Pit Fighters: Cage: Phantom Warriors, page 11
Stevie’s gaze dropped. “It was the only way to save the gym.”
Henry cupped her cheek. “We can get another gym,” he said. “The gym’s not worth a man’s life.” He glanced at Chrysus. “No offense.”
“None taken,” he said. “May I have a private word with your father?”
Stevie hesitated, then walked into the kitchen.
“Why would you volunteer to do such a stupid thing, especially if you suspect Walker of having a hand in Julio’s attack?” Henry asked.
“I don’t suspect,” Chrysus said. “I know he did.”
Their gazes met and held for a long minute.
“As for why.” Chrysus glanced toward the kitchen. “I’d think that would be obvious.”
Henry sighed. “You can’t get the girl if you’re dead.”
“True,” Chrysus said. “But there’s more to me than meets the eye.”
Henry’s gray brow arched. “Son, I’ve been in the fight business longer than you’ve been alive. I’ve heard a lot of boasting in my time. Bragging will only get you so far.”
Chrysus snorted. “I agree. That’s why I don’t brag.”
“What part of the military were you in?” he asked.
“Not any that you’ve heard of.” Chrysus tried to keep to the truth.
“Special Ops,” Henry said. “I’ve seen the way you move. Makes sense.” He took a deep breath. “But I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that this isn’t a mission.”
“It is to me,” Chrysus said.
“Have you told, Stevie?” Henry asked.
Chrysus shook his head. “She’s not ready to hear it.”
“Stubborn as a Missouri mule. Just like her mother.” Henry glanced toward the kitchen. “But don’t give up on her. The Cash women are worth the headache.”
“Who has a headache?” Stevie asked as she walked back into the room.
“No one,” Henry said, then winked at Chrysus.
She stared at her father. “Dad, what did he say to you?”
Henry coughed. “Nothing. Nothing.”
Stevie’s narrowed. “Doesn’t look like nothing.”
Henry waved her comment away, but Stevie noticed he hadn’t denied it. “So what is your next move?” he asked.
“I’m going to train Chrysus as much as possible in the next few days,” she said. “Graham wasn’t happy when he volunteered to fight in Julio’s stead.” Stevie looked at Chrysus. “He’s going to have to watch his back until the fight. We don’t want what happened to Julio, happening to him.” Just the thought sent a spike of fear through Stevie. It was too soon to be attached to the big idiot, but somehow he’d wormed his way into her heart.
“Don’t think there’s a chance of that happening,” Henry said.
“Hope you’re right, Dad,” Stevie said.
She pictured Chrysus hooked up to all the machines that were attached to Julio and a wave of nausea struck. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Her hands curled into fists. Stevie didn’t realize they had until Chrysus pried her fingers open.
“Does your mother still need my assistance in the kitchen?” he asked.
Stevie smirked. “Mom doesn’t need anyone’s assistance in the kitchen, but I’m sure she’d like the company.”
Chrysus smiled. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint her.” He looked at Henry one last time, then left the room.
Stevie crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, Dad, want to tell me what that was all about?”
“Not really.” Henry picked up the remote. “I think there’s an MMA fight starting in a minute.” He flicked through the channels until he found the fight, then set the remote down.
“Really?” Stevie asked. “That’s all you have to say?”
Henry tore his gaze away from the big screen. “That’s all I’m going to say,” he said.
“Fine! I’ll just ask Chrysus what you talked about.” She took one step toward the kitchen determined to get the truth.
“Take a seat!” Henry said.
Stevie’s foot dangled in the air, frozen in place. She looked down at her dad. “Ready to tell me?”
“No, but I want you to leave that boy alone,” he said. “He has enough on his mind without you badgering him.”
Surely he didn’t mean Chrysus. There was nothing boyish about him.
“Why?” Stevie asked.
Henry chuckled. “You can’t see what’s right in front of you.”
“If you’re referring to Chrysus, you should know that we barely know each other.” Other than in the biblical sense, she thought and blushed.
“I’m old, but I am not dumb,” he said. “My eyes work just fine.”
The heat in Stevie’s face spread down the front of her. This was not a conversation she wanted to have with her dad.
Henry glanced toward the kitchen. “I do have a piece of parting advice for you.”
“What's that?” she asked.
He nodded to the other room. “Don’t treat this one like you’ve treated all the others who were interested in you.”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
Henry held up a hand. “Save it,” he said. “I know you. I may not have been around the gym as much as I would’ve liked to be, but I’ve seen enough. You push people away in an attempt to prove that you’re strong, that you don’t need anybody.”
“I do not—”
He shot her a look that silenced her. “This one’s different,” he said. “But I think you already know that or you wouldn’t have brought him here.”
“I didn’t bring Chrysus here,” Stevie said. “He insisted on coming.”
Henry’s lips twitched. “And you let him. Girl, that should tell you something.”
“You’re making a bigger deal out of this than it is, Dad,” Stevie said. “He's just another fighter.”
“Just remember what I told you,” he said. “Now quiet! The fight's starting.”
Chrysus sat at the kitchen table. Stevie’s mother had placed a plate full of cookies in front of him the second he walked in. It was followed by a big glass of milk. His nose twitched as he caught the scent of the milk. He’d heard about this beverage from the other Phantom Warriors, but their descriptions hadn’t been nearly as vivid and delicious as the real thing.
He lifted the glass and took another sip. Chrysus closed his eyes in ecstasy as the cool beverage slid down his throat. He nearly purred in delight. “This is wonderful.” He held up the half-empty glass.
Margie opened the refrigerator door and pulled out the jug of milk. She refilled Chrysus’s glass. “How are the cookies?”
Embarrassed that he hadn’t even tried them yet, Chrysus glanced away.
“It’s okay,” Margie said.
He picked up the one with dark spots in it and took a bite. Sweetness coated his tongue and he licked his lips to catch the crumbs.
“They are delicious, too,” he said. “But my favorite is the milk.”
Margie laughed. “Love an honest man—especially for my Stevie.”
The milk curdled in his stomach and he slowly put the glass down. He hadn’t been honest with Stevie. Not about who he truly was, what he was. He knew that day was coming soon and it filled him with dread.
Margie put the milk back, then took a seat next to him. “We probably don’t have much time,” she said.
Time for what?
“Stevie has never been a demonstrative child,” she said. “She’s stoic like her father. He doesn’t show his emotions either, unless he’s mad.”
Ah, now Chrysus understood.
“I know you like her,” Margie said. “I can see it in your eyes every time you look at her.”
She could? That wasn’t good.
“I love her,” Margie said. “I want my baby to be happy. The kind of happy I’ve been with her father, but Stevie, bless her, is prickly like a cactus.”
His confusion returned. Stevie had felt soft to him. There hadn’t been a prickly spot on her body. Okay, perhaps a little on her legs, but he’d quite liked that.
“You have to break through her defenses,” Margie said.
Exactly how did she expect him to do that? Before Chrysus could ask, she continued.
“She wasn’t always like that. I blame the fighting,” Margie said. “Stevie used to be a marshmallow.”
Chrysus blinked. The only marshmallow he knew about was a food. Did she mean her daughter had existed in another form?
“You have to keep digging to get to the gooey center,” she said, as if that made everything clear.
Chrysus had no intention of digging into Stevie. He had no doubt she would be gooey on the inside. He shuddered at the thought.
Margie patted his hand. “You seem like a good boy,” she said. “I think you’d be good for her. She likes you, you know? I’m sure she hasn’t said so, but a mother knows these things.” She tapped the side of her nose, leaving a white substance behind on her skin.
Should he tell her?
“How are the cookies?” Stevie asked.
Margie squeaked. “Stop sneaking up on me.”
“I didn’t sneak,” Stevie said. “I walked into the room.”
“Well, walk louder,” Margie said.
“You have flour on your face, Mom,” she said.
Margie's gaze darted to Chrysus. “Why didn't you say something?”
He swallowed his cookie. “I hadn't noticed. I was too busy enjoying the food.”
A smile burst across her face. “He likes my cookies.”
“Everyone likes your cookies, Mom,” Stevie said, then glanced at him. “Did you save any for me?”
Chrysus pulled the plate closer to him and put a death grip on the glass of milk.
Stevie laughed. “I take it that’s a no.”
“Don’t worry,” Margie said. “I have a to-go box all ready for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Stevie stuck her tongue out at Chrysus.
“Stop that this instant, Stevie Roxanne Cash,” Margie said, then looked at Chrysus. “Remember what I told you.”
Chrysus didn't think he would ever forget.
11
“Your parents are nice humans,” Chrysus said as Stevie drove him to his motel room.
“Humans?”
“I mean people,” he corrected.
“Yeah, they are,” she said. “Try to get some sleep tonight. The next three days are going to be insanely busy.”
“You sure you don’t want to come in?” he asked as she stopped in front of his room. “I sleep better with you by my side.”
Stevie eyed the motel with trepidation. “Positive,” she said. “Just because my parents like you doesn’t mean that I’ve changed my mind about us dating.”
“Dating? Is that what you think we’re doing?” Before she could reply, the breeze from outside filtered into the car bringing with it a very familiar stench. Chrysus tensed. “You should go by the hospital and see if Julio is awake. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“O-kay,” she said.
Chrysus climbed out of the car and walked toward the motel. The scent of the men got stronger the closer he got to his room. Stevie hadn’t left. He needed to get her out of the way. Needed to know that she was safe. Chrysus looked back and waved. She returned his wave, then slowly drove away. He smiled after her taillights disappeared out of sight.
“Come out, gentlemen. Don’t keep me waiting,” he said.
Two hulking men stepped out of the shadows. Chrysus recognized one as the man he’d seen in Graham Walker’s office after Stevie got mugged. Walker had called him Anthony. He'd also accompanied Graham to the gym. Since he worked for Walker, it was a pretty good guess that the other one did, too.
“Want to do this out here or do you want to take it around the back?” Chrysus asked.
The men looked around the dimly lit parking lot.
“Here’s as good a place as any,” Anthony said.
The men spread out. It was a tactic that many fighters used as a way to divide an opponent’s attention. But Chrysus wasn’t a man. He was a Phantom. His beast could easily track their movements.
“It’s nothing personal,” the dark haired one said. His shoulders were as broad as Chrysus’s, but he was thicker around the middle. Unfortunately, Anthony appeared to be solid muscle.
Fighting them might actually be a challenge.
Chrysus took another look at them. On second thought, probably not. “I’d ask what you want, but it’s more than obvious.”
“We can’t have you ruining our boss’s plans for that gym,” Anthony said.
“Then I suggest we get this over with,” Chrysus said. He’d no sooner spoken, when Anthony pulled something out of his pocket.
Chrysus heard a pop, then two prongs hit him in the chest. His body jolted as an electric current shot through him. He dropped to his knees, ripping the metal prongs out as he fell.
The second man moved in and swung something heavy at Chrysus’s head. He tried to duck, but his limbs wouldn’t work right. He went down hard. The world spun as Chrysus tried to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and sensed the men move in.
His beast nature surged to the surface as heavy boots slammed into his ribs.
Pain blossomed in Chrysus's side and spread down his right leg. His eyes flew open. The men took one look at his face and jumped back. Claw sprang from his fingertips and a growl rumbled from his chest. Chrysus jumped to his feet and snarled, flashing long incisors. Everything hurt, but he pushed the pain aside.
“My turn now.” Chrysus moved with blinding speed. He caught the dark-haired man around the throat and lifted him off the ground. He tossed him into Anthony as if he weighed nothing, then charged them both, driving them into the side of the motel wall. The siding crumbled under the pressure.
He raked Anthony across the face.
The man screamed and clutched the wound. Blood poured through his fingertips. “Get that son-of-a-bitch, Vincent,” he bellowed.
Vincent pulled out a pistol and fired. The bullet tore through Chrysus’s shoulder, searing his flesh. He grabbed the weapon before Vincent could fire again and bent the barrel, then went back to pounding them both. Blood streamed down his arm and Chrysus’s strength waned, but he didn’t stop until both men were lying on the ground, twitching.
When they no longer tried to rise, Chrysus took a step back and let his image waver. The bullet dropped harmlessly to the ground. He gritted his teeth in agony and stumbled to the wall. His lungs heaved, sucking in buckets of air. When Chrysus was sure he wouldn’t pass out, he grabbed the men by their shirts and pulled them to their feet.
“You’re going to take me to your boss right now,” he said. “Or I’m going to peel the skin off your bodies and eat you.”
Anthony blanched at the threat. The other stared defiantly at him.
“We're not taking you anywhere,” he said, then spat on Chrysus’s shoes.
Chrysus held up his hand. Claws replaced his fingertips. He drove them into the dark-haired man’s side.
He howled in pain.
“I think you’ll find that I can be very persuasive,” Chrysus said.
The man tried to get away, but the wall was at his back. “What the hell are you?”
“He's like that Wolverine guy from the movies,” Anthony said, glancing around nervously.
“Who?” Chrysus asked.
The men exchanged a long, panicked look, then Vincent shrugged.
“Smart choice,” Chrysus said.
He followed them to their car and climbed into the backseat. Chrysus rested his hands on the back of their necks in a silent reminder of what he’d do to them if they tried to double-cross him.
The drive to the gym didn’t take long. The men even entered the same way that Chrysus had the first time he’d been there. Chrysus shoved the men down the hall toward Graham Walker’s office.
“What took you guys so—” The words died in Graham’s throat when he caught sight of Anthony. “Christ! What happened to your face?”
“I did that.” Chrysus pushed the men into seats and positioned himself behind them. He glared at Graham.
“What can I do for you?” Graham asked. “The fight isn’t until Monday. Did you come to make a deal?” His hands shook as he straightened the items on his desk.
“I came here to tell you that threats won’t work on me,” Chrysus said.
“That implies that I threatened you.” He glowered at his men. Despite their hulking size, they sank down in their seats. “I can’t be responsible for the actions of my employees once they’re off my property.”
“Right,” Chrysus said.
“Let’s cut to the chase,” Graham said. “How much is it going to take to get you to back off?”
“I do not want your money,” Chrysus said in disgust.
Walker placed his hands flat on the desk and pushed to his feet. “Then what do you want?”
“I want you to leave Stevie Cash alone,” he said. “That includes the men who workout at her gym and her family.”
Graham leaned forward. “That’s a lot to ask. What’s in it for me?”
“I let you live,” Chrysus said. He held up his hand and allowed it to shift. “I’ve taken down a lot of prey in my time. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you are the apex predator in this room.” The smell of urine filled the space.
Anthony whimpered and covered his face.
Graham’s eyes widened. “What are you some kind of circus freak?”
“He’s like Wolverine, boss.” Vincent wiggled his hands. “Except knives don’t come out of his fingers.”
“Those movies aren’t real, you idiot,” Graham snapped. “Can’t you see that the guy is using magic to fool you? Moron!”
“It wasn’t magic that ripped my face,” Anthony muttered.
“If you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to slice the other side,” Graham said.
Chrysus had no idea what they were talking about and he didn’t care. He just wanted Graham to leave Stevie alone. “All that is important is that I can.” His hand changed back to normal. “Now keep your…” he glanced at the men, “dogs on a leash or I’ll show you what a real predator can do, when it feels threatened.”
He walked out of the office and hurried away from the gym. When Chrysus was sure he wouldn’t be seen, he clutched his shoulder and gasped in pain. He limped down the road toward the motel. Chrysus hoped his warning would be enough, but if it wasn’t, he had no problem carrying out his threat. He’d do anything to protect Stevie—protect his mate.
