by S R Dyble
“Do you hear yourself? How could I possibly want her when I have you?”
“Don’t you dare,” I warned him. “Don’t you dare reel off that crap—speak as if I’m your last breath. I mean nothing to you otherwise you wouldn’t have done this. She thinks you love her Kit, that you just need to realise it!”
“She’s fucking crazy. I should have never involved her with this. I know that now, I did it to protect you.”
“Protect me? By breaking my fucking heart, again?!”
Kit let go of me then and backed away. It shocked me because I didn't think he was ever going to let go and I stood there watching as he growled so fucking loud I shuddered. Thankfully the music from inside the hall was still loud enough to mask it. He held his hand to his head and closed his eyes before opening them and approaching me again. Although I knew he’d never hurt me, I flinched when he brought his hands to the sides of my face.
“Let me take you somewhere far away from here? Just us? Somewhere no one can ever find us?”
“You sound crazy,” I said staring into his eyes.
“Yeah, I fucking am. I’m fucking crazy about you and I won’t let some fucking bitch or as many as ten thousand men take you away from me. I fucking swear it, Eves, you’re mine and that ain’t happening. You're not walking away because of some stupid bullshit she's fed you. No way. Some day I’m gonna marry you and we’re gonna live happily ever after. I fucking swear it."
His words hit me in the chest as I tried not to cry.
“Stop,” I begged.
It hurt so bad. I wanted that with him so badly but it couldn’t be possible with things the way they were. Not after I’d just heard his betrayal from Maddie.
He couldn’t cut ties with a girl I knew nothing about apart from the fact that they used to be a dim flame. Now, I’d found out that they were more than that and that he’d been leading her on, putting his trust in her and pushing me aside to be with her instead of me. Even if they had just drank together as friends and he'd unloaded his stress onto her, he’d still betrayed me by not telling me about it. Why hadn’t he just told me? There was more to it or he’d have just told me.
Lies. Constant lies.
“I can’t do this.” I said honestly, “I need to go home. My home.”
Kit followed me back down the red carpet. He didn't stop me but once our limo pulled up he got inside with me. Bob and Phil weren't driving us but Kit nodded his head at the driver so I assumed he knew him. I was thankful that he sat furthest away from me inside of the limo, allowing me some space. I didn't look at him, instead, I sat numb and at a loss as we drove.
Kit sat forward and placed his head in his hands as I ran my fingers over my dress, remembering how good I'd felt after Kit surprising me with such a gift. For a while now, I had suspected something was happening that I wasn't aware of. That something was bothering Kit that he wouldn't tell me. Now, I knew it was either because he still felt something for Maddie, or because he felt guilty for keeping something from me. By confiding in her without speaking to me about it.
What if there was more to his guilt?
I wondered to myself then, if I truly believed that Kit was capable of cheating on me. I closed my eyes and said it quickly.
"Did you sleep with her?"
It brought Kit's eyes directly to mine.
"No," he answered. "The last time I came even close with Maddie, I had no idea what I wanted; You're what I want now. "
"Then why is she so obsessed with you?"
"I dunno, Eves. For Maddie, I represented a lot of things. She came to the safe house in a bad way. I was there for her, but I still probably broke her heart. I thought she'd gotten over it but obviously not."
"That's obvious."
I was about to speak but words were knocked from my mouth as my body was thrown into the side of the door. The limo had been hit hard and all I could do was grip onto the handle above my head as the screeching of the car wheels against the road screamed in my ears, matching my scream.
"Eves!" I heard Kit roar as the side of the limo split open and I could see the bumper of another car pushing through the wall of the limo, pushing all of the interior between me and Kit against the other wall. When it finally stopped I was chucked sideways in my seat, thankful for the seatbelt that yanked me back.
My ears were ringing and my eyes had blackened until I searched the limo.
It looked as if the centre of the limo had been crushed by a digger. I could still see the number plate of another car, sticking through the wall where it had ploughed through.
As my mind cleared I could only think of one thing and I unclipped my seatbelt in search of him.
“Eves, baby. You okay?” Kit asked from across the limo, and I sighed in relief.
I couldn’t see him. All the lights inside of the limo had gone out seconds after the car had hit. I coughed and I wasn’t sure why. It was as if my body was using it as a way of letting go of the adrenaline.
“Yes,” I answered, my voice sounding croaky.
“I’m stuck over here, I’m gonna try to get out. Are you hurt?”
I shook my head and then answered him properly after I’d checked my body. Nothing was hurt I was lucky. The car hadn’t hit either of us but separated us both directly down the middle. I was in total shock and I felt myself shaking.
"We need to see if the driver is okay," I said, remembering that Bob and Phil hadn’t left with us. Through the window I could see an outside street lamp and just as I was about the reach for the door handle, I noticed the shape of a person approaching in the light.
“Someone is here,” I said, assuming it was the driver.
“Eves, lock the door,” he said pushing even harder to get to me before sounding more forceful.
It was too late though, because the door had opened and I expected to see a member of the public trying to help. Or the driver. Instead, I saw a face I didn't recognise but I instantly knew I couldn’t trust. It was the type of face I'd constantly been on the lookout for.
I looked at Kit then, fear coating my face as I tried to shift towards him but it wasn’t possible and I screamed once the man pulled me from the car and made me stand up.
“Kit!” I screamed louder, fighting against the man.
“Eves!”
I saw what was left of the limo shifting as he tried to get by the section enclosing him inside.
“Don’t fucking touch her!”
“Come here,” the man said calmly to me as I fought and scraped at his hand holding onto my arm.
“Let me the fuck go!” I spat.
Everything happened so quickly and as quickly as Kit escaped the inside of the limo there was someone else there waiting with a gun pressed to his head. As I screamed I weakened on my legs and I was carted into the back of a van, where the door slammed shut. I instantly grabbed my arm, feeling a slice against my skin. I continued screaming for Kit despite not being able to see him anymore. Images shot across my head as I cried and begged to be let go. I heard a gunshot fire then and all I could do was scream for Kit, imagining the last time he had been shot trying to protect me. I cowarded against the wall sobbing once the van started moving, and I held my legs up to my front trying to protect my baby. Once my arm crossed over the other I saw the bracelet Kit had given me, my tracker bracelet. I cried holding onto myself harder. I didn't know what had happened to him, but I could only imagine the worst. I cried harder, my chest shattering. Part of me thought this was it. That I'd been granted enough lives. That this time I wasn't going to be saved. I was going to be killed.
Once the van eventually stopped, I trembled as I pushed myself as far away from the doors as possible, praying that this was just a nightmare. When they opened, I closed my eyes as bright lights flooded inside of the van.
“Hell, Eves. There’s no need to get yourself so worked up, I just wanted to meet you, Sweetheart.”
Australian.
He was fucking Australian.
Opening
my eyes wide, I tried to make out the face in front of me despite the beaming lights.
“Now, come on,” he held his hand out for me to take and I stared at it.
“Come on, I don’t wanna have to come inside to get you.”
“Who are you? Where have you brought me?”
“You’ll see. Honestly, Sweetheart, you’ll wanna see this.”
After a few seconds, I crawled from out of the back of the van and into the lights where the fabric on my dress fell to my feet once again.
“God, you are beautiful,” the man said, taking me in. “No wonder he likes you.”
I gulped, taking in my surroundings and the man before me.
“Who are you?” I asked, trying to make out his face. He was middle-aged and looked aged with not only ageing lines but scars and indentations in his skin. Overall he looked very well cut and clean, and I knew the look well. It was the same look that Ralph had. The evil, well-disguised look, and I could see straight through it. I noticed the cars behind him and the buildings surrounding them. We were in abandoned factory grounds. Certain industrial areas in Hull had been abandoned and although I didn't specifically know where we were, I knew we were in Hull. Likely beside the river. Here, in the centre of the car park, there were at least twenty cars in front of me parked in a circle with their high beams facing inwards.
“Where the hell am I? Who are you?" I asked as different men started appearing from inside and behind the cars. They all stood patiently, talking amongst themselves and I quickly realised what this was. It was a fight ring.
"Let's skip introductions, Sweetheart. Wait for Kit to get here and it'll all start making sense."
He's okay?
After hearing the gunshot and being carted into the van, I feared the worst. My chest expanded, now having hope that my Kit was okay.
"Where is he? What do you want from us?"
"What do I want from you?" he spat, getting so close that I flinched. "I want what's mine! I want what he stole from me!"
"Delta is mine!" I said without thinking.
They always wanted Delta.
"I don't want that damn company, that’s not my agenda today, at least. You're here as bait, baby, and once Kit gets here you'll get the picture."
I stared longer at the men crowded around and at the man wandering in front of me. I couldn’t get over how familiar he looked and in my petrified mind, I tried to place him to predict his motives. I was about to speak again when a car came screeching, turning the corner.
Kit.
The guy in front of me smiled once the car brakes sounded and the car screeched to a stop. I didn't recognise the car at all.
"Ah, about time,” I heard from behind me and his voice faded as I turned to stare at the car.
If this was Kit, why was he alone? Where was Delta?
It was starting to rain, and through the thickness of the raindrops, I could see Kit pacing towards me until he ran and wrapped his arms around me. Despite everything we'd been through tonight already, he still looked immaculate in his tux'. He brought my head into his shoulder but I felt him staring behind me.
"It's gonna be okay," he promised but over his shoulder, I could see men crowding the bonnet of the car he'd just arrived in so he couldn't return there.
"Took your time, pretty boy," a deep voice spoke from within the crowd of men and it made Kit's body tighten in every possible way.
He gripped onto me and shifted me aside protectively as he glared at the approaching man.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I came to see what a pussy you've become."
Scoffing, Kit glared at the man, his body set like stone. They both stood at the same height.
"She's not involved in any of this, let her go," Kit said and the guy shook his head whilst smiling.
"That's not my decision—"
"It's mine," the middle-aged Australian guy butted in and stepped forward, making Kit even more on edge. So much so that instead of taking steps back, he moved forward in disbelief.
"No," he said beneath his breath.
"Hello, Son."
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
I stared at Kit the best I could. He was in total disbelief and narrowed his eyes through the rain pouring down his face.
"No. It's not possible, you were killed. I saw you being shot, you—"
"You saw what I wanted people to see."
"This isn't fucking real," Kit rubbed his face.
This man was Kit's dad. It explained the similarities in his face and accent. It’s why he looked so familiar.
"All along it's been you?"
"You betrayed me. You betrayed our family by joining the company hired to kill me. Your own flesh and blood!"
"My own flesh and blood," Kit shook his head in disbelief.
He looked at me then, not letting go of my hand the whole time.
"She has nothing to do with this, let her go."
"She's my bargaining tool to ensure I get what I came for."
"And what is that?"
"When you betrayed me and left, you lost me everything. My followers, my deals, my—"
"Respect," Kit finished his sentence. “You lost that yourself when you got caught, old man.”
Kit’s dad narrowed his eyes at him. “Either way, you’re gonna earn me a large chunk back. You know as well as I do, boy. One fight, win this for me and gain me that respect back. Put me back in the game."
"You can't earn it back through just one fight."
"I can if it's an unbelievable fight. Have you remembered how to fight how I taught you or has that discipline disappeared after turning into a pussy, too?"
"I still have the scars to remind me of your discipline, you sick fuck. I'm not fighting for you."
"You sure about that?" the second he said it a group of men ripped me from Kit's side and I screamed.
Kit fought each of them but as he beat one down another came out of nowhere and they each tugged at me. The rainwater on my skin made it easy for them to pull me out of Kit’s grip, but lifting my leg, I thrust my knee into one of the men's crotches and ran back to Kit but the guy got a hold of my hand whilst shouting in pain. I screamed until he pelted me across the face so hard my eyes blackened and I fell to the floor. All I heard was Kit’s roar as he continued beating men to the floor until he reached the one who had hit me. Kit's dad shushed me as he helped me up. Fear consumed me as he lifted me to my feet and then positioned himself behind me, holding me against his body so he could look over my shoulder at Kit. Once my eyes cleared they widened, seeing a guys neck between Kit’s arms as he tightened and squeezed around his neck.
“Behind you!” I screamed as two other men grabbed hold of Kit.
"Enough!" Kit's father said and on-demand everything stopped. Kit remained within their grasp. It took about six men to hold him still, one of them held his neck in a brace and I feared at any moment, they would snap it clean off.
"Fight for me to keep her safe," his father said from within my hair and I whimpered as he inhaled against my skin, before staring back at Kit.
"You sick fuck, get your hands off of her!"
"You have my word," he spoke back.
"Your word means nothing!" Kit spat.
"It's your choice. You either do this or you watch her die. I'm being extremely lenient considering you're a traitor.”
Panic wasn’t even the word as I stared at Kit. He stared right back at me and I knew he’d already made his decision.
“Who am I fighting?”
I didn't have to see his face to know Kit's father was smirking. Shortly after he let me loose and I ran to Kit.
"You okay?" he asked, looking at me from arms length.
I wasn't even thinking about myself and I stared at him as he moved me aside.
“Kit. You don’t have to do this," I pleaded after him.
“Keep your mouth shut, pretty face. You’d be best staying over there out of the way,” Kit’s Dad spat through
gritted teeth and it terrified me.
Protectively, Kit held onto my arm and pulled me behind him, glaring at his Father.
“You’re gonna fucking die for this,” he swore. “This time it’ll be for real.”
“We’ll see about that, boy. For now, let’s meet your opponent.”
Just as he said the last of his sentence another car screeched to a stop and I breathed a sigh of relief once I saw Kit’s brothers piling from within it. Straight away, they were surrounded by a bunch of men and my eyes locked with Nick’s as he marched towards me.
“One big happy family,” Kit’s father said and his words made Nick stop dead in his tracks to look at him.
Shaking his head, he blinked a few times and I reached for his arm so he wouldn’t get too close.
“You're supposed to be dead,” Nick said clearly.
“Clearly not, Son,” his Father answered and Nick looked around to me and Kit, realising that us being here was all his doing.
“You will be. What the fuck have you done now?” he said through gritted teeth.
It brought a chuckle from their father’s throat, especially when each of the brothers came towards us in the only direction they were able after being surrounded.
“How nice of you all to show up. Nice to know you’re all still loyal to each other if not to me, the one who made this,” their father lifted his arms, gesturing at them all and the unit they represented.
“You made us by abusing us and using us, you don’t fucking deserve to live,” Jax said.
“But here I stand and look at you. You remind me of myself. What’s it feel like to be the head of the family, Kid? To take over from me?”
“He didn’t take over from you,” Eric piped up, glaring at his father. “He’s nothing like you."
“None of us are,” Jason added, holding his fists together and moving forward.
“You’re a lot more like me than you care to realise, Son,” he smiled, glancing at Jason’s clenched fists.
“Enough of this,” their father said and he glanced at me clinging to Kit’s arm.
“I hope she hasn’t made you too soft, Kid. The kid I trained would never allow this to happen.”
