Caged (11 page)

My eyes bulged as I shook my head furiously. “But you can’t. There’s nowhere as good as Seven Oaks. Anderson’s progress will be hindered. Don’t punish him because of me!”

James just shrugged. “Then take up my offer. You should think yourself lucky I’m not terminating your contract. What you have done is grossly…”

“I know!” I hissed.

I was backed into a corner. I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, allow Anderson to suffer. This wasn’t his fault. He’d grown too close and I should have seen that, cut it off as soon as I identified it.

I tensed when James patted my hand. “You needn’t come in tomorrow. I’ll get your belongings shipped to you, Kloe.”

“Why?” I whispered. “Why are you doing this?”

A tight smile curved his thick lips. He clicked his tongue then winked. “Because I can.”

I stared after him when he walked out.

“You’ll love London, Kloe. Enjoy. But don’t come back.”

And I didn’t.

Six weeks later I kissed my friends goodbye, packed Dave into my car.

And left.

I looked back. I looked back many times. And all for the sake of one man.

Four years later

T
HE DEAFENING ROAR OF THE
crowd. The sweet scent of blood. The formidable rush of adrenaline. The cold heat of fury and the delicious sting of pain. They all charged every one of my senses and made my heart beat faster than ever, harder than ever. Sweat splattered the floor, the crowd and my opponent, the sticky floor providing a grip for my bare feet, and the crushing lack of oxygen in the large room only provided a more overpowering need to finish quickly.

Only death would finish this. And it wouldn’t be mine.

I had more of a reason to win than my rival, than every single fighter that thought they could take me on. None of them were scared of death. And that made them weak, easy prey. Death terrified me. It was the only thing that haunted my nightmares – that and one other. I needed to live, hungered for it, to experience so much more than I had, and that gave me something to fight for, something to hit harder for, and produced a tremendous need within me to win.

Another cheer from the crowd when Dandy Waller (what kind of name was that anyway?) went down under the sweep of my foot.

His already dead eyes stared up at me when I dropped to straddle him and held him down under the sheer weight of my body. But when he could do no more than watch me bring my fists together over my head, the recognition of death flickered in his eyes and for the first time he struggled to keep living.

A smile crept over my face, the cruel expression accompanied with a mocking laugh as he tried to buck me off. But it was too late.

Both my fists hit his chest with so much force I felt the bone splinter under my strength. Another roar from the crowd with another strike, and another, and another, the thunderous shouts of my name fuelling me to keep going until nothing but blood and pulp remained of Dandy’s heart, the organ mutilated by the very bone designed to protect it. But nothing could protect the heart. Nothing.

His blood and gore coated my face and I wiped it away with the towel Jed passed me on my way out of the arena.

The mass of bloodthirsty spectators shouted me back, chanting my name over and over, ordering me to return just so they could raise my arm in the air. Fuck that.

Sally, the ring whore, gave me that sultry smile of hers from where she leaned against the wall in the back room. Her large tits spilled out of the tiny leather strip she passed off as a top when I yanked it down. Her moan was loud when I twisted her fat nipples in my fingers, her eyes lighting up with lust.

“Knees.”

She blinked at me, my rough growl cutting through her heroin-fuelled daze. But she allowed my manipulation. They all did.

She sucked cock like a damn vacuum, her wet slurps making my teeth grind together. But it didn’t take long, it never did after the force of adrenaline running through me turned to need. She swallowed my cum greedily, her eyes lowered away from my face. She knew, they all knew, never to look at my face.

Disappointment covered her face when I tucked my cock back in my sweatpants, and she sighed.

I lifted an eyebrow at her and she quickly changed her displeasure into a smile.

“Better.”

Nodding slightly, her eyes to the floor, she remained on her knees until I had walked away.

I pulled a t-shirt from the duffel bag stored in the back room and Marty grinned at me when he entered. “Good fight, as always, Cain.”

I didn’t answer him and yanked off my sweats, replacing them with a clean pair of jeans.

He threw an envelope at me and I caught it, stuffing it into my bag and giving him a quick nod of thanks.

“Wanted a word before you run away into the night.”

Staring at him I tilted my head and waited. He rolled his eyes at my lack of enthusiasm. “Ivan Moritz wants a fight.”

Of course he did.

I scoffed, powerless to hold back the grin. Ivan was known for his brutality, his lack of mercy making him the deadliest fighter in the underground fighting ring. He had never lost a fight – evidentially, as he was still alive – but it was his level of violence that gave his name a name.

“Fifty K for this one, Cain.”

“Set it up,” I answered, not waiting for his reply before I walked out of the side doors.

Lighting a cigarette, I blew a ring of smoke into the balmy late night air, sighing when the rush of nicotine hit my blood system.

A couple of the fight crowd were fucking down the alley, their heavy moans loud in the quiet night. They didn’t stop when I walked past them.

Whistling loudly, I relaxed for the first time that night when Red, my dog, came running from where she’d sat loyally waiting for me in the shadows. Her tail wagged and I gave her a scratch behind her ear. “Good girl.” She wagged harder, her backend swaying, then trotted by my side, every now and again shoving her nose into my hand for a quick pat.

We stopped for kebabs and beer on the way home, Red finishing both greedily as we walked up to the house. The couple two doors down were fucking in their pool again, the floodlights and their loud sex cries making next door’s dog bark and howl. A cat was sitting in front of the iron gates that led up to my house and Red made sure it disappeared as I punched in the code and the gates swung open.

It wasn’t a huge house. But it was mine. Bought with cash I had fought for - literally. It’s high fence and tall gates provided the security and isolation I needed and the garden wasn’t huge but big enough for Red to sprint round when the need took her.

She trotted off into the depths of the house when I unlocked the door and flicked on the lights. The silence was crushing and I hit play on the stereo, filling the nauseating quiet with the heavy beat of some rock music as I grabbed a beer and went to shower.

Robbie was waiting for me when I emerged out of the bathroom. He winked at me when I growled. I hated when he let himself in; locked doors meant nothing to him.

“Why don’t you just ask for a key?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” He laughed, hoisting himself up onto the kitchen counter. He watched me for a while and when I threw him a beer, he grinned. “Perfect job’s become available.”

“Okay.”

Rolling his eyes at my usual lack of enthusiasm he went straight into the details. His voice melded together in my head, the tone becoming a hum in my ears. I didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with me lately; I couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything. My body felt wired 24/7 and my veins itched with a bloodthirsty need for violence. I hoped Marty arranged this fight with Ivan pretty quickly.

“So, what do ya’ think?”

“Sounds good.” I hadn’t a damn clue what he’d just said and he knew it.

“What’s up, man?”

Blowing out a heavy breath I shrugged and perched myself on the worktop beside him. “No idea. Just… something doesn’t feel…” Shaking my head at myself, I growled at my inability to say what I felt, even to my friend of two years. Robbie was the only loyal friend I had and trusted – apart from Red. We’d met after a fight. I’d been walking home and he was being attacked down a back alley; some scumbag tried to nab his phone and cash. He’d kicked the fucker’s arse and after I’d helped finish the job, we’d gone for beer and had been friends ever since.

“Feel right, or something is missing?”

He knew me too well.

“Bit of both,” I answered honestly.

Robbie sighed, lowering his eyes and taking a gulp of his beer. “You need to let it go, Anderson.”

I nodded, as I always did when he stated this fact. But I couldn’t ever let it go. Something inside me wouldn’t let it fucking go, as much as I tried. Every damn day. “I know. Not that easy though, not when there’s this constant fucking rage swirling around inside me, eager for vengeance.”

“She’s a woman! Just a fucking woman!”

“A fucking woman who took something from me that day, Rob. A fucking woman who left something with me. Something that refuses to go!”

“You need to get over this shit!”

Growling under my breath I just nodded, cutting off the conversation. It always ended up with me frustrated and Robbie rolling his eyes.

Knowing I’d locked it up inside again, Rob patted my shoulder and slid off the counter. Throwing his empty bottle into the bin, he stopped by the door and turned back to me. “Lock it down now. We need to concentrate on this job. I’ll be here at eleven tomorrow night.”

Nodding, I frowned. I hadn’t a clue what the job entailed, but Robbie would have it covered. He always did. For the first time in my life – well actually the second – I trusted someone. Knowing he wouldn’t let me down felt good. But it also scared the shit out of me because I had something to lose. Again.

H
IS EYES WERE WIDE, THE
echo of his raging heartbeat portrayed through his pleading stare. Tears streamed down his cheeks, some flicking off to the side as he shook his head desperately.

Blood leaked from a gaping wound on his temple, and his chin had disappeared under a river of blood from where Robbie had pulled six of his teeth out.