Paxton's Promise (Gloves Off #3)(41)

“We’ll be ready,” I murmured low. “Have no mistake about that.”

The man in the ring was dressed in a suit for Christ’s sake, and pacing around the ring. He must be trying to fulfill his fantasies of being Mr. Fifty Shades. He had a flogger in his hand and everything. The thought of him using that on me, or anyone, made me sick. I wasn’t the type of girl to like that stuff. If two people wanted it, that was one thing; but with him using it on me for torture, it just pissed me the f*ck off.

With his hand on my arm, Camden led me through the crowd, but I jerked out of his hold. “I don’t need help to get into the ring,” I hissed low. “I’m more than happy to get in there by myself.”

Still, he kept his pace beside me. “Focus, Gabby. You’re pissed, I get that. Don’t let your anger blind you. Just kick his ass and be done.”

“Don’t worry, I know exactly how I’m going to make him bleed.” And I was going to make him bleed a lot.

I stormed up the steps and into the ring, which made the man falter. I wasn’t the weak and scared little girl he wanted. Camden shut the cage door and locked it so neither one of us could get out unless he opened it. That didn’t bother me. The man circled around the ring and snapped the flogger against the mat.

“Do you like the sound of that? It’s going to sound great once it hits your flesh.”

I countered him, concentrating on his movements. “Or better yet,” I began, “the sound of your screams when I’m done with you, you worthless piece of shit.”

Snarling, his arm reared back, but I jumped out of the way and tumbled across the mat before the flogger could touch me. One hit with it and it would tear my skin wide open. If I bled, I was in trouble.

His eyes went wide when I deflected him. “You stupid cunt. Do you honestly think you’re going to get away from me?”

He charged again and I kicked his legs out from under him, making him topple to the ground. The flogger flew out of his hand and I jumped for it, grabbing it before he could. His hand grasped my ankle and he pulled me down to the mat, but that was as far as he would get with me. I kicked him in the face so hard, blood instantly gushed out of his nose. It wasn’t enough though. The fight was considered over, but I didn’t want it to be over.

Camden opened the door and waved for me to come out, but I shook my head. With the flogger in hand, I clenched it tight and glared at Scar and Rage, the man who I assumed was hiding underneath the hood. Maybe he was so f*cking ugly no one could stand to see his face. “You want blood?” I shouted to the crowd. “You want to see women suffer? How about I show you what happens when you mess with the wrong one?”

Lifting the flogger in the air, I slapped it down on the guy’s back and the ripping sound of his clothes and skin echoed through the room. Blood seeped through his shirt and I smiled. The laugh that came from within sounded so foreign to my ears that I barely recognized myself. I was so overwrought with anger, I wanted to make everyone suffer.

The man crawling across the floor tried to get away from me, but I kept smacking the flogger against his back. All I could see was red, I didn’t want to stop. I blocked out everyone and everything except the man on the mat who passed out cold, most likely from the pain. His back was covered in blood and his shirt was in tatters. Before I could hit him again, a set of arms grabbed me around my waist and jerked me out of the cage.

“I’m not done,” I shouted angrily. As I was being pulled away from the cage, the men surrounding it gave me a wide berth. Fear was all I could see in their faces and I relished in it. The flogger was torn out of my hands and when I looked down they were covered in blood. My body started to shake and my teeth chattered. There was so much blood.

“Gabby, you’re shaking,” Camden shouted. He lifted me up in his arms and rushed me out of the room. The lights above started to blur and I couldn’t stop shivering. I felt like I wasn’t even in my body anymore. My chest rose and fell as I struggled to breathe and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

“She’s going into shock. Get me something to wrap her up in,” Camden demanded. He set me on the couch in Scar’s office and rushed out of the room. The last thing I remembered before the blackness took me was a cloaked figure leaning over my body and the feel of his hands on my face. I was frozen as he touched my body and wrapped me in a blanket. Even when he leaned over and kissed me, I couldn’t move.

“Soon,” he whispered. “Soon, you’ll be mine.” My eyes closed and I surrendered to the darkness. I was never going to be his.





AFTER DEREK AND I practiced around the track, he showed me some techniques to help maneuver the turns easier. I also showed his crew some of the ways to make his car faster and more efficient. It was a win-win. We were on our second round of drinks when a call came through on my phone.

“Hey, sunshine,” I answered.

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Who the f*ck is this?” I growled, getting to my feet.

“Pax, it’s Camden. Calm the f*ck down. Where are you? I need you to get back to your house right now.”

“Why do you have Gabby’s phone? Where is she?” I demanded.

“She’s with me, but I don’t know how to unlock your gate. Either you give me the code or I wait on you.”