The Fighter

by Leslie Georgeson

  Nate glanced at me in the rearview mirror again. “Ralph was Jacob’s partner. He died when we escaped last year. Jacob didn’t tell you about the dregs and their partners and the bonds we all share?”

  “Um, no.”

  “Do you care for him, Anna? Truly care for him?”

  The question took me aback. But it was easy to answer. “Yes.”

  Nate nodded. Then he told me a story about the dregs and their partners and how they all shared spiritual, emotional, and physical connections. It was fascinating, and it made my heart ache for Jacob, knowing how much it must have hurt him when his partner Ralph had died. He’d truly been alone. A wave of protectiveness washed over me as I thought of the other dregs pushing him out, forcing him to be even more alone.

  “That was a pretty jerk-ass thing for you guys to do, kicking him out when he had no one else after losing Ralph.”

  Neither one of them responded to that, but their expressions indicated they were thinking about my words and that they might even feel guilty about that. Good.

  Then we turned down the street where Kenny’s warehouse was, so I gave them directions to the building. Minutes later, they parked a few blocks down, and the other dregs pulled over behind them.

  I glanced down the street at the dark warehouse. Just a few hours ago, it had been alive with violence. I swallowed hard, thinking of Jacob getting beaten by those brutes.

  He’s going to be okay. The other dregs are here. They will get him out of there.

  Nate looked at me with that piercing gaze. “You okay? You want to wait here for us?”

  I lifted my chin. “No. I’m coming with you. I think I know where they’re keeping him. Kenny has a lot of guards. And they carry guns and Tasers, so you will have to be careful.”

  Tony snorted. “We’re dregs. We were trained for this shit. Come on, let’s do this.”

  We exited the vehicle and Nate and Tony went around back to unload guns and bullets and other various weapons. Nate thrust a small handgun at me. “Here. Take this. Do you know how to shoot?”

  I gave it to back to him. I’d never liked guns. “I don’t need it.”

  He cocked a brow, then shrugged, and stuffed the gun in the front of his jeans.

  The other dregs approached, all carrying weapons.

  “I’m Ryan,” the dark-haired guy with the prosthetic arm said, smiling at me. “They call me The Extractor.” He waggled his brows at me. “If you ever want to know what that means, come see me, doll. I’ll show you a good time.” He winked.

  Doll? I rolled my eyes. This guy was obviously a player. With that pretty-boy face and that slightly overblown charm, I could imagine how many women he’d seduced into his bed. But he wasn’t my type, not at all. I steered clear of men like him. I shook his hand and chuckled softly. “You’re a charmer, I see. But just so you know, I have eyes only for Jacob.”

  The blond guy with the slight hobbling gait sniggered. “Ooh! Strike out.” He smacked Ryan on the arm. Then he held his hand out to me. “I’m Luke. The Enforcer.”

  I shook Luke’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “I’m Noah,” the light-brown haired guy said, stepping forward. “The Hacker.”

  “And I’m Logan,” the shaggy-blond-haired dreg said. “I’m The Trainer.”

  I nodded at each of them. “Nice to meet you all.”

  How did they get their dreg names? Jacob’s and Nate’s names described them perfectly. Fighting and healing. But I’d yet to witness what the others’ names meant.

  “Let’s go.” Nate pushed the key fob that closed the hatchback of the SUV, and it shut with a quiet click.

  We headed silently down the empty street toward the warehouse.

  Would Kenny suspect me of going back for the other dregs? If so, he may have abandoned the building. I contemplated that for a long moment. The entire time I’d been with Jacob, he’d never contacted any of the other dregs. If Kenny had been following me around, then he would have known that.

  I had my answer. Kenny had no idea I’d brought revenge to his door. A revenge I was all too happy to participate in.

  The dregs spread out, slipping quietly up to the building. I followed, keeping close to Nate’s heels.

  Two guards were stationed at the front door. The dregs silently, swiftly took them out. Then they shot out the lock on the door and barged inside.

  I noticed that the light up in Kenny’s office was on. The door burst open as we entered the building, and armed guards fired at us. The dregs fired back, and the guards dropped one by one. More armed men came around a corner and fired at us. I hunkered down near the bottom of the staircase while the dregs battled it out.

  Finally, after about five minutes, there was silence. I hadn’t seen Kenny yet. I suspected he was up in his office. Probably cowering.

  I motioned up the stairs. “That’s the leader’s office. He’s probably hiding up there. But you can’t kill him yet. He has to tell us where Hazel is first.”

  Tony sneered. “I’ll take care of him.” He bounded up the stairs.

  “Jacob should be this way,” I told the others, and led the way across the warehouse to the long corridor with all the cells. They followed close at my heels, their guns ready to take out any threats. But it seemed they’d already killed all of Kenny’s men, because we weren’t met with any resistance as we headed down the corridor.

  Some of the other prisoners watched us pass, their eyes wide. I ignored them. I was here to save Jacob. Once Jacob was free, maybe we could free the other prisoners.

  I reached Jacob’s cell and rushed up to the bars to peer in. He lay in the far corner, curled onto his side, with his back toward us. He wasn’t moving. I stared hard through the semi-darkness, searching for some signs of life. But he was as still as death.

  “Step back,” Nate ordered.

  I moved aside.

  Luke stepped forward and fired at the lock, breaking it free. Then he yanked the cell door open and they all rushed inside. I joined them, my heart in my throat, holding my breath while Nate leaned over Jacob and checked his pulse. He nodded at the others.

  “He’s still alive.”

  Relief swept through me. I waited, tense, while Nate quickly assessed his injuries.

  As I moved closer, Jacob’s raspy breathing reached my ears. Fear clenched at my gut. “Why is he breathing like that?”

  Nate looked up at me. “Traumatic pneumothorax, I’m guessing. He’s got several broken ribs, so he’s probably got a punctured lung. He’s turning blue, so he’s not getting enough oxygen. We’ve got to get him out of here.”

  Jacob stirred as they gently rolled him into a sitting position, then Luke and Ryan slipped Jacob’s arms around their shoulders and hefted him up between them.

  Jacob let out a soft moan. “Ahh…my left shoulder…” he rasped in a whisper.

  Nate stepped forward, probing with his fingers, inspecting it. “Dislocated.” He glanced at Logan, who nodded.

  I stared, unable to look away, as I realized what they were about to do. Jacob gasped out a breath as Nate and Logan pulled and twisted and finally maneuvered his shoulder back into place. Then Jacob’s head lolled forward and he let out a sigh.

  “Thanks,” he whispered.

  “No problem,” Nate said.

  I looked back at Jacob. His eyes were open and he was looking at me.

  “You did it, Anna,” he whispered, his words thick with emotion. He wheezed in another breath. “Thank you.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded, lifting a hand to wipe at a stray tear. “I told you I would.”

  He closed his eyes and let his head sag forward again. “Yes, you did. I should have trusted you.”

  Nate cleared his throat. “Let’s move out.”

  They headed for the exit, carrying Jacob between them. Nate took the lead, with Ryan and Luke carrying Jacob, and Noah and Logan took up the rear. I hurried along behind Nate, as close to Jacob as I could get, glancing at him repeatedly to reassure mys
elf he was still alive. His eyes were closed now, so I wasn’t sure if he was just resting or if he’d passed out.

  “You should free the other prisoners,” I whispered. “I don’t know who they are, but they don’t deserve to be kept in a cage.”

  Noah and Logan exchanged a glance. “We’re on it.” They moved up and down the corridor, shooting off the locks on the cells, freeing the prisoners. As the prisoners slipped away, many of them whispered their thanks and one guy exclaimed, “Those are the dregs, dude. We just got freed by the dregs.”

  Noah and Logan rejoined us as we entered the main warehouse area with the fighting octagon.

  Tony was waiting for us near the bottom of the stairs beneath Kenny’s office. There was a hard gleam in his eye that I couldn’t interpret.

  “Did he tell you where Hazel was?” I asked.

  Tony shook his head. “He said she was dead, that he killed her to punish Jacob when you escaped.”

  My heart twisted. I gasped, stumbling back. “No.”

  “He’s lying,” Jacob rasped out, and all eyes darted to him. He tried to stand, failed, and tried again. Finally, he stood on his own between Luke and Ryan, his gaze latching on mine. “She’s not dead,” he repeated, staring into my eyes. “I would feel it if she was. I’m connected to her, like I was with Ralph. I can feel her. She’s alive and she’s okay. Just a little scared and confused.”

  A wave of relief washed over me. “I believe you,” I whispered, my breath catching in my throat. Hazel was still alive. I felt it in my bones. But where was she? How would we find her?

  “If we don’t find her before morning, we’ll call Tracker,” Nate said quietly. “He’ll help us find her.” But he didn’t sound so sure, and I wondered if he believed that or if he was just hoping Tracker would help as much as the rest of us were hoping.

  I vowed I would find a way to convince Tracker to help us find Hazel. I would beg if I had to. The other dregs had forgiven Jacob. Even Tony. So I believed in my heart that Tracker would forgive him, too.

  But there was one more thing I had to do before I left this place.

  I turned to Tony. “Is Kenny dead?”

  He narrowed his gaze on me. “Not yet. I left that for Jacob, in case he wanted to finish him off.”

  I marched toward the stairs. Tony snagged my arm, halting me. “Where do you think you’re going? That’s not something you should see.”

  “After what I’ve witnessed these past few days, there isn’t much that can shock me anymore. There’s something I have to do. Don’t try to stop me.”

  “Let her go,” Jacob whispered. “She’s tougher than she looks.” He coughed, then rasped, “But go up with her, just in case. And yes, you can take him out.”

  Tony jerked his head in a nod. He released me, then followed as I ran up the stairs. I found Kenny lying on the floor. Tony had beat the shit out of him. Good. Blood covered his face and splattered on the floor beneath him. Two of his guards lay dead several feet away. Ignoring the gruesome scene, I lifted Kenny’s pant legs, and removed his prosthetics, pulling them free.

  Tony gaped at me. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  Kenny moaned and opened his one eye, sending me a hate-filled glare. He hissed through bloody lips, “No. Don’t take my legs. I will kill you, bitch.”

  “These aren’t your legs,” I shot back. “You stole them.”

  “I will kill you!” he snarled, rolling to his side and trying to sit up. Tony shoved his foot down on Kenny’s chest, forcing him back to the floor. Kenny groaned and closed his one eye. “I will kill you for this!”

  “No, you won’t.” Tony removed a knife from his boot and leaned over Kenny. He glanced up at me. “Look away, Anna.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded, turning away. While I believed Kenny deserved to die, I didn’t want to witness his death. I went back down the stairs, carrying the prosthetics. Every one of the dregs jerked their eyebrows up.

  Tony followed behind me, moments later, wiping his blade on his pants.

  “Are you going to explain why you took his legs?” Tony demanded.

  I lifted my chin. “That bastard impersonated a wounded veteran so he could hide from the cops and get free prosthetics. I’m going to return these to the disabled veterans’ center so that they can go to someone who actually deserves them.”

  Jacob let out a soft laugh, then leaned more heavily into Ryan and Luke. “That’s my girl,” he rasped, before coughing and wheezing.

  Nate glanced at him with concern.

  “You are one hell of a woman.”

  I glanced up at Tony in surprise. Had he really just said that? The other dregs all turned to stare at him, as if he’d shocked them all. Maybe he had.

  “What?” Tony glared at everyone. “She’s a cool chic. How many women do you know who would steal prosthetic legs from a thief to take them back to someone who deserves them?”

  The other dregs exchanged glances, then they all chuckled.

  “I can’t…breathe.” Jacob’s head lolled forward. His body went limp. If Ryan and Luke hadn’t been holding him up, he would have fallen.

  “He’s out.” Luke glanced worriedly at Nate.

  “I’ve got an oxygen tank in the car. Let’s get him out of here.”

  We hurried from the warehouse, and they gently laid Jacob in the back of Nate’s Escalade. Nate leaned over him and listened to his breathing. Then he hooked up a mask with oxygen and fitted it over Jacob’s face. My heart lodged into my throat and I couldn’t breathe while I stood aside and watched.

  “He’s getting a little bit of air, but not much. We need to get him to a hospital. Now.” Nate’s expression was grave as he turned back to all of us. Then he met my gaze. “We’ll drive him there, but you’re going to have to go in with him, Anna. And stay with him. We can’t be seen.”

  My heart pounded. Jacob’s condition was serious. Emotion clogged my throat. “Is he going to die?”

  Nate kept his gaze steady on mine. “I don’t know. He took a serious beating, worse than anything any of us have ever gone through. If he weren’t a dreg, he would already be dead.”

  Noah stepped forward. He handed me a driver’s license. “Here’s a fake ID for him. Tell them he’s a self-pay and that he can afford it.”

  I swallowed hard. Could Jacob afford it?

  He drives a BMW. Of course he can afford it.

  “I’ll drop you off at the hospital in Eatonton,” Nate told me. “Hang tight until we get there, okay?”

  I nodded, my heart squeezing with worry.

  “The rest of us will check all the nearby buildings for Hazel,” Ryan said. “Give us an update on Jacob when you find out his condition, and we’ll update you if we find Hazel.”

  Nate jerked his head in a nod and met each of the dreg’s gazes.

  “Let’s move out.”

  Everyone disbursed.

  I climbed into the back and gently laid Jacob’s head on my lap, while Nate bent Jacob’s legs and leaned them against the seat back.

  “Keep a close eye on him,” he told me. “And let me know if he stops breathing.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded.

  Minutes later we were heading back toward Eatonton. Nate and Tony were silent up front, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

  How much time did Jacob have?

  It was up to me to make sure he survived this. Up to me to go with him to make sure the hospital staff never figured out he was a dreg. Because his true identity had to remain a secret.

  I glanced at the fake ID Noah had handed me.

  Ralph Jones.

  Ralph. Jacob’s dreg partner. The one who’d died when they’d escaped. If Jacob survived this, I would ask him about that. I would ask him to tell me all the other things I didn’t know about him.

  But would he even make it to the hospital?

  Or would he die before we got there?

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  Anna

  Nate sped the entire way bac
k to Eatonton. Since there was very little traffic anymore between Augusta and Eatonton, there were no cops patrolling, so we made it back in record time. Dawn approached as we reached Eatonton, the black of night turning to gray skies.

  As soon as Nate pulled up in front of the emergency entrance, I jumped out and raced inside, urgency driving me forward.

  “Help!” I shouted. “My boyfriend was attacked by a gang in Augusta. He’s barely breathing.”

  The hospital staff was quick to help, and I led the way out to the Escalade as they followed with a stretcher. Nate and Tony had donned dark sunglasses, I noticed, but they got out of the vehicle and helped lift Jacob onto a stretcher, keeping their heads lowered. Nate removed the oxygen mask and stepped back as the orderlies wheeled Jacob inside.

  “Here,” Nate handed me a cellphone. “I removed the password temporarily so you can use this. We’ll wait nearby. Call or text Tony’s number and let us know as soon as you find out Jacob’s condition.”

  I nodded, desperately holding back tears. They jumped into the SUV and sped away while I turned and ran back into the building.

  It was a long wait. First, I filled out paperwork for Jacob, using the fake ID Noah had created for him. Then I went back to the waiting area. I was the only person in the waiting area. Settling in a seat near the far wall, I swiped the screen on Nate’s phone.

  I pulled up Tony’s number on the phone and sent a quick text: Still waiting. No news yet.

  Tony’s response came back a few moments later: Keep us posted.

  I scrolled through the contacts on Nate’s phone, pausing when I came upon Tracker’s icon. Would Tracker come here and help find Hazel? Or was he still unable to forgive Jacob?

  If Jacob died, Hazel wouldn’t have a father to raise her. She would be placed in foster care.

  No. Jacob was going to live. He had to.

  I stared at Tracker’s icon for several moments, then sent a text: This is Anna. Nate let me borrow his phone. Jacob’s in the ER. We don’t know if he’s going to survive. Please, can you find it in your heart to forgive him and come here and help us find Hazel? We don’t know where she is, and we need your help desperately. Thank you.