New York Crime Kings Box Set: Books 1-4 (5 page)

I look back to the fighters who are both standing on jelly legs and exchanging heavy punches, blow for blow. One fighter, with slightly more energy than the other, ducks an incoming punch. It swings over his head, sending his opponent off balance. He wastes no time in straightening his posture and throwing a hammering punch to his chin. I gasp and shield my mouth as the opponent’s arms flail and his face snaps to the side. I see it in his eyes, the glazed look, and suddenly his head is heavier than the rest of his body. My heart pounds in my chest, in my head, in my throat—everywhere—and I can’t help but inch closer. Subconsciously, I reach back and touch Jai’s arm to steady myself as I step forward. I use him as security, in case I need to be pulled back at a moment’s notice. The dazed man sways like a tree in the wind before crashing to the canvas.

The room goes silent.

He doesn’t move.

The only sounds are the straining of the thick chains that rub against the metal railings, and the tiny passages of rain water that drip onto the concrete around us. My mouth is open, my eyes wide. I’ve never seen a knockout before.

Everyone else jumps to life, cheering the victor. The sudden surge of celebration startles me and I jump backwards, desperately clinging to Jai’s arm. The uproar vibrates the floor under my feet. I feel it in the rubber of my shoes and in the fabric of my socks before it climbs my legs. I pant, unsure if I should cheer or cry. My chest hurts, burning like I’ve smoked an entire packet of cigarettes and I realize it’s not because of the crowd. It’s because of the man that lies unconscious on the floor of the cage.

That could be me.

That will be me.

I survey him a little longer. There’s something not quite right about him. He’s still...dead still. I don’t notice two of Skull’s men, the ones from yesterday, approach the cage until they unlock the door and the winner leaps out. He clenches his torso and puts on a brave face, but it’s not enough to hold back the contents of his stomach. I cringe and look away as yellow bile spews from his mouth. Ignoring him, the goons step into the cage, unbothered that it bounces and trembles under their weight. At any second, the chains could snap. I think I’m the only one who cares.

The men reach down and slap the man on the face. He doesn’t move. They peer up at Skull briefly before testing his pulse. I keep my attention on Skull and all it takes is a shake of his head and the goons scoop up the unconscious man. When they have all of his weight in their arms, I notice a slight trail of blood leak from his mouth and nose. My blood runs cold. Is he...dead?

Outside the cage, the two men pull him higher in their arms. I expect them to carry him somewhere, to a little nook in a tunnel with someone that can help him—like a little healing bay or something. Instead, Skull announces that sometimes it doesn’t always work out and reminds us it’s a dangerous game.

And then they toss him over the edge and into the tunnel like week-old trash.

Like fucking trash.

Subversion

I pace the room, taking three steps each way before having to turn again. Jai watches me from the doorway, his arms folded tightly over his chest. He thinks I’m overreacting. He treats me as if I’m the only one who finds it appalling they tossed away the loser of the fight like he was nothing.

“He was dead already, Emily.” He sighs, apparently sick of saying it. “The punch was too much. There’s nothing anyone could’ve done.”

Silent tears burn down my cheeks and I hug myself tighter. “He probably has family...they’re never going to know what happened to him.” I inhale sharply. “What if he has a wife? Or children? They’ll grow old thinking their father left them without explanation.”

“If he was down here, he did leave without explanation.”

I stop pacing and glare at Jai. “Do you have any compassion? A human being died and he was treated like trash.”

Then, realization dawns on me, and all of the emotion I feel, all of the fear and outrage swirling around in my chest, drains out through my shoes. Even my tears dry up.

“I’m going to die down here and they’re going to throw me away.”

Jai rolls his ocean-blue eyes. “You’re not going to die.”

“I am.”

Why does he think I’m being dramatic? I have no fighting experience yet here I am, trapped underground with fighters and the only way out is to win, lose or die.

“How does it work, anyway? Do they go alphabetically? By size? Draw straws?”

“It’s random. Skull has Marcus choose a male and female and then they choose their opponent.”

I frown. “So there’s no real structure to it?”

He shakes his head.

“Shit. Look at me. I’m an easy win.”

I could be called to fight at any second and I have no idea how to throw a punch or how to block one. I’m as good as dead.

I’ve never been a dramatic person. I’ve always been detached from my life, ready for it to end at any second and be okay with it, but not like this. There’s no dignity in dying like this.

“You will be fine. How many times do I have to say it?”

“You said it yourself, Stone. I’ll last a few minutes—maybe.”

“And maybe you will, but don’t forget, if you play it right, it can take a second to win a fight.” He pushes off of the wall and saunters closer. “So you don’t have any technique or strength. Big deal.”

Gee, thanks.

“You have speed and logic on your side. Most fighters are trained to think one way, and one way only: win, at all costs. They’ll take a single look at you and go for the knock out, completely bypassing ground game and submissions. If you don’t panic and learn a little about position and evasive techniques, I think you’ll do just fine—or, you won’t die, at the very least.”

He stands a foot away from me, hands placid at his sides. I wonder if he’d still offer to help me if I didn’t owe him ten thousand dollars. If by some freaky chance I managed to win back the money, would he dump me on my ass to fend for myself? Or would he continue to help me? He said he has a goal down here and that I’m a distraction. What’s his goal? To win money? What does he need that kind of cash for? It seems he has plenty of it. All of his clothes are branded with top-end sports logos, his little music player is Apple, and let’s not mention the twenty thousand dollars he casually pulled out of his pocket for us to be accepted. He doesn’t need eighty thousand dollars.

“You want to help me?”

His jaw tightens for a few seconds before he relaxes it. “You owe me money and I need it back.”

Intrigued, I angle my head. “What do you need it for?”

Jai’s blue eyes darken and in this light, they appear black. “What does it matter? It was mine to begin with.”

Slowly, I join a little piece of it together. “Money can’t be what you’re here for. If you were in desperate need for money, you wouldn’t have wasted ten thousand of it on me.”

His dark eyes flare as he squares his shoulders to tower over me. Normally, I’d cower at such a sight, but right now, I’m making progress. I need to know just whom I’m being associated with.

“Careful, Kitten. My business is the last thing you want to paddle around in.”

The way he says it intrigues me. Maybe I want in on the danger. Next, I recall the way he was looking at Skull. Everyone else watched him with absolute adoration, but not Jai. I saw his distaste. I felt his anger. There’s something much bigger going on here.

“I saw the way you were looking at Skull.”

His poker face remains fierce and firm and I briefly wonder if he’s ever been in the army. The way he holds himself feels...disciplined.

“I saw the way you were looking at him too. You like the skull? It turns you on?”

Fire rushes in to my face, painting me red before settling in my cheeks. His tattoo might intrigue me, but I’d never go as far as to say it turned me on.

“I may have been a little curious,” I admit, not that it’s any of his business. “But Skull is a disgusting human being. His lack of compassion for human life overshadows any freaky fetish I might have conjured up.”

His lips tighten into a straight line. Could he be jealous? Is that even possible?

“He may look like he has the world at his feet, but he’s one careless step away from losing it all.”

Oh, shit. There it is. I was expecting some kind of messed-up plan, but that...that is actually insane.

“You want to take him down?” I ask in a harsh whisper. “Are you insane?”

Of course, Jai plays indifferent, as if I spoke to him in another language. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You implied—”

He shoots forward, slamming his large body into mine and clamping a hand over my mouth. His face is etched with red-hot fury and I fight against him, but a firm hand planted on my lower back keeps me from getting any distance.

“I’m not going to ask you to stay out of my business again. I didn’t save your life so you could fuck mine. All I’m asking is that you win your fight and return the money you owe. Then, you can lose your next fight and leave.”

I pull away from his hand and he allows it, but the firm grip he has on my lower back doesn’t resign. One word. There’s only one word I care about in that sentence.

“Leave?”

He nods once. “If you lose, and don’t die, you leave. Those are the rules.”

“Empty-handed?”

He nods again. “Broke and broken. Worse off than what you were when you came in.”

I gape at him, appalled. “How is that fair?”

“It’s not, but it’s a risk everyone down here has made.”

“And how does Skull make sure no one talks? I can’t imagine anyone giving a shit when they’ve got the entire world to hide in.”

Finally, Jai slips his hand from my lower back and runs it over his face, impatiently.

“With what? Last I checked, you couldn’t flee from country to country without money. Skull knows the details of every person down here, even you by now.”

I fold my arms. How efficient could this ‘Skull’ be on the outside world? Who in their right mind would engage in a conversation with him? Who would hire him?

“I doubt he knows every detail.”

“I’d be willing to bet thirty thousand dollars he knows your birth parents’ names. Skull has his fingers dipped in all kinds of illegal activity, not just underground fighting. He’s paid off cops, doctors, politicians—anyone and everyone who can help his cause. When I say he knows every detail, trust me, he does.”

Suddenly, this underground world has become even more dangerous, if that’s possible. Despite all that, my brain lingers on one possibility Jai put forward, and one only. My birth parents...is it possible? Can Skull help me find them? The thought quickly passes. The only thing I see Skull aiding me in is my death. He’ll cut my throat long before the request slips off my tongue.

“I don’t like that look on your face. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

I frown. “I’m not telling you anything. I don’t like being kept in the dark any more than you do. I’ll tell you what I’m thinking when you meet me on common ground.”

Jai’s face clouds over in thought. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“You don’t, but I’ve put all of my trust in you this far. The least you can do is return the favor.”

His eyes flicker between believing me and pondering the thought of telling me to go fuck myself. Thankfully, with a defeated sigh, he glances over his shoulder before training his serious, dark eyes on my face.

“I’m looking for my brother.”

“Your brother?”

He leans in close, so close I feel his breath blow along my jawline and tickle the lobe of my ear. It sends a tickle of delight across my skin and I relish in it. I don’t remember the last time someone was able to bring my skin to life.

“He was involved in this last year and I haven’t seen him since.”

My heart plummets into my shoes. If Jai’s brother participated in this last year and hasn’t resurfaced since...I hate to be the one to say it, but there’s just no way he’s alive. Still, I find it endearing that Jai is holding on to the hope that his brother is alive and well, but he’s going to get himself killed looking for answers, that much I know.

“I’m sorry to hear—”

“Joel isn’t dead. He’s too good a fighter to let something like that happen.”

I inch back a little, until my eyes lock with his. The sincerity in them, the frustration, the desperation, all pull at my heart strings. I’ve felt it too...the need to find a family member you know exists but isn’t there for you. The difference is, my parents are probably alive. There’s a good chance Joel isn’t, but, if this is Jai’s way of processing his grief, then I’ll entertain it.

“What do you think happened?”

Jai’ eyes crinkle around the edges as he cringes. This isn’t something he wants to explain to me. “You heard what Skull said about this setup being a part of an old brotherhood?”

I nod.

“It’s all bullshit—a backstory. What this is, is a job interview.”

He stops to let me take in the absurd information. I try to process it, but it doesn’t make any sense. “A job interview?”

Try as I might to keep the skeptical tone out of my voice, I fail.

“Skull wants only the best fighters to defend him and his illegal empire, and he can’t exactly put out an ad in the paper now can he?”

Okay, so it makes a little sense. I touch my hands to my forehead. This is some action movie-shit, something Denzel Washington or Tom Hardy should be starring in.

“So your plan is to?”

“Find my brother and destroy Skull.”

“That simple, huh?”

There’s no beating around the bush. Jai has a death wish and I need to get the hell out of here before it blows up and kills me too. Before I work on my own plan, though, there’s one little problem he seems to have overlooked.

“If what you’re saying is true and Skull is recruiting fighters for his little gang, your brother is the bad guy. If he was offered a job like you say he might have been, he took it.”

Jai tightens his jaw and glares at me with tormented eyes. Instantly, I see that this is something he’s thought about already. I also see he hasn’t come to terms with the fact his brother might kill him if Skull gives the orders.

“You think Skull gives anyone a choice? No. You work for him or you die. Simple.”

He rakes his teeth over his bottom lip and I wonder if he’s not entirely convinced by his words.

“Joel can be difficult...but he’s not a bad guy. When he sees that I’ve come for him, he’ll figure something out.”

I can’t say the best plan begins with depending on a possible ‘villain’ to save you, but it could be worse. I mean, at least he has some kind of plan, and isn’t tearing around here guns blazing.

“And if he doesn’t?”

Jai exhales and all of his features smooth out. “If he doesn’t, I’m as good as dead.”