Page 111 of Falcon's Prey

Jumping around, I got close to him until I threw three punches, hitting his side, one on his cheek, and before I could land the last one, he got one on my cheek. I extended my arm, striking with the side of my hand to his nose in an upward motion. Blood dripped from his nose, and seeing it turned him in a blind rage. He came at me fast with punches and kicks.

I blocked some and moved out of the way on others. Sweat dripped down my forehead along with some blood. It fucking hurt to breathe, and I took shallow breaths, short of panting. I wasn’t the only one who was tired; so was he.

This time it was me who rushed at him, throwing wild punches to get him where I wanted. My chest was taking damage, but I would worry about that later. When I punched the side of his neck, I saw the way he started to blink furiously, trying to stop the dizziness from taking over. Using that as my opportunity, I pulled my leg back and kicked back his kneecap.

The crunch of bone was piercing. I watched him stumbling backward until he fell to the floor. I kicked his side by his kidney when his arm shot out, trying to get enough balance to get up or, in his case, crawl away. I kicked him in his armpit. A hit there immobilized his arm.

Knowing this was a show, I knew I had to make this worth their while. Since he wasn’t going anywhere, I circled him slowly, trying to figure out the best way to kill him.

I stalked him as people started to chant, “Falcon,” aware that I had my prey where I wanted him.

When I got behind his head, I pulled him into a sitting position by gripping his hair and then threw a blow to his nape, damaging his spinal cord. He howled in pain.

Pulling him up again, I looked at him in the eyes, and there was fear in them knowing he was going to die. He got cocky. He’d killed in here for the first time in one of the other fights. He got addicted to the high, but was too much of a pussy to do it on his own again. So, he did the ring once, got addicted, and kept coming back for more. When you’re a born killer, you learn everything you can about the human body. Anatomy becomes a necessity. Because by knowing the human body, you know how to tear it apart. Brute strength didn’t do anything against skill.

“I was going to make this painless, but you pissed me off.” Still holding him, I pretended to turn around, only to slam my elbow to his throat.

With the force of my elbow, his Adam’s apple broke free. His first instinct was to swallow to clear his throat of the sensation, trying to get some air down his windpipe. As he did that, he pushed the bone down, effectively cutting his throat from both sides. I held his head so the fuckers who got their rocks off this little show could get their money’s worth. The room was silent as blood spilled from Claw’s mouth as he choked to death.

Then, there it was: the applause. I let Claw’s body slump to the floor, letting out a relieved breath. They announced me the winner, and as they did, the lights in the room came back on as the cage began to lift from the floor so I could get out.

If you’d asked me a year ago if magnetic pulls existed, I’d laugh it off, but it was the only explanation I had when I found Ember’s eyes. After tonight, she might end up hating me, and I’d lose her forever.

As the cage pulled up,I stayed rooted in the spot I was in. The smell of blood was heavy now that Claw was dead at my feet. I looked at the table where Ignacio was seated. He was with his two boys. The one with the kinder eyes now looked at me with curiosity, while the other looked bored.

Ignacio gave me a nod before he got up. I waited for someone to give me the go-ahead to follow him. I had questions, and he had the answers. Looking across to Ember, I was shocked at who was at the table with them. Gideon was standing protectively around Ember, and across from them was Enzo Toscano, the guy whose home I was staying in. I’d heard the rumors about him, and the fact that he was here only confirmed them.

“Falcon, go back to the room, and Mr. Estacado will be there shortly.”

I gave a tense nod, wishing I could go to the table where Ember was, but I was so close to getting answers now, and I would not blow it. My eyes met Ember’s, and I still heard the echo of the words she’d said to me. No one, absolutely no one, had ever said them to me. Did I feel guilty for making her say them? No, because at the end of the day, they were just words. But to Ember, they meant more. She needed that admission if I wanted to stand a chance after the betrayal I was about to make.

My eyes bored into hers, noting the way she looked at me with relief and wariness. She’d just watched me kill a man with my bare hands, and there was no trace of repulsion in her gaze—all her problems and deceptions, all her worries and heartbreaks, she was molded to be the perfect woman for me.

I looked past her at Gideon, a warning to keep watching her. It wouldn’t be long now before we got to go back home. Hell, that wasn’t even home; it hit home when the owner of the place was across from Ember.

My eyes met his too, and he smirked at me and raised his glass in a toast. Nodding, I turned around, starting to feel better. As I walked back, I felt a prickle of heat on my skin. I got the feeling I was being watched. My eyes did a quick scan of the room but found nothing. I shook my head, telling myself I was paranoid.

Still, my end was near.

The thing about hiding in the shadows was that as soon as someone shed some light, that was it—no more places to hide.

I washed my bloody hands in the sink and looked at myself in the mirror, and I smiled. I missed the way the adrenaline pumped in your veins, the slight brush with death. Tempting it and saying, “Is this my end?”

When the door opened, I was already dressed and somewhat cleaned up. In came the guards protecting their New York king. The guards pointed at me to follow him. We went to the back from where he had emerged from before the fight. Inside was a black office desk with a matching chair that had a red cushion. Fit for a king.

“Ren Falcon,” he said as he took a seat, and the accent of his native tongue was strong. “You’ve made me a lot of money tonight. No one thought you would win.”

I smiled at him, watching his two sons stand behind him. “You left out my resume. I’m sure that would have changed a few minds.”

“It’s simply business, boy.” He grinned.

I’d never seen any of the other brothers, but the vibe I was getting from Ignacio had me on edge.

“Now, what can I do for you, Falcon?” he asked as he signaled for one of his guys to get him a drink.

“Just a favor.”

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