Caged Warrior: Underground Fighters #1

by Aislinn Kearns

  But it almost made a man believe in fate. Because if he’d turned himself over to police back then, Mickey wouldn’t have had a chance to build his empire, and Diego’s testimony wouldn’t have mattered. He’d needed to have Rosalyn in his life, because their meeting had caused a series of events that led to this moment, this offer.

  Could he leave her without saying goodbye? He could testify without witness protection. Sure, he’d still have a target on his back, both from Mickey and McCready. But he could hope his cooperation with police would at least bring down Mickey.

  McCready was another issue. Worse, if he went after Rosalyn while Diego was gone—if she didn’t take Diego’s advice to get out of town—then he’d never forgive himself. He had to stay so he could protect her. But how could he not leave?

  The thoughts swirled in his mind, making it ache. He shook his head but it did nothing to clear it.

  “Can I think about it?” he said eventually.

  Rodriguez hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, but don’t take too long. They want to make a move soon. They think he’s got a big shipment coming in the next few days and want to decimate the supply chain before then.”

  Diego nodded, but didn’t say anything else, his mind still on the conundrum that was Rosalyn.

  “Can I talk to someone?” he blurted out. “Have a visitor or whatever?”

  The detective hesitated, then nodded.

  And it occurred to Diego that the best solution was right in front of him. He simply had to convince Rosalyn, before it was too late.

  Chapter 20

  Diego was locked in a temporary cell while they awaited his decision. The bars and small space made him itch with frustration. He needed to get out of this cage as soon as possible, but he had to wait until he could speak to Rosalyn.

  He already knew what he’d do with the detective’s offer, he just had to convince Rosalyn to come with him. He hoped she’d accept once he told her that he forgave her for the article. But doubt nagged at the back of his mind.

  When he’d told Detective Rodriguez that he wanted to speak to the woman she’d interviewed on the illegal fighting case, her eyebrows had shot up in surprise. She’d eyed the fading bruises beneath the fresh ones on his skin, and no doubt her detective’s mind was working overtime to put the pieces together. But Diego smiled blandly and let her make assumptions.

  She hadn’t mentioned it, and Diego took that to mean she hadn’t wanted to risk upsetting him. They must need his testimony desperately if they were treating him with kid gloves.

  So, now he waited as the clock ticked down to the time when had to make a decision. They were running on a tight timeframe, and he’d only been given twelve hours to decide.

  Rosalyn arrived in the late afternoon, eyes glancing warily around the room that housed the three cells. He was in the centre, the ones on either side of him empty. The artificial lighting in the room washed her out, making her look wan and anxious. Or maybe it wasn’t the lighting.

  She wouldn’t meet his eye; something was wrong. Was she simply nervous about seeing him again after their last parting? Or had something else happened while he’d been locked away?

  “Are you okay?” he asked urgently, pressing against the bars as if that would get him closer to her.

  She backed up a step, her gaze darting everywhere but to him. “They said you wanted to see me?” she prompted him.

  “Rosalyn…” he murmured, hand reaching through the bars towards her. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  She glanced up then, met his gaze with a fierceness that had him jerking away from her. There was anger in her eyes, disgust and pain. The bottom dropped out of his stomach. What had changed in the two days since he’d seen her last?

  “You killed people.”

  He blinked. “Yes,” he said slowly. “Like I told you.” His stomach churned. Had she changed her mind about him? About being okay with what he’d done to Victor and Raoul? Her support had meant so much to him. It had eased a burden on his soul that he knew would never fully disappear, but had become bearable with her words of comfort.

  She shook her head, though, denying his words. “No. Not that. As the Ruby Robber.”

  Diego stared at her for a long moment as he tried to figure out what she meant. “The what?”

  She made a sound of annoyance. “The jewellery robber that’s been attacking shop owners when he steals their stuff. People thought it was a gang. But it wasn’t. It was you.”

  Diego couldn’t help it. He laughed.

  Rosalyn scowled at him. “I thought you cared. I thought you were different, that you wanted to change. But all along you were sending people to hospital—innocent people.”

  He shook his head in denial and gulped back his laugh. She believed it, and he had to treat her concerns seriously if he wanted the future he’d planned with her.

  “Rosalyn, that wasn’t me.”

  She glared at him. “Now you’re lying to me. I know that’s what you were arrested for last night.”

  He dropped his voice, leaning forward again to press his sincerity onto her. “Last night was the one and only time I ever did that. They were right the first time. It’s a gang, led by Spider and Weston under the control of McCready. After your article, they wanted to kill me, but McCready said he had a better use for me. I guess that use was to take the fall for the robberies, leaving them free to continue their crimes in another form.”

  He watched her carefully to see if she believed him. Some of the starch left her spine as he talked, but her eyes were still wary.

  “Did you tell the cops that?” she asked.

  He nodded. “We discussed it, amongst other things.”

  “And why did McCready think this plan would work? Surely he’d know the instant you were arrested you’d spill the beans.”

  Diego shrugged. “I’ve told you before that I don’t want McCready’s empire to fall. Too many people rely on it. People I…well, not care about. But feel a loyalty to, I guess. Like Alexei and Chen and Doc. He has to know that.”

  “So they’ll get away with it?” she asked, eyes widening in outrage.

  Diego shrugged. “The law will catch up to Weston eventually. I might let slip his name. I haven’t decided yet.”

  She eyed him for a long moment, doubt and hope warring on her face for a long moment.

  “It really wasn’t you?” she asked softly.

  “It really wasn’t. I was set up and betrayed. I promise you.”

  Rosalyn took a cautious step towards him, and then another. She was still just out of reach. “I didn’t want to believe it was you. It didn’t feel right. But I had to be sure. All the evidence fit, and you’d been caught red-handed.”

  “I know,” he gritted out, his hands tightening around the bars. “But I promise last night was the only time I was with the gang. And they weren’t even there for the jewels, it was purely to set me up.”

  Tears gather in her eyes. “Does that mean you’ll go to prison, then? Take the fall for Weston to protect McCready and his business?”

  Diego hesitated. Now was the time to tell her about his plan. “Not necessarily,” he hedged.

  She frowned in confusion, inching a step closer. Nearly within reach.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  He sighed. He had hoped that maybe he could ease her into the idea, but surely she wouldn’t say no? It made too much sense.

  “You remember how I told you about Mickey?”

  She narrowed her eyes, brain ticking as she tried to remember. “Victor’s guy?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Well, apparently he made a play for Victor’s operation after his death, and managed to grab it. He’s expanded it in the last year, and the cops are worried.”

  Rosalyn frowned. “What’s that got to do with you?”

  “They want someone to testify against him. Someone who knows of his past deeds, and who knows how Victor’s operation works. Someone who can help take him down.”
/>
  “You?” Rosalyn asked. Her voice was neutral, not telling him how she felt about this.

  “Yeah.”

  “Will you do it?”

  “I think so. But I told the cops I have conditions.”

  Rosalyn blinked and shuffled closer. One more step and he could touch her again. “What kind of conditions?”

  He hesitated for a moment. “Well, the most important one is witness protection.”

  “Oh,” Rosalyn said, then nodded. Her voice wobbled slightly as she continued. “That makes sense. You don’t want him coming after you.”

  She swallowed, and her fingers tightened on her bag. She took a deep breath as if trying to calm herself, and Diego realised she was upset.

  About what, though? That was the question.

  “And there’s one last request I had,” he told her, watching carefully for her reaction. “I want you to come with me.”

  Rosalyn gasped, dropped her bag, and gaped at him in shock.

  Not quite the reaction he’d expected.

  Rosalyn stared at Diego. He’d arranged himself into a nonchalant pose, but she wasn’t fooled. He watched her too closely. Her answer mattered to him.

  “I can’t go with you,” she said automatically.

  “Why not?” he asked with a scowl.

  She thought about it for a second. Why couldn’t she go with him? She believed he wasn’t the Ruby Robber, that Weston had set him up. That scenario made so much more sense to her than Diego being the man responsible for that violence. Maybe she was deluding herself, but she’d always had good instincts. And all her instincts were telling her that Diego was a good man.

  But go with him into Witness Protection? That was a huge commitment, one she couldn’t even fathom after so short an acquaintance. Give up her life? Everything she’d built? Admittedly, she didn’t have much of a life. Carrie was her only real friend. And after the stunt Anthony had pulled with her article, she’d become disillusioned with her job, and journalism in general.

  Still, it was too much, too soon. Wasn’t it? The slow build of excitement in her stomach told her maybe it wasn’t. But she had to be rational. She was too impulsive, jumped too quickly into situations. And this is one she couldn’t come back from with ease.

  “We barely know each other,” she replied, though that wasn’t strictly true. They’d shared so much about their lives. Deeply personal things they hadn’t shared with anyone else. Their souls knew each other, and they had connected in a way Rosalyn had never experienced before.

  She shook her head. It was as if her brain was trying to talk her into doing this.

  “I want you to come with me for us, but also for your safety. McCready vowed to kill you. You know that. If I go into witness protection without you, I can’t protect you.”

  She swallowed. “Surely he wouldn’t.”

  Diego gripped the bars, leaning as far forward as he could to implore her. “He would. Happily. I told you to get out of town, and I meant it. But now I want you to do it with me.”

  “Does this mean you forgive me for the article? I know I did the wrong thing but—”

  He cut her off. “Yes. I know you were doing what you thought was right. And I know you were angry with me, and not thinking clearly. Obviously it wasn’t ideal, but you made amends. You didn’t expose McCready and the other fighters when you could have. And you led me to this opportunity to escape.”

  “Just like you always wanted,” she murmured. Relief flowed through her at the knowledge that he’d forgiven her. It had broken her to know she’d hurt him, endangered him. She didn’t deserve his forgiveness, but selfishly crushed it to her heart just the same.

  “Diego, are you only taking me with you because you think I’m in danger? Because if so, you shouldn’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” Despite her hesitation, she couldn’t resist moving towards him. She’d always thought that seeing a man locked behind bars would make him look weak and downtrodden. Instead, Diego looked like a caged animal, a fierce warrior ready to fight for what he wanted, no matter the obstacles. And he wanted her.

  He filled the cell, filled her heart and her senses, overwhelming her until she didn’t know where her own mind began and ended.

  Diego shook his head. “That’s what worries me. You can’t look after yourself. Not against McCready.”

  Rosalyn scowled. “I’m not going to run.”

  “You should. McCready is a dangerous man when crossed. You don’t want to mess with him.”

  Rosalyn shivered at the cold look in Diego’s eyes. She suddenly had no doubt he was right. “I don’t want you to take me along only because you feel responsible for me.”

  “It’s not that,” he denied. “I want to protect you, yes. But more than that, I want a chance with you. A chance to be normal. Not a cage fighter and a journalist with secrets, but just us.”

  “I don’t know. It’s such a big decision.” Despite her words, her heart was screaming at her to accept the offer. She didn’t want to lose him. Not again. She wanted to start over, too, with a chance to erase their pasts and be who they were always meant to be. A clean slate.

  “Rosalyn, I know it’s not ideal. I want more time, too. But that’s why I want you to come with me, so we’ll have that time together. I can’t lose you.”

  Rosalyn sucked in a breath at the warm expression on his face. He meant it. He’d take her into witness protection with him simply to keep her in his life. After a lifetime of being abandoned and lonely, his loyalty and desire for her was a powerful lure.

  “I’ve worked so hard to get where I am,” she told him, but her voice was weaker now. Almost as if she was asking him to convince her.

  “We’ll make them give you a new job not so far from what you have. It won’t go to waste. But you need to come with me.”

  “I’m not sure…”

  “Rosalyn, I meant what I said before. I love you. Like I’ve never loved anyone else. I wouldn’t want any other woman to come with me, just you. Even if they were in danger. I just…I need you.”

  Rosalyn’s lungs squeezed tightly at the words. Emotion overwhelmed her. She’d made her decision. But she still had one more question that needed answering. “What would you do if I said no?”

  His jaw clenched and his eyes hardened, like a knight preparing to do battle. “I’d stay. I’d still testify, probably, if it got me a reduced sentence, or none at all. If not, I’d get out of prison. Somehow. And I’d stay by your side to protect you.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “What else can I do, Rosalyn?” he growled. “You’re mine. My responsibility, my woman. I can’t leave you behind and unprotected. I’m not going without you.”

  His jaw was set in a stubborn line, and Rosalyn knew he meant it.

  Her composure broke. She rushed forward, and he snatched her up and pressed her close, the cell bars a forgotten barrier between them.

  “Does this mean you’ll come?” he asked, tightening his arms around her.

  She nodded, tears of happiness springing to her eyes. He grinned in delight and cupped her head to pull her in for a kiss.

  Their lips met, awkward because of the angle but she didn’t even care. She was where she belonged, back in his arms. It was impulsive to go with him, she knew that. But her heart had overruled her head, as it often did, and she couldn’t even bring herself to regret it.

  “I love you,” she murmured against his lips. “So much.”

  And his look told her everything she needed to know.

  She was safe, she was loved. She was his.

  Epilogue

  The house they’d been placed in was two streets away from the beach, in a small town on the west coast of the US. Diego wasn’t sure he’d ever been to a town so small, and it had taken him a while to adjust. He felt so exposed. Everyone knew his face within a few days of his arrival. He was used to the anonymity of big cities, where no one gave a shit about their neighbours.

  But when he’d been
there for a few weeks and none of his old enemies had found him, he relaxed. He still kept to himself—that habit had been ingrained in him for too long—but he didn’t mind so much when people stopped him for a chat even if he had no idea who they were.

  When they’d been given the option of several towns to move to, Rosalyn had insisted on this one. And she’d been right. The town itself was nothing special. Much like many others, he assumed. But the sound of waves crashing in the distance, never far from where he was at any given time, was like a soothing balm to the soul.

  It was as if there was an eternal escape route there in the endless ocean, and if all got too much he could still flee into the distance. But the longer he stayed in the town, stayed with Rosalyn, the less he wanted to leave.

  By the time the trial against Mickey had ended, the new identities Diego and Rosalyn lived under were situated. And married. The few months of the trial had been enough time for them to decide they wanted to start their new life as a married couple.

  It was better than he’d anticipated. Different, but better. Even the small, mundane details of being a married couple in a normal life fascinated Diego. The adjustments and compromises. The routines and the surprises.

  Even the way she moved around their small kitchen, like now. Making dinner as he washed the dishes she piled up next to the sink with each step of her recipe.

  “What are looking at?” she asked slyly.

  He grinned and dropped the bowl he was holding back into the soapy water. He prowled towards her, and she stopped, waiting for him to come with an affectionate smile on her face. She closed her eyes and waited for the kiss she knew he’d place on her cheek. It was their routine, and a good one.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.

  He kissed her, and her expression grew blissful. His heart lurched as she clutched him closer, sinking into the kiss.