Page 27 of Descent
Things would get violent.
The crowd would witness death, all right.
And that’s when he delivered a swift uppercut. Pain spiraled through my jaw as diamond-like sparks flooded my vision. Back on the concrete again, I tried blocking his fists, but they came faster than I could ward them off. The crowd roared. Some of them might have booed. My opponent hopped to his feet, and I rolled to my side, spitting out another mouthful of blood. I registered the impending strike to the kidney a second too late.
Holy fuck, I was off my game. This fucking fight had psyched me out from the beginning, and if I didn’t get my head twisted on straight again, I’d lose.
Not just lose. I’d pay with my life. Even worse, my son would pay with his life. And Alex…
She’d be stuck with Zach forever—a fate worse than death.
Gathering renewed strength, I jumped to my feet and stormed him. Rage and adrenaline rushed through me as I landed punch after punch before sending him to the ground. We struggled on the concrete for several intense minutes, both instinctively recognizing the importance of this moment.
The finality of it.
Sweat and blood dripped from my skin, and with a grunt, I maneuvered him into a chokehold, locking him in without the hope for escape.
He thrashed the seconds away, a victim of futility. “Don’t,” he squeaked, his throat working hard under my vise-of-an-arm to get the plea out. His fingers dug into my flesh, nails breaking skin. “They’ll kill my girlfriend.”
“If I don’t,” I said, tightening my hold, “my son is dead.”
Will’s life had trumped Alex’s safety, and he sure as hell trumped this guy’s girlfriend. Maybe she was an innocent like Will—inculpable in whatever situation my opponent had gotten himself into. But she was an adult, and Will was just a kid. Out of everyone in my life, he was the most innocent, and he didn’t deserve to be used in Shelton’s sick game.
Justification made, I increased the pressure on the guy’s throat, and as each second passed, his writhing died down. His desperation weakened, uncoordinated fists glancing off my temple. Five more seconds and those defensive blows stopped altogether.
And I couldn’t let go. Long after the buzzer sounded, and Shelton unlocked and entered the cage, I remained in a state of purgatory. Neither free nor caged. Neither innocent nor guilty. I held on as long as possible because the instant I let go, and the guy in my arms refused to wake, it would become real.
Inescapable.
And I wasn’t ready to face the monster in the mirror.
14. Rescue Squad
Alex
Through the wet, stringy curls hanging in my eyes, I glared at the tall blond standing next to Jax in the rain, crossing his muscled arms over a broad chest. Even in this torrential downpour, and despite the evening chill infiltrating the air, he wore a sleeveless T-shirt that showed off his ink. The dude favored dragons, which didn’t give him any points since those tats reminded me of Zach.
“I ain’t babysitting a woman,” he said, making me want to blast the condescending smirk off his face. “If I had my way, you would’ve stayed put on the island.”
Another guy spit into the mud as he scanned the arsenal of weaponry in the cargo space before settling on a tactical shotgun. “Now you’re just pissing her off, man.”
Their easy-going banter was about to piss me off, but then again, maybe I should take their relaxed nature as a positive sign. They seemed unworried about extracting Rafe, which was more than I could say for myself.
“I don’t know, Rich,” the buff dude with the black ponytail said, snickering as he checked the suppressor on his semiautomatic. “I think she could take you.”
“What is she…a hundred pounds soaking wet?”
“She’s standing right here,” I said, refusing to back down. “And I’m going with you. Besides, it’s my husband in there.”
“Lady, I don’t care if the president of the United States is chained up inside those walls. You’ll slow us down.”
“I know how to shoot.”
“There’s more to it than knowing how to handle a gun.”
I was about to argue further when Jax gripped my shoulder. “We don’t have time for this. I know you can hold your own, but Rafe will have my ass if I put you in danger.” He gestured to the car where Angel waited inside, staying warm and dry. “Get in and stay put. Do you understand?”
His authoritative tone burrowed underneath my skin, and I set my hands on my hips. “I don’t take orders from you.”
Letting out an impatient exhale, he pushed back the shaggy hair matted to his forehead. “Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn?”
“Because I can’t stand the thought of sitting and doing nothing. That’s all I’ve done for the past six days!”
“Look,” Jax said, voice softening as he took me by the shoulders. “You did do something. You survived.”
