His face twisted into a scowl and he asked, “Who the fuck are you?”
I should’ve listened to my conscience on this one because I was in the shit. How the fuck was I going to worm my way out of this without revealing who I was? I’d promised Rebel I’d play the game, and when he found out… Shit, we’d be over.
I opened and closed my mouth, trying to think of a plausible story for poking around in a filing cabinet at an illegal cage fighting operation, but nothing came out. I had no excuse.
The man strode forward and grabbed me around the arm. I twisted, trying to break free, but he pulled me tight against his chest.
“I won’t ask again, pretty girl. Who the fuck are you?”
Yeah, I was in it big time.
Chapter 13
Rebel
It was an easy fight.
Torment went down without too much trouble—the guy was way too green for this place. He was the same age as me but inexperienced. He held back on his blows like he was afraid of hurting me, but it was his weakness. If he could get over the fact that it took blood to win, he’d be pretty fucking formidable. He’d be a contender for the top prize. As he was now? He was cannon fodder.
I took the win out in record time and left the cage, looking for Charlie. Even to me it was strange how much I wanted to be with her. I’d always been solitary, a fuckin’ loner content to have my fun and be done with it, but with her… I wanted to be with her all the time.
I did a round of the arena, clutching my hoodie in my hand and not giving a stuff that I was wandering around with my shirt off, sweat dripping down my back. The women were loving it, but I couldn’t seem to find the one that I was looking for.
Where was Charlie?
Stopping by the bar, Lori hadn’t seen her. The bookies hadn’t noticed her, and she hadn’t placed any bets. On my way out back, I asked the fuckwits on security, but she hadn’t passed for a while. Charlie was nowhere to be found. Usually, I’d just dismiss it and move on, but now that I knew who she was and what she did—something didn’t feel right. Both times she’d seen me fight she’d waited for me right after. I assumed she’d do the same tonight.
Striding out to the change room, I checked my phone, but the screen was blank. I shot her a quick text and began unwinding the wraps around my hands. Once I was done, I checked the phone again despite it being silent the whole time. Fuck.
“Rebel.”
I glanced up at Max as he appeared beside me. He had a grimace on his face, and instantly, my blood began to run cold. There was no reason he’d seek me out unless—
“What?” I asked, slamming the locker closed.
“Your girl—”
“Charlie?”
“She’s a cop.”
My expression fell even further. If he knew…
“What have you done to her?” I asked, getting up in his face. I’d crack his fucking skull open if he’d touched her. I’d kill him with my bare hands.
“I haven’t done anything,” he replied, staring me down. “But Simon has.”
“Simon?”
“You know, Simon, the whiny bastard in charge of bribing the entire police force?”
“I know who Simon fucking is,” I snapped.
“He’s making a play for The Underground,” Max said, ignoring me. “He’s using your girl as an example.”
I knew it. I fucking knew it. I’d told Ryan the other day I’d suspected as much. He’d told me to keep my fingers outta it, but if Charlie had gotten herself mixed up in it, I had to get involved. My hand had been forced.
Flexing my fingers, I asked, “Where is the bastard?”
“Let’s make one thing clear, Rebel,” Max said. “I want The Underground. I want Simon out. I’m prepared to overlook your girl being a cop—”
“You need my help,” I snapped. “Charlie for The Underground.”
Max narrowed his eyes. “We go now, we might get her back before it’s too late.”
Turning, I grabbed my keys and phone from my locker before slamming it closed. “Lead the way, but I’m driving.”
I’d been through a lot of fucked up shit in my life. A lot of fucked up criminal activity, but nothing got to me more than the drive to find Charlie. Maybe she was already hurt or worse…dead.
I’d only just found her.
“Here,” Max said, pointing to a house up ahead.
It looked deserted, or at least it did from the facade. The garden was overgrown, the veranda rotting, and the house itself looked like a squatters den. It was wreathed in a darkness so complete it even gave me the chills.
“What is this place?” I asked, pulling the car up a few houses back and killing the engine.
“Simon used to use it to sell drugs back when he was a dealer.”
Fuck, I knew the guy was a piece of work but drugs were the worst. Drugs were what killed my parents in a roundabout way. The driver of that semitrailer had been loaded, had careened into our car… I shook my head and unclipped my seatbelt.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Rebel,” Max said, following suit. “Follow my lead, and we’ll get her out.”
“I know you’re using me,” I said. “You get what you want, and that means I get her. I’m not a fucking idiot.”
“Then I was right to trust you.”
Glancing at him, I rolled my eyes. “Get out of the car.”
Sliding out, I closed the door behind me, waiting for Max to take the lead. I was the brawn on this operation, and he’d made himself clear. I was the backup incase he needed me to beat the fucker senseless.
The front door was open—the door itself was falling off its hinges—the wood brown, and the paintwork was peeling off in flakes. Inside, the place felt like ice and stunk like rotting wood and damp, the floorboards creaking underfoot. Typical drug den, a squatter’s delight. Fucking filthy.
There was a thud from further back in the house, and Max strode forward through the darkness with purpose. Simon was still here, so maybe it wasn’t too late. As we approached the rear, a murky artificial light began to break the darkness. Someone was home alright.
Max stepped into the room first, and it wasn’t until I’d followed him in that I realized the extent to which things had blown up. Simon was standing in the center of the room, a gun in his hand. A dangerous man with his finger on the trigger, the barrel pointing right at my girl.
My gaze landed on Charlie, and my breath caught. She was sitting on a chair, her hands behind her back—probably bound—her eyes bright and wild. There was a red mark on her cheek, marring her perfect, creamy skin. She’d been hit. Bastard.
“What the fuck, Simon?” Max exclaimed. “You tryin’ to fuck us all up?”
“She’s a cop,” he snarled.
“I know,” he replied.
Simon shook his head in disbelief. “You know?” he roared. “You know where I found her? With her fingers in our files, gathering evidence.”
I glanced at Charlie, and her gaze was fixed on mine. I could see the truth echoed in them as clear as fucking day. She’d been using me to get into The Underground. She’d said she’d play the game until I got out. Was that a lie?
“Charlie,” I said, shaking my head.
“No,” she pleaded. “Don’t even think it.”
“Shut up!” Simon roared.
“Put the gun down,” Max said calmly. “Last thing we need is to put a girl in the ground.”
“She’s not a girl, she’s a fucking pig, and we need to make an example out of her.”
“Stop fucking around,” Max snapped. “You and I both know that this is your play, Simon. It’s been a long time coming, right?” He edged forward. “You want the entire pie for yourself. The whole fucking Underground. You want to be king.”