I turned to him. “There is something seriously wrong with you! What if he kills your son?”
Martin’s lips pulled back in an evil sneer. “What if my son kills Ethan?Thatis what you should be thinking about.”
Once Ethan and Caden were ready, the robed men packed up the carts and wheeled them out of the cage, locking it behind them with a thick chain. The guys faced off, and the air in the room buzzed with so much electricity that it made the hair on my arms stand on end.
Martin got to his feet and held up his glass. “You know the rules. No one leaves until the other is down.”
Closing my eyes, I dreaded what happened next.
“Fight!” Martin shouted.
My eyes shot open to see Ethan go on the attack first. Caden dodged him, but Ethan was able to slice his shoulder with the glass. Caden laughed but Ethan kept going, swinging his arms left and right. Finally, Caden reared back and kicked Ethan in the shin before slicing his hand across the dragon tattoo on his back, blood pouring out in rivers down his skin. It made it look as if the dragon was bleeding.
Gasping, I tried to get up again, but Martin tightened his grip on me. “You’re only hurting yourself by acting this way. What are you hoping to accomplish? You can’t do anything to help him.”
I seethed. “This is beyond fucked and you know it.”
I tore away from his grip but stood my ground. The world moved in slow motion as I watched Ethan and Caden battle it out. Blood was everywhere. All I could see was red as Caden sliced Ethan’s skin over and over with the glass. Ethan never flinched, just kept striking and kicking like nothing was amiss, like he wasn’t bleeding out all over the mat. My breaths and the pounding of my heart were all I could hear in my ears.
I was in hell.
CHAPTER30
ETHAN
Iwanted Caden to die. I wanted to kill him for what he did to Peyton.
After the first slash to my back, I grew immune to the rest of the gashes marring my skin. Blood poured down my body everywhere I looked, soaking my shorts and getting into my eyes. There was no pain, only vengeance. My anger was all I could focus on, but then out of the corner of my eye, I could see Peyton, her face red and wet with tears. Her dress was tight on her body, but I could see the small bump of her stomach—our twins.
The momentary slip of concentration made me stumble and make a wrong move. Caden knocked me down to the mat with his fist at my throat, just like my uncle had done to my dad all those years ago. I held him at bay, my muscles shaking.
“Isn’t this poetic,” Caden snarled. “This is the way your father should’ve died that day.”
Grunting, I pushed his fist back, giving me another centimeter of reprieve. My father got out of this hold, and I’ll be damned if I don’t do the same.
“You’re not going to win, motherfucker,” I hissed. “I’m . . . going . . . to kill you. That’s a fucking promise.”
Caden laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to erase all thoughts of you from Peyton’s mind tonight when I’m fucking her senseless.”
A guttural roar tore out of me as I let the anger and rage take over. It fueled me and gave me the strength I needed. Gritting my teeth, I pushed as hard as possible, Caden’s arm giving way inch by inch. His smile disappeared, and with one swift move, I jerked his arm and heard it crack.
Quickly, he jumped off me, his arm hanging limply by his side. There was no turning back; I was going to fulfill my promise to him, no matter the cost. I powerhouse kicked him in the side and watched his legs buckle beneath him.
As soon as his knees hit the mat, I wrapped my legs around his and my arm around his neck. His blood poured down my arm, but I didn’t care. I wanted to see more of it.
“You’re never going to hurt Peyton again,” I growled low in his ear.
He tried to fight against me, but I had him locked in. I held him harder, jerking my arm up so it would choke him. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t. I didn’t want to hear another word come out of his fucking mouth.
His fight started to fade, and his skin turned blue, but I wasn’t done. I looked over at Peyton, at the bruises on her neck I could tell she tried to conceal. My arms shook with fury.
“You’re never going to hurt anyone ever again.”
Clutching his neck in my grasp, I jerked it to the side so hard that it snapped, his body falling limp in my arms. It was done. Shouts erupted all around me and I could see Peyton screaming my name, only I couldn’t hear her. All the sounds were jumbled together. She tried to run to the cage but was held back by the girl.
Martin grabbed Peyton’s arm and jerked her toward the exit. I had to save her.
After pushing Caden’s body away, I jumped to my feet. But when I rushed to get out of the cage, three of Martin’s men came in and jerked me out, leading me toward the back of the warehouse. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I had to find the perfect time to strike.