Page 177 of Invisible String
“Your time’s up.” A man with a face tattoo knocks on the door.
The music plays as the announcer calls for Misha “Steel Knuckles” Smirnov, and the crowd cheers. “Are you all ready to see The Master of Disaster?” he shouts, and the roar of the people goes wild. “Let’s have it for Master of Disaster.”
I step into the ring. The crowd is unhinged. Misha sizes me up. He smirks and says something in his language.
My feet shuffle on the gritty canvas, my weight balanced, and fists poised. I launch the first cross punch, the power surging through my arm. The guy in front of me is a mass of muscle, but it doesn’t deter me. I’m built the same. He swiftly ducks, narrowly escaping the blow, but I seize the moment and unleash a powerful uppercut that catches him off guard, sending a shock through his defenses. The noise around me dissolves, and all I can think of is getting my sunshine back. The faster I end this, the quicker I get her back. He launches a swift punch aimed directly at my left eye, sending a jolt of pain through me and throwing me off balance. The world tilts momentarily, but I refuse to give him another opportunity to attack. I retaliate with a relentless barrage of blows, each one calculated and precise. My fists fly in a rhythmic pattern, striking with force and purpose. He staggers backward, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he struggles to regain his footing, the impact of my hits leaving him visibly shaken.
His jaw clenches as anger simmers inside him. It’s clear he has never been challenged before. He hadn’t expected to face someone with more experience than himself.
He lunges forward, aiming a powerful right hook at my face, his eyes fierce with determination. I quickly pivot, executing a shoulder roll with practiced precision, feeling his glove just graze my back as I evade his attack. Seizing the moment, I shift my stance, planting my feet firmly on the mat. With my eyes locked on his, I launch a forceful counter right cross, channeling my momentum into the punch, determined to regain control of thebout. Blood splatters his face. I let the Master of Disaster come out to play. He shields his face as I go punch after punch. When his gloves come down, I go for a hard check hook, knocking him down. He doesn’t get up. Until his trainer runs to help him up. The crowd goes crazy, chanting my name. My gaze goes to the crowd, searching for Rainey or Daniel. I need my girl back.
“As soon as the crowd clears, the guys will bring her,” Gilbert says, as I leave the ring.
Thirty minutes later, the double metal doors open from the warehouse. A group of men walk in, and beside them, Rainey with her hands tied to the front. The guy tells her something and laughs. She gives him a look of disgust. Everything happens so fast. He reaches for her ass, and Rainey kicks him. He backhands her, causing her to lose her balance. I’m already running when she tumbles down the cement stairs, rolling down. Blood trickles down her face. I roar her name. Then a gunshot pierces my ears. The man who hit Rainey falls to the side. Daniel stands watching while I lift Rainey.
“Tesoro, are you okay? Can you hear me, baby?” Nothing. She’s not waking up. Déjà vu happens all over. “Get the car, Carlos!” I shout, lifting Rainey in my arms. “Stay with me, baby.”
Leo hands me a towel to help with the bleeding.
“Fuck, baby. I’m sorry.” My breath feels tight, as if a noose is squeezing my lungs. My heart pounds furiously, on the verge of bursting with anger. “Stay with me,” I whisper as Carlos speeds toward me. Tears threaten to fall as I get her in the car.
“Drive faster,” I yell. Rainey still hasn’t moved. She’s breathing. She hit her head a couple of times—a gash on the top of her forehead. With the towel, I apply light pressure.
Carlos parks in front of the E.R. doors. I charge inside, carrying Rainey, yelling for help. A nurse runs out, taking us to a room. They place her on a bed. “She’s not waking up,” I cry out. “Help her.”
They ask me to step back. I’ll die without her, and there’s no way I’d live a life without her in it.
Two hours later,a nurse calls me. Lana, Justin, Leo, and Carlos have been waiting with me. “Mr. Cano, Rainey is now stable. We ran X-rays. The trauma to her head is significant. There are no broken bones, luckily just a fracture on her left arm. There will be a lot of bruising. She is in a coma. The swelling in her brain needs healing before she wakes. There was no bleeding internally, so that’s good news. The coma will help her body heal.”
“When will she wake?” I ask.
“There’s no telling. It depends on when her body is ready. It can be from two days to two weeks or longer.”
“Can I see her?”
She nods. “Only one visitor at the moment.”
Lana runs to my side. “Go, talk to her. She might hear you.”
My hand trembles around the cold, metal doorknob, and my chest is tight. I’ve always prided myself on being stoic, but right now, the urge to collapse to my knees and plead for a miracle overwhelms me. My stomach churns with a deep, relentless ache. In the dimly lit room, tubes snake around her frail body, each one a lifeline. An oxygen mask obscures her peaceful face, and her forehead bears a fresh, precise line of stitches. The steady, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor fills the air, a constant reminder of her fragile state. She has a cast on her arm and bruises on her arms and face. Rainey’s cheek is swollen.
Slowly, I walk in and swallow the gripping pain. Her fingers are warm. “Sunshine, I love you. God, I love you. I need you. Don’t you leave me.” I swing my pinky finger on hers. “Remember, we pinky promised to be best friends forever—and marriage. We are so close,tesoro, to the finish line.” She doesn’t move, and her eyes don’t flutter open. “There’s no me without you.” My voice cracks.
Fear explodes violently in my chest. What if she doesn’t wake up?
I shake my head. She will. Rainey is a fighter.
Fate has tied us together. There’s no way life would be this cruel.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
RAINEY
“Mi amor,it’s been a week. Wake up, come back to me,” a faint husky voice says far away.
I can’t make out the voice. Where am I? Beeping?
Darkness overcomes me.
