I stepped into the room and shut the door. I walked to the closet and felt something staring at me. The blinds were down, the curtains drawn. It was dark in the room, but not completely dark. I reached for the light switch and had that wild fear of something bad waiting. Some kind of dumb irrational fear that everyone had once in a while.
I turned on the light and saw a man in a black suit standing a couple feet away. His hands lunged out at me, grabbing me. I screamed but was already tight in his grasp. My mind panicked, wanting to make sure my towel was on me.
“Don’t worry,” the man said. “I’m not here to see you naked. I just need your legs open for a minute.”
The man threw me at the bed and jumped on me. I had no chance to kick, no chance to attack him. He held my wrists with one hand above my head. His other hand lifted up my towel.
I looked to my right and saw the bedroom door creep open a little. It was Fiore.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I need to be reassured that Finn isn’t shooting blanks. Or that you’re not lying to me. My associate here is more than capable of giving me what I want. So just relax…”
I looked at the man on top of me.
What the fuck was about to happen?
It was pretty obvious but I couldn’t believe it.
I threw my head forward, trying to head butt the guy. But he was smart, fast, and strong.
My body shivered with fear.
My mind wanted to know one thing: where was Finn?
35.
(Finn)
I opened my eyes and heard Shayna scream.
That woke me up even more. I reached for the wall and then for the floor. My head throbbed and everything was dizzy. I managed to get to my feet. My towel was on the floor so I grabbed that and hurried toward the bedroom.
I kicked open the door and saw a man on top of Shayna. Her legs were sort of in the air, kicking.
I threw the towel over the guy’s head and pulled him away from her. I threw him right back into the wall. He hit with a thundering sound. I dropped the towel and then threw a right fist at him, cracking him square in the jaw. His head bounced off the wall again. His eyes started to spin like tops. I unleashed on him, hitting him as he slid down the wall. I then started to kick him, using the heel of my foot to crush his face, over and over. Of all the crazy shit that I had done in my life I had never had to fight a man while naked.
I stopped kicking him to take a breath. I grabbed the towel, rolled it up tight, and put it around the guy’s neck. I then dragged him from the bedroom and through the bathroom. I let him go and then stomped on him one more time for good measure.
I knew what it had been.
Fiore.
An attack on me. On Shayna.
I raced back to the bedroom and shut the door, locking it this time. I made sure to lock the other door too. Shayna was sitting up, knees tight to her chest.
She looked right at me, tears running down her cheeks. “He…”
“This is my fault,” I said. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea Fiore could go this far with it.”
“Finn, what’s going to happen?”
I should have made up an answer. I should have told her anything she wanted and needed to hear to calm herself a little. What had just happened was beyond devastating. Not to mention before that she had been forced to piss on a pregnancy test.
“I love you,” I said.
The words just slipped out.
I reached for her and she accepted me. I put my left hand to her face. My right hand touched over her towel, at her stomach.
“I fucking love you,” I said.
“Finn, I love you too,” Shayna said. “But how do we survive this?”
I put my head to hers. I couldn’t lie to her. Ever.
So I told her the truth.
“I don’t know.”
~
“The cabin is secure,” Fiore said into the phone.
I looked out the front window and wanted to scream. “I’m not fucking doing this anymore, Fiore. You crossed the line.”
“Remember who the fuck you are,” he warned. “You scum fighter.”
“What are you going to do? Force me? You want me to do it to her… because of your daughter…”
“Watch your mouth,” Fiore warned.
“Fuck you, Fiore.”
There was silence.
“Fuck me is right,” Fiore said. “Remember everything I’ve done for you, son.”
“Son? You’ve never called me that before.”
“That’s how I’ve treated you. The best I could, considering your blood.”
“You let one of your guys attack me. Then try to… go after Shayna.”
“And you all but killed that man,” Fiore said. “Which confirms something.”
“What?”
“You’re in love with Shayna. I didn’t ask you to fall for her, Finn. Just get her pregnant. But maybe this will ease the situation. I’d rather not have to kill her when I take the baby. But I will if I need to. My family comes first. So take good care of her, Finn. Oh, and don’t forget about that fight.”
“Two on one,” I said. “Against all odds.”
How fucking fitting.