the
referee continued. “Take him to a hospital if you want – he might need a
few stitches, but I doubt it. Resilient. That’s Bonesaw. Resilient as a
motherfucker.”

The door burst open, and the others came back – carrying the limp
Jabberjaw over a shoulder. A few audience members tried to push through, but
Darren punched someone and growled at the others, and Luke forced the door
closed.

“How is he?” Darren immediately asked. He didn’t bother to inquire as to
the change in placement; instead, he carefully slid Jabberjaw onto the couch.

“No broken bones, nothing irreversible…I think…” Vinnie answered. “When
he wakes up, he’s gonna be in for it, but with some decent pain meds he should
be just fine. A bit woozy, maybe. That’s why we’ve got little Skipper here to
keep an eye on the big guy.”

Everyone but Vinnie turned to me.

The referee, on the other hand, immediately flocked to Jabberjaw’s side.
“Now,
this
guy…this guy’s the one who
worries me. We’re gonna need to get him an ambulance on the double…”

Darren pulled me aside as Luke looked back and forth between everyone,
backing up slowly towards the door.

“Ahhh, nuh-nuh-nuh…” Vinnie declared, wagging his finger at the
retreating rasta guy. “Nope,
you
?
You
aren’t goin’
anywhere
. You’re coming right here and playing
nurse
, or I’ll wring yer fucking neck myself.”

Darren cast Luke a fierce, smoldering glare, and Luke’s shoulders
finally sagged. Defeated, he dropped to Vinnie’s side.

“Alright, what do I do?”

“Well, you’re gonna
start
by handing me that bottle…”

Darren turned to me again, his hand on my shoulder.

“Are you okay? I’ll get you anything you need.”

“No, I’m fine, I’m just worried about
him
…”

“I know, sweetheart,” the bodybuilder smiled sadly. “Tonight was fucked
up. It wasn’t supposed to go down anything like that. I’ve fought alongside
Sawyer for years…we go way back. Do you need me to call an ambulance for him?
Better safe than sorry.”

“Yeah, that’s probably–”

“No,” a hissing, pained voice called from the floor. “No ambulance. I
need…I need to get back…home…”

It was Sawyer, miraculously. He was starting to move around on the
floor, but he snarled with a burst of pain and slid back onto his back.

“You’re hurt! You need to see someone!”

“No…I’ll be…fine,” he groaned. “We have…things at…home. Medicine
cabinet…fully stocked. Strong stuff…in there. Just need…home…” The pain left
his face, and his body slumped subtly.

Darren turned from him to me.

“Looks like he’s back out cold. What do you think?

“What would
you
do?”

The bodybuilder glanced over my shoulder, down at the crumpled form on
the floor. “It’s a tough call…but he’s a tough guy. If our resident medic can’t
see anything particularly life threatening…I’d honor his wishes. I can help you
get him back home, get him set up. Is that what you want to do?”

I looked down at Sawyer. He looked so peaceful. Every ounce of me
realized that if anything happened to him, I’d be devastated. He was a jackass,
but he was
my
jackass, and I’d be
damned if he didn’t get the attention he needed. At the same time…I felt like
that was wrong. Something inside me rebelled at the thought – I felt as
if he needed to be
home
, that he was
right
. That to send him to the hospital
and sit by his side was the wrong choice. I don’t know why; my instincts had
never been particularly strong. But my gut told me that I would regret it, and
it was strong enough to make the decision for me.

“Alright. We’ll do it. Let’s get him home.”

(
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)

Chapter 20 – Sawyer

Pensacola, Present Day

I felt heavy, weary. My body was weakened, with some bruising and
swelling here or there, but none of my limbs shrieked with agony if I slowly
lifted anything. I was comfortable, I remember – it took a while for me
to open my eyes and recognize that I was lying in my bed at the Beach House.

I remembered slight flashes – being carried to the back of a car,
my eyes barely registering Darren’s determined, distracted face above. There
was another – Darren pacing beyond my feet, and Saffron trying to calm me
down and make me take some pain medication. Incoherently, I’d tried to explain
something to them – but I had been delirious. There were other glimpses,
and I realized that some time had passed. I didn’t know how much. Could have
been a day – could have been close to a week. Time meant so little to me
in this place.

My eyes adjusted to the light. I deduced that it was late afternoon. The
faint caws of distant gulls hit my ears, and I almost chuckled at their sound.

Saffron was here with me. She convinced me to take another pair of pain
pills, and swig of water to wash them down. Issuing some kind of calm command
to me, I barely heard her, electing to close my eyes again. The bed was so
comfortable, and my flesh was so weary.

The command was repeated. She sounded agitated now.

Parting my eyelids again, I frowned slightly at her request.

“Sawyer! Listen to me!” She was telling me, mildly exasperated. “You’ve
got to swallow, or you’ll choke on them!”

Oh, that’s right. Everything’s
still in my mouth.

I leaned forward wearily; it was just enough to comfortably swallow the
pills and the mouthful of water. She helped me rest backwards, and I felt the
compulsion to close my eyes again.

But I ignored it.

Saffron looked so beautiful. Tired, upset, her face hovered in sight.
Her eyes were holding back tears, and her lips were pursed with concern.

“Are you okay, Sawyer?” She asked sadly.

I realized that my normal reservation was gone. It was freeing, to be in
this place where I wasn’t worried about my actions, or playing some part as the
arrogant prick in her life. All of that had shifted to the side, and it was
just me now – and although I suspected that the pain medication she had
been feeding me was to blame, I knew that this was the opportunity I needed to
push it all aside.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“Of course you do,” my caretaker grumbled, shaking her head. “That stuff
we had to give you was pretty strong. You’re pretty out of it.”

She didn’t understand.

“No, Saffron…I mean it,” I responded, my voice taking back some of its
strength. In fact, just saying the words seemed to have given me some refreshed
momentum, and I meant to make the best of it. “I’ve always loved you.”

She hesitated. “Sawyer, you should get some rest.”

“No, Saffron…” I murmured, reaching up the fingers of my right hand. I
gingerly brushed her hanging hair out of her face with the tips, reaching down
to cup her cheek. “You don’t understand. I’ve loved you from the bottom of my
heart for years…and I’ve wanted you so badly. It’s why I left in the first
place.”

My stepsister was visibly stunned.

“I…Sawyer, I don’t…”

“Go,” I told her. “Make me some coffee, and bring it back to me. I need
something to energize me…”

“You need rest,” she insisted.

“No.” The syllable was strong – the cadence of my voice was back,
and I felt in charge. I pushed myself up in bed, my limbs a little sluggish but
still responsive to my commands. “I need to tell you these things
now
, before this all wears off…make me a
cup of hot coffee, and I’ll explain things to you.”

Saffron was troubled, but she nodded briskly and left my side –
pausing at the doorway to look over her shoulder at me. With a quick shake of
the head, she disappeared from sight, and I leaned forward and held my head.

Am I really going to go
through with this?

I wasn’t sure if I should. Fading in and out during my recovery, she had
always been there – always taking care of me, never leaving my side.
Thinking harder, I remembered a faint glimpse; I had seen her asleep in her
chair by the bed. She had dedicated everything to keeping me comfortable and
keeping me safe…the role that I was meant to play for her.

My face lifted from my hands. I unsteadily climbed from the bed,
slipping out of my fighting shorts. Listening intently for her footsteps
against the stairs, I staggered into the closet and examined my wounds in the
mirror – a little puffiness here and there, but ultimately my body had
already healed up a number of the injuries. Sure, there was the evidence of a
split brow and some ample bruising, but I’d suffered these things before.

I took the opportunity to quickly dress, whipping on a pair of jeans, a
belt, and a graphic tee. I quickly splashed water against my face in the
bathroom, and then sat back down on the edge of the bed.

All the moving around had drained me – I needed to take it easy
for a little while, and the coffee would help put some spunk back in my veins.

She returned shortly after, bringing me a fresh cup of Robusta coffee.
The wafting, uplifting scents of some gourmet Swiss chocolate blend filled my
nostrils, and I carefully took the dish from her. My stepsister was clearly
surprised at my change of clothes, but didn’t say anything about it, choosing
to allow me to enjoy the hot beverage.

Lifting the cup to my lips, I blew across it steadily before swallowing.
It did the trick – a slight burst to my senses, probably just the heat,
but I knew that the caffeine would hit my system as I told my tale.

And that’s exactly what I did, as Saffron sat by my side.

I told her
everything
.

My words carried me forward, drawing additional strength into my veins.
I started by revealing the conflicting feelings I felt when we began living
together; I continued by explaining my decision to leave home, and how much of
an impact she had made on it. I told her about New Orleans, and how I met the
man I previously knew as
Slippery Pete
.
Then there was the police raid on our home – and arriving in Pensacola,
meeting Darren, and setting up New Horizons. I continued through to decision to
leave, testing out my luck on the national underground circuit. I even
explained a few side adventures: Rio de Janeiro with Darren, hiking alone in
Colorado, and hitting the open road on the back of my Suzuki.

Finally, I lead up to the defining phone call.

The one that kicked all of this into gear.

“What was it?” Saffron asked, the first words she’d spoke aloud since I
began. “What did you two talk about?”

“I suspected that he wanted me to return. For that reason, I almost
didn’t bother,” I confessed. “But it was more than that. We did the small talk
thing first – he explained a few changes in his business life, I told him
the cities I’d driven to. I was impatient, wanting to know his angle…

“But then,” I continued, “he was heading to Paris. He wanted to take our
mother abroad, and he didn’t feel right leaving you for the summer. Said there
were threats made against the company. Bad ones. They named names… They named
you.”

“Who would want to hurt me?” she asked quietly.

 
“He said he didn’t know. He
was going to either ship you away somewhere for a few months, or let you have
full rein of the Beach House for the same period of time. It’s a gated
community, lots of security out there, and nobody knows he owns it. You’d be
safe down here…”

Saffron nodded, understanding.

“Of course, you’re aware that there was a catch. He wanted someone there
to protect you, and he wanted it to be me. Turns out he’d been keeping tabs on
me. He knew about my cage fighting, and he knew that I would take care of you.
In his eyes, I was perfect for the role. But he needed an answer then and
there.”

“And you said yes.”

“I said no,” I told her, and she looked uncomfortable for a moment. “But
I changed my mind. I figured,
it’s been
five years
. I can handle my emotions now. I can deal with being around my
stepsister without feeling anything for her. I’ve knocked a hundred men out in
the ring; I’ve escaped from the police, ridden a bus halfway across the States,
and I’ve seen incredible things. After all that, I can handle being around my
old flame again.”

She looked demure for a moment. “Could you?”

“Fuck no,” I chuckled. “The moment I saw you, I realized how wrong I’d
been. You were so fucking beautiful from that first moment and on. I spent time
away from the house in the build-up to the trip, just hoping beyond reason that
I’d be able to get a grip. But I couldn’t.”

Saffron was struggling with something internally – I couldn’t tell
what. But when she opened her mouth, she surprised me.

“I’ve done something wrong, Sawyer.”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow, maintaining eye contact.

“I’ve been such an idiot, I…I was so mad when you were disappearing on
me. I was furious. You were so distant, and I needed to know what was going
on…I…”

Saffron looked like she was completely on the verge of crying. It would
be cruel to let this continue and, just by bringing it up, she had already
shown me everything she needed to.

“The tracker,” I smiled knowingly.

“I…what?” She was confused now, her beautiful eyes lining with tears.

“You think I wouldn’t notice? Jesus, Saffron, you realize that I refill
my gas less than a foot from that spot…and I know what those things are.
Very
creative usage, though…you
certainly got your mileage out of it.” I gave her a sideways glance, watching
her process this information.

“Oh my god, I…I don’t know what to…can you forgive me?”

“Don’t get me wrong…you crossed a line. But I pushed you. I let you
down. I should have been here, should have…” I shook my head. “It doesn’t
matter now. If you hadn’t said anything, I would have been angrier, but I know
that it’s my fault. You
will
remove
it in the morning, though. Understood?”

She nodded gratefully, wiping her eyes.

Silence filled the air between us for a moment. Both of us wanted to say
something, but neither of us could.

“Listen, Saffron…” I told her, putting my feet down on the floor. It was
time to bring it all back around. She pulled her chair back and stood up
uneasily. “I just want you to know that, no matter what…I’ve always loved you,
completely and fully. I understand if you don’t feel the same way…I can’t see
why you would, honestly…but I will always protect you from now on, if you want
me. Not just at this fucking Beach House. Anywhere. Anytime.”

I rose from the bed. To my surprise, I wasn’t shaky or nervous; my
injuries felt like nothing to me, although the medication must have had a lot
to do with that. Perhaps they’d mostly healed by now.

“You are the entire world to me, and I just can’t
bear the thought of–”

My words were cut off as she threw her body against mine. Her arms
wrapped around me as she began to heavily cry into my chest.

“Sawyer…you asshole…” she sobbed. “You shouldn’t have ever left me…I was
broken when you were gone. You devastated me. And all this time, I hated
you…for making me love you…and when you came back, I just didn’t…”

I lifted her chin; my eyes peered deep into hers. My thumb rubbed along
her cheek, wiping the tears away. I felt her warmth against my skin, and I knew
that everything was going to be okay.

“I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.”