Page 8 of Shattered Sinner
My mouth went dry. "Nash, listen to me—"
"No. You’re the reason all this shit is happening. You’ve proven that you’re not a man of your word." He took a step forward, his gaze never wavering from me. "You’re a liar. There’s no way you should be able to become a member of the Chevaliers.”
“I’m not even sure what you’re accusing me of.” That part was true. I assumed it was because of the deal he and I struck about his sister, but hell, it could be something else at this point.
"You’re not?" He stared at me for a moment before he turned to the others in the room. "If you’d excuse us?”
I watched as three other guys I vaguely knew left the room, leaving Nash and me alone. He waited a moment before he turned to face me once more.
“Are you going to tell me that you didn’t touch my sister? Are you going to continue to fucking lie to my face?”
“Nash it wasn’t like—”
My words died on my lips as Nash’s fist connected with my face. Pain exploded across my cheek. My head snapped to the side as spots danced across the wall. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
When I shook my head and looked up, I struggled to focus on Nash until he moved into my line of vision. Nash leaned over me, and the rage in his eyes was obvious. "Did you think I wouldn’t find out?"
He drew back his fist again. I shifted as the zip ties dug into my wrists, but I screamed first. “If you really want to handle this one-on-one, we can fight it out.”
“That would be fitting for you, wouldn’t it? That way you might get the upper hand, right?”
Nash narrowed his eyes at me, and I wondered if he was thinking about what I said. I appealed to his ego on purpose because if he wanted to beat the shit out of me, he’d want to do it fair and square.
I watched as he took out a pocketknife from his coat pocket and cut the zip ties that were around my wrists. A rush of relief flooded my body as my hands were freed, but he still held the knife close to me, so I knew better than to think this was over.
Nash took a step back and gestured for me to stand up. I rose to my feet, mentally preparing for what was about to occur. We stared each other down, both of us ready for what was about to come.
The air between us grew thicker the longer we stood there, while neither of us dared to make the first move. Seemingly out of nowhere, Nash lunged at me with a powerful punch, but I managed to dodge it just in time, and that only seemed to piss him off more. His fists flew at me as fast as lightning, each one coming faster than the last. I did my best to dodge them and block my body from them whenever I could. I managed to get a few hits in as well, proud to be able to execute payback for him punching me in the face when he had the upper hand.
I attributed most of my reflexes to the adrenaline pumping through my veins and my training due to football, and I was grateful for that.
“Enough!”
I temporarily took my eyes off Nash and was relieved when he did the same. If he hadn’t, he would have easily gotten a shot in because of me being distracted. I looked up and saw a man in a suit walking toward us. “This is ridiculous.”
Nash immediately stopped and before he turned away from me, I could still see the rage in his eyes, but the hold this man had over him seemed to be stronger. “Chairman Townsend, you aren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.”
“Glad I made it up here tonight to see you throw away everything you worked so hard for. Whatever you’re fighting with him over isn’t worth this. You’re supposed to be a leader for this organization and leaders don’t step this low. Now, you and I have to talk.”
Nash paused for a beat before he turned to me and said, “Tomorrow evening, you’ll receive a message about what time and the location of where you need to be if you wish to start your trials to see if you’ll become a Chevalier. I won’t go gentle on you because of your injuries either.”
The shock I felt knowing I was still invited to anything related to the Chevaliers barely registered when I replied, “Good… because I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
5
EASTON
Iglanced down at the piece of paper in my hand as I reread it for the millionth time wondering exactly what the fuck I was doing. Here I was, standing outside of a large, abandoned warehouse. I was slightly confused, but mostly intrigued about why I was here. This was the first task that would help prove why I should be a member of the Chevaliers. I had no idea what to expect, but the mystery and intrigue surrounding all of this and my run-in with Nash only fueled my determination.
What I did expect was for this challenge to be physical. For Nash to have said that he wasn’t going to take it easy on me today because of any pain I might be feeling was a strong hint toward that. It was the reason why I made sure to take care of myself the best I could to physically prepare for whatever this would be.
I was still sore from the fight Nash, and I had the evening before, but I didn’t care. I was even more determined to beat whatever challenge they threw at me. I walked up to what looked to be a wooden door and stepped inside.
At first, I was met with darkness and silence. The urge to pull out my phone and use it as a flashlight was strong, but I refrained. I wanted to show that I wasn’t afraid of this task.
I didn’t have long to wait.
Somewhere in the distance, a door creaked open. Then I heard footsteps, but they weren’t coming toward me. My breath caught in my throat, but I didn't move. I refused to convey any emotion that might make anyone think I was afraid of whatever might happen tonight.
