Page 87 of Wrath

“Wait.” He comes up behind me and I feel my stomach flip. “You ain’t thinkin’ about doing somethin’ stupid are ya?” His frown is as harsh as it is suspicious.

“I’m just calling my friend.” I stick to my story.

“Fine, but you go straight to your room.” He waggles his finger at me in a friendly warning. I move out through the door and take the steps up to my balcony without looking back. I know he’ll be standing at the door watching me let myself into my room, and as soon as I’m inside I call Laura.

“Where are you?” she answers, she must already be outside the bar because the sound of the music in the background is really loud.

“I can’t just leave here, Raze has the place on lockdown.” I pull back my curtain and see Saul sitting outside the club on one of the plastic chairs having a smoke, he seems to be looking directly toward my room. “I just have to be patient before I canmake my escape, but it won’t be easy. Rocco’s on the gate.” I pull away from the window and flop down on my bed.

“Can you not just tell me what this is over the phone?”

“Not if we want to stop Aaron from fighting.” She makes a very good point. I thought she’d take some convincing to agree to take me to a place like that, but it seems as if she’s got everything figured out.

“Okay.” I stand up so I can assess the situation again and when I see that Saul has gone back inside, I quickly make my move. With Laura still on the line I rush out the door and across the balcony to the steps, then keeping my back against the wall, I move around the arch. There's a wall between the parking lot and the gate that leads down to the beach. It's dark now and if I stay quiet and move slowly, Rocco won’t see me. He’s far too busy scrolling through his phone to notice, anyway. I start making my way closer to the back gate and I’ve almost made it when the parking lot lights up with headlights.

“Shit.”I quickly crouch behind Peyton's car so I don’t get seen.

“What you all doin’ back here?” Rocco asks once the engines have been cut.

“We got the fucker.” I recognize Saint's voice. “Bastard was balls deep when we stormed in, ya shoulda seen the look on his face.”

“Where is he now?” Rocco laughs.

“Raze and Dev have taken him to the warehouse. They’re hopin’ to find out where Willow is before they end him.”

“It’s gonna be a long night,” Sasquatch mumbles.

“I take it Tawk is with ‘em?” I hear Rocco ask as the metal on the gate scratches the asphalt.

“Yeah, he’s like a man possessed right now. Raze barely had the chance to tie the fucker up before he’d laid the first punch on him,” Saint tells him, and I don’t waste any more time listening,I reach back and try the handle on the gate hoping not to make it squeak. Though squeaking isn’t what I have to worry about because the thing is fucking locked. I look up at the sky and take a deep breath. I have to get out of here, I have to stop Wrath before he gets hurt, and so I guess I’ll have to do what's necessary. Reaching for the handle of Peyton's car, I sigh with relief when I pull and it pops open. Then, as quietly as I can, I slide myself up and into the passenger seat.

I can’t get seen, so I keep my head down low and watch as the guys head through the arch toward the clubhouse. Rocco looks pissed as he retakes his seat on the old crate beside the gate. Luck really is on my side when I see that the keys are in the ignition, I guess there's nothing else holding me back now. Counting to three I start the engine, hoping that there's enough distance between me and the gate to build up the speed I’ll need to smash through it. And when Rocco looks up from his phone screen in confusion, I blind him with the full beam of the headlights and push my toe to the floor. I’ve only got one shot at this so I close my eyes and pray as I head full speed into the compound gates. The impact knocks my head back against the headrest, making my brain rattle and when I open my eyes and see that I’ve actually broken through, I have little time to celebrate. I’ve got a fight to stop.

“Fuck, yeah!” Ruck leaps onto my back when I get announced as the winner.

“One down, three to go, and if you go into all of ‘em like that, Freddie don’t stand a fuckin’ chance.”

“You heard anythin’ from Raze?” I wipe the sweat off my forehead and take back some water.

“Nothin’.” The smile drops from his face, and we both flinch when we hear the crunch my opponent's shoulder makes when his trainer slips it back into its socket. “You can’t worry about that, ya gotta be here right now. Take a breath, regain your strength,” he tells me, placing both his hands on my shoulders and trying to keep me focused.

“You got Darius Mancini next, and he’s gonna come at ya hard. He’s got a lot to prove, especially with Raoul Burlusconi here. He won’t want his father’s biggest rival to see him get beat.”

I do my best to listen, but I can’t stop thinking about Cliff, I need Raze to get answers out of him. We need to find Willow.

That thought ain’t gonna be going anywhere. All I can do is take all the anger and frustration at the fact that it ain’t me prising the answers from him, and put it into my nextperformance. Another man down is one step closer to that prize money.

“VP.” Raoul's younger brother, Rhett, is waiting for me when I step outta the cage.

“Raoul wants the next one destroyed. Let’s send him back to his father unrecognizable, hey?” He takes my hand like he’s shaking it and when I feel him try to pass something sharp between us, I shake my head and refuse to accept it.

“I don’t cheat.” I lean closer so no one else hears me. “That shit’s for people who know they can’t win.” I make sure he keeps whatever he tried handing over, in his possession. “Tell your brother I’ll get the job done.”

I’m about to turn back and face Ruckus when I catch the flash of a blue light in the corner of my eye.

“Shit.” He looks startled as he grabs my arm and starts backing up.

“Fuck, it’s the cops!” I hear someone yell, as the whole room lights up blue and red and the crowd around us disperses in different directions.

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