Page 63 of It Takes a Thief
I frown. What am I missing? There’s more to this than just an attempted theft.
“So, to be clear, you’re calling in your favor?” Laurent asks.
“Yes, I am officially calling it in,” Addie states.
“Marvelous. I’m going to get changed and grab acafé. I suppose I shouldn’t use the hotel’s Maybach car service. Whydo I have a feeling this favor is going to make me get my hands dirty?”
“Laurent—”
“I said I’d help, and I will. Don’t get yourculottesin a twist.Au revoir.”
There’s a click, and Addie sighs. “He’s…French,” she says as if in explanation.
“I don’t care if he’s a Martian,” I respond. “As long as he leads us to Linc, I’ll owe him.”
Laurent upholds his end of the bargain because the moment I land, he texts Addie and me Linc’s location. I hightail it out of the city and drive straight to the middle of seemingly nowhere. But then I spot all the cars and hear the crowd yelling and cheering. I park, jump out and run straight toward the action.
My stomach drops when I see the cage covered in barbed wire. The closer I get, shoving my way through the rowdy onlookers, the quicker I realize it’s an underground fight. But it doesn’t possess the fun atmosphere like the one Linc took me to. This one feels heavy and ominous, the onlookers wearing expensive suits rather than the casual attire worn to the fight Linc took me to. Dread washes over me, because I don’t think they’re here to drink cheap beer and cheer on their favorite contender.
I think they’re here to see a blood bath.
I push up to the front and zero in on Linc battling it out with the biggest man I’ve ever seen.Oh, my God.
“Linc!” My fingers twine through the chainlink fence and, a moment too late, I realize I shouldn’t have yelled his name.My distraction causes him to momentarily lose focus, and the behemoth slams into him like a freight train. Then he lifts his meaty fists and begins hitting Linc furiously. A cloud of dirt fills the air as Linc twists and turns, trying to escape from underneath the beast’s heavy weight and savage blows.
“Oh, my God,” I gasp, completely shocked by the brutality of the fight. Blood splatters, and I want to look away, but I can’t. I’m absolutely glued to the scene playing out. It’s utterly barbaric, and far worse than I expected. “Leave him alone!”
Massive fists keep hitting Linc, blood flies, and I feel like I might vomit.
“You could’ve prevented this,” a voice taunts from beside me. “All you had to do was marry me.”
I glance over and see Jeffrey’s smug face, and it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever wanted to do serious bodily damage to someone.
“Let him out,” I order.
“Sorry,Princess,” he sneers. “Your orders don’t work here.”
Rattling the fence in frustration, I turn my attention back to the fight and remind myself Linc is a former professional and has a ton of experience. Maybe the other guy does, too, though, and that worries me.
Breathing hard, my heart thumping madly, I believe in Linc with every fiber of my body. “Linc is going to win,” I say in a confident voice.
“Either he wins, or he dies,” Jeffrey states offhandedly.
I spin to face him. “What do you mean?”
“It’s a fight to the death,” he informs me with a nasty smile. “And Bonecrusher never loses. You might not want to watch, though, because your precious Linc is getting his ass kicked.”
Bonecrusher?What the fuck.
“Nooo.” I let out a sharp breath, turning back to see Linc trying to break free. But the other fighter is sitting on top of him, a giant, seemingly immovable force, and he pummels Linc’s face and chest with fists bigger than my head.
Suddenly, Linc grabs a handful of dirt and whips it right into his opponent’s face. The other man bellows out a rage-filled roar, falling back and clawing at his eyes. Linc takes advantage of the opportunity, shoving him away with flat palms. The man topples to the side, and I let out a happy shriek, jumping up and down.
The next thing I know, Linc rolls away and clambers back to his feet. The giant is on his knees, still rubbing at his tear-filled eyes, when Linc launches a kick that connects to the center of his chest. He goes flying backward and lands on his ass.
Linc circles around, fists up and ready, while the mountain of a man lumbers to his feet, lets out the most inhuman sound I’ve ever heard, and charges. Linc sidesteps him, simultaneously swinging his fist upward, connecting a solid blow to the giant’s side, causing him to let out a pained howl.
All around me, the crowd goes wild. I frown, and my enthusiasm and relief at seeing Linc on his feet and kicking ass aside, I don’t understand the appeal. Two men trying to beat each other to a bloody pulp makes me sick to my stomach. I want to scream at them to all leave, but instead, I turn on Jeffrey and seethe, “This is all your fault.”
