Deviant Vows by Anna Widzisz
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Davina
“Boss, do you have a minute?” I hear a well-known voice belonging to Arya as I’m sitting on the sofa in my office in my fighting arena – Colosseum. She’s poking her head in, her eyebrow raised. I gesture to her to come in and close my laptop.
I’ve been going over the finances to see whether I can cut down on my vendors so as not to go over the set budget. With this place getting much more recognition from the moment I got married, each night swirling with Macsen’s soldiers just as well, I want to make sure I can deliver the attractions and excitement to them. That means more fights and better fighters. However, it all costs a small fortune.
My eyes meet Arya’s. She sits down in the air chair, crossing her legs. She’s wearing a white oversized t-shirt tucked into a red skirt and black heels. Her dark blond hair is let loose, falling over her shoulders in delicate waves. She’s holding her phone, car keys, and coffee.
“Did something happen? Is something wrong with Sapphire?” I ask. It’s not common for her to come to me if it isn’t important. She’s more of a text message kind of person. So for her to take the time to meet with me and without previously letting me know, it’s not anything good.
She shakes her head. “Sapphire is alright. Business runs smoothly,” she pauses, swallowing. I can see she’s not sure whether she should tell me the real reason for her arrival. And as I have known Arya for a few years already, she’s never one to question herself.
“Arya, you’re starting to worry me. What the hell happened?”
My thoughts are already running wild because I know what kind of life she had before I’ve taken her out of it. I can’t help but think that it has something to do with it. Which makes my blood boil in my veins and my palms close in tight fists.
Arya follows my gesture. “There was an incident in Sapphire a few days ago. I wasn’t going to tell you because I’ve taken the necessary precautions after that but then I heard about tonight and couldn’t help myself,” she says.
I’m watching her carefully, waiting for her to continue. As she opens her lips again, I hear a knock on the door. William walks in. His expression is also not suggesting anything good. But one thing at a time.
I gesture to him, asking Arya whether he can stay in this way. She only nods.“Come in and close the door,” I order him and focus on Arya yet again. “Continue. You said that something happened in Sapphire,” I say to help William catch up.
She nods. “One of my girls has been violated. She’s one of those who don’t agree to any rough play, let alone choking, spitting and beating. The man has given her many bruises and she ran out of the room crying.”
My fingers twitch to my gun but I resist, knowing that there’s no immediate danger. Though, it’s harder to control my breathing and even worse to stop my mind from imagining the whole thing.
“Who was he?” I ask. “Do you have his name, description? Is he someone I may know?”
William sends me a worried look, seeing how the news got to me. But how could it not? Too many such things happen on a daily basis in the world. I refuse to let them happen in the Firm and my business. Going into the sex industry, I’ve promised myself to protect those who decide to work for me. They deserve better. Which is also why we set hard limits for each sex worker.
“Yes, you do,” Arya says. “He’s one of the fighters set for tonight. Which is why I came. I don’t know whether you can and will do anything about that. It’s your choice. But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn't say my piece.”
My lips curve in a thin line and I’m trying really hard not to burst. I already know which one she’s talking about because out of Tony ‘Beast’ García and Roy ‘The Big’ Neale only one has a nickname that suggests he’d be capable of such inhuman things. What’s even worse, I invited him personally after he has been recorded to not have lost any fights last season. Not even one.
I get up and walk to my desk, grabbing my phone.
“Davina, think about it before you do something stupid,” William says. He usually doesn’t question me, and he doesn’t ever do that in front of anyone else. But this time he decided to go against my rules. Because he knows very well what’s going on in my head and what I’m about to do.
And I don’t fucking care.
I’ll bloody do whatever I want. It’s my Firm, it’s my life and it’s my business to deal with those who go against me and hurt those that are under my protection.
Arya must have noticed my anger because she walks up to me and puts her hand on my shoulder. Something she tends to avoid ever since she saw me almost ripping a hand off of a guy who dared to grab me like this a while back.
I dial the number. After two rings, I hear the female voice of my assistant who’s running errands for me right now. “Emily, when Roy Neale arrives tonight for his fight, send him to my office.”
There is a short pause before she answers. “Of course. No problem, Nyx.” The confusion in her voice is audible. I never do that because I believe that the fighters should only be focused on their fight. Any distraction at all can be the reason for later defeat.
However, Roy ‘The Big’ Neale won’t fight tonight.
✽✽✽
It’s only half an hour before the fight. The Colosseum is already packed with people waiting for the event. Though, they don’t know yet that it’s not the one they are going to get. I’m standing by one of the booths where Arya, William, and my father have already sat. Each and every one of them made sure to tell me to back off. That I should solve this problem not as a woman with a chip on her shoulder, but like a boss of the Firm.
Maybe I would. If not for the fact that I need to show power. Now, while being married, more than ever. Because everyone only waits to follow Macsen. He’s a man, and in our world men should rule. Women are good for warming the bed and making babies. Being a model trophy wife. Sooner hell will freeze over than I’ll be all that. I’m much more. Much better than that. I might have soldiers, people to deal with this matter for me. However, I need it. I want it.
“Nyx,” Arya calls me, gesturing with her head to my right. I turn, seeing one of my bouncers coming with no one else than Macsen’s little sister Lara next to him, holding her arm.
I cock my eyebrow at the sight. “What are you doing here?” I ask her.
“I caught her when she was trying to sneak in through the back entrance. Do you want me to find someone to take her back home, boss?” John asks. Always ready to help.
I consider it for a little bit. I’m certain that’s exactly what Macsen would have done, and he’d kill me for ignoring him like that, but anyway I find myself shaking my head. “She can stay. Thank you, John. You may go back to work.”
With that, he walks off and my attention is fully on Lara. She doesn’t look abashed for getting caught. Nor does she thank me for letting her stay. She’s just standing there, looking around and taking in the whole arena.
I take a sip of the water and go back to preparing myself mentally. Trying to shut off everything that’s going on around me. All the noise and a bustling crowd are far beyond what I’m able to think of. My heart is pounding with the adrenaline I love so much. It makes me feel extremely powerful. Ever since I was sixteen, I felt it, and I’ve never been the same again.
I feel someone shaking me lightly and my eyes are wide open, my head snapping in the direction of the movement. Lara looks at me surprised. “You don’t care that I came here?” she asks.
I roll my eyes. What a stupid question. My indifference should be enough of an answer. “Why would I? You were curious so you came. I’m not your mother to tell you what to do, nor your brother. You're an adult. You can make your own decisions just fine.” I take another sip before my assistant signals me from across the arena that Roy has finally arrived. “I’d just suggest you not to leave on your own, though. William and Arya are going to take care of you.”
Then I walk back to my office, sneaking through the room full of already excited people.
Once I close the door behind me, I am left alone with one of my fighters. His expression says it all. He’s not used to talking to me. He barely ever talks to anyone, anyway. Let alone me. Tonight has become extremely important for me.
“Roy, please sit. We need to talk,” I tell him, and then continue to explain everything to the best of my capabilities. The last thing I wish for is to offend one of my fighters.
Ten minutes later, we’re all set and Roy leaves my office. I open the bag that’s laying on the floor next to my desk and take out my sports clothes. Looking at the clock, I realise I have a few more minutes to gather myself. So I quickly put on a red sports bra and tight black shorts, then I gather my hair into a high ponytail and put on trainers, which I’m soon going to take off anyway.
Standing in front of the mirror, I think back to the last time I decided to make a decision so radical. And it was exactly when I made my move on the Quarter. I murdered almost everyone there. Their eyes couldn’t believe who has dared to fuck them up, their lips first laughed, then started to beg for mercy. Blood was running thin through my fingers as I was drawing small circles with my feet in the pool of red fluid. I felt alive.
And that’s exactly what I’m aiming at again, taking it upon myself to fight that motherfucker Tony García. I need people to know that I won’t stand for any injustice in the Firm, or even beyond it. Girls are not there to satisfy their sexual perversity whenever they feel like it. The message is simple – touch them, you touch me. And what happens when you put your hands on me? I fight back tenfold.
Hearing the first gong, I leave my office. Everyone immediately takes notice of what I’m wearing. My expression is hard and my eyes icy cold, focused on nothing else but the man standing right in front of the fighting cage.
Perfect. I much prefer when my fighters decide to duel in them than in the open ring. There’s a bigger spectacle this way. Not to mention what kind of damage the wired walls can do if used properly. Which I intend to do tonight.
I make my way through the crowd and everyone steps aside. Their faces are painted with confusion and a few people start to look for something. Or someone. Most likely Roy who was supposed to fight.
Well… not this time.
“Davina,” I hear the harsh voice of my husband somewhere behind me but I don’t stop. If I was to engage in any conversation – or rather quarrel with him – I’d lose focus, and my opponent is only waiting for it to happen. Macsen wants to face off because I let his sister stay because I didn’t tell him about the shipment and where his money goes. As well as to make me stay still and not go into that cage. Because I’m more than certain William has already told him, hoping he would be able to change my mind.
No one likes the idea, and I get it. Honestly. It’s dangerous, reckless and possibly plain stupid on my account. However, it hasn’t stopped me before from going through with my decision. No matter what it would be.
So I go up the stairs inside the cage and come to stand in front of a very much baffled Tony who still hasn’t been informed of a change that has happened.
Rick, who runs this show on a daily basis, comes up to me.
“Did something happen?” he asks.
“Did Neale chicken out on going against me?” Tony adds, laughing. Still not realizing that he’s in a worse position than if he were fighting Roy. Because I’m bloody awesome, considering I train every second of every day to deal with fuckers like him. Perhaps I can’t be sure that I’ll win here because Tony hasn’t been named ‘Beast’ without a reason. He’s ruthless and doesn’t spare his opponents. Sometimes it even ends with a duel to death if his rage becomes too much. But not here in my arena. Here, I make the rules. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.
But I will hurt him.
I will kill him.
Because he might have had many fights to account for his skills. However, I have the incentive. That’s enough.
It needs to be enough. And if not, then I’ll die knowing I was doing something I believe in.
“Don’t worry, García. Soon you’ll beg for him to take my place,” I tell him, making him pause and carefully judge my words. His eyes are wide open and breath picks up its pace. “That’s right. Tonight, I’m your opponent.”
He doesn’t say anything and Rick knows better than to question my decision. So he only moves aside, giving us the space before we start.
I tilt my head right.
Suddenly, all the voices in the arena goes quiet. They want to know what’s happening and what we’re talking about. As if I’d leave it without an explanation. This show is not just for Tony and his punishment. It’s a warning for anyone out there who tries to do the same.
“Cat got your tongue? Afraid of fighting a girl?” I mock him. “From what I found out, you had no trouble assaulting one of my girls in Sapphire.”
Still, there’s no word.
So I continue, getting in his face. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Or that I’d let it pass just because you’re one of the best fighters? Fuck no,” I pause, my voice loud enough so that everyone can make out what I’m saying. “You fucking mess with one of my people, and I don’t give a single damn who you are and what kind of money you bring to the table. You’re. Going. Down.”
I nod to Rick that he can start. To introduce us. As if no one knows who we are.
“I don’t fight girls. Especially one that is my boss,” Tony finally voices out his concern. But he’s simply annoyed because if he kills me, he’s going to die, anyway.
I shrug. “Too fucking bad because I can’t wait to rip that dick of yours and feed it to you to shut your mouth once and for all.”
Rick finishes talking and leaves the cage. I turn around and walk to one side of the cage, waiting for Tony to do the same. It takes some time, but he does. His hands are clenched into fists and his face shows anger. But pride won’t let him back down.
Just like mine won’t.
I don’t fight just for myself.
I fight for all those women who ever felt unsafe in the company of men. God knows there was more than one.
Game on, motherfucker.