Page 34 of Dark Things (Payback Duet #1)

Haunt

E very underground fight club reeks of the same rot—sweat, piss, and the kind of hopelessness that clings to your skin long after you’ve left.

The one here in Saratoga isn’t any different, except this place, a large warehouse with a sunken ceiling and dirt floor, looks like it could fall apart at any moment. It’s fucking depressing.

As we walk through the crowd, I see some of the people who usually attend in Manhattan when we’re in town, which means Stan has had this planned for some time. No doubt after the Michael incident.

“Pitch, are you fighting tonight?” a guy calls out from the crowd. I ignore him, but Reb nods her head as I move her farther toward the back where they’ve set up a small area for the fighters.

She’s already dressed in spandex shorts and a sports bra, all her tattoos on display, so she doesn’t need to change, but I need to wrap her hands.

I learned early on that killing multiple people without the wraps doesn't work well for the thin skin on the knuckles, and I’ll make sure hers are wrapped the correct way.

Vince is standing next to some of the other guys when we reach the group but I ignore the sneer and his shitty attitude.

Some day I’m going to cut his fucking throat and watch him bleed out at my feet.

The thought makes me feel a little better about what we’re walking into tonight.

Except for the fact that Reb is going to have to fight two different people to the death.

If I could step in for her, I’d do so gladly. Fucking Stan.

Speaking of the fucking asshole, I turn in a circle, trying to see if he’s graced us with his presence or if he’s still hiding like a fucking coward. With Vince here, reporting everything back to him, I can see why he’d skip tonight.

“Hey, you good?” Reb asks, setting her bag down in the corner and taking a seat on a folding chair. She reaches into her bag and brings out both of her wraps, handing them to me.

“Yeah, as good as I’m going to be watching you in that ring,” I grumble, kneeling in front of her and unwinding the cloth.

“Some of the old crew are here, think we can find out who he’s brought tonight?” she asks, holding out her right hand.

Taking her hand, I begin to wrap her knuckles, concentrating on getting them perfect. “I’ll text Rook. He should be here with that dirtbag. He might have heard something,” I say, kissing her palm before starting the process on her left.

As soon as I’m done, I stand pulling out my phone.

Me: Heard who she’s fighting tonight?

Rook: One fighter from the city, Gage. Another from who the fuck knows where. I heard that guy’s a fucking menace, tho. Tell her good luck.

I slip the phone back in my pocket and blow out a breath. I don’t know what the fuck Gage did to Stan, but this isn’t going to work out for him. He’s a huge guy, but slow as fuck. She’s going to destroy him, but I’m more concerned with the mystery guy.

Music starts to play and Reb gets up from her chair, moving her neck around and shaking out her hands. I scan her face for signs of nervousness, but Reb’s always been good at locking her emotions away.

“Gage. Another one from somewhere, Rook doesn’t know who he is, but he said it could be a problem,” I say, stepping into her space.

Her face blanches for a moment. “Fuck, I really liked Gage. He did a good fucking job when we were in Florida. I swear Stan does this to everyone I have any attachment to.”

I grab her wrist and circle my thumb on her pulse point. “I know. I wish I could fucking stop all this, but we need to remember the goal.”

I feel someone approach from behind me, and stiffen before I turn around. It’s the guy from the underground racetrack. Overalls, or so Reb’s been calling him.

“Hey Ghost, Pitch. Came to see you both in action again,” he says, putting his hands in the pockets of his overalls. I wonder if he owns any other clothes.

Reb lifts her chin, but doesn’t speak. She gets in the zone and blocks most people out before a fight, but I don’t have a problem using this guy if he can get us any information.

“They give you a program for tonight?” I ask, glancing up to see if Vince is close. That fucker will call Stan, and he’ll change the lineup if he thinks we get a heads up.

“Um…not on paper, but I’ve got clients who placed bets. Have to say your odds, Pitch, are shit. Don’t know who fucked up, but I’ll be betting on you.”

“Gage, and who is the other one?” I whisper, stepping closer to him.

He looks around, before leaning in. “A local guy, Brooks. Real shame, I liked the kid.”

I freeze, my whole body locked up. Fear runs through me. She can’t fight him. There’s no way, even if she hates him she’ll never be able to do it.

“Thanks,” I slap Overalls on the shoulder before spinning around and pulling Reb into a dark corner .

She cups my face, “Who is it? Worse than Gage?”

“He brought Brooks here. Or Mario did. I don’t know. Reb…fuck.”

Her eyes widen and a hand closes over her mouth. A sheen of tears fill her eyes. She can’t go through with this. There’s no way she can fight him. I’m going to have to cause a distraction for us to get the fuck out of here.

“No…Haunt. I can’t. Not like this,” she says with a pained stare. “I want him to hurt, not be dead. We have to figure something out.”

The tears don’t fall, but she begins to tremble. I pull her into my chest, wrapping my arms around her. I bend down and speak directly in her ear.

“I got you, gioia mia . Leave it with me. I’ll get him out of here before the fight, and if I can’t, I’ll make sure you both get out before it gets too bad.”

She pulls back and shakes herself a bit before nodding. I look behind me making sure no one is watching before I bend down and put a chaste kiss on her lips.

“I’m going to make this quick. Take care of it as soon as I step into the first fight.

If he doesn’t want to leave, tell him…tell him that every fight isn’t worth the price you have to pay.

He’ll know what it means,” she says, before making her way to the center of the warehouse where the ring is set up.

I follow behind her, scanning the crowd hoping to find where that big fucker is, but I don’t see him. I should have saved their numbers in my phone.

There’s no ref, but beside the cage is a table filled with weapons. Before the fight begins her opponent will select what to use. I’ll hand Reb’s hers while the other guy's handler does the same.

The announcer blasts his opening comments getting the crowd amped up. Gage steps through the crowd and looks over at us. He swallows and leans in to whisper to Reb. She stares at him for a moment before pursing her lips.

I don’t have time to ask what the fuck that was about when Gage shouts. “Blades,” before stepping into the ring.

I pick up a smaller knife and wait for Gage’s handler to pick up one a bit longer. We both climb up the steps and I hand Reb hers. She looks down at it and sighs.

“You got this, gioia mia . I’ll start on the other situation as soon as the bell sounds,” I say.

“You’ve got twenty minutes before I end him. I’ll drag it out as long as I can so Stan can have his show. Just get him the fuck out of here.”

I step out of the ring and wait by her corner. The bell rings, and Gage starts to circle her.

He looks pissed. I’d be pissed, too, if I was sentenced to die.

She stands still in the middle of the ring, watching him, even giving him her back before he makes his move. He tries to catch her by surprise, but she ducks forward, spinning on one foot and slamming the other into his thigh and making him stumble.

Keeping her distance, she waits for him to make the next move.

He lunges for her, but she’s too quick. She lashes out and slices his arm.

It’s a shallow cut but bleeds down his arm.

He growls and comes at her harder. She blocks him, but takes a slice to the shoulder before punching him in the face and breaking his nose.

Making sure no one is paying attention, I fade back into the crowd and start my search. The crowd is screaming, not looking at what I’m doing. I see a shock of russet hair, and immediately know it’s Staff. I move through people, pushing as I go. No one stops me, but I hear a couple of ‘fuck yous’.

Staff’s standing in front of Brooks, who looks like he’s ready to kill someone. I guess if he knew who it was he’d be fighting it would be a different expression on his face.

I walk around Staff and Brooks notices me. His head snaps up, and he glances behind me before turning his attention to the ring. Before I say anything, he curses.

“You have to leave,” I say. Colt and Staff turn to me and stop mid sentence.

“We can’t. Brooks is fighting tonight,” Colt says.

“Did you see who’s in the fucking ring?” I snap.

All three turn toward the ring and watch the fight for a moment. Reb’s mid jump as she slices her blade down in an arc, stabbing Gage in the clavicle.

“What the fuck,” Staff says. “Why is Reb in that ring right now? You need to get her the fuck out.”

“Because she’s the title champion, and Brooks is her next match.”

I let the words sink in for a moment, watching for their reaction. Brooks is immobile. His huge body thrumming with energy, and it’s not the good kind.

“No!” he shouts, causing other people to turn around.

I march up to him, and get in his face. He’s only a couple of inches taller than me, but I meet his eyes. “Leave, now. Make up some bullshit excuse and get the fuck out. She won’t be able to fight you.”

The color drains from his face, eyes flicking up to the ring before looking back down at me. “I can’t.” His voice is shaky.

I turn to Colter and Staff seeing what they have to say, but nothing comes out. Colt tugs at his hair spinning around.

“Brooks made a deal. He has to fight, or shit is about to go down, and we aren’t prepared to deal with the fallout. This is so fucked.”

“Listen to me. Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it. Just go,” I say.

“There’s no way out of this. It’s part of the debt,” Staff says, biting his lip. “If we don’t give them what they want, it won’t just be us who suffers.” He pushes his glasses up with his middle finger and takes out his phone, checking for something.

The crowd roars, and I spin around to see the blade sticking out of Gage’s neck as he goes down. Blood sprays all over Reb, but she just stands there looking down at the body.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she turns to look for me, but I’m not there.

“Take me. Give me to Mario. I’m worth more than a fight,” I say, the words coming out of my mouth before I can really think about them.

Brooks stumbles back like I hit him. “Are you fucking crazy? He’ll kill you. This is not part of the plan!”

“Don’t worry about me. She can’t fight you. Every fight isn’t worth the price you have to pay.”

I didn’t think I’d ever hear a gasp come from someone as huge as Brooks but as soon as it leaves his lips, I know I have him. Now I just need to get them the fuck out of here before they clean up the ring.

“You’re explaining that in the fucking car. Move,” Colter says, grabbing my arm and walking me toward the exit.

I glance back one more time, but Reb is gone from the cage. I hope she can forgive me for what I did because she’s going to rain fucking hellfire down once she notices I’m gone.