Page 93 of Hart of Darkness
Gorilla hustled out.
“Throw her in a cage. I have to see if I can convince her boyfriend to do a swap,” Miguel said to Cory.
“He’s not coming to save me.” I prayed he would. Dillon had a big heart, regardless of whether he had feelings for someone. Case and point being the shelter. He had put his hard-earned money into a project to help women. Yet as big as his heart was, blood trumped everything. He’d even said his sister came first. He wouldn’t dare swap me for Grace, especially after finding her again.
I wouldn’t complain if he stormed in with guns and an army to save me, but deep down, I wanted him to save me because I meant more to him than a random girl who needed help.
But I couldn’t wait for help. I had to find a way out of there. I had to find a way to save me and those six young girls in the cages.
Miguel pocketed his knife. “Oh, and Maggie? Next time you want to snoop around someone’s house, you should be more inconspicuous.” He started to walk away.
“Was it you who killed Nadine?” I wanted to hear him say yes.
Cory pulled out a switchblade. The clicking sound made the hackles rise on my neck. “No, sweetheart. I hold that honor. She knew too much about our organization.”
Sick bastard.
“Daddy will be proud to hear that,” I shot back.
Harold Calderon’s business would be ruined once my story went to print. Whether the elder Calderon knew of his son’s illegal involvement with the Black Knights, it didn’t matter. People would scurry to pull out their investments faster than the speed of light, Dillon included.
Cory pressed the tip of the blade underneath my chin, spitting his vile onion breath in my face. “My father will never know what I do in my spare time.”
I lifted my chin as Cory pushed the blade a little harder into my skin without breaking through.
Miguel and the other gorilla faded from view, and I heard the door squeak open then closed.
Cory searched my face. “I should end you now.”
“Do it, then,” I taunted. “But first let’s at least have a fair fight. Unless you really are afraid of me.” I could handle Cory. Adrenaline was a great weapon to have, and I knew how to fight.
He seemed to be considering my offer.
“No weapons,” I added.
He was much taller than me, broad in the shoulders, fat hands, and big arms. None of that mattered. I knew the points on the body to hurt, and I wasn’t talking about his balls, although that was a great start. Lou had taught me to subdue my enemy first. I had to get him into a position where I could go for the throat and knock the air out of him. Once I did that, I could help those girls, and we could run like the wind.
I had an advantage over the girls in the cages. I was big-boned. I had hips. I had strong muscles in my arms.
Cory threw his head back and roared with laughter so loud that the girls in the cages cringed as though they’d heard that nail-grating sound before. If it weren’t for my legs being tied to the chair, I would’ve kicked him right in the nuts.
When he was done laughing, he puffed out his chest. “You want to fight me?”
I tilted my head. “Are you afraid?” Men like Cory were all about ego, regardless of sex. Considering Cory preyed on women, I was banking that he would jump at the chance to swing his fists at me.
In two seconds flat, he cut the ties off me. “Let’s see what you got.” He pocketed his switchblade.
I rose too fast, and the room spun. Whatever drug they’d given me hadn’t worn off completely.
Cory waved me on. “This should be fun.”
I sized him up and studied his body language. He was loose, not afraid. His arms were at his side, which meant that he was begging me to run at him. He wore a gold hoop earring in his good ear, and his hair had a bottle of gel in it. The grease would make it hard for me to pull out his strands one by one. But I didn’t cat fight like other girls. I wasn’t going for the hair but rather his throat and then his balls.
He looked down his short nose at me. “Are you going to stare at me all day?”
“Kill him,” one of the girls shouted.
“I could break you in two,” Cory said.
