Page 70 of Knot Guilty

His eyes dance in amusement. “You did, remember? Several times.”

With his crotch within my reach, I grab hold and squeeze. Maxen tightens his fingers around my throat in answer, cutting off my air. Choosing life over revenge, I let go of him and reach up to try and pry his fingers off my neck. At the same time, I’m attempting to pull my right hand from his grip.

Spots dance in my vision, and Maxen begins slamming my wrist against the stone wall to dislodge the gun from my grasp. Only when the pistol clatters to the ground does his grip on my throat ease.

I cough and gasp for air, but my reprieve doesn’t last long. Maxen spins and tosses me against the opposite stone wall. The impact is jarring, with several large rocks gouging into me, some breaking the skin.

Body racked with pain from the harsh landing, I’m slow to push up onto my hands and knees. “So, guess you’re going to kill me now.”

“It’s a shame, too. You’re a great lay. Unfortunately, you’re part of my escape plan, which you set up beautifully. I followed you just close enough to keep in radio range. Thanks to my supply of theatre blood and your performance, Knot probably thinks I’m already dead. He’s probably also thinking you’ll sacrifice yourself to protect me. When he finds your broken body near the falls, he’ll assume the terrorists killed you and sent my corpse downriver.”

I ball my hands into fists in the dirt, cursing myself for not seeing this coming. How did I miss this? How did Knot? Why the hell is this even happening? “Tell me one thing. How long have you been the Guard Corps’ bitch?”

Maxen’s air of superiority returns. “I’m nobody’s bitch. These guys want to keep their cash. I use my many contacts on both sides to help them do it and am rewarded handsomely.”

“You fucking killed Brock, framed Aaron, and are about to kill me for blood money?”

“No, I killed Brock because the stupid asshole we found in the cave called out my name. I couldn’t let Brock blow the whistle on me. I framed Aaron because I hate the asshole. You are the only part I regret.”

Maxen steps closer to me. “Now, I need this to look real, so I’m afraid you’re going to take one hell of a beating.”

“You’re a fucking monster.”

“No. If I were a monster, I’d let my friend in the cave have you. He’d do a lot worse before he killed you. Lucky for you, I’m a jealous bastard and don’t want anyone else touching what’s mine.”

He pulls a knife from behind his back as he continues his slow approach. “Now, fight me, Sadie. I won’t be fucking around this time.”

His eyes are calculating and cold, daring me to attack. I still can’t beat him, and we both know it. I need a weapon. My pack is still in the tunnel where I left it after thinking Maxen had been stabbed, my knife is discarded several feet away, and now, Maxen stands between me and my gun.

With no weapons, nowhere to run, and virtually no chance to walk out of this cave, I should give up and pray for a quick death. Too bad I’ve always been a stubborn bitch.

I scramble backward, spinning to my feet after gathering as many decent-sized rocks as possible. One by one, in rapid succession, I throw them at Maxen, aiming for his head. None make solid contact, but I didn’t expect them to.

The attack was meant to put him on defense and allow me to work around him, getting closer to my gun and the cave’s exit.

I run out of rocks long before I’m close to either of my targets, and Maxen lunges. The knife slices across my shoulder, but my dive roll saves me from a more severe wound.

Coming out of the roll, I reach for my knife, but Maxen grabs my ankle and pulls, dragging me just out of range. Fingernails rip and break as I fight for purchase, but the unforgiving ground has no holds to grab onto.

I’m nowhere near ready to give up, so I roll over and kick out with my other foot, dislodging his fingers. Then, I scramble back to my feet and dive for the knife again. My gun would be better, but I hope to, at least, slow him down with my blade.

Executing a spin, I reach for the knife and come up ready to throw. The cold steel flies, burying itself in Maxen’s bicep. He roars, pulls out the seven-inch blade, and then comes barreling at me with a knife in each hand. The knives scissor in the air, catching me on my arms as I throw up a block to protect my face.

The slices burn like fire across my skin, but I refuse to quit. I drop to the ground and tangle my legs in his, sending Maxen somersaulting over my head. Seeing a rock the size of a small melon nearby, I grab it and hoist it over my head, planning to slam it down against his skull.

Maxen rolls away at the last second, stabbing upward as he does. His knife enters my hip, the tip lodging in bone. I drop the stone, which lands on his stomach. Needing to protect my vital organs, I spin away to avoid another strike, feeling the tip of Maxen’s blade snap off in my hip.

The pain is excruciating. Maxen snaps to his feet, catching me with a kick to the middle as I crawl toward my gun.

Using his boot, he rolls me over and lowers to straddle my bloody stomach. My gun is mere inches from my fingertips, and I refuse to stop reaching. Maxen slams his fist down on my forearm arm, where it’s stretched over a rock. Both bones snap, the sound echoing off the cavern walls. For a moment, all my body knows is immense pain, causing me to scream out.

“That’s enough, Sadie,” he says, breathing heavily.

“What’s the matter, Maxen? You too much of a pussy to go ten rounds with a woman?”

His response is to throw a punch, slamming it into my face. Blood pours down my throat from my broken nose. I turn to the side to spit it out so I can breathe. Movement from the entry tunnel catches my eye, and I think I must be going crazy. I’d almost swear I just saw Sambi’s ugly ass shoes beneath a small stone projection.

It’s probably just a concussion and blood loss making me see things. I turn back to Maxen, glaring as my left hand reaches for his boot and the knife I know he carries there.

---