Page 45 of Wrecked for Love (Buffaloberry Hill #1)

ELIA

My bare knuckles made contact with Saxum’s abs, fast and crushing, and he eventually staggered to the floor.

“You’re starting to make this too easy!” I challenged.

But he wasn’t just some schoolyard bully. Within moments, he rose to his feet, cracking his neck as if the fall had no effect on him.

For a while, we felt each other out, the both of us trying to catch our breaths.

But it was clear he could read me—a sign of a practiced martial artist. I wasn’t trained for this.

I just knew a few moves picked up from village brawls—those inevitable scraps when testosterone and egos ran too high.

And Saxum? He knew it. He could see every gap in my defense, and I was already two steps behind.

He wasted no time seizing the offensive, his mastery evident in the way he wove his legs into the attack. I blocked, dodged, defended. By the time his assault slowed, his expression had shifted. Those last few kicks had drained him.

And then, in a blink, he struck again. His focus dropped to my ankle—the same one I’d injured falling off my horse.

A sharp sweep took my legs out from under me.

Pain detonated through me as I hit the ground with a scream.

Before I could recover, he drove a final blow to my stomach, leaving me sprawled and gasping for air.

“Come on, you worthless swine! Get up! Get up!” Saxum taunted me.

I winced, trying to counter the pain. The thin carpet barely softened my fall. At least it wasn’t concrete, just wood. Even so, I wasn’t sure about my back. My chest and abs? They were minced meat. And my face? I couldn’t feel a damn thing.

I was out of breath, and every ounce of strength had left me.

Claire screamed. “Lucien, enough of this madness! You’re going to kill him!”

Helplessly, I shifted my gaze to her standing on the opposite side of the ring, flanked by two men. “Claire…” I whispered, catching her retching. She couldn’t bear to look. Hell, I wouldn’t wish this sick game on anyone.

Deep down, all I wanted was for her to come back to this stage that I’d begged her to stay away from.

That one touch on my cheek—it had been like a drop of rain in the desert.

She had the guts to step in when no one else would, showing up right when I thought my time had run out.

And now, I could feel my second-to-last heartbeat creeping closer. I needed her again, more than ever.

Then, someone rolled into the room, even earning a sarcastic salute from Saxum.

Armand Voss. That slimefuck was still breathing, just stuck in that damn chair. I could’ve made it clear right then, told him he earned every bit of it, that he had no idea what Claire was capable of. But what really set my blood to a slow burn was the guy behind the chair, the one pushing him in.

I forced myself to my feet. “Fritzy, you fucking traitor!” I shouted at my former ranch hand. He’d always kept his head down and worked like the rest of them, looking like nothing but a good, honest cowboy. Turns out, he’d been worse than a rattler hiding in the tall grass.

“Don’t be so bitter, Lucas!” Lucien spoke up for him, that smug grin never leaving his face. “He’s on my side, so what?”

The tension in the room had grown thick, but it hadn’t lasted long. My fists had already clenched, my knuckles turning white as bone. The momentary pause had ended, the fire in my veins burning hotter than a branding iron.

As if trying to impress the new guests, Saxum unleashed a flurry of punches, but I got his guts.

I locked eyes with my opponent. The smile was gone from his face, replaced with a look that promised the worst was yet to come.

Then I glanced at the audience, at the man responsible for my sister’s death and Claire’s pain—Armand Voss. Would I ever let him see me defeated?

Next, Saxum aimed at my face, but I instinctively shielded it, letting him pummel my abs instead. All I could do was roll back and forth to dodge what he threw at me as much as I could.

Once more, I fell to the floor.

When he got tired, I attempted to rise, but my efforts only allowed me to lift myself a few inches before collapsing back down.

The pain was excruciating. My head lolled to the side as I struggled to keep my eyes on Claire.

If this was it—if this was my time—I wanted her to be the last thing I saw, not Saxum, not the Vosses.

In the midst of my agony, I heard Saxum’s triumphant voice. “He’s finished!” he declared.

Perhaps he was right, for there was no strength left within me to even budge an inch. I couldn’t even see anything now. Everything was a hazy blur.

“Sorry…” The word escaped my lips, slurred and broken. I’d failed Tessa. I’d failed Claire.

But my Chili Pepper was smart. She was strong. She’d escaped the grasp of The Revenants, a gang with as much power as anyone could imagine, and she’d defeated one of the Vosses already. She could do it again—somehow.

Saxum sneered, his gaze shifting to Lucien. “Now, can I have her?”

Fury surged through me at the audacity of his demand. Even from my grave, I would never allow it!

As long as there was life left in me, there was always a way. Letting her become the Vosses’s possession wasn’t an option. I didn’t even want to imagine what they’d do to her. Only I could stop it.

I reset, each of my inhales deliberate, not panicked. Every breath counted, keeping me in the fight.

Lucien responded, a wicked glint sparking in his eyes. “She belongs to me. Maybe once I’ve softened her, you can have your turn.” He then turned his attention to his wheelchair-bound brother. “It’s a shame you can’t join in.”

Beside the wheelchair, I caught sight of Claire. She wasn’t where she’d been, standing by the ring. They had moved her behind Lucien, and the sinking feeling hit. If I didn’t act now, I’d lose her. She’d vanish without a trace.

From somewhere deep inside, a surge of energy flooded through me—a reserve I didn’t know I had. This wasn’t about me. It wasn’t even about the Vosses. I was here for Tessa, and for Claire. I’d already lost my sister, but Claire? I couldn’t.

I. Wouldn’t. Lose. Her.

My focus sharpened in an instant. I rose and rounded him before he even saw it coming, appearing at his back as if from nowhere.

Like a lion taking down its prey, I circled my arm around his neck and pressed it without mercy.

He tried to buck me off, but I held on so hard that I could feel his windpipe flattening.

“Give it up, you pathetic sack of shit!” I gritted.

As soon as I noticed a drop in resistance, I released my grasp and sent my elbow to connect with the nape of his neck. He crashed face-first, smacking the floor and almost leaving a mark. The room fell silent, everyone stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Even without orders, the guards released Claire from their grip. She strode toward me, her voice ringing with determination. “Come on, baby, you’re coming with me!” she declared.

I could only meet her with my eyes, too weak to speak. But she was my love, my lifeblood, my everything.

But Voss, still clinging to his arrogance, barked out, “You broke the rule! No man shall assist!”

A defiant expression painted Claire’s face as she straightened. “I’m no man,” she shot back, her voice steady and fierce. “And don’t kid yourself into thinking you or your brother qualify as men. You’ve both got nothing between your legs!”

With a grunt, I hauled myself up, leaning heavily on her.

Every muscle screamed, and I knew my injuries ran deeper than just the pain I could feel.

Some wounds stayed hidden, some numbed by shock, but my ankle…

my ankle was done, useless, and kicked past the point of no return.

I couldn’t put weight on it, couldn’t trust it to hold me. But I couldn’t stop. Not now.

My arm wrapped around her neck, and she caught me without hesitation, her grip firm around my waist, holding me up as if the weight meant nothing. Each step was agonizing, but she moved with me, step by painful step. Her body, small but unyielding, was the only thing keeping me on my feet.

“Claire, baby…”

“Sshh…don’t talk.”

“I love you,” I whispered, insisting. If I didn’t survive my injuries, at least she had heard it.

She leaned in close. “I love you too. I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you!” she barked, making it clear she wasn’t giving me the option to give up.

I turned my face, desperate to breathe her in. And for a fleeting second, I swear I felt Tessa’s presence. She had spent time here at The Cove like any young woman enjoying a moment of freedom, though with that bastard Armand Voss. She had been here, living…until she wasn’t.

When we finally stepped outside, the cold air chewed at my skin—a strange relief for my aching, stinging body.

Claire paused, slipping off her jacket. She draped it over my shoulders, wrapping me in as much warmth as her too-small jacket could offer.

I knew she needed it, too, but I didn’t have the strength to argue.

She wasn’t just my partner. Claire, my Chili Pepper, was my strength when I had none left.

We began walking again, her arm tightening around my waist, steadying me.

Even with her help, every step felt like I was dragging lead.

The ground beneath us was a slick sheet of ice, and we were both struggling to keep our balance.

My boots kept sliding, and Claire’s grip tightened each time I faltered, her own feet slipping occasionally as we shuffled forward.

“Stay with me, Elia,” Claire said, her voice holding me together.

I heard the sound of car doors slamming shut, one by one, cutting through the night. Armand Voss was definitely in one of them, his whining barely audible over the clanging of his wheelchair as it rattled across the frozen ground.

I gritted my teeth, focusing on each step, knowing we had to keep moving despite the ice threatening to send us both crashing down. I sagged deeper into Claire’s hold. My legs had officially given up.

“Come on, Elia,” she urged, her voice steady but strained. My car was only a few paces away, but it felt like miles.

Then, from behind us, Lucien Voss’s voice rang out, “Thanks for the entertainment!”

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to block him out. Yeah, I’d been his amusement—his game—and I bet he was happy to let me go for now. I was confident he could drag me back in for more. But I wasn’t about to give him that satisfaction. Not a chance. This would never happen again.

Suddenly, the screech of tires shattered the silence, as if cutting short the night’s end. Another car skidded to a stop. My gaze shifted as a man stepped out and moved with purpose toward Lucien, who had been moments away from making his escape.

“Where the hell is Saxum?” the new arrival demanded.

“Probably in purgatory,” Lucien shot back, his tone ice-cold.

“Fuck, Voss!”

“Aah, he’s still breathing, just out,” Lucien dismissed. “Feel free to start the cleanup.”

The man’s gaze drifted toward The Cove in the distance, then slowly back to us, though his eyes lingered on Claire, studying her intently. He and Lucien exchanged a few quiet words as Claire and I inched toward my car. Her hand was just about to grip the door handle when?—

“Not so fast, Lucas.” Lucien’s voice rang out, venomous and sharp.

Shadows shifted, and suddenly, we were surrounded. The rest of the men swarmed in like wolves circling prey. No! No! I thought we were clear. Thought it was over.

But maybe that feeling—Tessa’s presence—had been a warning all along. This wasn’t finished. Not yet.

Before I could react, Claire was ripped from my side. I reached for her, but my body refused to cooperate, my muscles seizing with exhaustion.

Lucien’s mocking laugh echoed. “How does it feel, El? Thinking you’d won, only to find out the game’s still on?”

“Elia!” Claire’s scream shattered through the air, raw with terror. Lucien’s remaining men dragged her toward a waiting vehicle, and I could do nothing.

I fell to the ground, every inch of me too weak, too broken to move. Laughter surrounded me.

Lucien sauntered closer. “I’ve just heard a rumor that Miss Magnussen has some unfinished business in New York.” He jerked his chin toward the car where his men were holding Claire in a death grip. “Seems there’s a hefty price on her head. She’s going to make me a very rich man.”

“No!” Claire thrashed against them, but then…something changed. She went limp, the fight draining out of her.

“Run!” My voice was barely a croak. There were only two men left. She could do it. Fight, Claire.

But she didn’t move. She didn’t even try to escape.

That wasn’t her. That wasn’t my fierce, unstoppable Chili Pepper.

What had Voss told her? What did he know? The mention of New York should’ve ignited her fire, should’ve made her fight like hell. But it hadn’t. Instead, it had broken her and extinguished every last ember of resistance.

Lucien loomed over me, a smug grin plastered across his face. “It’s a small world, isn’t it, El?” He shoved his phone in my face, the screen blurry as my vision wavered. But I could still make out the headline.

Brentwood. The Revenants.

How the hell did he know?

“Claire…” I rasped, her name barely slipping past my raw throat as I lay hopeless on the ground, my body heavy and broken. I crawled like a dying lizard, helpless, watching—just watching—as they took her. Just like that.

And then it hit me. The nausea, the exhaustion she’d been hiding. My God…she was pregnant.

That’s why she didn’t fight.

She wasn’t protecting herself. She was protecting the life inside her.

I screamed into the night, a raw, agonizing sound that tore through my chest. The air spat it back mockingly, saying this was it. I had survived the fight, but now, I wasn’t sure I’d survive the night.