Page 42 of Unraveling an Enigma
“If you want to date my daughter, you must first prove your worth,” Col informed me, altering his grim gaze from Ophelia to me. “You’ll fight my toughest competitor tonight. If you win, you will not only become my fighter, you will also have permission to date my daughter.”
“And if I refuse?”
Col didn’t grace me with a reply. He only smiled, a menacing, evil grin that showed the true monster he really was.
“Be in the ring in five minutes,” a gentleman to the side of Col instructed.
The instant Col and his entourage left, I turned to face Ophelia. Her eyes were welling with tears, and she was nervously fiddling with the button on her coat jacket.
“You don’t have to do this,” she whispered.
I stepped closer to her. “Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t. Just walk away and don’t look back,” she interrupted, her eyes scanning the arena exit mere feet from where we were standing.
“Will you come with me?” I was not leaving without her. Ophelia shook her head and yanked her hand out of my grasp.
“Then, I’m going to fight,” I replied. I’ll fight, I’ll win, and I’ll walk away with Ophelia and never look back.
Before Ophelia could reply, the brute who pointed the gun at my head stood next to her. My fists clenched when I noticed he was holding his semi-automatic weapon in his hand and it was pointed toward Ophelia.
“Let’s go,” he instructed, motioning his head to the ring.
Grasping Ophelia’s clammy hand in mine, I made my way down the corridor that was filled with spectators. As I made my way between the bleachers, the hum of the crowd lessened. Eyes of all ages and genders stop talking to gawk at me. Once I reached the ring, a ragged gasp expelled from Ophelia’s lips as she whispered, “No,” under her breath.
When she stepped in front of me, her dazzling eyes begged while her mouth pleaded, “Please don’t do this, Isaac; I’m begging you not to do this.”
“I have to,” I replied, staring into her glistening eyes. “If I don’t do this, I’ll never see you again.”
“Five minutes tops, then we walk out that door, and we’ll never come back,” I declared into her fretful eyes. My guarantee the fight would be over in minutes didn’t give Ophelia any reassurance. If anything, it made her more panicked.
Ophelia’s tear-stained face drifted to the fighter standing in the ring before returning her eyes to me.
“He’s my brother.”
* * *
“Throw in the towel,” I pleaded, staring into the eyes of a monster. “He’s your own fucking son.”
Ophelia’s brother, Cj, had given a stellar performance. He was a competitive fighter, and he handled the match better than I’d initially expected, but he was done. From the way his chin was dangling, I could tell he was sporting a fractured jaw. The cracking noise expelled from his ribs when I punished him with a grueling left and right combination ensured he had numerous broken bones. His right wrist was contorted in a weird angle that made my stomach churn, and he had a busted eye socket. His body had gone through just as much hell as my mind had.
But no matter how many times I pleaded with Col, he wouldn’t throw in the towel. There was no doubt in my mind Cj had impressive combat abilities, but my fighting capabilities were stronger. When I peered into his bloodshot eyes, they even reflected back his defeat, but with Col refusing to quit, the only way the fight could end would be by having Cj stretchered out of the ring. I knew if I did that, I'd lose Ophelia forever, but I had no choice. For a majority of the fight, Col’s goon stayed by Ophelia’s side with his gun drawn. I had to pick between saving Cj or Ophelia. I was always going to choose Ophelia.
Every punch or kick I inflicted on Cj was met with Ophelia’s panicked screams or gasps of disappointment. Halfway through the match, I realized no matter what I did, I was going to lose her. If I walked away, ending the fight against Col’s wishes, who knew what punishment would be inflicted on Ophelia. If I seriously injured her brother, she would never look at me the same again.
It was a lose-lose situation.
When I turned my gaze to the outside of the ring, I locked eyes with Ophelia. Her beautiful face was contorted with sadness, and she had tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you,” I said.
Ophelia’s crying pleas faded into the background when I moved to stand in front of Cj. He was standing to the side of the ring, cradling his broken wrist with his knuckle busted and his hand bleeding. When I stood in front of him, his eyes lifted to mine. A sharp niggle hit my chest when he acknowledged my regret with a brief nod of his head. He knew I didn’t want to do it. He was aware I would walk away if I could, but I didn’t have a choice.
Strengthening my stance, I peered into his dark brown eyes. “I’m sorry,” I murmured before I completed a roundhouse kick to his right temple.
Cj’s head snapped to the side, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he plummeted to the ground in slow motion. The sickening thud of his unconscious body hitting the mat was so loud, it could be heard over the screaming cheers of the spectators.
“Noooo!” Ophelia yelled in a blood-curdling scream.
The wild thrashing of my heart lessened when Col’s right-hand man holstered his gun and walked away from Ophelia. Since I'd done as requested, he no longer had a reason to continue with his aggressive stance. Ophelia dove through the ropes and crawled on her hands and knees to the middle of the ring. Her desolate eyes never once left her brother. Once she reached Cj’s side, she cradled his bruised head in her hands, trying in vain to wake him up. I didn’t kill Cj, but I did knock him out cold.
