Game (24 page)

43.

(Finn)

It took everyone a few seconds to
realize what was happening. I
’
m
not going to lie - I enjoyed waiting for the right moment to walk into the
circle. Just as my death was announced and the fight all but canceled, there I
was
…
alive and ready to fight.

The man slowly rose back up and
looked around.

The crowd was going wild.

I put my fists out, showing I was
ready. I looked at him, knowing the guy was one of Fiore
’
s guys, and I smiled.

Right then, I had some power.

Fiore was somewhere close, probably
right above me, staring down in disbelief. I wasn
’
t
supposed to look for him, or for Shayna. I just needed to be there and be ready
to fight. I was the ultimate diversion. Fiore had trusted his men to ensure my
death. And it wasn
’
t like
they fucked up, right? They found a body in the cabin. Hell, Cormac
’
s drunken truck ride had
actually saved my ass. He had crashed his truck in the woods, leaving it
hidden. So Fiore and his guys never saw another truck near the cabin.

“
Jesus
Christ,
”
the man said, staring
at me.

“
I
’
m here to fucking fight,
”
I said.
“
And everyone else is here to see me fucking fight.
”

“
You
’
re supposed to be dead,
”
the man said.

I walked up to him, bumping my
chest into him.

The crowd loved that. They started
to cheer. I put my hands out and waved them, getting everyone louder. I knew
how to work a crowd. I knew how to keep them jumping and screaming.

I curled my lip and stared at Fiore
’
s guy.
“
I
’
m
not saying it again. I
’
m
here to fucking fight. So if I don
’
t
get my opponents, I
’
m going
to crush you.
”

The man stepped back and away. He
put his hands up.
“
Fair
enough, Finn. Have a nice fight.
”

A second later, two men tackled
me to the ground.

~ ~ ~

I should have known it was coming.

I was standing and then I was on
the ground. On my hands and knees, my head tucked between my shoulders. They
could crack my ribs, whatever, but I needed to protect my head and face.

“
There
they are!
”
Fiore
’
s guy yelled over the crowd
cheering.
“
The deadliest
combo in fighting
…
Mikey
and Malley.
”

They were punks. Guys with gym
muscles and a dream to be some kind of superstars of violence. Their fists and
arms were heavy, like hammers as they attacked me. But they kept going for the
same move over and over, hitting my back. I flexed my back and stayed with them.
I controlled my breathing and didn
’
t
panic.

I had one guy on each side of me. I
locked my elbows straight and waited for my opening. It really never came, but
I didn
’
t have the time to
waste. Me getting my ass kicked was not going to do a thing to help anyone.

So I started to stand.

The crowd cheered.

I quickly threw an elbow into Mikey
’
s gut. That left me exposed to
Malley, who swung and got me good with a left to the side of my face. I groaned
and spit, a chunk of blood splattered on the ground.

Malley came right after me. See,
the guy was a meatneck kind of fighter. That meant he was big on muscle but not
on brain. Mikey and Malley were used to being matched up with smaller guys to
just destroy them. That was the entertainment value in them. They could bench
press a car but they couldn
’
t
cover their faces.

So Malley walked at me with his
hands at his sides. He was so open, I had ten places I could hit. But I wasn
’
t here to entertain these
people. I was here to end this fucking fight and get to Shayna.

I spun and cocked my right fist
back. My feet were planted like cement to the floor. As my fist flew forward, I
knew it was going to knock Malley out. He never saw it coming, or he never
thought my fist would do what it did.

The sound of my fist hitting his
face was like someone stepping on a bag of potato chips. Malley stopped walking
and he started to shake. He then toppled to the left like a falling statue.

Mikey was already on the move. He
swung hard and fast, powerful punches, but he had no aim. I simply just walked
back and let him have his fun. I kept my hands up and waved my fists at him,
pissing him off. When he finally lunged at me, I ducked, slid by him and then I
was facing his back. I got him in the lower back with a one, two punch that left
him reaching back and falling to his knees. His head fell back, mouth open as
he gasped for air.

I then took a couple steps back and
ran forward, letting my knees smash against the back of his skull. That sent
Mikey forward and to the floor.

Two down. Two out.

Just like that I had won the fight.
Not that it was really much of a fight.

I quickly spun and looked up,
finding Fiore and Shayna.

He stared at me.

I pointed at Fiore and shook my
head.

Mara then appeared, standing next
to her father.

That was the cue.

Now I just had to wait for the
bomb to go off.

44.

(Shayna)

It sounded like a bomb had gone
off.

The building shook.

There was smoke.

There was confusion.

I jumped back and got a small
distance from Fiore, but I had no idea what was happening.

My back hit the wall behind me.

Dust filled the air all around me
and I stood there, waiting.

A second later I felt a sharp pain
in my stomach.

Something had gotten me. Hit me.
Maybe I was shot.

I couldn
’
t see a thing though.

I dropped to my knees and let out a
cry.

The pain was intense. I grabbed my
belly, fearing the worst. Fearing I was going to feel blood. Find a wound. Then
I
’
d just sit there and die
alone. I
’
d die without
Finn. I
’
d die without
telling him how much I loved him.

The pain ripped through my stomach
again. And then there was a new pain. A pain in my heart.
I was going to
feel the loss Finn had felt
…

~ ~ ~

Hands touched me, grabbed me. I
kicked and swung. I yelled and fought back.

You
’
re not taking me again!
You
’
re not
going to hurt me. I don
’
t
give
a fuck what happens now. I
’
d rather
…

“
It
’
s me, sweetie.
”

The voice was rough yet soothing.

Through the smoke and dust I saw
Finn crouched down before me.

“
We
have about ten seconds to do this,
”
he said.

I threw my arms around him and he
lifted me up.

We made it three steps and two
figures appeared before us.

Fiore and Zander.

And they both had guns.

~ ~ ~

“
I
thought he was dead,
”
Zander said.

“
So
did I,
”
Fiore said.
“
How did you do it?
”

“
You
killed the wrong guy,
”
Finn
said.
“
You
’
re going to pay for it, Fiore.
You
’
re going to fucking pay
for it.
”

Finn kept me at his side. I held my
stomach, still unsure what was happening to me. There was no wound, no blood.
Just
pain.

“
Fucking
kill him,
”
Zander said.
“
Kill her too. This has gone too
far. We
’
re under attack.
”

The two leaders of a dangerous
underground world stood in the way of our escape.

Finn let me go and leapt forward.
He punched Zander right in the jaw. I never thought in my wildest dreams I
’
d ever see that. He hit Zander
three more times and had him almost knocked over. I heard the sounds of guns
going off, people yelling and screaming. I wasn
’
t
sure if the building was damaged or what was actually happening.

Fiore took out a gun.

“
Finn!
Gun!
”
I yelled.

Finn turned and I saw Fiore
gritting his teeth.

I swore I could see him pulling the
trigger.

I couldn
’
t watch it happen.

I turned my head and shut my eyes,
not wanting to see Finn get killed.

The gun went off with an echoing
blast. I winced and opened my eyes. Fiore stood there, his face turning to
shock. I looked and saw Finn down
…
crouched down. He popped back up. Right behind him was Zander, taking his final
step backwards before falling.
There was a bullet hole through his head.

Fiore had accidentally shot Zander.

There was a few seconds of some
kind of calm. That was Finn
’
s
only chance to do something. He rushed forward and grabbed Fiore. He put Fiore
against the railing and then over. The last I ever saw of Fiore was his feet going
up and over the railing, wearing the most expensive pair of leather shoes,
probably worth more than anything I had ever owned in my life.

“
Finn!
”
someone shouted.
A woman
’
s voice.
“
Finn! Now!
”

Finn put a hand out and looked at
me. His face was swollen, a little bloody. But he was still sexy. Still
beautiful. Still the man who had taken me, changed me, saved me, and loved me.

“
It
’
s okay,
”
he said.
“
Trust
me.
”

“
With
my life,
”
I said and took
his hand.

We ran through the smoke, dust,
and the darkness
…
together.

45.

(Finn)

The man was as tall as me and twice
as thick. A hearty mix of fat and muscle, but it was his face that was
terrifying. His jet black hair had a perfect hairline and it met with a face
that seemed as though he had never smiled in his life. Features so well defined
that I couldn
’
t imagine
this guy ever being younger. It was like he was created to be this guy, right
here, right now.

“
Finn,
”
he said with a deep voice.

I felt Shayna squeeze my hand. We
were in a house. A really big house. A really nice house. I told her to trust
me and trust whatever happened, but I hadn
’
t
seen Mara since she helped us get into a black SUV from the fight. So I didn
’
t know what to think.

The large man shut the office door.

It was just the three of us.

He stood with his hands at his
sides.
“
You understand my
position, I hope.
”

“
I
’
m not even sure who you are,
”
I said.

“
You
can call me Pete.
”

“
Is
that your real name?
”
Shayna asked.

“
Does
it matter?
”
Pete
replied.

“
I
guess not,
”
Shayna
whispered.

“
Come.
Sit.
”

We sat in chairs across from Pete.

He sat and folded his hands. Seeing
him like that brought on a new reality. This guy was higher up than Fiore was.
This was one of the guys who made decisions for Fiore
’
s entire family. Christ, this guy
was
Fiore
’
s family.

“
First
thing,
”
Pete said,
“
I want you to know that under
other circumstances you
’
d
have been long taken care of, Finn. To have an Irishman in my office? What
’
s the world coming to? But I
suppose every man can turn an eye even once in his life.
”

“
I
appreciate that,
”
I said.

“
Let
’
s talk about Fiore,
”
Pete said.

A moment later the door opened and
Mara came in with her mother, Marie.

“
Shayna?
”
Mara said.
“
I need you to excuse yourself.
Use the restroom. Wash up.
”

I nodded to Shayna.

We were in no position of argument.

Shayna rose up and Mara smiled at
her. I wanted to feel comforted, but I couldn
’
t.

Hell, I even stood up and faced
Marie.

“
Oh,
Finn,
”
she whispered. She
tightened her lips. I thought I was about to get shot.

“
Is
he okay?
”
I asked.
“
Fiore?
”

“
You
still care about him?
”
she
asked.

“
I
don
’
t know. He killed my
best friend. He wanted to kill me.
”

“
We
know the entire story,
”
Pete said.
“
Fiore was an
ill man. He had a hit put on his own son-in-law and it went wrong. We
’
d been watching him for a long
time. Working with Zander. As long as it was contained and controlled, we were
okay.
”

“
You
lived like that?
”
I asked
Marie.

Tears filled her eyes.
“
What choice did I have?
”

I looked at Pete.
“
Now what?
”

Pete pointed to the chair. I
reluctantly sat again.

“
We
knew the lines were getting blurry. Poor Mara had been fighting hard for her
father to get help. I never thought I
’
d
see him go as far as he did. With yourself, Finn. With Shayna. We had been
making arrangements to truly settle the murders of Antonio and baby Luca, but
the more we watched Fiore and Zander, it was time to act. Mara was supposed to
get to your cabin before the explosion. To stop it. But she couldn
’
t get there in time. Forgive my
harsh words here, but thankfully someone else was inside the cabin that helped
to buy us time.
”

I leaned forward and slammed my
fist to the table. I didn
’
t
care who this guy was.
“
You
listen to me. Thankfully? Someone else? No. That man in that cabin had a name.
His name was Cormac. He was a goddamn brother to me. He was my best friend. He
didn
’
t deserve to die like
he did.
”

Pete gently waved a hand at me and
nodded.
“
I understand. Let
me just start by saying this, Finn. Your cabin will be replaced, on me. A
different location. The remains of your best friend will be taken care of. I
can assure you that Fiore will never be a problem again. He is getting the
proper help he should have after the death of his grandson.
”

I looked at Marie and she hung her
head, openly weeping.

Mara stood tall and beautiful,
trying to be like stone.

Getting the proper help
…

I had been around long enough to
know what that meant.

Fiore was dead. And not by me
pushing him over the railing.

“
There
’
s something else, Finn,
”
Pete said.

“
What?
”

“
No
more underground for you. No more fighting. No more guns. No more of this
business.
”

“
That
’
s all I know, Pete.
”

“
No.
You know something else.
”

Pete snapped his fingers and the
door opened again.

When I saw who it was, I jumped to
my feet, sending the chair toppling over.

“
Henry,
”
I said and ran to hug the old
man.

Henry had been Cormac
’
s trainer. I
’
d known him for a long damn
time.

We hugged tight and then I looked
back at Pete. He put his thick hands to the desk and pushed up.
“
This is what you
’
re going to do now.
”

“
What
are you talking about?
”
I
asked.

“
You
’
re going straight,
”
Pete said.
“
Back to the right kind of
fighting. I own it all, Finn. With Cormac dead, we need a superstar. That
’
s you. From the underground to
the limelight. Your first fight will be in exactly three months.
”

I stood there, shocked.

“
We
fight for Cormac, kid,
”
Henry
said in his rough, smoker voice.
“
Always
for Cormac.
”

There was only one person missing
from all this.

Shayna.

What the hell was she doing?