Chapter 43: Chapter 42. No Way am I Letting You

CLAIRE

My head was a whirlwind of thoughts, throbbing with a pain that made it hard to remember what had just happened. My mind drifted back to yesterday.

I remembered the fights, the first man I battled, the walk home after assuring Blake I’d be okay, and then... nothing. A complete blank.

As I tried to piece together my current situation, a sharp pain shot through my abdomen. My breath hitched, my eyes widened.

I looked up, my breath catching again at the sight of Logan, smirking down at me.

His hand pulled back, and just before he swung it forward, he whispered, “You’re mine, now.” Then, all I saw was the flash of his fist.

My right cheekbone flared with pain as my head jerked to the side from the impact. I bit down on my tongue, holding back the scream that was begging to escape.

There wasn’t much time to dwell on the pain, though, as another punch landed in my stomach. I bit down harder on my tongue, almost drawing blood as more blows rained down on my abdomen and cheeks.

It felt like an eternity before I realized the punches had stopped. Through a blurry haze, I opened my hazel eyes, my head swaying slightly.

“What? Not going to fight back, now? What happened to the fearless little Claire that won every single match, huh? What happened?” Logan spat, his right hand pulling back before slapping me across the face.

I doubled over, hissing as blood dripped from my nose and lip.

I tried to speak, to say something, anything, but all that came out were ragged breaths and a gurgling noise from the blood filling my lungs and mouth.

I coughed, turning my head to spit out the blood that was overwhelming my mouth. I left my mouth open, letting the blood drip from my lips as I stared blankly at the ground.

My hair was a tangled mess, the tight ropes binding me to the chair I was in chafed my skin, turning it raw and red, burning with pain.

Then, I did something unexpected—I laughed. It was a cold, cruel, chilling laugh that sent shivers down your spine from its malice.

I locked eyes with Logan, grinning cruelly at him. I raised my eyebrows in mock surprise as I struggled to catch my breath.

“What?” I gasped out, clenching my fist as a slow, building pain started in my abdomen.

“Do you really think I’m going to try and fight, knowing I can’t even escape?” I asked, still gasping and struggling for air.

But my breath was knocked out of me as Logan landed another punch in my gut. I bit my lip to hold back a cry of pain and tasted the familiar metallic flavor of my blood.

“Nice one.” I complimented, bending my upper body down.

Logan simply smirked at my helpless figure.

He knew I couldn’t escape; he knew I couldn’t fight back; he knew I was completely vulnerable, and he knew that the only way I’d be leaving this room was in a body bag.

“How was that for a rude awakening, hmm?” Logan asked, flexing his fingers on the hand he had punched me with, before shoving them back in his coat pockets.

I shrugged, figuring if I can’t fight back, I might as well use my sarcasm.

“Could’ve been better. I’ve had worse, though,” I breathed, bracing myself for the blow that came straight to my mouth soon after my comment.

I turned to the side and spat out some blood.

I could feel the tear in my lip as blood continued to drip from it, and the pain in my right jaw seemed to intensify as I tried to move it. I knew it wasn’t broken—badly bruised, probably—but not broken.

“That little mouth of yours is what’s going to get you killed sooner, my dear Claire,” Logan taunted, shaking his head.

I glared at him, wishing I was free of these bonds so I could pound his face in, right now.

“Why don’t you untie me so that we can settle this once and for all, eh? Or are you that scared of a seventeen-year-old girl that you have to have her tied up so you can beat her?”

I smirked, knowing he hated being referred to as weak.

His face darkened as he gave me a cold glare. With a snap of his fingers, I didn’t have time to react before I felt a solid punch to my lower abdomen, where my scar still showed.

I sucked in a deep breath, doubling over as I waited for the pain to subside.

My mouth was tightly shut, and I refused to scream. I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hurt and in pain. I refused to let him hear my screams of terror, pain, and fear.

When the pain had somewhat dimmed, I controlled my breathing and looked down, blinking away the tears that had pricked my eyes.

I could hear his cold laughter ringing in my ears.

It was the kind of laughter that gave you shivers, the kind of laughter that you never wanted to hear again, the kind of laughter that would haunt your dreams no matter where you go.

When I glanced to the side, I wasn’t surprised to find the familiar cold blue eyes glaring into my blank hazel ones.

I scoffed at my own stupidity. It was naive to think that I could walk home alone in peace. Peace just didn’t exist in my world anymore.

Peace was a foreign concept in my life simply because it didn’t exist. Not anymore.

“Should’ve known you’d be working for him,” I mumbled under my breath, rolling my eyes.

I heard a forced cough and looked up to find Logan only inches from my face. “You were saying, dear?” He smirked at my cold glare.

I could tell that he had to try hard not to flinch at my expression. I’ve had years of practice to hide my emotions and make my stares cold and cruel.

“I see you’ve met one of my fighters. I’ll say, he was very surprised at your skill. A seventeen-year-old girl managed to pin him down.” Logan chuckled, glancing at the guy to my side.

All I did was shrug and, being my usual self, came out with a sarcastic reply. “I am the famous White Wolf. He’ll just have to do better next time, huh?” I grinned at them in a cheeky-innocent way.

I saw the punch coming before it landed. The guy’s fist slammed into my right jaw with a swift, brutal force. My head jerked to the side from the impact, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood in my mouth.

With my head still turned, I spat out a mouthful of blood. My lip was split and bleeding from where I’d bitten it, and my tongue was in the same condition.

“Don’t get cocky. It won’t get you anywhere,” the man warned me.

I managed a small shrug. “Well, you’ve taken my freedom. I’m not about to let you take my voice,” I shot back, my tone bitter and honest.

Logan sighed, rolling his eyes in a show of disappointment.

“I’ll be back in an hour. You’ve been here for almost twenty-four hours. Bet you’re hungry, huh?” Logan chuckled darkly, then turned and left the room, leaving me alone with the man I’d fought the day before.

I turned my head to the side and let out a slow breath. My heart was pounding loudly, and the adrenaline that had been coursing through my veins was starting to fade.

My muscles ached, and my body was starting to show the ugly black and purple of bruises from where I’d been beaten.

“I’m sorry,” came the rough voice from beside me.

I chose not to respond, keeping my lips sealed and my gaze averted as a single tear slipped down my bruised cheek.

The man sighed, a note of sadness in his voice. “I didn’t have a choice, okay.”

I scoffed softly, not buying his story.

“I was just like you. I was hurt, betrayed, and I needed to vent my anger. Fighting was the only way. I pushed myself to the limit just to forget everything.

“Then I met my manager and became the best fighter for two years before Logan killed him and took me. When I woke up, he told me I worked for him now.

“He sent me to fights and I’d bring back the money. If I ever tried to leave, he’d kill the little family I had left, then me. I can’t escape this, Claire. I didn’t choose this,” he finished.

His voice, once hard and loud, was now broken and shaky.

Slowly, I turned my head to look at him. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“Because,” he replied. “You can’t escape this, Claire. But I can go easy on the torture. Logan says I have to torture you for three days, and if you don’t break by then, I have to kill you.

“He wants you to join us, Claire. It’s the only easy way out. I promise, you’ll get used to it. But I can’t kill you. I’ve never killed anyone, and I can’t start with you, Claire,” he explained, his blue eyes filled with panic and pity.

But I shook my head. “I won’t become a killer or a torturer. I don’t care about the money or anything else. At least I’ll die knowing the people I love are safe,” I told him, my voice firm and final.

Despite the part of my mind screaming at me to give in and join them, I knew I couldn’t. It would be the ultimate betrayal to Blake.

~Blake!~ my mind screamed. My eyes widened and my mouth fell open slightly.

“Oh, no.” No, no, no. Blake would look for me. If I knew anything about Blake, it was that he would fight for the people he cared about.

He was fiercely protective of the people he loved. But he couldn’t look for me. He just couldn’t. Logan would kill him. Blake couldn’t die. I wouldn’t let him. I refused to let anyone hurt Blake.

“What’s wrong?” the guy asked, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at my blank, terrified expression.

I blinked, shaking my head at the thought of Blake getting hurt. He couldn’t. I couldn’t lose him.

“Claire,” the guy’s voice echoed in my mind, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I turned to look at him, then asked, “Who are you?”

He laughed softly and replied easily, “Jason.”

I nodded, making a mental note of his name. “Can you promise me something, Jason?” I asked, my tone serious.

He looked confused, studying my face as he tried to figure out what I wanted him to promise.

When he couldn’t guess, he said, “I’ll try, but I can’t guarantee anything.” He warned.

I nodded again. “If a guy comes here looking for me, can you make sure he doesn’t get hurt? Just tell him you don’t know who I am and that he needs to leave.

“I can’t let him get hurt. I can’t lose him,” I whispered, lowering my head in shame at my own stupidity.

Jason was silent for a moment before finally saying, “I’ll try.”

Blake

My panic was growing as I tried to call Claire, but her phone kept going straight to voicemail.

I’d called Nancy earlier, asking if she’d seen Claire, but she said she hadn’t seen her since the fights last night.

Finally, I left my house and went next door to Claire’s mom’s house. I knocked gently on the door and was met with dull, hopeful, light blue eyes.

Her hair was a mess, her cheeks were red, and her eyes were pink and puffy. She’d been crying.

“Do you know where Claire is?” she asked quickly.

I let out a breath and shook my head. “No, ma’am. I’m Claire’s boyfriend. I was hoping you might know,” I answered, my voice filled with defeat.

More tears streamed down her face as she grabbed her keys and slammed the door shut, heading for her car.

“Where are you going?” I called after her.

She spun around to face me and said, “To find my daughter,” before getting in her car.

She rolled down her windows and looked at me, sniffling. “Get in. I left my phone at home and since you’re her boyfriend, you should know how to help me find her.”

Without a second thought, I slid into the seat, and Claire’s mom hit the gas, pulling us away from the curb. The car was filled with a tense silence that hung heavy in the air. I let out a sigh, knowing what I had to do next. I had to tell her mom.

It was the only way she would understand. “Mrs. Walker…” I began, “There’s something I need to explain…”