Page 75 of Quake
My feet pounded on the footpath as I searched for the woman. Checking every alley, I found nothing, my hopes beginning to fade. Even if it wasn’t her, I still had to do something.
That’s when I rounded another corner, heading into what I knew was a blind alley, and saw them. My gaze collided with the two figures, and I froze, instantly recognizing the woman being held at the mercy of a much larger man.
Juliette.
She was pinned against the chest of a guy twice her size, a knife pressed against her cheek. Anger welled inside me, and I almost exploded, a desperate need to protect her surging to the surface.
“Caleb!” she screamed, her gaze meeting mine. “It’s him. It’s—”
The man turned as she cried out, and the moment he saw me, he brandished the knife.
“Get the fuck away from her,” I snarled. Instinct took over, and I raised my fists into a fighting position.
At that moment, I swore his lip curled into a smile, but I didn’t have time to focus. He thrust, sinking the blade into Juliette’s stomach.
She screamed, her cry ripping through me, and I threw myself forward, slamming into the man. The force pushed him away from her, and we crashed to the ground in a heap with me on top.
Raising my arm, I slammed my fist into his face, his balaclava cushioning the blow. I punched him again, desperate to overpower him before he clocked me and went after her. I didn’t know how badly she was hurt, if she could stand or if she would come out of this on the other end. I didn’t know what would happen, but she had to get out of here.She had to get away.
“Run!” I shouted at Juliette. “Get help!Run!”
With her eyes wide, she grasped her side and stumbled to her feet, her face twisted in pain. A moment later she disappeared around the corner.
The man bucked underneath me, forcing me to fall to the side. I landed hard on my shoulder, and I roared in pain as a boot slammed into my back. My vision blurred, agony searing through my injured tendons.
This wasn’t a boxing ring. This wasn’t a fight with referees, fans, and television cameras. This was real life. If I didn’t fight dirty, I’d… This was life or death. This was for Juliette.
Pushing through the pain, I rolled onto my back, taking his next blow to my side. When he drew his leg back, I grabbed his other ankle and wrenched it forward, knocking him flat on his ass. Scrambling to my feet, I grimaced, barely holding on.
He raised his fists, the knife clutched in one hand, and it was at that moment, I realized he’d picked up on my tells. He knew I was a boxer. Knew how to defend against me. But the way he’d fought, the way he’d known how to take me down…he was a fighter, too. By the way he bounced on the balls of his feet and how he was poised to counterattack, this guy knew his shit. He was a pro, and the way he went for my back…He knew me.
“Who the fuck are you?” I roared. “What the fuck do you want with her?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he brandished the knife—the knife that was coated in Juliette’s blood—and swiped at me. Dodging his blows, I managed to get under his defense and rammed my shoulder into his stomach. Forgetting about the blade still clutched in his hand and beyond feeling the pain that tore through my spine, I lifted him up over my shoulder, and with a roar of pure anger, I heaved.
He slammed against the wall and fell facedown onto the concrete. Spinning, I readied myself, but he didn’t move.
Kicking him in the side, I pushed the guy over. The moment I saw the knife sticking out of his chest, I cursed, turning away. He’d landed on it…Fuck.
With shaking hands, I grasped his balaclava, pulling it up and off his head. Staring at his face, my stomach began to roll with nausea, and I edged away. I didn’t know what to do. What to feel. I’d been duped. We’d all been duped.
Tommy.
29
Juliette
Ihardly rememberedthe moment Tommy stabbed me.
Somehow, I’d found my way to the police station on Sydney Road, bursting through the front door and screaming for help. I’d bled all over the floor, but apparently, I wouldn’t let them touch me until they found Caleb. I didn’t remember much else.
When I’d arrived at the hospital, the doctor told me it was normal to have gaps in my memory. It was the shock, he said.
I must’ve fallen asleep after that because the next thing I knew, I was waking up to sunlight edging through the curtains. It was quiet, the hospital room empty apart from me. How lucky for me. I’d scored a single.
Turning my head, I stilled as I saw Caleb beside me. My heart began to thrum wildly at the sight of him. The last image I had of him was in the alley. He’d just tackled Tommy.
Oh, God, all this time it’d been Tommy. The guy who’d been grooming me for one-on-one training to fuck me. Now I saw the truth, and it wasn’t about sex. It was about revenge and murder. All those years ago, I’d come home early and interrupted him in the middle of his sick fantasy. I took Melanie’s life to spare her the pain of her passing, and by doing so, I’d taken his prize.
