Prizefight: The Hell Raiders MC Goes MMA by Aden Lowe Read Free Book Online

Leap and headed across the river. It was a safe bet he wanted his secret kept safe, but he wouldn't disrespect me by asking. Well, he had nothing to worry about. Other than busting his chops a little about cleaning up like a rich dude, I wouldn't say anything.
     

Chapter Four
     
    Elena:
     
    Fuck. It was a bad date, my third in a week, but this one took it to a new level when his fist smashed into my face. An open-handed slap, or even a backhand, was one thing, but a fist could do serious damage. A couple of bruises, or a cut lip, could be covered up. Swelling and gashes couldn't.
    Suspicion hit when Royse sent me to motel I hadn't been to before. He normally used one of three, and the staff knew us, and I think some of them even sort of looked out for us. A new motel meant absolutely no safety net. And I suddenly needed one.
    The john drew back to hit again, and I braced myself. Sure, I could have probably ducked or something, but that tended to just piss them off more and make the beating worse. Better to take a couple of hits than to get myself shot. That was one of the first lessons I learned about hooking. The blow rocked my head back and my vision went dark for a few seconds. Panic hit hard and made me try to pull away before he could hit me again.
    Big mistake.
    "Get back here, you stupid cunt! I did not say you could move." Heavy alcohol fumes from his breath burned my eyes. The next punch made me cry out, and he stifled it with a hand over my mouth. "You make another sound and I'll kill you."
    This one wasn't going to stop with a few bruises and a split lip. I forced my muscles to go soft. I had to do whatever it took to stay alive until I could get away. He hit me again and I didn't need to fake my knees going weak. I sagged in his grip and fought to breathe through the pain.
    He thrust me away from him and I stumbled and fell to the floor against the flimsy stand that held the TV. The stand banged into the wall and sagged, and I had to roll out of the way as the TV crashed to the floor. For just an instant, he froze and fear flashed in his eyes.
    Something heavy banged against the wall from the other side. "Keep it down in there, or I'm calling the cops!" The male voice from the next room sounded seriously pissed.
    "Sorry, dropped something," my date called out in reply.
    I drew a breath to scream in the same instant a huge knife appeared in his hand. He made a threatening gesture, warning me to stay quiet.
    He fully intended to kill me. I saw it clear as day in his face.
    I let that scream loose and scrambled back, grabbing the broken leg of the TV stand as I went. Muffled curses from the next room reached my ears, letting me know I'd been heard. I screamed again, holding that damn piece of splintered wood in front of me like it could stop him.
    "Hold on! I'm calling nine-one-one!" The shout came through the wall loud and clear.
    My date pointed the knife at me and glared. "You fucking bitch. I will get you for this." And then he was gone. Just like that. Gone.
    The faint echo of sirens came to me through the open door. I took a deep breath and said a little prayer of thanks. That came way too close.
    The shakes started as the sirens came closer. I stumbled to the bed and sat, sort of hugging myself, and just tried to keep it together.
    Realization hit. Oh. My. Fucking. God. Royse had set me up. I was supposed to die.
    He knew !
    Somehow, he found out my plans. This was his way of making sure I didn't get out.
    Tears rolled down my face to mix with the blood from my split lip, and probably plenty of mascara, too, but I didn't care. What could I do? If he kept sending me to men he'd told to hurt me, or kill me, I wouldn't last long.
    Two fucking weeks. I needed two more weeks before my first paycheck from the store. I wracked my brain for another way to get the money for mom and me to live on until then. The only answers I came up with were worse than Royse. What the fuck was I going to do?
    I sat there and