The guy focuses his attention on the dog and I see the hesitation in his eyes. He wants me, but he doesn’t want to take his chances against this beast of a dog. With a curse, he slowly backs his way out of the room and slams the door behind him. I hear a lock sliding into place and I let out a breath of relief. Holy shit. That was damn close.
The dog relaxes as he turns back around to face me. I give him a grateful look, also feeling like an idiot because come on, it’s a dog, as if he knows what a grateful look means, but then he shocks me as he slowly approaches me, lays down beside me and places his giant head on my lap.
Wow. In that same instant, I feel like I have some sort of connection with this beast and the need to reach out and give him a scratch radiates through me, but that will have to wait until Xander gets here and my hands are free.
I briefly wonder just how badly the dickheads in the other room have treated this poor dog for him to turn on them the way he did, but one thing I know for sure is that the second I get out of here, he’s coming with me.
With my protection detail right by my side, I let my mind take me back to the sweet memories of Xander, hoping that will be enough to make the pain of this reality sink away into the background.
Chapter 22
Xander
I’m flying up the pathway which leads to the entrance of the warehouse. There’s a big metal roller door with a normal, wooden door beside it. There’s a lock on the door, but with one angry kick, the wooden door splinters into pieces and comes crashing down.
The boys and I push our way through to find a group of at least seven men, waiting for us inside, all up and standing, facing the entryway as if they knew we were coming. ‘Pitt Bull’ stands front and centre, wielding a knife and a sick grin.
Without a doubt, this is coming down to a fight. I have no idea if ‘Pit Bulls’ other men are carrying weapons, but I know with just one look at them, they haven’t been keeping up with their training. ‘Pitt Bull’ is definitely the biggest threat here and he’s all mine.
The boys and I rush forward and immediately jump into it.
My eyes remain locked on ‘Pitt Bull’ but some dickhead cuts in front of him. I raise my fist and send him flying with one punch. I hear the crunch of his bones as the familiar sound of flesh being pounded into echoes’ through the room. I hope my boys are ok, but I know they can handle themselves just as well as I can.
I finally reach ‘Pitt Bull’ who scowls at me with the knife clenched hard in his fist. His arm strikes out, but I’m ready for him. I block him with ease and I see the wariness in his eyes when he realizes the knife isn’t going to stop me. I’m here for my girl and nothing is going to stand in my way. “Where is she?” I growl as my fist comes up in an uppercut to his stomach while my eyes remain locked on any movement he makes, especially any movements which include the knife.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he spits before attempting a kick to knock me off balance. I easily duck out of the way which only seems to infuriate him more. He comes at me with both arms swinging and his moves are a mess, sloppy even. It’s clear this loser has had a few drinks which is definitely a mistake on his part. This isn’t the same brutal dickhead I’ve been watching at the Underground. This guy isn’t thinking straight, he isn’t clear in his mind and every fighter knows you don’t go into a fight without a clear head, otherwise, you make mistakes.
Big. Fucking. Mistakes.
The angrier he gets, the worse the taunts become. “You should have heard her scream when I fucked her,” he smirks.
No, No. There’s no way. He has got to be lying. I would feel it.
Whether it’s true or not. I see red.
“You want to win on Thursday night with this shit? Hell, you can’t even nick me with the damn knife.” I taunt him with a smirk as his skills start becoming comical, in any other situation, I’d be laughing by now, but this fucker deserves everything that’s coming his way, especially after claiming he laid his hands on my woman.
He lets out an angry growl before rushing me, just as I knew he would. The knife is launched back behind his head and I have no doubt he’s looking for a kill shot. My leg comes flying up in a spinning kick and smacks him right across the face. He stumbles backward and I take my chance. It’s clear he only has formal training in boxing which is no match for my extensive MMA skills and it’s obvious he’s finally come to this realization, which is probably what all this shit is about. He wants the money and he knows he doesn’t have the skill to take me down.
All this time, after watching his fights, I thought he would be my hardest opponent, but what I’m witnessing now, it’s like going up against a beginner or maybe I’m just that filled with rage and desperate to get to Charli, that I don’t notice his skills or if he even has any.
I push forward and lay into him, but I don’t have time for bullshit. My fist rears back and I nail him as hard as I can in the temple, once for Charli, once for me, and once for the rest of his opponents who were brutally attacked by this lowlife. I follow it up with a punch to the jaw and a few to his eye for good measure.
The fucker goes down in an instant with the knife clattering to the concrete floor.
I grab the knife and slide it into my back pocket. I look around to see that the guys have mostly dealt with the rest of ‘Pit Bulls’ men and I’m no longer needed. I push myself forward. There’s only one other door in this place and I rush to it as fast as I can.
A big lock blocks my entry and I bring my foot up once again. The door takes a few tries, but eventually gives way.
The first thing I see is Charli and I start to rush forward before I notice the big fucking dog standing before her. My hands instantly fly up, showing the dog I mean no harm as I fully start to comprehend what’s going on. Is this dog protecting her?
I stand still as my eyes roam over Charli. I’m desperate to get to my girl, but I know I need to get past this dog first. My mind goes through all the ways to show the dog that he can trust me, but I’m coming up blank, all I can think about is Charli and the way she looks.
The dog must see something he likes as the deep growls coming from his throat stop and he takes a step backward. Keeping my eye on the dog I slowly make my way towards Charli, not wanting to make any sudden movements.
Charli lays in a heap on the floor. Her precious face is tear streaked and those blue eyes that I love are clenched as tightly as possible. I notice her clothes are torn, but they’re still on her body, so in this shitty situation, at least I know he didn’t touch her. “Charli?” I whisper as gently as I can as to not freak her out. I place my hand on her shoulder and her eyes ping open.
Her eyes sought out mine and she looks at me with fear, begging for me to take her away from this place as the tears come streaming down her face.
I reach for the duct tape across her mouth and try to slowly peel it off, but the shit must be industrial strength and won’t budge, though, I know it’s probably only hurting her more. “Sorry,” I say, leaving the duct tape and moving onto her hands and feet knowing she desperately wants it off, but if I was to rip it, she’d probably lose half her lip.
I pull the knife from my back pocket and the dog instantly goes on guard again. I move ever so slightly so the dog can watch my every move as I take her hand in mine. Charli flinches and attempts to scream in pain, though the sound is muffled by her tapped mouth which only pisses the dog off more. I focus closer on her hand, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkened room and realize that her wrist is broken. “Fuck,” I grunt, wanting to get back up and give the fucker a second beating, the only thing stopping me is how desperately Charli needs me right now.
I slip the knife through her bound hands as gently as I can, cringing as I try to cut the rope. “Sorry, babe. This is going to hurt.” I tell her.
She lets out a pained sob, letting me know she understands and I do what I can to make it quick for her.
Her arms come free and she carefully brings her wrist around her body
and cradles it to her chest while I work on freeing her legs. This seems to cheer the dog up as he comes forward and starts looking her over, proving to me once again that he’s protective of her. Charli stretches out her good hand and gives the dog a gentle scratch behind his ears, making him rub his large head up against her, but that only makes Charli cringe in pain.
I try my hardest not to look at the cuts and bruises on her body, to keep myself focused, but I just can’t help it. My heart breaks with every new scratch I find, but I need to know she’s ok.
She tries to reach for me to get to her feet, but I bend down and scoop her into my arms instead. I go to leave, but Charli looks back at the dog who sits on his ass pouting, clearly looking upset that I’m taking her away. Charli looks back at me, trying to convey some sort of message. “You want to bring him?” I ask.
She nods her head ever so gently and I look back at the dog. “Come on,” I say, hoping the big guy can understand what I’m telling him.
To my surprise, he gets up and follows me as I take Charli out of the room and into the main warehouse where all three of our eyes dart around, searching for any threats.
I see the moment her eyes land on ‘Pit Bull’. A sigh of relief comes out of her when she takes in the damage I’ve done, though none of it will make up for what he’s done to her. Not with the physical scars or the mental scars he’s left behind.
Cole, Luke, Jace, and Caden have finished taking out all of ‘Pit Bull’s’ men and quickly look her over then give the dog curious looks before we high tail it out of this place.
Jace opts to ride with Luke so I can lay Charli down in the back of Cole’s truck and before I know it, Cole is in the driver’s seat, the dog is in the tray and we’re gunning it to the hospital. He hands me a bottle of water to help unstick the duct tape and I get to work with Charli’s head resting in my lap.
I manage to get half of it off before Cole is pulling up to the hospital.
“Thanks, man,” I grunt as I help Charli out of the truck.
“No problem. Get your girl inside and checked out. I’ll deal with the dog until you’re finished here,” he says, looking annoyed with the task, but I know he’ll do the right thing.
I give him a grateful nod before I rush Charli inside and watch as the hospital staff immediately come to her aid.
Chapter 23
Charli
I’ve spent the last two days in the hospital with a nasty concussion and it’s been driving me insane. The second Xander found me in that god awful warehouse, all I wanted was for him to take me home to the place I feel safest. Instead, I ended up in the hospital where they wouldn’t let me go.
I mean, come on. I’ve just been kidnapped, beaten and held hostage and they wanted to hold me against my will again. Seriously? I get that I needed to get my wrist looked at and all my bumps and bruises looked over, but staying in a place that wasn’t my home, just didn’t feel right.
All I can say is, it sucked. Like, really bad. Xander would stay as long as he could and then the hospital visiting hours would kick in and they would kick him out, no matter how much he protested, though I have to admit, that was a little comical.
So, there I was, during every closed visiting hour, left alone with nothing but my own thoughts and memories to haunt me. Exactly what I needed. I don’t know how I would have done it without Beast, my new dog. Xander explained that Cole had taken care of him the last few days, took him to the vet to get checked out, bought him all the things dogs need and then watched as he shitted all over his backyard.
It’s the morning of the final at the Underground. Xander sits in the chair opposite my hospital bed, fast asleep. I tried to get him to sleep in the bed with me, but he flat out refused, though, I don’t know what kind of good that’s going to do for tonight’s fight, but he has promised me that with everything that has happened, he will have no problem taking the guy out again, after all, the last fight was won in seconds while ‘Pitt Bull’ wielded a knife.
Xander tried to explain that ‘Pit Bull’ only holds boxing skills where he has extensive MMA training and that pretty much means a slam dunk in his eyes, he just has to use what he knows against him. Though, he also said that ‘Pitt Bull’ had been drinking when they fought, so who knows how it’s really going to go.
The doctor comes crashing into the room, bumps into a tray before stumbling the rest of the way in with my discharge papers. Xander’s eyes flick open at the sound of the commotion and is on his feet in seconds, prepared for any threat.
In his sleepy state, it takes him a moment to realize it’s the doctor and not a threat so, the poor guy narrowly escapes getting punched.
I quickly sign the discharge papers and we’re finally free to go.
We walk down to the parking lot and I find Cole’s truck right by the door. He helps me up into the beast of a truck. I’m pretty sure I could have managed on my own, but there’s something soothing about the feel of his skin on mine. “I can’t believe Cole hasn’t demanded his truck back yet,” I say when Xander hops in the driver’s seat.
“I know,” he grunts. “But I don’t like it. I’ll go and buy one this weekend.”
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Mmhmm,” he murmurs as he pulls out of the car park and onto the main road. “I’ll get you one, too.”
“What?” I practically choke with wide eyes. Are we really that sure it was me who took a hit to the head and not Xander?
“I’m thinking something big to keep you safe,” he goes on as if I’m not having a mini heart attack right next to him.
“Hold it right there,” I demand. “Has it ever occurred to you that I don’t drive?”
“Well, yeah, you don’t have a car,” he states flatly.
“No, you moron,” I grin. “I don’t drive because I don’t know how. You really think the step monster would have taken the time out of her busy drinking schedule to teach me?”
He considers this for a moment. “All the more reason to buy you one,” he says. “I’ll teach you.”
Let’s face it, the idea of having driving lessons from Xander is beyond awful and could only end up in an argument. Maybe Micky will teach me. “You want to buy me a car just so I can destroy it while I learn.”
“Yup,” he announces, popping the ‘p’.
I know a losing argument when I see one. I let out a huff and fold my arms over my chest, being careful not to bump my wrist too much, but it should be ok, it’s in a cast now, a black one which reminds me of my black sheep boyfriend and my new black guard dog.
We make it the rest of the way home and the second I step through the threshold, a feeling of safety comes over me. I absolutely love that my home can offer me this as I’ve never felt safe at home before. Well, Micky’s was kind of a safe haven, but there were always drunken losers hanging around downstairs.
After being in the dodgy warehouse followed by the hospital for two days, I feel I need a good scrub. I make my way to the bathroom, stripping as I go, adding a little strut to my walk, knowing Xander’s eyes are resting on my ass. I get to the door of the bathroom and I’m standing in nothing but a pair of undies.
I hook my thumbs into the waistband and slowly pull them down, giving Xander a good look at what he’s been missing for the last few days. I hear a groan from behind me and a grin rips itself across my face.
My underwear is hardly on the floor before I feel two, rough, calloused hands on my ass, one of which is quickly making its way between my legs. I step out of my underwear and straighten up. My back presses against his chest and he winds a hand around my waist then trails it up to cup my breast.
I let out a moan, not realizing how desperately I’ve been needing his touch. His lips come down on my neck and I suddenly find myself pushing my ass back into his hands like some kind of hussy.
I turn in his arms and start undressing him while his lips come crashing down on mine. Clothes are flying everywhere and before I know it, I’m pushed up against the wall of the s
hower with warm water streaming down our bodies and Xander buried deep inside me.
All the rules the doctor gave me about taking care of my cast are completely forgotten, actually, I’m pretty sure there was something about not letting it get wet, but right now, I really don’t care.
Following our shower, Xander curls up with me on the couch and watches a movie while I doze off into a blissful sleep.
I wake later to the sound of someone knocking at the door and feel Xander get up from beside me. I watch as he makes his way to the door and opens it up, only to get barged out of the way by a massive dog forcing his way through the house. The dog sniffs me out instantly and is jumping up beside me on the couch, tail wagging and tongue hanging, coming straight for my face.
“Hi, boy,” I say with a smile as I give him a scratch behind the ears. He tries to climb into my lap, but I still have far too many injuries for that which means Xander is yelling at him from the door, telling him to get off. The dog practically gives him a death stare and I realize this is going to be a love hate relationship between the two males in my life.
I can’t help but laugh even though the jerky movements of my laugh causes pain to shoot through my ribs.
Xander thanks Cole at the door and is soon coming to join me on the couch before detouring past the kitchen and bringing in lunch. I’m about to compliment Xander on his cooking skills when I see the take out bags from Micky’s and realize Micky must have popped over to check on me.
The old man has been checking in on me at least four times a day, whether it’s a phone call or physically dropping everything to come and check on me personally, and I have to admit, I really love it. Micky has taken over the role of a father figure in my life and I couldn’t be happier with that outcome, even though it reminds me of how much I miss my own father every time I see him.
The afternoon and night fly by and before I know it, I find myself getting up to start getting ready for Xander’s fight.
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