Ella followed the two through crowd. A surprise. She assumed she was being lead to her “area.” She was reluctant to see what Gabe considered a “freakin’ rockin’ surprise.” Images of a dirty, unsanitary room came to mind. Soiled sheets, gauze just sitting out. An infection’s dream come true.
Gabe opened a door and moved aside so she could enter. The harsh smell of bleach assaulted her nose, and she blinked at the immaculately clean room. Wow. They weren’t messing around. A gurney sat against a wall, with a stainless steel surgical tray beside it. A box of gloves and gauze sat on a small counter that included a sink and medical disinfecting hand soap.
“You’ll find you have everything you need here to perform simple procedures,” Mitch said.
“Simple procedures?” This entire night had been surreal and went against everything her imagination had conjured up. Now they just wanted her to perform simple procedures?
“You stitch them up, check them for concussion, and make sure it’s not an injury that needs hospital intervention,” Gabe said, reverting back to the shrewd businessman. “If it does, you come to us and we’ll take it from there. The goal is to keep attention off of us. Swarming a hospital with men needing simple medical care will not achieve that goal.” Then he grinned and flashed her another thumbs-up. “Cool?”
“Yeah. Cool.”
“There you go.” He lightly slapped her on the back, and she stiffened at the physical touch but did her best to shake it off. “Now you’re getting the hang of it.”
We’ll take it from there.
With these two, she had no idea what that would entail, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. She didn’t know how far they were willing to go. They would order three men to gang up on someone and threaten a woman, but they wouldn’t let someone who needed medical care die just to keep their club covered up…would they?
Nothing about this sat well with her.
“I’ve got to go mingle. I’ll check on you later, Kel-Kel.
With that, Gabe left the room, leaving her with Mitch. The silence was heavy between them. Neither man had made her feel physically threatened. They were smaller men. Not the tall, bulky kind that always put her on edge. If they were to come at her, she believed she’d have no issue taking them down. That was the problem, though. They wouldn’t attack her themselves. They were wealthy and powerful, with a slew of men for hire. They were a threat on a different level, and no amount of training had prepared her for the likes of them. She hated the feeling.
Mitch continued to study her with his steely gaze.
Under his scrutiny, she lifted her chin and held eye contact.
Never show weakness. Never allow intimidation. Always exude confidence.
She refused to cower.
“I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot, Kelsey,” he finally said.
“Gabe explained it to me. You wanted me. You went to any lengths to get me. And you will go to any lengths to keep me.”
He gave a nod of approval. “My cousin and I prefer to keep things fun. If things get serious, then things get ugly. So let’s not, okay?”
Though the words had been spoken lightly, almost conversationally, the warning was clear in his voice.
“As long as you don’t give me any problems,” she said, “I won’t give you any problems.”
A gleam of respect lit his eyes. “I say that’s a fair deal.” He started for the door. “If you relax a little, you’ll find that we’re not bad guys. You may even start to like us.”
Not a fat chance in hell of that happening. Anyone who bullied other people to get their way was first on her shit list.
He stopped at the door and glanced over his shoulder. “Watch the fights, have a drink, have some fun—it’s on us.”
Again. So not happening.
The music suddenly shut off, leaving only the buzz of conversations from the attendees outside the room.
“Who’s ready to watch some fucking awesome fights tonight?” A male voice yelled through the speakers. Thunderous cheers followed.
“That’s my cue. Like Gabe, I’ll check in on you.” Then he was gone, leaving the door open behind him with a clear view to the two men entering the cage.
As the announcer droned on about the first match and the men fighting it, Ella inched toward the door, feeling as if a weight had settled on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
The two men met in the center of the cage, gloved fists raised. One jabbed out, landing the punch with a loud crack on the other’s chin. Her entire body froze as tingling erupted under her skin.
The fist had come out of nowhere. Right in the mouth. The force sent her slamming into the wall, her head whacking it. Hard. She’d been stunned motionless. Tasted blood. She hadn’t moved. Hadn’t tried to escape.
Another blow to the face sent one of the fighters stumbling back.
The sharp, stinging yank of her hair. The breath-stealing fist to her gut. Blind panic. Scurrying backward. Trapped in a corner.