Underground 4 (2 page)

Trent wasn’t sure who he was going to kill first, his brother or Phoenix. If she let herself get knocked down one more time, he was going to jump in there and pull her out himself. He could already see the bruise forming on her face. It made his blood boil, his hands straining against the shackles uselessly. She wasn’t staying focused, and that was exactly the sort of shit that would get her killed.

As if standing there watching her lose wasn’t hard enough, the surprise of his life had to waltz into this fucking dump like he owned the damn place. Garrett. He was going to murder his little brother the second he had a chance. What the hell was he thinking coming here when all Trent was doing was trying to figure a way out? Obviously this was some sort of rescue attempt, but that didn’t matter. All he saw was red at the reality that they were all now trapped in this place.

And to make matters worse, he brought Missy and Pixie! The two smallest, timid girls were the ones he thought to bring? What the fuck were they all thinking? While part of him was relieved to see that Missy and Tyler had managed to escape wherever they’d been, and were back with the gang, seeing them here now seemed just as bad – if not worse.

They were on the other side of the room, but he shot daggers at them with his eyes anyway. His brother would feel it. One look at him and Garrett would know he was
majorly
pissed.

Phoenix muttered something up in the ring that he missed, but from the way her body stiffened, he figured she must have just realized who the newcomers were. Knowing how protective she was of her little sister, he could only imagine how angry she was too.

That was one thing they had in common, anger. It’s what kept people like them alive in these kinds of situations. It’s what made him fight for his life every night, even though he’d return to his cell and heave everything he’d eaten that day when he remembered the sounds of his fists crushing bone until his opponent lay motionless.

This was not for the faint of heart. Despite the fact that Phoenix talked a big game whenever she could – which was
always –
Trent knew she wasn’t going to handle killing someone else well. How could she? It was primitive and disgusting. Sebastian Black, or Bastian as he was commonly called, was a sick bastard for running this sort of ring.

Trent didn’t even want to get started on the lowlifes that attended these fights, betting what little money they had. It seemed as though when the world around them crumbled, so had many people’s humanity.

“I’ll have some rooms set up for you,” Bastian was saying to Garrett. Trent turned his attention back to them, reluctantly moving his eyes from Phoenix. “When do you want your guy to fight?”

“We’d like to watch a few fights first,” Garrett replied. Trent gave his brother some credit, he sounded legit, although he wasn’t completely convinced that Bastian was buying into all this. The leader of the fighting ring was anything but stupid.

“Of course,” Bastian said, as though he were a normal, accommodating host. “I can assure you, you’re in for a treat. My girl Red up there will be having her first fight in just a few nights,” he continued, turning to bring their attention back to the practice ring.

Trent’s eyes flew to her, seeing her flinch in surprise. He wanted to howl in rage, but bit it down. As if things hadn’t gotten worse than ever, now this. What the fuck were they going to do?

CHAPTER TWO

“I’m going to be sick!” Charlotte ran from the room, a hand covering her mouth.

Pete looked down at the – slightly – burnt eggs on the plate with a frown. “Aw, come on! They’re not
that
bad,” he called after her.

Bridgette got up from beside Roman, concern written on her face as she ran after her sister. Pete looked to Roman for back-up. The other man’s face was almost as green as Charlotte’s as he held up a gummy looking piece of bacon.

“It’s not that bad,” Pete said again.

Roman looked up at him with a cocked brow. “I wouldn’t think of becoming a chef anytime soon, if I were you,” he said. “Not that I’m going to turn it away like Lottey, but maybe we should let the girls go back to cooking.”

Pete looked over a Vi and Sam who had yet to touch their breakfast either.

“Seriously, McKay,” Sam said, her lip curled back in disgust. “Who taught you to scramble eggs?”

“If either of my brothers were here, they’d tell you I’m not that bad,” he defended himself.

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” his father piped in, walking into the kitchen. He glanced down at the food and then turned back to leave with a shake of his head. “We’re all going to starve,” he muttered under his breath.

Pete flopped down on the bench with a sigh. “Fine, I give up. We need Missy back, or we’ll all be a stone lighter by the time they come home.”

Lake laughed, taking her full plate and placing it back on the counter. “Don’t worry, we’ll manage. I think Sam was actually getting kind of good for a bit there.” No one spoke to agree. Even Sam looked less than convinced.

“I miss Missy,” Sam said after a moment. There was a collective murmur of agreement as they forced themselves to eat the breakfast in front of them. Bridgette walked in not long after, her mouth tight with worry.

“Is Lottey okay?” Roman asked as she sat down beside him again.

“I think it’s just a passing bug,” she replied, looking to Pete. “She’ll be better soon.”

Seamus walked in then, bringing with him the scent of coming winter from the cold outside. The tip of his nose was red, meaning he must have left early this morning if he’d already been out and about. Pete didn’t like the idea of Seamus going out there alone, but he wasn’t about to act like his father and tell him he couldn’t do as he pleased. He was a grown man, and could take care of himself.

Seamus smiled, his grin not reaching his eyes quite like it used to. “This man needs to eat. Someone get me a plate.”

Pete looked down at the food Charlotte had left, then slid it down to his friend. “Bon appetit, mate.”

Phoenix stood at the bars of her cell, her eyes trained on the main door that led into the corridor that was lined with cells. Most were empty now, the previous occupants no longer alive. It made her sick to see only one person return each fight night, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She waited there, knowing that eventually they’d bring in Pixie. If she was playing the part of a fighter, Bastian was sure to insist that she be housed here. This was where all the fighters stayed. She wasn’t sure where the patrons who attended these fights slept, but she was sure Garrett and Missy would be in a better place than this.

An hour seemed to pass, and still no one came. She bit at her nails, nerves racking her body at the thought of what might be happening elsewhere. Had Bastian taken them somewhere under the ruse that he had bought into their story, and then just killed them?

A shudder ran through her at the thought. It was possible, and she would never know until it was too late. She didn’t trust that man any further than she could throw him, and lord knew she wouldn’t be able to toss all that muscle more than an inch.

Trent had looked super pissed – like, even more so than usual, which she didn’t think possible until then – and had glared at her when she passed him on the way out from practice. He was obviously as angry about seeing their siblings here as she was.

What the hell were they thinking? What kind of plan was this? What happened if Bastian, the cruel bastard, put Tyler and Trent together in the ring? Then what?! Was she the only smart one who thought of these things? It had taken all her control not to jump over those ropes and rush to Missy when their eyes had finally met. She could see how scared her baby sister was.

And yet, there was also a glint of strength there that Phoenix had never seen before. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened when she had saved the burly Scott to put it there.

It’s not like Phoenix didn’t know Tyler had a soft spot when it came to Missy, but she’d never expected her sister to reciprocate his feelings. Was it possible something had happened between them to make Missy heal finally after her brutal past? God, she hoped so. Phoenix wanted her carefree sister back, not the shell that had remained when those soldiers were done with her.

The loud clank of the main door opening had her pressing closer against the bars, peering down the hall as best she could at the newcomers. When she saw just one guard come through without Pixie, her gut twisted.

The sound of his boots reverberated off the walls as he slowly made his way down toward her cell. She expected him to keep going, so when he stopped in front of her cell she instinctively backed away warily. She’d already practiced that day, what could he want now?

The keys at his hip jingled as he pulled them off, going to the door that locked her away. “Boss wants you to do some laps outside,” he said in a gruff voice.

“Outside?” Had she heard him right? She hadn’t been outside since the day they’d brought her here. He looked at her as though she were daft.

“Yeah, outside,” he said slowly before shaking his head like she was some idiot child.

“W-why?”

He shrugged. “He thinks you need some vitamin D, or some shit like that. He doesn’t want you getting sick before your first fight.”

What? That was odd. “Why would he care?” she asked, voicing her inner question.

“How the hell should I know? Just get your ass out here, Red.” He opened the door, motioning her through impatiently.

She hesitated, looking at the opening with distrust. What if they’d figured out her connection with the sudden appearance of Garrett and his fighter, and this was all just a ploy to get her out so they could kill her too? She didn’t want to die with a bullet in the back of her skull. She’d rather go down fighting for her life in a ring than like that.

“Do you want some fresh air or not?” he asked with a huff. “Or do you like it down here in this stuffy-as-fuck place?”

When he put it that way, being outside definitely seemed like a nice change, but one that didn’t sit well with her. Moving slowly, she joined him outside, putting her hands in front of him like she was supposed to so he could put the shackles on her.

“Let’s go.” He pulled her roughly down and out of the cellblock, leading her through familiar hallways. They walked past the practice area she was used to, and kept going down another hall.

The floor seemed to be slanting upward, and she knew that she really was going outside for once. The idea put a new spring in her step, her body suddenly ravenous for the feel of sunlight and the caress of a fresh breeze on her face.

When they finally broke through, her eyes fluttered closed against the brightness, like a new babe just entering the world. It blinded her, but it was heavenly. She took a deep breath in, savouring the crisp air of the Outlands. The smog and dust of New Berlin didn’t fill the air here. All she could smell was grass, dirt, and simply air. It felt as though she’d been beneath the ground for years, not weeks.

“Move it, Red,” the guard barked. “The track is over there. Hurry up.”

Phoenix opened her eyes, scowling at the man for ruining such a sweet moment. She looked over to where he motioned, and her heart raced at seeing other fighters there, already running laps. It was the two biggest fighters that she locked in on first though, and the sight of the Scott and Mr. Hot shot had never been so sweet. Go figure.

The guards had brought Tyler in not long after Trent had returned from his round in the practice ring. He’d wanted to talk to him right then and there, but they’d placed Tyler in a cell further down where the only way they’d be able to converse would be to yell, and there was no way he was doing that. He needed a moment to speak with him, and wasn’t sure how he’d be able to get it.

Thankfully, the guards had returned to take them all out, saying something about laps, and had proceeded to bring them all outside to an enclosed area with a track. At first Trent was too stunned by the fact that they’d actually brought them outside to realize this would be his perfect opportunity, but he soon shook himself and focused again.