Game (2 page)

4.

(Shayna)

Are you fucking kidding me?

The gun jammed against my neck. I
wanted to swing at Zander. But if I did, he would shoot me, his guys would
shoot me, and I
’
d be dead.

Then I
’
d never find my sister
…

If things couldn
’
t get any worse, the guy -
Finn
- sat there and said,
“
Do
it. Kill her.
”

Oh, not to mention Vale had his
bear paw hand on Finn
’
s
head, squeezing it tight. That
’
s
what Vale loved to do. He would squeeze people
’
s
heads until they died. There were times when their eyes would bleed. Their face
would turn blood red. Sometimes their skulls would literally crack.

“
Are
you fucking kidding me?
”
I
asked.

Finn shrugged his shoulders.

Then Finn made his move. He ducked
his head down and slid from the chair. He turned and grabbed the chair, lifting
it, smacking Vale in the chest. Vale stumbled back and Finn rammed the chair
into him, taking him right out of the office.

But Finn was easily outnumbered.
Vale may have been out of the picture, but there were two more guys. One
grabbed each arm and Finn was back to where he started.

“
Not
bad,
”
Zander said.
“
Now tell me who you fight for.
”

“
I
already said to go fuck yourself,
”
Finn said.

Zander took the gun from my neck. I
thought he was going to kill him. I saw it happening in my mind. Zander filling
Finn with bullets. Not that the guy meant anything to me. He was cocky,
arrogant, acting like he didn
’
t
give a damn
…
did he not
realize the power in front of him? Zander
’
s
ties went deep. Deeper than I ever imagined which was why I was completely
trapped. That
’
s why I wore
the shirt I wore, the jeans I wore, looked the way I did, knowing guys were eye
humping me. Because it kept me alive, for now.

As Zander lifted the gun, I saw a
quick flash of hesitation on Finn
’
s
face.

For some reason, it connected with
me. Next thing I knew, my hand shot out and grabbed Zander
’
s fat wrist.

“
The
fuck?
”
he asked, looking at
me.

“
Make
him fight,
”
I said, trying
to be cold.

“
Fight,
”
Zander said. He grinned. His
eyes widened.
“
Fight. Yes.
”

“
I
’
ll fucking fight anyone,
”
Finn said.
“
Come on. Anyone.
”

“
Even
me?
”
I asked.

“
Ah,
sweetie, I have other ways I could destroy you. And I
’
d still use my hands.
”

A fire was sent through my body
that I hated myself for. Finn was bold and sexy.

“
You
fight,
”
Zander said.
“
You fight and you lose. Then you
tell me everything. Or I just kill you.
”

“
Yeah?
”
Finn asked.
“
That
’
s what you want?
”

“
No,
it
’
s what you want.
Sticking your nose where it doesn
’
t
belong. I
’
ll send a clear
message.
”

“
What
’
s my prize?
”
Finn asked with that cocky
grin.
“
Her?
”

Finn eyed me.

“
Done,
”
Zander said, without
hesitation.

“
What?
”
I asked.

“
Mind
your place, woman,
”
Zander
said to me.
“
He has no
chance.
”
Zander pointed at
the door.
“
Vale! Set this
up. The next fight. The stranger who doesn
’
t
belong here. Finn. Let
’
s
have him take on
…
the F
ist
.
”

I looked at Finn and felt my heart
race.

I almost felt for him. Such a sexy
face and killer attitude.

But against
the F
ist
?

Good luck.

“
I
’
ll fight for you, sweetie,
”
Finn said to me.

I shook my head. I tried to think
of something snappy to throw back, but I had nothing. I
’
d never seen anything like this. Zander was crazy.
Finn looked just as crazy. And now Finn was going to fight. For no reason.

“
You
fight,
”
Zander said.
“
You lose and you tell me
everything I want to know. And then I send your body back to your boss. A
warning to stay away from my fights. You win and you get the beautiful Shayna
on your arm. You walk away with the prize of a lifetime.
”

Zander was a degenerate gambler.
And I was the prize.

“
Shayna,
”
Finn whispered.

He looked at me.

I had to look away.

He was fucked.

5.

(Finn)

I was fucked.

I knew that from the second I felt
the guy grab my head. Hell, even before that, from the second I looked up and
saw Shayna standing there.

What a name, huh?

Not that it mattered right then. I
had to goddamn fight. I wasn
’
t
allowed to be there. If Fiore found out, he
’
d
put a bullet in my head. No matter what, it seemed like I was on the losing end
of this thing. So the plan started to form in my mind.

Win this fight. Get the fuck out of
there with Cormac. And then face the music with Fiore later. If I was fucked
up, I could tell him I got jumped or something. He
’
d never believe that though. So I
’
d have to make it good, tell him
I had been piss drunk and got jumped by five guys.

Even then
…
Fiore knew I could fight when I was drunk. Hell, I
was crazier when I was drunk. Hence the reason two men dragged me out of the
office to get ready for a fight.

But if I won the fight, I
’
d get Shayna.

Damn. Talk about a prize.

Definitely not a take home prize
though, I don
’
t do that. My
time is best spent in segments. Fighting, drinking, fucking. That was the only
way I could survive and get through the days. Anything else that resembled
realness was better off left behind. Because reality hurt.

The two guys pushed me away.

I turned and put my fists up, ready
to take them on.
“
Where
’
s Cormac? My boy.
”

“
Zander
wanted you,
”
one of the men
said.
“
Nobody else. Your
friend is still drinking. Now go down those stairs and fight.
”

I walked down the stairs and two
big men guarded the bottom. They were as thick as Zander, except they had
muscle. I paused and looked at them. I could fight them. I could beat them too.
How? Easy. They
’
re big with
big arms and big shoulders. Their technique would be in muscle. I
’
d hit one square in the nose to
start. That would bring tears to his eyes. Then I
’
d
go after the knees of the other and bring him down. See, big guys aren
’
t used to going down and when
they do, they panic.

“
Finn?
”
one of the guys asked.

“
The
one and only,
”
I said.

He moved out of the way and I
walked by. There was a group of people standing there. Five guys stood wearing
medical gloves, two wearing glasses, the other three tending to fighters who
were on their ass, bleeding everywhere.

“
I
need a needle!
”
someone
yelled.

“
Do
you have novocain?
”
the guy
asked as a gash above his eye throbbed.

“
Fuck
no,
”
the first person said.
“
This isn
’
t some fucking hospital. Suck it
up, pussy.
”

Sadly, it was a sense of home for
me. It
’
s what I knew. To
fight and try not to get too hurt. We couldn
’
t
go to the hospital when we got hurt. We didn
’
t
have health insurance and copays and deductibles. We had people waiting in the
back to stitch us up. We had whiskey. We had tough souls.

The guy started to cry and wince as
he was being stitched up.

Well, some of us had tough
souls.

“
You
ready, Irish boy?
”
a voice
growled at me.

A tall, skinny man stood holding a
piece of paper.

“
Ready
as ever,
”
I said.

“
Take
your jacket off,
”
he said.

“
Go
fuck yourself.
”

He turned and walked toward the
open floor. I followed behind and paused when I saw the crowd. There were
people on the floor and the overflow above. It wasn
’
t the biggest fight but it was maybe the most
important. This wasn
’
t
sanctioned by Fiore though. There wasn
’
t
money behind it. I wasn
’
t
getting shit for this.

Well, that wasn
’
t true.

I guess
…
well
…
I wasn
’
t in the fight
of
my life
…
but I was
fighting
for my life.

~ ~ ~

The Fist
, as he was called,
was a couple inches shorter than me. But his left hand was huge. I didn
’
t know if it was some kind of
birth defect or something, but his left hand was three times the size of his
right. It was like he had a boulder for a fist and he wasn
’
t afraid to throw it around. He
had a train tattooed on his left breast and a missile on his right side, from
the top of his shorts up to his armpit. Very weird ink for sure.

The first time he hit me, I saw
stars. I went back and felt like I was going to fall forever into oblivion. I
opened my arms wide and caught my balance. I left myself exposed and let
The
Fist
come running at me. He wound up with that big hand of his and I was
ready for him.

I slipped to the side and let him charge
by me. His natural reaction then was to look back. That
’
s when I made my attack. I came down with a hard
right fist, right to his jaw. It spun his head around, turning his body. Two
punches to his ribs sent him stumbling even more. I then kicked him square in
the ass and sent him into the crowd of people. There was a mix of languages
being shouted, all of them sounding angry.

The Fist
was quickly tossed
back into the fight. He looked like he had a golfball attached to his jaw.
Damn, I really did have a nice right.

I put my hands up and nodded.

The Fist
spun around and
threw his fist like it was a shot put. I ducked, but he kept going. Around and
around, swinging his large hand at me. He screamed as he did so. The son of a
bitch walked me backwards, over and over. My eyes were intent on his fist,
knowing that it could be the death of me.

I stayed with him knowing he
’
d either get dizzy and tired or
I
’
d get a small opening and
knock him the fuck out. The second I would knock him out I
’
d go right for the door.

What about Shayna?

That was the last thing I needed. A
prize? Some baggage? A pain in the ass woman? No. I didn
’
t need that. Nobody needed that.

I went back to the edge of the
crowd.

I had to make my move since
The
Fist
wasn
’
t losing
steam just yet.

I waited for my opening and when I
saw it, I curled up a tight fist. I figured if I hit him hard enough in the
stomach, it would steal his breath and stop him.

As I started to come forward, an
arm hooked into me.

“
What
the
…”

Another arm hooked to my other arm.

“
Bye
bye, motherfucker,
”
a voice
whispered.

The Fist
was right there,
spinning, that boulder of a hand coming at me
…
faster by the second
…
closer by the second
…

I turned my head and braced myself.

Part of me actually hoped he
would just kill me.

6.

(Shayna)

Zander started to laugh the second
his guys grabbed Finn. It was a deep laugh that turned into a cough. He
’
d cough and laugh so hard his
face would burn cherry red and his eyes would water.

I gripped the railing and watched
as
The Fist
swung and connected with Finn. The sound thudded over all
the voices cheering and screaming. Finn
’
s
head looked like it was going to snap from his spine. He was probably better
off that way. Zander would find out all he could and then kill Finn. Even if
Finn didn
’
t say a word,
Zander would still kill him.

The two guys let Finn go and he
collapsed to the ground.

Zander quickly started to clap and
cheer.

The Fist
turned and lifted
his arms. His freak hand was disgusting to look at. The truth was that he had
been in some accident that caused his hand to look different. His hand was all
bone which made his fist really hard. Zander injected stuff into
The Fist
’
s hand to make it swell up even
more. For effect. To look really ugly. To scare people. And since this fight
didn
’
t have any money being
bet on it,
The Fist
was used like an attraction. So everyone would leave
and talk about it. Then the next time Zander hosted a fight, the crowd would be
bigger and he
’
d make more
money.

A part of me almost felt bad for
Finn, for stepping into all this. I had no idea where he came from or what kind
of fights he was used to having, but this was a different world. A dark, underground
world of violence, drugs, money, prostitutes, sex
…
you name it and Zander was in it.

Before Zander could rise to his
feet and call the fight over, something unbelievable happened.

Finn started to move.

He pushed to his hands and knees
and then rose up. Like nothing had happened.

“
What
the Christ?
”
Zander asked.

I didn
’
t mean to smile, but it was cool to watch. Then again,
Finn should have just stayed down. Or gotten up and ran the hell away. Try to
save his ass.

But he was honorable.

He stood and put his fists up.

He wanted to keep fighting.

So
The Fist
turned and was
ready to do it again. And just like before, two of Zander
’
s guys grabbed Finn.

“
Why?
”
I asked, not realizing I had
said it out loud.

“
Because
the world is cruel,
”
Zander
said.
“
Lovely Shayna, you
know that. You
’
ve seen it.
He doesn
’
t belong here. He
’
s the outcast. And he
’
s going to suffer for it.
”

The Fist
went after Finn
again. I watched with horror.

What was this guy trying to prove?

I was quick to find out.

As
The Fist
swung, Finn was
ready. At the last second, he turned and threw the guy on his right into the
firing lane.
The Fist
hit Zander
’
s
guy and sent him off his feet. He flipped in the air and landed on his neck.
His body instantly began to shake as he either had a broken neck or was slowly
dying.

Finn then swung the guy on his
left. He brought him into view and punched him in the face, sending him down.
Finn set his sights on
The Fist
then, taking everyone off guard. Nobody
expected it. Especially Zander.

Finn landed punch after punch to
The
Fist
. He dodged every attempted punch and landed two of his own. When he
brought
The Fist
to his knees, Finn didn
’
t
let up. The lefts and rights were perfect with precision. This guy wasn
’
t some punk street fighter. He
wasn
’
t some asshole who had
a few beers and wanted a bar fight. He was professional. He was good. He was
…
beautiful.

With one last punch, Finn sent
The
Fist
down and out. He then spun and pointed right to Zander. Or maybe he
was pointing to me.

“
Okay,
”
Zander said.
“
Now kill him.
”

With that command, something inside
me snapped. Next thing I knew, I was running away from Zander. Running to the
steps. Charging down the steps. There were two guys blocking the bottom of the
steps. They smiled, knowing they weren
’
t
going to let me through. I was half their size and I had no skill in fighting.
But I did have something that could take their mind off their jobs for a
second.

I grabbed the bottom of my shirt
and lifted.

I flashed the guys and then ran
into them, bumping them out of the way like they were feathers. My cheeks
burned red as I hated myself for doing that.

I worked through the crowd and ran
right into the middle of the circle. The crowd yelled, cheered, cursed at Finn,
cheered for Finn.

None of that mattered.

Zander was going to kill him if he
didn
’
t get the hell out of
there.

“
Oh,
look,
”
he said, wiping
blood from his mouth,
“
it
’
s my fucking prize.
”

I hooked my arm to his.
“
Run!
”

We moved and Zander
’
s guys started to come through
the crowd after us.

I tried to break away from Finn but
he pulled at me.

He wanted me to go with him.

~ ~ ~

“
Do
you have a gun?
”
Finn
asked.

We were on the side of the
building. I pointed to myself.
“
Where
do you think I
’
d hide it?
”
I asked.

“
I
can name a few places, sweetie.
”

“
You
’
re a pig.
”

“
You
’
re my prize.
”

“
They
’
re going to kill you. No matter
what.
”

“
Watch
me,
”
Finn said.

He crept forward. I lingered behind
him.

Two men came running out the
backdoor. Finn wasted no time in running up behind the guy and punching him in
the back of the head. He then grabbed the guy
’
s
arm, twisted it, and stole his gun. He shot the guy in the leg and the guy
collapsed. When the other guy turned, Finn shot him in the shoulder, sending
him stumbling back and down.

He was insane
…

“
I
have a truck,
”
Finn said.
“
Straight back there.
”
He pointed.
“
Keys are in my pocket. That
’
s my way out. What about you?
”

“
What
do you mean?
”

“
You
’
re not coming with me, sweetie.
”

“
I
put my ass on the line for you, Finn.
”

“
You
don
’
t know me, Shayna,
”
he said.
“
You don
’
t want to know me.
”

A bullet zinged off the ground,
sending pebbles of pavement at us.

Finn jumped back and wrapped an arm
around me. He pulled me close to him and we started to run, our bodies
touching. My breasts pressed against his side. His arm was so tight around me.
The steel touch of his muscles pounded against me against the random gunfire.

As we approached Finn
’
s truck, a man stood there.

Vale.

That made Finn put the brakes on.

Finn turned, stepped back, and then
put me in front of him. He then put the gun to my head.

“
I
’
ll shoot,
”
he said.

“
What
the hell?
”
I yelled.

“
Whoa,
whoa,
”
Vale said.
“
Just go back in and talk to
Zander. Let Shayna go and let
’
s
settle it like men.
”

“
No,
”
Finn said.
“
I
’
m
out of here. Get the fuck away from my ride.
”

“
No,
”
Vale said.
“
You hit me with a chair, buddy.
”

“
You
squeezed my head,
”
Finn
said.

“
Both
of you shut up,
”
I said. I
glanced to my right and a guy was running toward us.
“
Finn
…
to the right
…”

Finn moved fast. He pointed the
gun, shot, and then put it right back at me.

“
Christ,
”
Vale said.
“
Who the hell are you?
”

“
Tell
your boss not to fuck with me,
”
he said.
“
I
’
ll return my prize when I
’
m done with her.
”

“
That
can
’
t happen,
”
Vale said. He pushed from the
truck.

This wasn
’
t going to end good. Finn started to turn and
backed up to the car. My back was pressed hard to his front. His defined chest
against my upper back. Everything was hard that touched me. The guy had a gun
to my head and I was
…
what
…
getting hot for him?

“
Shayna,
”
Vale said.
“
I can help you with this. With
Zander. He won
’
t get mad.
”

I inched forward, breaking away
from Finn. He let me go. He let me step at Vale. My heart raced.

Vale always had a thing for me. He
kept himself under control because Zander always had first grabs. Lucky for me
he never tried anything. Which meant Vale never did.

I reached out and put my hand to
Vale
’
s gun and lowered it.
“
Don
’
t. I
’
ve
always wanted you
…
Vale
…”

I bit my lip.

He smiled.
“
Yeah?
”

There were more guys starting to
come out of the building.

I stepped back and lifted my shirt
again.

I felt gross and slutty.

Vale
’
s
eyes went miles wide and he dropped the gun.

Behind me the truck started with a
growling rumble and Finn had his escape. I quickly crouched, grabbed Vale
’
s gun, and turned. I jumped and
grabbed the side of the truck and dove into the bed. I was on my stomach and I
pushed up to my hands and knees. I tapped the gun against the window as Finn
looked back at me.

I had just sealed my fate.

Vale snapped back to reality and
jumped toward the truck. Finn backed up and hit him with the back corner of the
truck, sending him to the ground. I felt a thud and my stomach flipped. I didn
’
t want to look and see if Vale
had been crushed and killed.

Finn sped away with me in the bed
of the truck, a gun in my hand, trying to hold onto anything for dear life.

Now what do I do?