Savage: A Bad Boy Fighter Romance (4 page)

It all sounds too fucking familiar.

I remain quiet, the memories flooding my mind’s eye. I can see the night as clear as it had happened only yesterday. Walking home from the movies with my parents, laughing and chatting, how much they loved one another clear for anyone to see. They were holding each other’s hands when we walked down the dark street connecting the main road with our cul-de-sac.

The guy who came out of the shadows didn’t even ask for our stuff before opening fire. The metal glint of the gun being hit by the light of the streetlamp a split second before the first shot went off is so clear in my mind that I inhale sharply.

The next thing I saw was my father jumping in front of my mother, and then both of them going down. I don’t remember thinking a single thought, just going for the guy with the gun. I had been a fighter all my life, having taken classes and competed when I was a kid, and then starting the path of going pro when I was old enough. All of those aspirations died in a pool of blood that night, right along with my parents and the fucker who shot them.

I didn’t stop hitting him until I could feel pavement under my fists instead of skin, blood and bone. I didn’t even feel it when he managed to pull a knife after I knocked the gun out of his hand. The long scar on my hand is the most prominent physical mark I have of that night.

He was practically a body without a head by the time I stood up, staring at him in shock. My parents never had a chance, clean headshots having killed them in an instant.

After that, I ran. There wasn’t going to be any justice for a guy who fought for a living. One look at the headless corpse was enough to tell anyone that I had gone far and beyond simple self-defense. The best case scenario for me would have been to end up in jail for manslaughter for a few years.

It feels like a block of ice has wedged in the bottom of my stomach as I feel Hannah stirring next to me. Our eyes meet and she gasps, raising her hand to wipe away a lone tear that is rolling down my cheek.

I recoil from the touch, jumping up and wiping at my face.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asks, her voice shaking.

“No,” I say sharply.

Hannah pulls back a little and I feel like a fucking jerk.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her, rubbing the back of my neck. “It’s nothing,” I add, warding off any questions she might have.

“Okay,” she practically whispers, standing up. “I think I should be going now. Thank you for listening, Memphis. Tell me if I can help you with anything, okay?”

A thought hits me when she’s at the door, raising her hand to knock.

“Hey, wait,” I say, stopping her. “I think there is something. Let me just find a piece of paper. I need you to take a note to Adrienne.”

I’m not the kind of guy to write letters, but something’s telling me that I can help Adrienne, even if it is just a little.

And hell, maybe I can help myself too, in the process.

T
he rest
of the day is a blur. I try not to think about what I just found out in the dungeons, but the fact that I am now a prize for a fighting tournament keeps coming back to haunt me. But that’s not the only thing I can’t stop thinking about.

Those eyes.

The ones that belong to Angel, the man who carried me to my bedroom. I don’t understand the pull I have towards him, but there is no denying it. It’s almost magnetic, the way my body responds to his. I think Cobb noticed it down there as well, and he’s going to use it against me.

The first week in Cobb’s mansion passes uneventfully, mainly because I’m confined to my room most of the time. The house and the ground it sits on are so enormous I don’t even catch a glimpse of my mother that entire week. The only human contact I have is with Cobb, a few of the guards, and Hannah, my personal maid.

In those first few days, I quickly realize Hannah is going to be a rock to lean on in this place. She is sweet and kind, always ready to listen to me and lend a shoulder to cry on. I don’t know how she hasn’t gotten tired of me yet - it seems as if all I do in this wretched place is cry and feel sorry for myself.

I need to get over that. Wallowing in self-pity won’t get me anywhere.

It’s another uneventful day today, and I’m feeling exhausted, even though I haven’t been doing much. I’ve mostly filled my days here with reading the countless tomes of books that decorate the bookshelves in the library. I don’t know what else to do, to be honest. All the plotting in the world hasn’t shown me a way out of this place that would include my mother as well.

I’m in bed, my legs pulled up to my chest, when Hannah comes inside and brings me my breakfast. She sets everything up on the small table next to the window, and I get up, still in my nightie, to get something down my throat. Even eating has been a struggle, but I know I need to keep my strength up.

After she’s set up my breakfast, Hannah lingers nervously, and I look up at her, frowning. She’s always a little twitchy and always looking over her shoulder, but today it seems as if she has something to talk to me about.

“Is there anything else?” I ask her. I’m desperate to strike up a friendship with Hannah, but I think we’re both afraid of what Cobb might do if he found out we were friendly with each other.

“I…” She looks down at me awkwardly, fidgeting with the strings of her apron. “I have a message for you.”

“From Cobb?” I raise my brows, waiting for another blow. He always has something up his sleeve for me. “Go ahead then, tell me what it is.”

“It’s not from Cobb,” Hannah shakes her head. “It’s from the dungeons.”

“The dungeons?” I repeat.

Who could send me a message from down there?

The stormy eyes enter my mind again and I know who it is before she even goes on. The mysterious Angel. The one who looks like a monster and has the eyes of a kind, loving man who’s been through hell and back.

Excitement wells in my chest

“Is it from…” I speak at the same time as her.

“It’s from Angel.”

Hannah blushes when she realizes she interrupted me, but I shake my head, motioning for her to go on, hanging on her every word.

“He wanted me to bring you a letter. I… may have mentioned how down you’ve been feeling lately.”

“Give it to me.”

My voice shakes as I order her to do it, neither of which is something I usually do. I feel sorry for snapping at her like that, but I need to see that letter, I need to know what he wrote.

Hannah takes a small piece of paper, folded several times, from her pocket. She passes it to me with trembling fingers.

“Here,” she says.

I take the paper with equally nervous fingers and glance up at her. It seems as if she already knows what I want, as she bows her head and leaves the room right away. My steaming hot omelet forgotten, I get back on the bed and unfold the letter from the monster, my heart fluttering in my chest.

His handwriting is crooked and almost childish in a way. His words are clumsy, but he seems eloquent in what he says.

So not a monster, after all,
I think.

Adrienne,

Hannah told me you are feeling rough these days. I know it’s hard. I’ve been in a dark place too - guess I still am, the light isn’t great down here. But remember, you can handle this. Keep your head up and everything will work out.

I hope we’ll see each other again someday. Don’t worry about the tournament. There is only one man who could possibly win it, and he will be gentle with you.

Memphis

I read and re-read the note a dozen times before I place the piece of paper in my lap. His name rings in my ears.

“Memphis.”

I try it out on my lips, whispering the name just to see how it feels on my tongue. It’s different. It suits him.

I have a strong urge to call Hannah back. I want to write him back. I barely care how dangerous it is… I want him to know how much it means to me that he’d reach out like that.

And I keep wondering about one thing - who is this man Memphis is so convinced will win the tournament? Is it him?

Oh God, I hope it’s him.

The thought makes me slap a hand over my mouth, even though I didn’t say it out loud. I can’t believe I’m rooting for someone to win me like some kind of trophy, no matter how hot and dangerous he is.

Stop it!

I’m still blushing as I get off the bed, determined to write him that letter.

Because I’m impatient as hell, I rip out a piece of paper from a notebook in my nightstand. My hand is surprisingly steady as I write a message back to the man in the dungeons.

For the next few hours, I wait for Hannah to return with my lunch, the door locked as always. As soon as she comes back to the room, both of our eyes sparkle with mischief. It’s a small rebellion against Cobb, and it makes me feel good. The bright smile on my maid’s face reveals she feels the same.

“
W
hoa there
, bird boy. Take it easy,” Barrage grumbles as I whisk a hit past his cheek so close that he must be imagining in vivid detail what it would feel like to get his cheekbone caved in.

“No time,” I huff back, dancing around him on quick feet. “Gotta get ready.”

Barrage rolls his eyes and puts up his arms again. We’re going a few rounds in the practice room, a ratty old gym that’s the perfect copy of two others sprinkled through the underbelly of Wilson’s mansion. It’s the one ‘joy’ we get, if you can call it that. Unlimited gym time, as long as there’s a guard around us to keep an eye on us.

As always, good old Sage is in the corner of the room, glaring at anything and everything that dares get in his path.

“Barrage, it’s time for you to go,” a voice calls a moment before I connect my knuckles with his stomach, making him sputter and lurch forward.

I give Barrage a friendly kick in the back as he flies into the ropes of the boxing ring we’ve been using as a makeshift cage. He flicks back a look that’s all hatred, but I grin in response. I like Barrage. He’s about twenty wins in. Good kid.

I bet he’ll be dead in a month.

“What?” Barrage spits, righting himself and looking at Tommy, the guard that came to retrieve him. “I’m in the middle of something here.”

“Doc’s orders,” Tommy says, and that makes Barrage quiet down.

We don’t really get medical attention down here. There’s one guy who sort of counts as a medic, one of the guards, and we listen if he tells us to sit down and shut up. So when Barrage stalks out of the ring, I don’t even mock him for it. I just shrug and roll back my shoulders, giving him my sweetest smile and wave.

“See you next time, honey,” I tell him, and Barrage bares his teeth at me.

Cute kid.

I’m just about ready to climb out of the ring myself when Barrage and Tommy make their exit, when someone much more interesting comes through the door. Sage and I both look up when Adrienne peeks in uncertainly, her golden honey hair tumbling over her shoulder as she glances around. Sage jumps up on his feet and I smile wide.

I wasn’t sure I’d see her again before the end of the next fight I’ll inevitably win. She’s a sight for sore eyes.

“Has anyone seen Kane?” she asks, her voice little more than a whisper.

I have to strain to catch what she’s saying.

“He hasn’t been around, Miss,” Sage says, wearing a frown on his face.

“
O
h
,” Adrienne says, her blue gaze locking with mine.

I’m leaning on the ropes now, shamelessly devouring her with my eyes. She’s so damn sweet I can feel a tooth ache coming on, and she doesn’t even realize it. Women like her never do. Young, innocent, so pure that fresh snow would feel dirty next to them, they’re everything a man would want. And everything a guy like me never gets. It’s nice to fantasize, though.

“Are you lost?” Sage asks, trying to make sense of the situation while I’d prefer him to shut up.

“No… Well, maybe,” Adrienne says, glancing behind her before stepping into the large space of the gym, closing the door behind her carefully. “I was sent down here to see what I’d… well… Wilson wanted me to see the… men…”

She stutters and blushes and it’s so adorable I just want to scoop her up and make her embarrassment go away. Sage realizes what the situation is though and I do as well. Somehow, Kane, the big oaf meant to guard her, has wandered off somewhere, leaving this little lamb down here with the wolves. Sage gives me a look and I nod in agreement. We can’t keep her, but we can make sure that she’s okay.

“You can come with me, Miss. We will find Kane,” Sage says, but then narrows his eyes looking at me.

He can’t exactly leave me here unattended either.

Sage and I get along. Well, most of the times. He knows I volunteered for this life and I know… scratch that. I don’t know squat about Sage. That’s the way he prefers it. But I trust him over the other jerks here. He does his job and he’s fair about it, he’s not a monster. Not like the rest of us, I think.

“Tell you what, Sage. You can lock the door and I will promise to behave,” I tell him, using his real name for a change.

My stomach clenches slightly, and I’m not sure if it’s out of expectation or because Adrienne’s looking at me. I’m
this
close to striking a pose in the middle of the ring.

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” I say, meeting Adrienne’s blues now and smiling.

“I don’t trust you any further than I can throw you,” Sage tells me, and he’s right.

He’s a big motherfucker but even he can’t throw my well-muscled ass anywhere. And he shouldn’t trust me with sweet little things like Adrienne either, for the most part. But I shake my head and cross my heart.

“Promise,” I tell him.

Sage purses his lips and exhales. I’m winning. I love that.

“Miss, stay here. Angel will be a perfect fucking gentleman or he’ll be fighting with one less arm from here on out. You may have my seat and I’ll be back in a minute, alright?”

“Okay,” Adrienne says, her voice a little dreamy.

She looks away from me as Sage walks out hurriedly, locking the heavy door behind him.

Well then. This day just got a whole lot more interesting.

“Hey,” I offer, trying to catch her eyes again.

“Hey,” she counters after a moment of silence.

I grin. Still winning.

With the casual ease of a predator in his prime, I lope over the ropes and land on my feet next to the ring. She’s standing next to the chair but hasn’t taken her seat yet. Chances like this don’t come around often. I know she’s gotten my letter and I got hers too, so it’s not like we’re complete strangers at this point. So I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and hope for the best.

“Come here often?” I ask, smirking as she quirks a brow at me.

A touch of ridiculousness always helps to break the ice, I feel.

“I can’t say that I do.”

“You really should,” I say, spreading my arms to envelope the whole of the dreary, grimy, run-down space. “The company’s great.”

I’m a king in my shitty castle here. It’s not all that impressive but I think delivery is half the battle here.

“You don’t say,” she laughs, and finally I see something on her expression that resembles joy.

I want to see more of that.

“I thought it was just cutthroats and villains down here,” she continues, giving me a look of pure innocence, which is all mischief and no truth.

So my sweet little angel is a minx instead. Interesting. This day keeps getting better and better.

I walk closer to her slowly, covering the ground between us with leisurely steps. I don’t want to scare her off and while she has nowhere to run, I don’t want her to feel as if she
has
to run from me. No, I only want her running to me from here on out.

Absently, I notice that my heart’s beating damn fast in my chest, pounding behind my ribs. I’ve seen plenty of beautiful women and I’ve had my share of them, but Adrienne? She’s something else. I guess it’s the thought of something so pure and clean down here where there’s nothing but blood and darkness that really gets to me. I want to keep her just as she is – good and unsullied.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand me. That’s
exactly
what we have down here,” I tell her. “But I think you’d like it regardless.”

“How do you figure?” she asks.

“Well, for starters, I’m here,” I tell her, grinning.

She smiles again and I eat it up. It warms me from the inside, that smile of hers and I can’t get enough of it.

“And you think you’re all that?” she queries, but if my instincts are right, then what I see shining in her eyes is all the confirmation I need that I
am
all that for her.

Or at least we’re taking a step in the right direction with it.

“I think I have my charms,” I offer with a shrug.

I want to cross over to her and kiss her, but I don’t. Instead, I stay at a respectable distance and let her look at me as I watch her in turn. It’s all high school level of nonsense up in here at the moment, but I don’t mind. I don’t think she does either.

“I got your letter,” she says after a length of silence that I can’t define, but that I didn’t mind one bit.

“I got yours.”

She falls quiet again and I can see that blush creeping up on her cheeks again.

“I think you should keep writing to me,” I tell her, my voice maybe a tad huskier than it should be.

“Yeah?” she asks, looking up.

“Yes. I’d like to know more,” I tell her, and for once, I’m not dicking around.

I’m being honest. I do want to know more about her. I want to know everything I can.

“Okay,” she says, and I’m just about to close the gap between us when the lock clatters on the door and we recoil from one another.

I turn around and walk a few paces back to the ring, slicking my hand through my hair.

Fuck.

So close and nothing to show for it. Sage walks in with a somewhat pale-looking Kane in tow. If Wilson hears about Kane losing Adrienne he’s going to go on a warpath, that much I know. So I think it’s in everybody’s best interest to keep that shit under wraps.

“There you are,” Kane growls, giving Adrienne a pointed look.

Instead of shying away from him, Adrienne’s lips narrow and she gives him back a look that I can only call a glare. I grin wide at the sight of it.

That’s my girl.

“I’m not the one supposed to be alert,” she says, her voice deadly calm.

I’m liking this woman more by the second. Sass and sweetness. My kind of combination.

“Come on, we need to go,” Kane says, catching himself before he adds anything in there he shouldn’t.

The way Sage is looking at him probably has a lot to do with it. Everybody in the room knows he fucked up and we’re not going to let him live it down.

“We should do this again sometime,” I tell Adrienne as she’s about to leave, and she pauses at the door with an impatient Kane looking on.

“With the cutthroats and villains?” she asks, meeting my smile.

“I promise I’ll be both and neither, depending on what you want.”

She shakes her head slightly, giggling, and then she’s escorted out by Kane. I’m pretty damn sure I’m going to get another letter and I can’t wait for it.

“Nice one, sweet pea,” I say to Sage as I make my way to a boxing bag, now more determined than ever to get a decent workout in.

I’ve got to be ready. The prize is better than ever this time.

“What do you mean?” Sage asks, slumping back down into the chair we made him rise from.

“Just appreciating the gesture,” I tell him, and Sage quirks a brow at me but doesn’t say a word.

I don’t miss it for what it is, though. He trusted me enough to leave me with Adrienne for a few minutes. I don’t think he’d do that for anyone else in this dump.

My fist connects with the heavy bag and I clear my mind, falling into the rhythm of the movement. I’m going to be ready. And I’m going to be deadly. I have a brand new toy to fight for and I want to unravel all her mysteries.

A part of me wonders if she’s not the one calling all the shots between the two of us, though. I’m not even sure if I’d mind if she did.