Page 62

I lean over to Dash. “Watch Savannah for me.” He nods, and then I look at my wife. “I’ve got this,” I tell her, my voice low and certain. “I’ll be fine. I’ve done it before.”

Her eyes flick between me and Luke, the distrust written all over her face. But she nods, barely, and lets me go.

Dash grips my arm just before I step forward into the ring.

“You don’t have to do this, you know?” It’s his final attempt to talk me out of it as if I’m going to have a sudden change of heart. I’ve thought it through and if I can’t get the USB, at least I can free Savannah.

“I won’t be long, brother. Just a few rounds and we’ll be out of here.”

I strip off my hoodie first, then my sweatpants, revealing the black fighting shorts underneath.

The cool air hits my skin, and I feel the familiar pre-fight energy coursing through my veins.

Every muscle in my body is coiled and ready, months of hockey training having kept me in peak condition even if I've been away from this particular kind of violence.

Savannah's eyes track over me, and I catch the way her breath hitches slightly. Even in the middle of this nightmare, even when she's terrified for my life, there's heat in her gaze that makes me want to take her out of here and claim her.

Luke notices too, the bastard. His smirk widens like he's enjoying the show.

Time to find out what Luke's got waiting for me.

Without another word to either of them, I step into the ring and my stomach immediately drops to my fucking feet.

“Well, shit,” I mutter when I see my opponent.

The audience erupts when we're both standing on opposite ends of the ring, sizing each other up.

This is the biggest motherfucker I've ever seen in my life.

He's got to be at least seven feet tall, built like a goddamn skyscraper, and his fists look the size of my head.

Suddenly, this isn't looking as manageable as I thought.

The second he removes his hood, Savannah gasps so loudly I can hear it over the deafening noise.

“Jeremy,” she calls out his name, her voice shaky and disbelieving.

His head snaps toward her instantly, eyes locking onto hers, and I see something shift in his expression. His brows furrow, then soften with unmistakable recognition. He knows her.

“Fuck,” he mutters, loud enough for me to hear. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

I flick my gaze between the two of them, my mind racing to figure out the connection. She didn't talk to anyone else at the bar when we were here before. I'm sure of that. But there's something almost protective in the way he's looking at her.

“Do you know this guy?” I ask.

Savannah's still frozen, her wide eyes locked on Jeremy like she's seeing a ghost. It takes her a second to look at me, like her brain is scrambling to catch up with reality.

“It's Jeremy,” she finally says, disbelief coating every word.

“He was in my group home. I knew he fought, but I thought he was still in jail.”

Ice shoots through my veins.

This guy's built like a brick wall and the size of one too, and he's been in jail ?

Luke doesn't just want to beat me, he wants to fucking annihilate me.

He's watching from the sidelines, grinning like he's won the lottery, but what he doesn't realize is that he might've just handed me exactly what I need.

Dash shifts beside Savannah, looking uneasy, and when Jeremy finally tears his attention away from my wife, his expression darkens. But not with the aggression I'd expect. It's hesitation. Conflict.

Oh, yeah. I've found him.

Savannah reaches out and grips my arm, her fingers trembling against my skin. “Cade, you can't do this.”

“Don't worry about me, Sav. I've got a plan.”

“Last time you said that, you ended up agreeing to this fight.”

“And we'll win in the end. I promise.”

Luke steps into the ring, and the spectators cheer, but he doesn't bask in it. He just stares straight at Savannah with that predatory look that makes my blood boil.

“Sorry, babe, no girls allowed unless you're working.”

Her jaw drops, and I scan the audience, only seeing terrified women who've clearly been forced into whatever sick operation Luke's running here.

“Take her outside, Dash,” I say without hesitation. Now that I have a plan, I don’t need them here. I need them safe and away from whatever's about to happen.

Dash nods firmly, offering his arm to Savannah.

“Cade, I'm not leaving you in here. You're doing this for me.”

“Exactly. That's why you need to make it worth it.”

Her lips purse, and I can see the exact moment her resolve cracks and she realizes there's nothing she can do to stop this. I'm going through with it whether she likes it or not.

Finally.

She takes Dash's arm, and I watch as they disappear into the sea of bodies, swallowed by the mass of bloodthirsty faces. Good. Now that I know they're safe, I can focus on not only winning this fight but getting Jeremy on my side.

I turn my attention back to my opponent. Jeremy's rolling his shoulders, cracking his neck with an unreadable expression, but his eyes keep drifting to where Savannah disappeared. Whatever history they have together only matters in one context: I've found his weakness.

And it just so happens to be the same as mine.

Join the fucking club, buddy.

When the bell rings, it's all a blur. Every punch I land feels like I'm bashing my fist into a brick wall, and he doesn't even flinch.

At all. Meanwhile, every hit he throws my way feels like a sledgehammer connecting with my bones.

My body screams in protest, my jaw throbs like hell, and my vision blurs at the edges.

But yes, this guy is exactly who I need.

Jeremy is a fucking monster.

My fists connect with his ribs, but he barely registers the impact, while his lands another devastating punch that sends shockwaves through my entire body.

I stagger back, barely keeping my footing when he delivers another brutal hit to my stomach.

Pain rips through me, white-hot and unbearable.

I gasp, trying to suck in air, but my lungs feel like they're being crushed under a cinder block.

I need to stay up. I need to win. But fuck, this guy is built like a goddamn tank.

Another hit. Harder this time. I drop to one knee to the old mat beneath me, rough and unforgiving, I brace myself. My head spins, my ears ring, but I can still hear the spectators around me. The jeers. The laughter. The demand for more blood. My blood.

But then I hear his voice.

“That's for Savannah,” he grits out, making me whip my head up in confusion. Before I can process what he means, he lands another blow across my face.

I push up, bouncing on my feet, and square up to Jeremy again. Blood drips down his chest, mine or his, I have no fucking idea, but as I take another breath, I punch him square in the jaw, surprised when his head actually snaps back.

“ That's for fucking Savannah,” I spit back.

When Jeremy recovers from the punch, his brows furrow slightly, his focus sharpening on me.

“That's rich coming from the asshole who's keeping her here.” His eyes flick to where she was standing before the fight, and I see it clear as day. Affection.

He doesn’t just like her. He fucking loves her.

Why am I surprised? It's obvious that anyone who comes in contact with her would fall for her. She's phenomenal.

“I'm trying to get her out of here.”

His eyes lock with mine. “Me, too.”

“She's my wife.”

“Wife?”

Wrong thing to say. His fist clips my jaw, sending my head snapping back until I hear my neck crack.

Fuck, that hurt.

I hold my nose as I take a few steps back, ignoring the jeering from ringside because this is the first time I've struggled in here, and the regulars are eating it up. Taking a breath, I launch myself at Jeremy and grab onto his waist, forcing him to fall with me.

“Luke's got her trapped. She wants to get Adley back, but she can't do it until she leaves. He'll only let her if I win.”

I bounce back up and I can see it in his eyes. There's more than hesitation now. The mention of Adley hits something in him, and his entire demeanor shifts.

“Adley?” His voice cracks slightly on the name. “Her little sister?”

“You know about her?”

Jeremy's expression darkens, but not with anger directed at me. “Savannah used to talk about her all the time. Used to cry herself to sleep worrying about that kid.” His fists clench, but his stance becomes less aggressive. “She's been trying to get her back this whole time?”

“That's all she wants. A family. A life away from all this shit.”

Jeremy exhales heavily, his massive chest rising and falling as he stares at me. I can practically see the memories flooding back, probably every moment he spent falling for a girl who saw him as a friend, who needed protection more than romance.

“She deserved better than that place,” he says quietly, almost to himself. “Deserved better than any of this.”

His jaw flexes, and when he looks at me again, there's a different kind of intensity in his eyes. If he kills me, he kills all of her dreams.

His nostrils flare, his expression darkening as he hesitates, working through whatever internal battle he's having. Then he mutters something under his breath, something I almost miss over the noise.

“I’m supposed to kill you tonight.”

The words barely register at first, my brain sluggish from the beating I've taken. But then, they sink in like a blade through my ribs.

My muscles go rigid. My vision sharpens.

“What?” My voice is barely a whisper.

Jeremy shifts, rolling his shoulders back like he's shaking off something unpleasant. “Luke doesn't just want you out of the way, he wants you fucking gone” His jaw flexes, his fists clenching at his sides. “You're not supposed to walk out of here.”

The weight of his words crashes down on me, making the pain in my body feel like nothing in comparison.

I knew it. Luke didn't just plan for me to fight. He planned for me to never get in his way again.