Fight for Me (16 page)

Knox pulled the trucker cap down on his forehead, feeling more than a little ridiculous. But he definitely didn’t look like himself, which was the point. Although, since it was a fight night, it was probably safer for him and Natalie to be moving about the city because X and all his men were occupied. They only had to worry about police and Kent’s guards.

They hadn’t seen any of Kent’s guards in days. That didn’t mean they were out of the picture, though. More than likely, it just meant that Kent didn’t have the same resources as X, whose men seemed to be everywhere.

There were no lights on the outside of the building and no indication that anything was happening inside. Even still, it was amazing that the fights had been happening in the same place for the last decade and never once been raided by the police. Maybe they knew and just didn’t give a fuck. Why would they care if some south side guys pounded the shit out of each other a couple times a month? As long as it didn’t bleed over to the swanky north side, the cops probably had more important things to worry about.

It felt strange to bypass the door he normally used—the one the other fighters had gone into about an hour earlier. His gaze lingered on the metal door with its red paint chipping off. His days of using the fighting entrance were over. He pulled his eyes away and led Natalie around to the maintenance gate, the one that was rarely, if ever, used.

The venue was actually an old warehouse that had been converted into an arena. The cage had been there the whole time he’d been fighting, but the bleachers and the locker room areas had been added over the years. In the beginning, the fights were X’s sole business, and he worked hard building a name for himself and his arena. What had started out as back-alley brawls had turned into a virtual underground empire.

Eventually though, it wasn’t enough for X. He moved on to bigger things.

The chain-link gate let out a high-pitched squeal when Knox opened it, and he tensed, looking over his shoulder and half expecting someone to come running. They were on the opposite side of the building, so it was doubtful anyone heard it, but his nerves were on edge.

Natalie shouldn’t be here.

Not only was she putting herself too much at risk, but he was also exposing her to his old lifestyle. He wasn’t sure if that was something he wanted her to see firsthand.

The door was locked, so he gestured Natalie forward, and she knelt in front of it. After inspecting the knob, she pulled some tools out of her backpack and set to work.

She had the door open in under a minute.

He had to admit her skills were impressive, especially considering she’d lost her original lock-picking kit and was making do with a hodgepodge set.

They crept inside, closing the door behind them with a soft click. Darkness enveloped them, and they waited a few moments for their eyes to adjust. Then Knox motioned her forward with a flick of his fingers.

The hallway that ran along the west side of the building was rarely used. It led to the access room for the catwalk area high above the main floor. Once the fights began, spotlights would illuminate the cage, leaving the upper area near the roof dark.

And that’s where they would be—fifty feet above the cage in the shadows.

At the other end of the catwalk was a ladder that would take them to the hallway just outside the locker room. It was perfect. They could get in and out undetected.

The access room was unlocked. Knox closed the door behind them and flipped on the lights. There was no lock on the door, so he wedged a metal folding chair under the knob to secure it. That wouldn’t keep anyone out for long, but it might buy them some extra time if they needed it.

He hoped to God they wouldn’t.

The only problem with this plan was the possibility of getting trapped on the catwalk. They were putting themselves in a position where they could be cornered with no way out besides a suicidal fall, but the likelihood of that happening was slim. They were much more likely to be discovered if they stayed on the ground.

The ladder was covered in dust and grime. Knox wrapped his fingers around the highest rung he could reach and shook it. Though old and rusty, it seemed secure enough.

Knox helped Natalie up onto the first rung of the ladder, which was several feet off the ground. She looked over her shoulder at him with wide eyes before disappearing into the hole in the ceiling and the darkness above.

His nerves gnawed at his gut the minute she was out of his sight.

That was the other small problem with the plan—there was a small section they had to climb that would be in complete darkness. The lights from below didn’t reach this far, but the use of a flashlight was too risky.

Knox had been up on the catwalk before, but it was years ago and he hadn’t been forced to navigate in the dark.

He climbed up behind Natalie, staying a few steps below her in case she slipped. She was taking it slow and steady.
Good.
There was no reason to rush. Once they got to the top of the catwalk, they’d likely have to wait a few minutes until they could cross the arena.

Natalie reached the top and crouched down on the metal grated walkway. Knox joined her, keeping one hand on the wall and another on the floor. It was dark as fuck. After a few minutes his eyes adjusted and he could make out shapes in the blackness. There was light up ahead and Knox crept toward it to stare down at the arena floor.

It looked a lot smaller from up here. Funny. For so long it had been his entire world. But now, looking down on the gray metal chain-link, he saw it for what it really was.

A cage.
X had used that cage to keep him a prisoner. And Knox had allowed it. But that was okay. X was about to get what he deserved.

The fighters trickled into the arena and spectators drifted toward their seats. Big crowd tonight. From this vantage, it was easy to see the money that exchanged hands. The lights blinked, signaling last call for placing bets.

Beside him, Natalie peered down. He wished he could see her face and her reaction. What did she think of this underground arena that used to rule his life? Whether he liked it or not, it was a large part of his past, and it had shaped him into the man he was today.

The announcer’s voice came over the speaker to give an overview of the evening. Knox had heard it all before. When he started to go through the order of the fights, Knox listened intently.

The fight he was supposed to throw was the headliner. Hector was replacing him, which wasn’t a big surprise. Hector was the next best fighter in his class, and more importantly, he bowed to X’s every command. X might not have even had to bribe him to throw the fight.

Hector’s opponent was new—someone named Anton Krupin.

He squinted, staring down at the guy. Had he fought him, it would have been a good match. He could tell by the way the guy moved and held himself that he was an accomplished fighter. For the first time in years, he might have actually stood the risk of losing.

But why would X want him to throw the fight? Most likely it was some sort of sick power play. X had always been good for mind games. It was all about control for him.

The first fight was about to start, so he grabbed Natalie’s hand and squeezed to let her know it was time to move. As soon as the lights in the arena dimmed, they made their way across the catwalk.

Their movement cast shadows on the ceiling, but there was nothing they could do about that except hope that no one looked up.

They made it to the other side without incident and waited. Since Knox was always on the floor during fights, he wasn’t sure when the drop happened, so their plan was to give it thirty minutes before making their way down.

Instead of watching the first fight, he watched Natalie—watched her wince when X’s fighter threw his opponent against the chain-link. Watched her gulp as blood covered the floor of the mat from the guy’s broken nose. Watched her turn her head as the downed fighter was carried out of the cage, unconscious.

He shouldn’t have brought her. It was one thing to tell her about this life, but another for her to witness it firsthand. And this wasn’t the half of it.

It was time, so Knox got Natalie’s attention and climbed down first. The hallway was clear, so he gave a low whistle and Natalie appeared moments later. He gripped her waist to help her jump down the last few feet. She turned and looked up at him with a tight adrenaline-filled smile.

He ushered her into the empty locker room, allowing himself a small sigh of relief when he saw the locker that X normally used was occupied. It was locked with a combination lock.

Natalie took it in her hands and turned the dial slowly, watching it intently. When it got past number fourteen, she stopped and pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of her pocket. Then she started doing math on it.

“What are you doing?” Knox asked.

She held her hand up to silence him and kept going, writing down different numbers until she was left with two columns of numbers and one final number. Then she started spinning the lock. Knox had faith in her, but after seven wrong tries, he started to worry. If they couldn’t get that locker open, then this was all for nothing. He surveyed the room, looking for something he could use to bash the locker open, and his gaze settled on the fire extinguisher.

He took one step toward it when he heard the soft click. He turned to see Natalie taking the lock off the locker with a smug smile on her face.

He never should have doubted her.

Knox quickly opened the locker and pulled out the gray gym bag he’d seen X carry.

He closed his eyes briefly and blew out a breath. Then he slowly unzipped the bag.

“Holy fuck.”

Natalie peeked inside the bag. She’d never seen so much coke in her life.

Well, to be fair, she’d never seen
any
coke before. Was this a lot for a dealer? Given Knox’s expression, it certainly was.

“Jackpot,” he said, slinging the bag over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

But at the door, Knox froze, putting his hand up to halt Natalie. She strained to hear what had made him stop.

Voices. In the hall. Right outside the door.

Her stomach jumped up to her throat.

“Bathroom stall,” Knox hissed. “
Go, go, go.
”

Natalie turned on her heel and scurried around the corner from the locker area to three bathroom stalls, going into the farthest one. She hopped onto the toilet seat, flattening her hands against the stall walls to steady herself. She had to duck down to keep her head below the wall.

Knox slid the lock on the stall and joined her on the toilet seat, but there was barely enough room. If they weren’t careful, one of them was going to end up with their foot in the water. That would be disgusting enough, but worse—it would attract the attention of whoever was out there.

The locker room door clanged open, and it sounded like two men entered. They were speaking another language that Natalie guessed was Russian.

Natalie closed her eyes and buried her face in Knox’s T-shirt, concentrating on his scent and hoping the men wouldn’t hear the hammering of her heart that seemed deafening.

Getting caught here was just about the worst thing that could happen to them. Natalie wasn’t worried for herself as much as she was worried for Knox. She’d simply be handed over to her father, but Knox . . . she didn’t even want to think about what fate would await him.

With every slam of the locker, Natalie’s heart lurched. The men kept up a steady stream of conversation that was punctuated with laughter. Finally, the door swooshed closed behind them and their voices drifted away.

Knox quickly jumped down and helped Natalie down as well.

“We’ve got to move.” Knox strode out of the stall and toward the door the men had just exited through. “The fights must be almost over. It must be a short night. Damn it.”

Knox peered out into the hall, and though voices could be heard, he motioned her forward. She scurried to the ladder and took the boost that Knox offered, climbing twice as fast as she had descended. Knox had barely made it through the hole in the ceiling when there were more voices directly below them.

Natalie took it slower, trying to keep her tennis shoes from squeaking on the metal ladder. She wiped her slick palms on her jeans every few rungs. When she made it to the top, she crawled a few feet before collapsing, closing her eyes, and taking several deep breaths. Her hands were shaking as fast as her heart was beating.

Knox cupped her chin in his hand, and she opened her eyes to stare into the dark intensity of his. A few more deep breaths, and her hands stopped shaking. Her heart slowed, but it was still pulsing with adrenaline.

Knox took the lead and she followed, squeezing tightly against the guardrail as they crossed over the arena.
Hand over hand. One foot in front of the other. Don’t look down.

She gasped, seeing the bag catch on a jagged edge of the rail, ripping a hole in the side. She lurched forward to catch the contents as they fell. All of the baggies except one landed in her hands. She went down hard on her knee with a loud clang, but kept her eyes open to watch the baggie full of coke plummet down into the arena.

It fell into the middle of the crowd. No one noticed yet.

“
Shit,
” she whispered. Knox picked her up and shoved the baggies from her hands back into the gym bag, holding the gaping hole closed with his hand.

“Let’s go.” Knox’s voice was quiet, but urgent.

She looked down one last time, partly expecting half the audience to have guns pointed in their direction.

What she didn’t expect to see was her father sitting next to X.

Her eyes bulged and she stumbled, knocking into Knox. He turned, and she pointed, still gaping. Why was her father here?

He looked perfectly comfortable and at ease, like he was surrounded by the socialites at a charity dinner rather than rubbing elbows with the local mob at an illegal, underground fighting ring.

“We’ve got to go.” Knox grabbed her hand.

She and Knox hurried along the catwalk, their footsteps making a hollow dinging sound that matched the racing of her heart. He went down the ladder first, and she didn’t wait for him to get very far before she started her descent.

Once back on the ground, Knox removed the chair from under the doorknob and listened for a moment. He slowly opened the door, checking the hallway before motioning her forward. Twenty feet and they’d be out.

Knox took the time to lock the outer door behind them, and they escaped into the shadows of the city.

Knox and Natalie stopped at a twenty-four-hour diner and locked themselves in the unisex bathroom stall. As Knox watched the coke swirl around in the toilet on its way down to the sewer, he couldn’t help but think:
what a waste.
Hundreds of thousands—maybe even millions—of dollars just gone.

He’d never been tempted to join the drug trade, but for the first time he was beginning to understand the appeal of it. And who knows? If X had been dealing back when Knox first joined him, Knox might have ended up involved in it, too. His dumb adolescent self had thought that X walked on water, the result of X being the first fatherlike figure to pay him a decent amount of attention.

Knox dumped the last of the coke into the toilet. As soon as the water in the bowl stilled and he could tell it had all been washed away, he opened the door for Natalie and they quickly exited the restaurant.

But not before the smell of greasy bacon and maple syrup filled his nostrils. His stomach growled in protest, and he caught Natalie looking wistfully at the spread on a patron’s table as they passed.

He wished they were a normal couple, maybe visiting the diner for a snack after a late movie. Then as quickly as the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it.

He and Natalie would never
be
a normal couple. If things were normal for them, they would never have met. They would never be together.

And he wanted that for her. It was bad enough he’d had to take her to the fight. He didn’t want her involved in or knowing about the seedier parts of life.

But for him? He couldn’t imagine life without her.

He tossed the ripped and empty gym bag into a Dumpster and then took her hand in the darkness. He told himself it was to keep her close, for her safety, but he was a damn liar.

He just wanted her close. Period.

He guided her down the familiar streets, stepping over a pothole in the sidewalk that he’d dodged without even thinking nearly every day on his morning run. This route would lead them past the back door of the gym, but that didn’t matter. No one would be there.

Still, his body tensed as they approached and he pulled Natalie closer.

Two men appeared from a side street just several yards in front of them. They were dressed casually, in jeans and T-shirts, but something about them put Knox on edge.

They stopped at the back door to the gym.

“Shit.” Knox pulled Natalie to a crouching position behind a parked car. She peered around the bumper and he tugged her back into hiding.

“Do you recognize them?” she asked.

Knox shook his head. There was no reason for anyone to be at the gym at this time of night. Anyone with any allegiance to X was required to attend the fight in a show of solidarity.

It was one of the things Knox had liked back in the beginning of his time with X. They were like one big fucking family.

The taller of the two men lit a cigarette, the flame piercing the darkness, while he eyed the streets. The second man crouched at the drainpipe next to the gym door, sticking his hand up in it.

What the fuck?

The man stood, a crumpled envelope in his hand. He reached into it and removed a stack of bills, then handed them to his friend.

“That’s it?” the tall man asked, his voice laced with disgust.

“X is getting stingy on us.”

“Fuck. He’d better give us something soon. The captain is riding my ass.”

As the men walked toward the car Knox and Natalie were hiding behind, they crept around the car to stay out of sight. Right before they rounded the back bumper, Natalie gasped loudly.

The men stopped and Knox pulled Natalie close to him, coming up with a plan for the best way to take the men out.

The tall man dropped his cigarette on the ground, not bothering to stamp out the still-lit ashes. He scanned the area.

“It was nothing,” the second man said. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

They turned and continued down the road and in the distance, a car engine started. Knox didn’t relax until he could no longer hear it.

He pulled them into a standing position and they doubled their speed as they traversed the remainder of the south side.

“Sorry,” Natalie said. “But I recognized those guys. I met them at the last gala I attended.”

Knox frowned down at her. “Who are they?”

“Cops.”