Page 87 of Beyond the Cage
“Cameron…they want you to…they want you to throw the fight tonight. If you don’t, then…” My voice breaks. “They’ll…they’ll kill me.”
Jumping up from his chair, he slams his fists on the table. He’s in a rage, breathing like a mad bull.
“Don’t do it,” I tell him.
Dragon Tat moves the blade to my neck. Chels screams and I close my eyes. Where did that come from? Am I really willing to give up mylifeso he can achieve his dream? Even after what he did? What does it even matter? I know I’m not getting out of here alive.
“What will it be, Jackson…?” He grabs a handful of my hair and pulls my head back as he presses the blade to my throat. “Yes…or no?”
I open my eyes and watch as Cameron nods. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t overreacted again, and run out like that, we wouldn’t be in this situation. The other man moves forward, presses a few keys, and the screen goes blank.
“What’s with the sad face?” Dragon Tat asks. “After tonight, you’ll be back with your boyfriend. Well, he might be in the hospital after Mikhail gets done with him –”
“Why are you doing this?” I yell. “I know you’re not going to let me go, so just do it already!”
“Calm down.”
“No!” I struggle against my restraints. “I won’t wait around for you to kill me. Just do it!”
I feel a prick on my arm and look down to see a needle sticking out of it. Oh, no! My eyes get heavy and my vision blurs. I try to fight it, but it’s no use.
I…have to sleep…now.
***
I hear voices – Dragon Tat and someone else. I keep my eyes closed so they’ll think I’m still asleep. They’re speaking in Russian, but the other voice sounds so familiar. The conversation dies down, and it sounds like the other man is leaving.
“What do you want me to do with her?” Dragon Tat asks.
“Either way…kill her.”
“Whatever you say, Mikhail.”
Mikhail?I crack an eye open and peek in the direction of the voices.Mikhail! That dirty son of a bitch!
“I was undefeated when I faced him. He humiliated me, and now I will do the same to him. You won’t hear from me again.”
“Got it.”
I wait for a while after he leaves before I ‘wake up’. It seems I’ve gained a few more babysitters, because there are three new faces.
“Aah, you are awake,” Dragon Tat observes as he approaches.
“If I’d known we were having a party, I would have dressed up.”
He chuckles and gently strokes my cheek. “You know, I like you. If it weren’t for this situation…who knows?”
Then, he says something in Russian.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you are very beautiful…sexy.”
He trails his finger down my neck and across my exposed cleavage. My skin crawls at his touch and I look away, toward the ceiling. Up in the rafters, I notice movement…a flash of something shiny. Am I hallucinating? No, there it is again! It’s…a person. As Dragon Tat slides his tongue across my breasts, his hand creeps down my stomach to the button on my jeans. I flinch, but the person in the rafters has my full attention. I watch as the two men at the end of the warehouse grab their necks and crumple to the floor. The other two guys are absorbed in a card game and this one is busy licking on me. My button pops and the zipper goes down.
The dark figure jumps down to the floor in a crouch.Oh, God. Please hurry!I watch him as he makes his way to the unsuspecting men playing cards. My heart rate increases and adrenaline rushes through my body. The dark figure throws an object that hits the man closer to him—the tall one from before—and he slumps over the table. The other henchman grabs his gun and raises an alarm, but before he can get a shot off, he stiffens and falls to the floor in a heap. By the time Dragon Tat jumps up and pulls his gun, the dark figure is racing in our direction. I can see him now. He’s in all black…a full ninja suit, only his eyes visible.No fucking way. I’m being rescued by a ninja?He throws another object mid-run and the gun flies out of Dragon Tat’s hand. The ninja takes a flying leap and lands knee-first into Dragon Tat’s chest. They fall to the floor together, knee to chest. The ninja straddles him and brings his hand down on Dragon Tat’s chest – hard. He cries out in agony, and I cringe at the sound of his bones breaking. He delivers another swift blow to Dragon Tat’s head, rendering him unconscious…or dead. I can’t tell.
Ninja crawls over to me, frenetically freeing my legs then hands before looking up at me. My breath catches and tears spring to my eyes. I know those eyes – those silver-grey eyes I love so dearly. Only now, they’re wrought with fear.
