Where Darkness Lies
Page 59
No. Damon. I snap my eyes open and, after a second, take in the position I’m in. She’s got my hair, yes, but she’s left my arms and legs wide open. With all my might, I swing my leg back and I bring it right up into her groin. A scream escapes her throat as her fingers uncurl from my hair and she stumbles backwards. Like Damon said, her body automatically doubles over and so I charge forward, taking hold of her hair and bringing my knee up into her face.
I feel her nose bust open against my leg, and I have to fight back the good in me and remember that the only way for me to get out of here is to fight and not think. Her hand flies up to her nose and she straightens, swinging her fist aimlessly. I duck it and instead ram another fist into her groin, bringing her down to her knees. I take the chance to launch at her, using my foot to hit her so hard in the face she goes flat on her back. The crowd is roaring so loudly I can’t hear myself think.
“One!”
She doesn’t move; she’s choking on her own blood.
“Two!”
Should I help her? God. I’m a monster.
“Three!”
The noise from the crowd has me momentarily deafened. Before I know what’s happening, Damon is in the cage and taking hold of my face, saying something I can’t understand through the noise. Roger comes barreling in and the victorious smile on his face tells me I’ve won this fight.
“And it looks like this fight is owned by Blair!” the emcee yells.
The crowd roars again as Damon leads me off the stage and out back.
“You won!” he says as soon as the door is closed behind us.
I stare at him, still completely in shock. I won? I won?
“I won,” I whisper.
He leans in close, taking my face in his hands. “You live to survive another day, and another day means you’re a step closer to getting out of here.”
I smile now.
He’s right—the longer I last, the longer Dimitri has to find me.
Maybe there’s hope after all.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Dimitri
My phone rings, stirring me from my sleep. I’d only just drifted off after days of trying to track down Livvie, who disappeared when we were still on land. I’ve worked for at least twenty-four hours straight, but I had no leads and felt myself dropping off to sleep at Hendrix’s desk. Now my phone is ringing. I lift my head and stare at the screen. I don’t recognize the number but I’m not missing one call until I’ve found Jess.
“Yeah?” I mutter, answering it.
“Is this Dimitri?”
I don’t recognize the male voice.
“Yeah, who’s this?”
He’s silent a minute.
“Hello?”
“Sorry, my name is Damon. You’re a hard man to track down.”
“Do I know you?”
“No,” he says. “But I have information for you.”
“What about?”
“Blair.”
Blair . . . My eyes suddenly pop open.
“Is this a fuckin’ trick.”
“No, it’s not. My name is Damon and I work for Roger. I teach his fighters how to fight. He has Blair.”
Roger. Roger has her? My head spins and wild anger swells in my chest as I imagine all the fucked up things he’s doing to her.
“Tell me she’s okay?” I rasp.
He sighs. “He’s got her fighting, Dimitri. So I guess in the scheme of things, for now she’s okay. Though she’s had the fucking shit beaten out of her by two opponents so far. He put her in her first real fight last night. She won.”
That’s my girl, that’s my fucking amazing girl. Fighting to survive.
“How badly is she hurt?”
“A few cracked ribs, split lips, a couple of black eyes.”
“Fuck,” I growl, clenching my fists.
“It could be worse,” he mutters. “I’ve already stopped him from—”
“From what?” I bark.
“From raping her, Dimitri. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to stop it for long. You need to get to her.”
“Where is she?”
He gives me a location and I curse loudly. “I’m at least two days away.”
“You’d better hurry the fuck up, because he’s jumping the queue with the fights. He’s putting her in another one in two nights, but, Dimitri, she’s going up against Fire Cat.”
My body stiffens. Fire Cat is one of the best women fighters there is underground. Jess, no matter how strong, would never be able to fight her.
“She’ll crumble.”
“You’re tellin’ me,” he says. “I’m doing my best to train her in time, but you need to get here before then. If she goes in that cage, she’ll be killed.”
“I’m going to be there, you tell her . . . I’ll be there.”
“Hurry.”
He clicks the phone off and I drop mine, turning and charging out of the room. I make it into the dining room where Hendrix and the boys are still partying. At my entrance, Hendrix stands.
“What is it?”
“I know where she is.”
His eyes widen and Indi stands up beside him, her expression full of fear. “Where?” she asks.
“Roger has her.”
“Fuck!” Hendrix barks.
“It gets worse—he’s got her fighting. Her next fight is in two days and she’s going up against one of the best female fighters there is. We can’t let her get in that cage.”
I feel her nose bust open against my leg, and I have to fight back the good in me and remember that the only way for me to get out of here is to fight and not think. Her hand flies up to her nose and she straightens, swinging her fist aimlessly. I duck it and instead ram another fist into her groin, bringing her down to her knees. I take the chance to launch at her, using my foot to hit her so hard in the face she goes flat on her back. The crowd is roaring so loudly I can’t hear myself think.
“One!”
She doesn’t move; she’s choking on her own blood.
“Two!”
Should I help her? God. I’m a monster.
“Three!”
The noise from the crowd has me momentarily deafened. Before I know what’s happening, Damon is in the cage and taking hold of my face, saying something I can’t understand through the noise. Roger comes barreling in and the victorious smile on his face tells me I’ve won this fight.
“And it looks like this fight is owned by Blair!” the emcee yells.
The crowd roars again as Damon leads me off the stage and out back.
“You won!” he says as soon as the door is closed behind us.
I stare at him, still completely in shock. I won? I won?
“I won,” I whisper.
He leans in close, taking my face in his hands. “You live to survive another day, and another day means you’re a step closer to getting out of here.”
I smile now.
He’s right—the longer I last, the longer Dimitri has to find me.
Maybe there’s hope after all.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Dimitri
My phone rings, stirring me from my sleep. I’d only just drifted off after days of trying to track down Livvie, who disappeared when we were still on land. I’ve worked for at least twenty-four hours straight, but I had no leads and felt myself dropping off to sleep at Hendrix’s desk. Now my phone is ringing. I lift my head and stare at the screen. I don’t recognize the number but I’m not missing one call until I’ve found Jess.
“Yeah?” I mutter, answering it.
“Is this Dimitri?”
I don’t recognize the male voice.
“Yeah, who’s this?”
He’s silent a minute.
“Hello?”
“Sorry, my name is Damon. You’re a hard man to track down.”
“Do I know you?”
“No,” he says. “But I have information for you.”
“What about?”
“Blair.”
Blair . . . My eyes suddenly pop open.
“Is this a fuckin’ trick.”
“No, it’s not. My name is Damon and I work for Roger. I teach his fighters how to fight. He has Blair.”
Roger. Roger has her? My head spins and wild anger swells in my chest as I imagine all the fucked up things he’s doing to her.
“Tell me she’s okay?” I rasp.
He sighs. “He’s got her fighting, Dimitri. So I guess in the scheme of things, for now she’s okay. Though she’s had the fucking shit beaten out of her by two opponents so far. He put her in her first real fight last night. She won.”
That’s my girl, that’s my fucking amazing girl. Fighting to survive.
“How badly is she hurt?”
“A few cracked ribs, split lips, a couple of black eyes.”
“Fuck,” I growl, clenching my fists.
“It could be worse,” he mutters. “I’ve already stopped him from—”
“From what?” I bark.
“From raping her, Dimitri. I can’t promise that I’ll be able to stop it for long. You need to get to her.”
“Where is she?”
He gives me a location and I curse loudly. “I’m at least two days away.”
“You’d better hurry the fuck up, because he’s jumping the queue with the fights. He’s putting her in another one in two nights, but, Dimitri, she’s going up against Fire Cat.”
My body stiffens. Fire Cat is one of the best women fighters there is underground. Jess, no matter how strong, would never be able to fight her.
“She’ll crumble.”
“You’re tellin’ me,” he says. “I’m doing my best to train her in time, but you need to get here before then. If she goes in that cage, she’ll be killed.”
“I’m going to be there, you tell her . . . I’ll be there.”
“Hurry.”
He clicks the phone off and I drop mine, turning and charging out of the room. I make it into the dining room where Hendrix and the boys are still partying. At my entrance, Hendrix stands.
“What is it?”
“I know where she is.”
His eyes widen and Indi stands up beside him, her expression full of fear. “Where?” she asks.
“Roger has her.”
“Fuck!” Hendrix barks.
“It gets worse—he’s got her fighting. Her next fight is in two days and she’s going up against one of the best female fighters there is. We can’t let her get in that cage.”
