Fighting for Chloe Read online

  ‘Dom,’ Zoe calls after his retreating back.

  ‘Just let him go, Zoe. I think he needs a breather.’ I tell her as I wrap my arms around her.

  ‘I’ve never been so terrified in my entire life, Chloe. I thought she was dead, Chloe, dead!’ Crying sobs start to wrack her body as she breaks down in my arms. It takes me a bit to get her calmed down and back to a good frame of mind. When the crying has stopped, we make our way down to Nan’s room. There’s still an officer outside the door but all the doctors have gone.

  ‘Is it alright if we go in now?’ I ask the officer. He nods his head and Zoe and I push through the door slowly, hesitant on what’s waiting for us on the other side.

  The room is cold and it feels like the first day we were here with Nan. Machines beeping and the sterile smell. We stay awhile just sitting with Nan in silence but I know I need to go check on Dom. Make sure he’s alright.

  ‘Zoe, I really don’t want to leave you here alone again, but I really need to go check on Dom. I don’t think the officer is going anywhere anytime soon. Do you mind staying?’ Her eyes go wide but as she glances out the door, the officers arm is visible, and she relaxes a little.

  ‘Go ahead, just as long as he doesn’t leave.’ She points to the officer at the door.

  ‘Okay, I’ll go speak with him and be right back.’ I make my way to the doorway to talk with the policeman. He reassures me that there will be someone posted outside the door for the entirety of Nan’s stay, until the culprits are found. Which in this situation, could take a while. I relay the same to Zoe, pulling her into my arms for another hug, and then making my way out of the hospital, hopping into the first cab I see to head towards the house.

  I’ve been sitting outside Dom’s door for the last thirty minutes with Zoe’s phone in my hand repeatedly calling him with no answer. When the taxi pulled up, I could tell that he wasn’t home. The lights were still off from when we left after our intimate afternoon together. I went in just to make sure and checked all the rooms. After giving up on my search of the house, I came outside, hoping he’d just show up. Now I’m just sitting here staring down the dark street, the only lights are from the outdated street lamps that have seen better days, as they flicker occasionally.

  I’m lost in thought and worry when my phone starts to vibrate in my hand. I glance down assuming it’s Zoe again, calling for another update, but am surprised when it’s Dom’s name that flashes across the screen. I’m all thumbs, fumbling with the phone, trying to hit the little green talk button.

  ‘Dom. Dom, I’ve been trying to call you. Where are you?’

  ‘I’m fine, Chloe, you can stop calling.’

  ‘Dominic, please just come home.’

  ‘They tried to kill my nan, Chloe,’

  ‘Dom... Where are you?’

  ‘I’ll be back.’ I hear the unmistakable sound of a crowd as he must open the door and I know exactly where he is.

  ‘Dom, please let’s talk about this first, don’t do anything stupid, just come home Dom? Dom? Please?’ It’s useless though because he’s already hung up.

  Dom

  AS I WALK through the doors the crowd is baying for blood. The fighter in the cage looks to be on his last legs, his face covered in blood. But I’m not interested, I have one aim and that’s the fucker who calls himself Mr Smith.

  I scan the crowd once and then again for good measure. I don’t see him, so I make my way to the office in the back. There isn’t anyone at the door like usual. So I go right on in. It’s empty the place is messy as fuck, papers piled high in the corner, shit strewn across the desk. But it’s just the same as the last time I was here. I check for any signs of where he might be. Rifling through his paperwork on the desk. All I find is an abundance of betting slips and random notes that mean nothing. I was certain I’d find him here, and the fact I haven’t has me all twisted up. All this pent-up anger and frustration needs an out. I had all my hopes pinned on finding him here and now I don’t know what to do. I leave the office and search the crowd once more. Nothing.

  I make my way back out to the street and walk aimlessly. Not really paying any attention to where I am or where I’m going, I find myself at home. I open up and shout for Chloe, assuming she’d be there because she’d asked me to come home when she called. Realising she isn’t I flop down on the bed. I can still smell us on the sheets. I close my eyes and let the image of her fill my brain. Her lips as she moaned out, her eyes looking directly into mine as she came. Fuck. I sit up fast adjusting myself in my shorts. I can’t sit around while Nan is in the hospital. My phone rings, a private number. I almost ignore it but at the last second, I answer.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Is this, Dominic?’

  ‘Speaking. Who is this?’

  ‘My name is Andre, I believe we have a mutual American friend’

  ‘Ah okay.’ I realise quickly that this is Chloe’s Dad’s guy’

  ‘We need to discuss business, but I do not conduct business over the telephone’

  ‘No problem, we can arrange a meet up face to face.’ I walk out of the house and lock up as I make my way back to the hospital.

  ‘When would be suitable?’

  ‘First thing? Around nine?’

  ‘No problem, I will see you at your house’

  ‘You have the address?’

  ‘I do.’ he answers like that was a stupid question. And I have to wonder what the fuck type of guy this is. And do I want him knowing my address? Well I guess it’s too late for that now. I’ll speak to him in the morning.

  All the way I think about what I’d have done if they’d succeeded in killing my nan. The pain in my chest is unbearable at just the thought. I can’t deal with it. As I pass through the revolving doors and make my way to the stairs I get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I have to stop and take a minute, waiting for it to pass. But it doesn’t. Nausea rolls in my gut, but I crack on and make my way to Nan’s room. I expect to be greeted by Chloe and Zoe, but only Zoe is there. Nan is awake though and a huge smile crosses her face. I can’t help but smile back.

  ‘Hey, Nan, how’re you feeling?’

  ‘Fit as a fiddle, don’t know what all the fuss is about. Where’s your dad?’ I frown because usually if she remembers me she knows my dad isn’t around.

  ‘That husband of mine is always in the damn pub, you know.’ she turns and explains to Zoe. I quickly realise she thinks I’m her son. My dad. Great.

  ‘Well thank you for coming, Son.’ She smiles patting my hand and I look over to Zoe who gives me a sympathetic smile. I just sit in silence for a few moments holding her hand.

  ‘Did Chloe not find you?’ Zoe asks suddenly, sounding worried.

  ‘No? I assumed she was here.’

  ‘She left to go find you, wanted to check you were okay?’

  ‘I went home because when we talked on the phone I thought she was there. When she wasn’t I figured she must be here?’ I stand running my fingers through my hair. Shit. I realise she has Zoe’s phone, and dial it immediately. I get no answer. I call again and again and it just goes to voicemail each time. ‘Jesus, Zo where could she be?’

  ‘I don’t know, Dom? Is there something you want to tell me?’

  I shake my head no. ‘This is so fucked up.’

  ‘Dom what is fucked up? What’s going on? You said you’d throw a fight?’

  I shake my head again. Not getting into this now. ‘I’ll go and find her, Zo, but please stay with my nan, I’ll be back as soon as I can okay?’ I catch her nodding her head as I turn back to my nan. ‘Hey, Nan, I’ll be back as soon as I can okay?’

  ‘You tell your father to get his arse here, you shouldn’t have to sit with me. He’ll be propping up the bar no doubt.’

  ‘Okay, Nan I’ll do that.’ I smile. It kills me inside when she loses time but I know it gets us nowhere to tell her the facts, so I just wait it out and it passes eventually. Hopefully when I return she’ll be back to normal. Zoe look
s at me, concern written all over her face. I know she has a million and one questions on the tip of her tongue, but I leave the room glancing back over my shoulder as she shakes her head at me. As I arrive in the entrance of the hospital my phone rings again. Zoe’s name flashes up. Thank God.

  ‘Chloe, where are you?’ I answer.

  A sneer I recognise echoes from the phone and I almost lose the contents of my stomach.

  ‘Where is she? What the fuck have you done?’

  ‘Um, call it insurance, Dom.’

  ‘You, motherfucker.’ I growl low down the phone.

  ‘Well I sent you a message and you still didn’t get it through your thick head. So now you have no choice’

  ‘Let. Her. Go.’ I growl through gritted teeth.

  ‘Dom, Dom, I’m a patient man, but you are pissing me off, I expect you here in an hour.’ The phone goes dead and my head spins. What the fuck am I going to do?

  I head straight to the arena. It takes me a little over forty-five minutes to walk. But I’ve had time to clear my head. I know what needs to happen. Mr Smith needs to die.

  ***

  Chloe

  ‘Get your grimy, nasty ass hands off me, you you… fucktard.’ I yell in frustration as the short, Hulk Hogan wannabe ties my wrists together behind me. ‘Steroids much,’ I taunt him as I kick my feet out at his attempts to grab them and secure them to the chair. He grunts as my right heel makes contact with his ugly face, he gets up and before I know it, I’m face down on the ground from a smack I didn’t expect.

  ‘Kyle, you know better than to touch the insurance policies. Lay off a bit would ya?’ the other guy berates.

  ‘It’s probably all those steroids causing him anger issues.’ I start to pull myself up from the ground the best I can with ropes around my wrists. ‘You do know that stuff does other things to men too, you know…’ I bounce my eyes back and forth from Kyle’s face to his crotch. His arm swings up to strike me again just as numero uno douchebag walks through the door.

  ‘Kyle!’ He snatches Kyle’s hand mid-air with his left hand and almost knocks him back on his ass with a punch to the jaw with his right. ‘What part of ‘Don’t lay a hand on her,’ did you not understand?’

  ‘But, Mr. Smith… You didn’t hear what she said,’ He says like a petulant child, rubbing his jaw which is already turning blue and purple.

  He rubs his temples. ‘You know what? Just get the fuck out of here and go make sure everything is set for the fight tonight.’

  ‘I’m sorry, boss.’ he mumbles as he makes his way out the door like a scolded child. Honestly, it’s kinda sad for a grown man to be brought to his knees like that, but I can’t help but smile inside, knowing he got what he deserved after the asshole smacked me.

  ‘Get her off the floor and tie her to the chair. We don’t need her running and for you dumbasses losing her again.’ Goon number two doesn’t say anything, just starts pulling me up from the filthy floor. ‘Sorry I had to grab you again, Chloe, but the deal got thrown out the window and now I have to take a different approach to getting what’s owed to me.’ Mr Smith pulls a chair across the room, scratching against the floor, making me cringe.

  ‘Where’s Dom? And why do we have to go through all this again? I’m just gonna try to escape again like I did last time, this time I’ll make sure I get further away. Maybe I’ll just go back to America this time. Nothing you can do to hurt us if we’re across the ocean, eh?’ He places the chair down in front of me and takes a seat. The smug look on his face does nothing to take the edge off my nerves.

  ‘Oh, Chloe. There are so many things wrong with everything you just said. Obviously, your father didn’t tell you the type of man I am.’ He runs his hands across the stubble of his chin and I can feel my stomach flop inside of me. But I don’t want him to see my fear, so I reel it all back in, putting my tough girl mask back on.

  ‘Where’s Dom? I know he was here. Did you hurt him?’

  ‘Calm your tits. I haven’t seen Dom the Dominator. Quite honestly, he’s the reason you’re here this time.’ He steeples his hairy hands together in front of him. ‘I just talked with him a bit ago, he knows what he needs to do now. I own him.’

  My tough girl mask slips and I can’t help the tears that start to travel down my cheeks. What have I done? I should have left Dom and Nan out of this. I’ve ruined those kind people’s lives.

  ‘What do I need to do to help him? To get you to leave him be?’ My voice breaks along with my heart.

  ‘My money back with interest. That’s all I want Chloe. That’s all I’ve wanted this whole time.’

  ‘My father said he doesn’t have it. And there’s no way he’s able to come up with that much money. I don’t how you expect us to come up with that much. Maybe if I talk to my dad, we can try to come up with some type of payment arrangement?’ I plead with him.

  ‘Chloe, Chloe, Chloe! That’s what I was generous enough to do for Dom, and look how well that turned out.’ He pulls a face like I should understand.

  ‘But his grandma was in the hospital. You have to have some compassion in you. Please Mr. Smith!’

  ‘Nope. Can’t do it. And as for you being able to break free again, not happening. As you can see, this isn’t my back office this time. It’s secure and you’ll not be going anywhere, my men and your ropes will ensure you don’t. No one can get to you, so, get comfortable, sweetheart, you’re gonna be here awhile.’ He gets up, pushing his chair back to the desk, making that god-awful sound again, and he starts to head for the door. ‘I’ll talk to your dad again, maybe he’ll come to his senses, pull his head out of his ass, and come save his only daughter.’ With that he leaves. Goon number two is left behind, he deadbolts the door in three different spots and goes back to his post next to the door.

  The tears flow freely from my eyes now and I don’t give a crap if he sees me. Maybe it’ll give him the impression I’m vulnerable and it’ll help in my favour. For right now though, that’s the furthest of my thoughts. Is Nan okay? Is Dominic alright? I’ve ruined their lives. How can I ever live with myself after this? This is not an oopsy I bumped into your car, let me pay for that. It’s an oh my god they tried to kill your grandma and then forced you into working for them for the rest of your life, type of thing.

  What do I do?

  How do I save them when they’re trying to save me?

  Dom

  I LOOK MR. Smith directly in the eyes as he smirks my way. ‘I have a lot of money riding on this fight, Dom, do not lose.’

  ‘I’ll fucking win, but you’re taking me to Chloe afterward.’

  ‘Get in the fucking cage.’

  I do reluctantly. I’m the first to enter. I haven’t had a second to prepare myself like I normally would. But I’m still confident I can wipe the floor with the guy walking toward the cage. He’s tall I’d say six foot six and he’s built, pretty much matching me in muscle. I haven’t seen this guy around before. A thought flits through my mind as I walk to the centre where the ref holds both our hands together as he chats his usual shit. Maybe this is a set-up, maybe this guy’s a ringer, and he’s got him in specifically in the hopes he’d beat me. Maybe he doesn’t really want me to win, so he can have me over a barrel. Fucker, either way I’m winning, even if it kills me.

  He show boats a little around the ring and looks toward the crowd left of the cage, right where Mr. Smith is sitting. Motherfucker. As he bounces on his toes stepping toward me I test his reflexes, with a quick jab, he’s fast and he blocks with his elbow. The guy has game, but I’m better. I walk a few steps with my guard dropped giving him the perfect opportunity to take me down. He takes the bait and as he throws a right, I swing mine and clock him on the chin. He looks pissed but he’s steady.

  We play around like this for four rounds. I should have finished it in round two but I wanted to make Mr. Smith sweat. We’ve traded blows and right now it’s a close call to anyone looking in, but only because I’ve let it be. See the guy now feels confiden
t he can win, and Mr. Smith is worried as fuck not knowing who will win. Will he lose more money or win big? Who the fuck knows, but what I do know is I’ve been holding back. And when I finally let loose, he’s not going to know what the fuck has hit him. Round six and I decide I’ve had enough play now. I want to see Chloe. I wait for the tell when he drops his shoulder. I know where he is going and what he’s going to hit me with. Every damn time he throws a left he drops his right shoulder. I duck move forward and pound his body with blows, up against the cage he tries to push me off but I hold him trading blows from his solar plexus and kidneys. When he looks like he has nothing more to give I step back and give him a sporting chance. He raises his hands feebly trying to protect his face and body with his elbows. But it doesn’t stop me. I side step, bringing up my leg in a roundhouse kick. Knocking him out cold.

  I leave the ring and head straight to Mr. Smith. He has two men guarding him and they both square up to me. I’m bleeding and my eye is stinging like a bitch, but my adrenaline is pumping and I’d be more than happy to take on both right now.

  ‘Sit the fuck down.’ Mr. Smith tells them rolling his eyes. ‘Dom, you did as you were told, good lad,’ he says like he’s talking to a fucking dog. I grind my teeth and tense my jaw.

  ‘I want to see her. Now.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Either take me to her or I’ll ring the cops and have this whole fucking place shut down.’