Page 86 of Wrecked for Love
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.
