by Ella Miles
“Then why are you standing on this side?”
“I expect the same reason you are.”
“Caius has been one of my best friends since I was five. I’ve never known anything else. It would be disloyal to our friendship to stand anywhere else.”
“But?”
“But he was never supposed to lead. He’s a good guy—too good, some would say. If he wins, it will destroy him. He needs Beckett to win as much as Beckett does.”
“Why?”
He shakes his head. “It’s not my place to say, and Caius will never admit it, but he’d be better off as one of the leaders, not the king.”
I chuckle when he says king. “King? Really? You guys will truly act like Caius or Beckett is royalty when one of them wins?”
“Don’t act like the mafia is any different, Princess.”
“Touché.”
We both give our full attention to the fight as it begins. I should be nervous. Two men I care about are about to duke it out. Even if I want Beckett to win, I’m still worried about what losing will do to Caius. But I’m not nervous; I know the outcome already.
The fight starts, and Caius throws the first punches, eager to win. Beckett is far more patient and far more deadly. He could simply wait for Caius to tire himself out throwing punches and then make his move. But Beckett is far too angry to let it get that far.
Beckett throws me a look, and I offer him a raised eyebrow like he’s done so many times to me. This time my raised eyebrow isn’t one of me offering to help him. It’s one that says, really, you’re just going to let him dance around you like that and not fight back?
Beckett’s nostrils flare as he looks back at Caius. And then he attacks and attacks and attacks.
I’ve never seen him so angry, so determined, so one-track focused.
They are allowed to use weapons; there are no rules. But the way Beckett is attacking—he doesn’t need anything but his fist and determination to prove everyone wrong.
“What did you do?” Lennox asks me.
“What did I do? I’m right here.”
Lennox scoffs. “Your kiss wasn’t enough; you had to go and taunt him from the sidelines, too?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “It’s not my fault if Beckett kicks Caius’s ass. If things were fair, I would have been on Beckett’s side. The fact that not one of you offered to stand next to him just shows what asses you all are. You lied to him repeatedly. When he wins, don’t think he’s going to let you anywhere near his inner circle. You’ll be lucky to remain part of the Retribution Kings.”
“Don’t you think we know that! We don’t have a choice. We vowed loyalty to Caius when we were kids. We are loyal to him until he loses. Then we will have to grovel if Beckett doesn’t kill us first,” Lennox says.
I narrow my eyes. “So you think Beckett is going to win?”
“Of course, he’s going to win. But now, because of you, he’s probably going to kill Caius instead of just knock him out.”
I look back, and sure enough, Caius is on his knees, covered in blood. He should surrender, but Beckett doesn’t give him the opportunity. He pummels into him over and over. Caius’s head cracks as blood spews.
I gasp and that gets Beckett’s attention.
He frowns.
Please, I plead with my eyes. He’s had enough.
Beckett sighs. I don’t think he’ll listen to my pleading. But he hits him one more time in the head, and Caius collapses to the floor.
Silence stretches through the room. It’s not exactly a surprised gasp, more like everyone knew this was inevitable, but they aren’t sure how they feel about the outcome. I have no doubt that if Caius had won, there would be cheering.
Harry walks back to the ring, holds up Beckett’s hand, and announces him as the winner. Blood oozes from his knuckles, a bruise surrounds his left eye, and sweat drenches his forehead and shirt. Eventually, people start clapping for him.
Gage, Lennox, and Hayes rush onto the stage to pick up Caius and drag him off.
Beckett stares at me.
I want to run to him.
I want to congratulate him. Hug him. Kiss him. Fuck him.
I want…
It doesn’t matter what I want. Beckett isn’t mine. He doesn’t want me. He wants to torment me.
Instead, I give him a small nod of congratulations before Caius is dragged to where I stand. His eyes roll in his head as Gage pours water over his face. Eventually, Caius looks at me with half his eye hanging out of his socket and a badly bruised and cut-up lip.
“Don’t look so concerned, Princess. The next round is an obstacle course. One I’ve practiced a thousand times. I’ll win,” Caius says, and then he kisses my hand before falling unconscious again.
I look to the other guys, and they look ashamed.
Shit.
Caius is going to cheat. He already knows he’ll win the next round. I have no idea what the tiebreaker is. I like Caius a lot, but Beckett needs to win. I need him to win everything. Caius may be my Prince Charming, but Beckett’s my Hero. Charming looks great in a tux and can dance at the ball, but only a true Hero will be by my side to fight the darkest monsters.
I have to tell Beckett.
15
Beckett
I won, but she stayed by his side.
I’ve had enough. If she thinks this will make me trust her more, she’s crazy. She chose him; she thinks he’s the better between the two of us.
She’s right, of course. Caius has never betrayed or hurt her. I’m the bad guy—the one who’s embarrassed her and used her desires against her. I’m the one who started this war. Caius wants nothing more than to sweep her off her feet and go riding off into the sunset in a horse-drawn carriage ride.
While I want…fuck, I can’t admit what I want.
This isn’t about Odette anymore.
It’s about Rialta.
I want her.
She’s mine.
Not Caius’s.
Not any of those men competing for her.
Mine.
What I’m going to do with her when I win her, I’m not really sure. I just want her—on her knees, in my bed, by my side.
Except she’s a manipulative liar, just like everyone else.
I thought I was beginning to trust her. I thought that someday maybe I’d fully trust her.
And then she chooses him.
After Harry announces me as the winner, I walk off.
“Beckett,” he snaps as I jump out of the ring.
I turn my head just enough to signal that I’m listening.
“Seven PM, round two, at the course near the back of this building.”
I nod, and then I get the hell out of there. I need space to clear my head. I need fuel for the next competition.
I’ve barely hopped in my car, and my foot is already on the gas, speeding out of my parking spot. I don’t know where I’m going. If it was up to me, I’d drive and drive and drive. I’d go find some guy to fight. I’d drink myself until I couldn’t think anymore.
But that’s not what I’ll do now. I drive until I find a local restaurant, still within the confines of the Retribution Kings’ compound, and then I force myself out of my car and into a booth. I order carbs. I guzzle down glasses of water.
I don’t think. I shut off my mind.
My only goal is to win the next round. After that, I’ll have all the power. Then I can decide what to do, what I even want anymore. Who do I want retribution from? Who do I need?
I’m digging into pasta when Ri walks in. She’s windblown and out of breath, like she ran the whole way here. She probably did, unless Caius let her take the car.
She spots me instantly, straightens her face, wipes the flyaways from her face, and then marches over to me.
“No,” I say between bites when she stops at my booth.
She looks at the seat across from me and then slides in anyway.
I glare at her.
“You chose the
loser’s side; that means you get to eat with him, not me.”
“Caius was taken to the hospital to ensure he doesn’t have a concussion.”
“Then why aren’t you by his side, holding his hand while he gets an x-ray?”
“I’m waiting for my thank you,” she leans back, folding her arms across her chest as the waitress approaches.
“What can I get you, sweetheart?”
I scoff. “She’s not a sweetheart.”
The waitress ignores my comment.
“A burger and fries.”
“If anything, you owe me a thank you, not the other way around. I’m not paying for your burger and fries,” I snark.
She reaches into her pocket, pulls out a twenty, and throws it at me.
“Now, about my thank you,” she says, still waiting.
“You betrayed me. Why should I thank you?”
“You’re a real ass, you know that?”
I shovel in more food even though my stomach wants to stop because of this conversation. I’m going to need the fuel this evening, so I force myself to keep eating.
“You’re supposed to thank me for helping you win.”
“And how exactly did you do that? I don’t remember you throwing any punches out there.”
“I taunted you, pissed you off, gave you extra fuel, an extra reason to go after Caius.”
I growl.
She smiles. “You look like the beast in Beauty in the Beast, barely using your silverware as you shovel food in with a sexy growl.”
I shake my head. “Is that what you came here to say to me? I look like a cartoon character?”
“No, the live-action version.”
I stop eating and stare at her. I swear I’m going to murder her someday.
“Why are you here, Ri? I want to eat and clear my head before the next round, and I don’t want to deal with your treasonous ass right now.”
Her shoulders slump at my words, and she sighs. “Fine, I’ll leave.” She stands up. “But if you think I chose Caius because I think he’s better than you, you’re wrong.”
The waitress chooses that moment to bring her food out.
Ri picks up the burger, takes one giant bite, and then plucks a couple of fries before she starts to walk away. She returns a second later with a poorly wrapped peanut butter cup.
“I always choose you, Hero.”
And then she walks away, leaving me thoroughly confused.
Why the hell did she just give me a peanut butter cup? And why is the only image playing in my head the one of her taking a bite of the burger while juices ran down her chin?
I shake it off and finish my meal, ignoring the peanut butter cup.
I pay.
I leave.
I sit in my car, trying to nap before the competition, the peanut butter cup staring at me on the dash.
I sigh and finally unwrap it. The chocolate has started to melt, but I pop it in my mouth in one go.
It tastes like cheap chocolate and stale peanut butter. It was probably expired.
I’m about to crumple the wrapper up, when I see handwritten words on the inside.
Caius is going to cheat.
I stare at Ri’s words. Why didn’t she just tell me? I didn’t give her a chance, and that restaurant was crawling with people who belong to the Retribution Kings. Any one of them could have tipped off Caius.
She helped me.
She wants me to see that she’s on my side, but all I see is that she’s playing all sides. She’s hedging her bets, ensuring that she doesn’t end up on the losing side.
I don’t trust her. I don’t trust anyone. I can’t ever again.
But her words rattle around in my head, “I always choose you, Hero.”
The words try to go deeper, try to penetrate my heart. I won’t let them. I won’t let her. She should choose Caius. He might actually choose her in return.
I’ll only choose retribution.
I arrive at seven on the dot. No reason to get here early. No reason to stand around while everyone stares at me.
I expect it to be another fight, or maybe a shoot-off or weapons skills test.
Instead, we are at the back of the property with what looks like an obstacle course.
My arm twitches. I’m strong, and I know how to compensate for my lost arm in most circumstances, but those monkey bars look like a bitch.
Caius is sitting on the end of some bleachers, with Hayes and Gage next to him. Lennox is behind him, massaging his shoulders. But I don’t see Ri.
I frown.
I should approach and ask them where she is, but she’s probably just sitting in the sea of faces in the bleachers. Or she ran off to get Caius water or painkillers or something.
Caius turns in my direction, and I see his swollen black and blue face with stitches on his cheek.
I resist the urge to smirk. Ri calls him charming, and I’m sure he is, but I hope she changes his nickname to lying, cheating bastard; that seems more fitting. I haven’t figured out what to do with the info Ri gave me. It’s not like she gave me any specifics. And calling him out in front of people he grew up with and consider him family isn’t going to win me any loyalty.
Harry is standing at the base of the bleachers, where the course seems to start. He turns to greet me as I approach.
“I’ve already explained the rules to Caius,” Harry says to me.
Sure, he didn’t explain it to him years ago and had him practice every day growing up. I’m sure he just told him out of the blue when he showed up.
“The course should take about two hours to complete.”
I glance behind him, not seeing how it will take us that long.
“It goes through the nearby forest, and there are some unmarked areas.”
Of course, there are. That’s how he’ll cheat.
My hand fists, and the veins in my arm bulge.
He looks at my missing arm. “I can offer you a head start or modifications for certain elements—”
“No, I’m fine.” I don’t care that I only have one arm. I don’t care that Caius is going to cheat. I don’t care that the odds are stacked against me.
“Then take your place at the starting line,” Harry says with a smile. I don’t know if his grin is because he knows I’ll lose or because he wants a leader like me—who, when the odds are stacked against them, will fight and win anyway.
Caius walks up next to me, stretching his arms.
“How’s your head?” I snicker.
He smiles. “You can’t goad me, Beckett. I know you’re a better fighter than me. It doesn’t mean that you’re prepared for this course.”
“Because you’re going to cheat?”
“There are no rules, so there is no way to cheat.”
A gun fires, and Caius takes off. I run a bit slower after him, knowing this is going to come down to pacing and who can maneuver through the forest section better as the sun begins to set.
I climb over the climbing wall easily, just behind Caius. I run through tires, dive under barbed wire, and then I get to the damn monkey bars. Caius flies through them, knowing it’s going to take me a lot longer on this part than it should.
I grab the first rung, swing my body back and forth to get momentum, and then fling myself as far as I can, hoping I can catch the next rung. I do, but my shoulder throbs from my weight when I catch myself. But I can do it.
It takes me five swings to get across, but I do.
Caius is long gone, already headed into the woods.
I glance behind me one more time, looking for her dark eyes to give me a wink, a taunt, something to drive me, but Ri’s not there. I don’t find her. That magnetic pull isn’t there. There is a sinking feeling in my gut that something’s wrong.
I ignore my concern; Ri can take care of herself. She’s a fighter. This complex is impenetrable. She’s safe here from outsiders, and no one here would hurt her.
I jog into the woods, and then I curse like hell. Caius is going
to win.
The wood section of the obstacle course is just that—woods. Trees, shrubs, thorns, rocks. There’s a very faintly marked path with a ribbon tied around branches far too spaced out for me to not make several wrong turns.
When I finally make it back to the bleachers, I know I’ve lost. I’m exhausted; my body is scratched from the branches, the bottom half of my legs are covered in mud. And I want to kill Caius because he’s sitting on the front row in pristine condition. He definitely didn’t just take the same path I did.
I don’t ignore him this time. I walk straight to him and the guys, needing to find Ri. She’s all I thought about. The sinking feeling is getting worse with each step.
“Where’s Ri?” I ask, looking from Caius, to Gage, to Lennox, then Hayes.
They all look sick, even Caius, but none of them answer me.
“Where’s Ri, Hayes?” I know he’s the one most likely to crack.
“Taken.”
“What do you mean she’s taken? And why are we playing this stupid initiation game if someone’s taken her?” I say through clenched teeth, trying to get as much information before I lose my cool and chase after her.
“Harry took her. It’s for the tiebreaker. He figured there would be one, so he snatched her,” Hayes says.
“Snatched her? As in, she didn’t go willingly?” I ask, about to murder everyone here.
“We’ve been looking for her while you two were competing, but she’s not on any of the security feeds. I have no idea where she is or who Harry had take her,” Gage says.
“Fuck!” I yell. Heads turn toward us, but I don’t care.
Harry walks over. “The tiebreaker is the first one to find and save the girl.”
“What do you mean, ‘save?’”
He pulls out his phone with a smirk. “It means you have one hour. If you don’t find her, she dies.”
I blink, not believing I heard him correctly. “What do you mean she dies? Corsi will kill us all if we don’t bring her back.”
“There was division in the leadership about if we should play Corsi’s game to ensure we take out everyone who had anything to do with Odette’s death or just do the obvious, easy thing: kill Rialta. A princess for a princess, so to speak.”
