Page 275 of Conquered

“He won’t question it if it’s my father’s orders,”Ash interjects, and I look back at him.“Because then he’ll have to admit what he’s been doing, and Julian won’t like that one bit.”His lip curls, and I shiver at his words. Not for the first time, I curse being a woman, curse the fact that these old men all want something from me that I am not willing to give them, so they will try and take it by force.“We won’t let Julian near you either, Princess. I swear.”

I gaze into his eyes, full of a fierce fire and love, and I nod, scrubbing my own eyes with my hand. “Okay,” I say, my voice a little scratchy but stronger than before.

“That’s my girl,”Ash tells me, pride making his eyes shine.“Now, Mai is on her way to help you get sorted, and the boys will be with you until she gets there.”

“I love you, Asher Vanderbilt,” I confess, beyond grateful for everything that he is doing for me.

“I love you, Lilly Vanderbilt,”he replies, voice soft.“I’ll see you soon, okay, Princess?”

“See you soon,” I respond, my heart dropping as he ends the call.

Somewhere, a clock chimes one in the morning.

Thirteen days. I’ll see him and the others in thirteen days.

All I need to do is survive until then.

CHAPTER FIVE

JAX

Pain explodes across my knuckles when my fist meets its target, wet droplets of ruby red hitting my face as my opponent's lip splits. A heady sense of euphoria rushes over me when he goes down, lightness suffusing my limbs at the sight of his crumpled, defeated form. It’s followed by a sharp, edgy feeling, my nostrils flaring at the fact that he stays on the ground, forcing me to leash the demon inside that’s desperate to break free. That needs to wreak havoc and cause bloodshed.

The sounds of the crowd filter back into my ears, a mixture of hollers and jeers as some win the bets they placed earlier in the night while others lose.

“The Black Knight remains undefeated tonight!” the ref shouts, my still clenched fist pulled into the air, blood dripping down my arm, much to the crowd's screaming delight. They don’t call it bare knuckle fighting for nothing, and I relish the sting that throbs along the limb almost as much as the agony I forced upon the guy lying prone on the dirt floor. “Is anyone else brave enough to face this Goliath?”

Silence greets his call, the clear night’s sky surrounding us, stars twinkling in the inky depths above. My lip curls at the thought of taking a second’s enjoyment when my Baby Girl is trapped in a hell not of her making. My jaw tightens like it does every time I think about her, and how fucking useless we are at the moment, leaving her there. It feels too close to abandonment for my liking.

“I’ll fight him,” a familiar, deep voice states into the quiet, and the crowd parts like the red motherfucking sea to let Asher Vanderbilt saunter through, his signature smirk plastered on his lips.

“Think you can win, rich boy?” I snarl, baiting him, letting my gaze travel up and down his body. He’s fit, and pretty stacked, but not a match for me and my bulk.

“Pot and kettle,Black Knight,” he teases back, stripping off his white tee and exposing all that inked-up flesh. He’s been wearing suits less since Lilly went missing, opting for sweats and T-shirts like the rest of us. My lip tilts at the thought of calling him out on it. That’ll rile him up for sure.

“Well, don’t complain when that pretty face of yours gets all bloodied up,Vanderbilt,” I volley back, rolling my neck as he steps right up to me, his bare chest brushing my own sweat and blood-covered torso.

A fissure of guilt runs through me at the knowledge that either Lilly would hate this—us fighting—or really fucking love it. Kai and Loki told us all about how much she enjoyed their company. Fuck, I can’t wait for her to be back with us. I’d even touch this asshole’s dick if she asked me to, just to see that fire in her eyes again.

“You think I’m pretty, Griffiths? I’m afraid you’re not my type, too much between your legs for me,” Ash retorts, and I can’t help the dark chuckle that falls from my lips at the comment.

“We both know that your wife certainly enjoys what’s between my legs,” I reply, grinning smugly when a dark flush creeps up his neck. “What does she call it again…oh yes, my monster cock. But I’m sure that you’re…adequate, pretty boy.”

It’s a testament to our years of training that the only reaction he gives me is a clenching of his fists and flared nostrils. He’s as unflappable as a statue, which is just one of the reasons that he’s our leader.

“You two done flirting, or do you need a moment alone to jerk each other off?” the ref interrupts loudly, the crowd laughing and whooping in the background.

I spit blood at Ash’s feet, a wave of probably unwarranted anger washing over me. He’s part of the reason why I’m not holding my girl right the fuck now. Well, his cunt of a sperm donor is, and it’s far easier than I like to admit to transfer that purple-tinged rage to the son instead of the father.

I can see his face shift, eyes burning molten with wrath as he gears himself up for the fight, and I know he’s just as pissed at himself as I am at my own inadequacies with this situation. I have a moment of hesitation, knowing that I surpassed him a few years back in terms of sheer strength.

“Don’t you dare fucking hold back on me, Griffiths,” he grits out, still issuing orders.

“Don’t worry,” I assure him, a rare smile tugging my lips up. It must not be a nice one as I see him flinch ever so slightly. “I won’t.”

Wasting no more time, I throw a punch that lands a solid hit to his jaw, snapping his head to the side as the sound of his teeth clacking together fills my ears like the finest symphony. He recovers quickly, not like the other shitbags I’ve fought tonight, whipping his head around and landing a closed-fisted strike to my gut that almost has me doubling over. Almost, but not quite, as my own training kicks in.

“You’ve gotten better,” I rasp out, and he gives me a feral grin, his teeth covered in blood.