Stoned (Unlikely Heroes Book 4) (25 page)

Don’t hurt him, Stoner. Please.

“He’s got him in a hammerlock,” Viper informed, glancing down at Karen, then back at the fighters. “Stoner knows his submission holds.”

“Tap out! Tap out!” the crowd chanted.

Rebel hissed, his face scrunching in pain. Stoner yanked his arm higher, closer to his neck.

Rebel patted the mat rapidly with his free hand.

Stoner released him and stumbled backward on his hunches. He fell to the mat, drawing in deep, obviously painful breaths.

Had Stoner won?

“What happened?” Karen asked Viper.

Viper smirked down at her. “Rebel tapped out. Stoner won.” He swung up into the ring and strode toward the fighters.

Stoner won? That was good, though she feared what would happen to Rebel now.

Viper paused before Stoner and held out his hand. Stoner eyed him warily.

“Come on,” Viper urged. “I’ll help you up. You fought good for an injured old man. You deserve a reward.”

Slowly Stoner extended his arm. Viper clasped his hand and yanked him to his feet. Stoner grimaced, clutching at his ribs. He wobbled on his feet. Viper lifted Stoner’s hand in the air.

“The winner!”

The crowd went wild again, screaming, “Stoner, Stoner, Stoner!”

Viper dropped Stoner’s arm. He turned to Rebel, who still sat on the mat, breathing heavily, and warily watching Viper’s approach. Viper’s eyes filled with mischief and…malice.

Oh no.

Karen shivered, her heart leaping into her throat.

Viper extended a hand to Rebel. Rebel hesitated, then stuck his hand in Viper’s.

“You pathetic piece of shit!” Viper snarled. “You couldn’t even beat an injured man twice your age?” He yanked Rebel to his feet, then leapt at him, tackling him back to the mat. Rebel thudded back onto the mat and let out a grunt. Viper’s fists flew at the younger man’s face over and over, so fast it was just a blur to Karen. The crowd screamed and shouted, egging Viper on.

The contents of Karen’s stomach tried to ride up her throat. She swallowed hard, forcing it back down.

“Stop it!” she yelled, but her voice was drowned out by the crowd.

Yanking on the ropes, Karen pulled herself up into the ring. “Stop it!”

An arm snagged her waist, drawing her backward away from them. “There’s nothing you can do,” Stoner whispered in her ear.

A tear trickled down her cheek. She yanked free from his arm, spinning away from the sight of Viper pulverizing Rebel’s face. “How can you just stand back and let Viper kill him like this? He’s your friend.”

“Look out!” someone shouted. Karen tripped as something slammed into her legs. Stoner caught her against him, pulling her back out of the way. A black flash darted past them into the ring.

Karen let out a gasp of astonishment.

Scar came to a sliding halt next to Viper where he knelt over Rebel, still pummeling him in the face. The half-grown dog locked its jaws on Viper’s arm just above his wrist and bit down hard. Viper howled and vaulted off Rebel. He tried to fling the dog aside, but Scar hung on tight. Even when Viper flung his arm from left to right, trying to dislodge the animal, the dog didn’t let go.

Karen’s breath snagged in her throat.

Hang on, Scar! Don’t let him go!

Silence descended upon the crowd. Several indrawn breaths reached Karen’s ears. 

“Jesus,” Stoner whispered next to her. “Thank God that dog didn’t come after me.”

Rebel sat up, dazed and beaten, his face swollen and bloody from Viper’s fists. His gaze rested on Scar pulling on Viper’s arm. Alarm crossed his features.

He scrambled to his feet and rushed toward Viper. “Scar, no!” Rebel grabbed the dog’s dollar. “Release!”

Scar finally relaxed his jaws, enabling Viper to break free.

Viper stumbled backward, his expression filled with fury. Blood trickled down his arm and onto the mat.

He stalked toward Rebel.

Stoner stepped forward, blocking Viper’s path.

“That’s enough, Viper.” Stoner pressed his hand into Viper’s chest, keeping Viper from coming any closer.

Several murmurs erupted from the spectators.

Viper glanced down at Stoner’s hand on his chest. He knocked it aside. His gaze locked on Stoner’s, filling with challenge. Karen held her breath, waiting.

“Don’t you think the kid’s suffered enough for one day?” Stoner asked. “He lost, but just barely. He damned near kicked my ass. Besides, you need him. Just let it go.”

Viper’s eyes flashed with anger. His gaze jerked to Rebel, who stood behind Stoner holding tightly onto Scar’s collar.

“Keep that fucking dog away from me, Rebel. Or I’ll snap its goddamned neck.”

Viper turned and faced the crowd.

“Shows over, people! Get out of here!”

There was a rush of bodies as everyone scrambled for the door. 

Soon only Karen, Stoner, Rebel and Viper remained.

Clutching his injured arm, Viper glanced at each of them. His gaze landed on Karen.

“Looks like Stoner won you fair and square, Ms. Williams. You’ll be returning to his room tonight.”

Viper spun on his heel and stalked away.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

As soon as the door closed behind Viper, Rebel crumbled to the mat and broke down. Wrapping his arms around Scar, Rebel squeezed the dog against his chest, and sobbed. Stoner had never witnessed a grown man break down so completely before.

Shit.

Stoner glanced at Karen, who’d gone chalky white. She dropped next to Rebel and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He jerked away from her.

“Leave me alone, Karen. Just go the fuck away.”

Karen swallowed hard. She rose, her gaze darting to Stoner’s. “Go to my room,” he whispered. “I’ll be there in a bit.”

She hesitated, then left them alone.

Stoner had known standing up to Viper would be risky, but he’d also known Viper didn’t really want to kill Rebel. If Scar hadn’t come to Rebel’s rescue, Stoner would have had to intervene sooner or later. He was relieved he hadn’t had to, because it could have gotten real ugly.

Right now Rebel needed a pep talk. The kid was losing it.

Stoner sank down onto the mat next to Rebel, clutching his throbbing ribs. It would be a long time before he was able to move without pain.  

“You kicked my ass, kid. I won’t be able to move without pain for weeks, maybe even months.”

Rebel let out a snort. He lifted a hand to wipe at a tear. “I’m not crying because I lost. I’m crying because I can’t believe Scar saved me. No one has ever stood up for me before.
Ever.
Can’t you see how pathetic I am that a fucking dog is the only thing that cares about me?” He hitched in a breath.

Shit.
What the hell did he say to that? Stoner cleared his throat. “I care about you, kid. You know that.”

Rebel shrugged. “Whatever. And you still won.” He tightened his hold on the dog and burrowed his head in the animal’s fur.

“Barely,” Stoner grumbled. “How’d you learn how to fight like that, anyway? I thought you used to be an actor.”

Rebel inhaled deeply, his breath hitching again. “I’ve been fighting since I was a little kid. My father forced me to participate in illegal street fights. He was a gambler, always looking for something to bet on. But I didn’t always win, and that pissed him off. Whenever I lost, he punished me. Until I finally got big enough to fight back.”

Stoner rubbed a hand over his face. “Jesus.” He hadn’t known that. “I’m sorry, kid.”

Rebel cleared his throat. “I kept up the training while in college, studied Krav Maga and other mixed martial arts. A few other guys and I would work out together, practice moves. I wanted to be ready in case–” he broke off, lowering his gaze.

“In case what?” Stoner eyed him in the silence, waiting.

Rebel sighed. “In case my father came after me. I wasn’t about to let him beat on me again.”

An awkward silence fell. Karen had been right. Rebel’s father had abused him. The cruel bastard had forced Rebel to fight when he was just a child. It pissed Stoner off, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“I hate this fucking place,” Rebel hissed. “When I agreed to help you out, I didn’t know it would be like this. I’d rather go to prison. At least there they have guards to stop the violence.”

Stoner rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, kid. I had no idea how it would be in here. On my sister’s grave, I swore I was gonna take that son-of-a-bitch down and I will. Just hang in there a bit longer, okay? Get it together, don’t let Viper see you break down like this. If he sees you weak, he’ll pounce. Tough it out, Rebel. Be strong. You’ve got to. I don’t want to see you die in here.”

Rebel wiped at another tear. He peered up at Stoner. “What about Karen? She likes you, I can tell.”

Stoner’s heart twisted. “I’ll do my best to get her out of here alive, too. But I think Viper’s up to something. Why would he take her away from me, then all of sudden let me fight to win her back? Or was that his goal all along, to come up with a reason to make us fight? I can’t figure the guy out.”

Rebel stroked the dog’s fur. “I can’t believe you almost broke my arm, man. That hurt.”

“Sorry. I had to win, don’t you see? Viper needs you, but he doesn’t need me. If I lost, he would have a reason to kill me.”

After a long pause, Rebel said, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Come on.” Stoner rose, holding his hand out to Rebel. “Go to your room, take a long hot shower. Don’t come out until you feel better. You don’t want Viper to see you like this. Even if you have to pretend, do it.”

Rebel took his hand and rose. “I am an actor. Don’t you think I’ve been acting this entire time? I’ve been pretending to be someone else since I was a little kid. I’m good at it.”

“Yeah. And I have to say, you’re a damn good actor, kid. Damn good. I honestly don’t know who the real Rebel is.”

A hint of a smile touched Rebel’s lips before he turned away with Scar. Stoner followed, grimacing at the pain in his ribs. Rebel needed to hold out a bit longer.

Viper was up to something.

Something Stoner wasn’t going to like one bit.

* * *

Stoner entered his room several minutes later.

“Runt’s missing.” Karen gazed up at him with those sultry dark eyes. “I checked everywhere and I can’t find him.”

Stoner sighed. Damn that kid. Why did he always have to hide somewhere? “I’ll go look for him. Stay in my room until I get back.”

She clutched his arm. “What if Viper has him? What if he threw him back in the dungeon?”

“I’ll find him.” Stoner squeezed her hand. “Stay here.”

“Will you check on my son-in-law too? Make sure he’s okay?”

He nodded. “How about if I ask Viper to let you visit him? He’s feeling a little happier than normal after the fight, so I might be able to convince him to allow it.”

“That would be great.” She reached up and drew his head down to hers. “Thank you Craig,” she whispered in his ear.

He stiffened. Drawing back, he gazed down into her eyes. “Don’t forget the camera,” he whispered. “It would be best if you don’t use that name at all, okay? Someone might overhear.”

“I know, but I like the sound of your real name. It makes you more real, less pretend. And someday I hope you’ll tell me about Craig.”

He sighed. He never should have told her his real name. But at the time he’d believed he was about to die.

“I’ll go see if I can find Runt, then I’ll check on your son-in-law.”

Fifteen minutes later, Stoner had found no sign of Runt. Then something Rebel had said about Viper finding the boy out with the fighting dogs made him head out back.

And there, sure enough, was Runt.

The boy sat on the ground outside of Viper’s prized fighter, Killer’s, doghouse. The dog, a ferocious, muscular white dog with black patches, sprawled on its back with its belly exposed while Runt rubbed his hands over the beast’s stomach.

Stoner hesitated. That dog was vicious. There was a reason the animal was called “Killer.” Seeing the boy so close to danger made him nervous.

The dogs had let out a ruckus as soon as Stoner stepped outside and their barking increased as he neared the end of the row where Killer was chained.

Viper was likely to investigate, so Stoner had to get Runt out of there fast.

Cautiously he approached, keeping a safe distance from all the dogs. Each animal was chained to a post. Each dog had a small house, food and water. But that was it. No human companionship was allowed. Viper liked the beasts to remain vicious, so no one was allowed near them. Viper trained them himself and he controlled all the fights.

“Runt!” Stoner paused a few feet away from the boy. The dog rolled to its feet and let out a ferocious growl, its gaze locking on Stoner.

“Come along, kid. Ms. Williams is looking for you.”

The boy’s face perked up. He patted the dog one last time, then followed Stoner back into the building.

The dogs continued barking until they entered the building. Relieved to have escaped the kennels without being attacked by killer dogs, Stoner closed the door behind them.

“You need to stay away from those dogs,” Stoner chided gently. “They’re dangerous and you could be hurt.”

“I hope you weren’t out with my dogs.”

Viper stepped away from the wall to intercept them as they came in the back door. His arm was bandaged. Tonya or one of the whores must have fixed him up.

Runt cowered behind Stoner, his head bowed.

“He wasn’t hurting anything.” Stoner defended the boy. “He’s just lonely and needs a friend.”

Viper narrowed his gaze on Stoner. “That was a good fight. But I have a new challenge for you. It’s time to prove your loyalty to the Cobras.”

Stoner swallowed hard. Shit. What did Viper have planned for him now? “I just won a damn fight. Can’t I have a recovery period first?”

Viper stared at him hard, but he didn’t answer. “I promised you a reward, so here it is.” He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Stoner. Stoner closed his fist around a bottle of pills. Hydrocodone.

He nodded his thanks. He was going to need the pain meds if he was going to get through the next few days.

“I’ve got something I want you to take care of,” Viper went on. “To prove your loyalty. You know I’ve taken Ms. Williams’ son-in-law as a hostage. I’ve never had the FBI under my roof before. It’s a little intimidating, if I do say so myself. But the guy’s in the dungeon, so he can’t do anything.” He paused, eyeing Stoner intently. “I want you to take him out. It will give you an opportunity to prove your loyalty to me.”

Stoner groaned inwardly.
Shit.
“Why do I have to do it?”

“Why you? Because anyone else I ask—with the exception of Rebel—will do it without question, but for some reason, you always hesitate when I ask you to kill someone. Yet you had no problem killing Rage or Grizzly—two of my best men—on your own. Why is that? Do you only kill when you want to?” Viper’s voice raised several notches.

Runt burrowed into Stoner’s back, trembling with fear. Stoner reached around and gently patted the kid’s head in reassurance.

“I don’t like killing the innocent. All others are fair game.”

Viper quirked a brow. “Innocent? You think Nick Miller is innocent?”

“I do. Just as I think Karen is innocent. The woman’s a botanist, Viper. She wasn’t harming anyone. My God, she helped deliver your nephew. She’s friends with Tonya. She took Runt under her wing. She’s even helping you micropropagate marijuana. How can you want to kill her? Why not keep her around for a while?”

Viper stared him down. “She witnessed a murder. That means she’s trouble. If she talks, you know what will happen to this place, to all of us. Or don’t you care? Is that what you want, Stoner?” Viper narrowed his gaze. “For this place to go down?”

“Of course not. This place is great. You take care of a lot of guys, give them a place to live, a purpose in life.”

“Damned right I do, so why aren’t you a little more appreciative?” Viper lifted his index finger. “Oh wait, you’re here to kill me, right? Am I next on your list, Stoner? Or are you really letting it go and focusing on the pot?”

“I’m letting it go,” Stoner lied. “Killing you will serve no purpose. Where will these guys go? Most will probably end up in prison.”

“Exactly. That’s why I need you to prove you deserve to be here.”

Stoner snorted. “I thought I already had.”

“The ultimate sacrifice must be made to prove your loyalty to the Cobras. You must kill to satisfy me.
Me
, not you. Then you’ll be trusted. Then you’ll earn my respect.”

Stoner swallowed hard. Viper expected him to kill Karen and now her son-in-law. Probably together. “When is this supposed to happen?”

“Not today. Not until I know both you and Rebel can clone the pot on your own. But you need to prepare yourself for it. You need to get it in your head that Ms. Williams and her son-in-law must die and that you will be the one to get rid of them. Mull it over and over in your head, Stoner, until you accept it as fact. Enjoy the woman now while you can, because the time will soon come for you to dispose of her. And when that time comes, I expect you to do it right this time. If you please me, you will earn my respect and a permanent place with the Cobras.”

Shit.
Viper wasn’t going to let it go. He expected Stoner to kill Karen and Nick Miller and just deal with it. That would be impossible. Stoner had to get Karen out of here.

Runt let out a soft whimper from behind Stoner.

Viper glared down at his son. “Stay away from the dogs, boy. They’re not pets.”

Stoner cleared his throat. “Karen asked if maybe you would let her visit her son-in-law. She wants to make sure he’s okay. I have a feeling she’ll refuse to do any more work in the lab until she has reassurance that the guy’s still alive.”

Viper pulled his gaze back to Stoner.

“Meet me in the dungeon in twenty minutes. She can visit him then.”

* * *

Karen’s son-in-law, Nick, was always clean-shaven, neatly dressed, not a hair out of place. Now he resembled a homeless guy. He was dirty, disheveled, and obviously tired and in need of a shower and a shave. She couldn’t suppress a soft gasp. But considering he’d now been imprisoned for four days, he looked better than expected. No one had beat or tortured him, much to Karen’s relief.