Deviant Vows by Anna Widzisz
CHAPTER TWELVE
Davina
I can feel everyone’s eyes on me as the gong sounds in the arena and I’m watching every move that Tony makes. Though, he’s not eager to be the first one to throw a hit. He’s still surely hoping that I’m joking and that if he raises a hand at me, it will be over. His eyes fall on my stomach where he can see scars. He’d notice more if not for the tattoos on my skin. Most of them cover up the ugliest ones. As proud of a survivor that I am, having one scar on my throat is enough to make people ask questions. Questions I’m not comfortable answering. So I decided to hide others.
A minute passes and I get annoyed.
“Honestly, be a fucking man, García. If you win, you walk free,” I say loud enough so everyone can hear. Otherwise, I can’t count on any satisfaction coming out of tonight.
Just like that his grim expression shifts and I hear a war cry as the fucker moves towards me. He throws the first punch at my head but I duck and immediately respond by kicking him in the stomach. He steps back but doesn’t fall. He’s tall, his shoulders wide and muscles defined. He has every bit of physical advantage over me because of him being way taller and having more upper body strength. But it’s not how I make sure to win. I use whatever I can – speed, flexibility, determination.
Purpose.
So I let my anger show this one time, let it take over completely. As I see another attempt at a sneaky attack, I whirl around and undercut his moves. This time he doesn’t expect it and collapses on the floor. Though, being the experienced fighter that he is, he answers by pulling me down.
We both stand up immediately. Our eyes are locked, and I can’t help but grin. I almost forgot how fun it is to have some action. Especially when I’m more than welcome to do some real damage. No holding back, I charge at him. My hands fisted, knuckles white as I punch him in the face twice before he gets a hold of me, blocking my moves. He grips me tightly and throws me against the cage wall.
A jolt of pain strikes through my body and my head smashes against something hard. My vision blurs for a second, then I shake it all off. There’s a metallic taste of blood in my mouth mixing with my saliva. I spit on the floor, smiling at Tony. He’s watching me once again, assessing. He was prepared for whatever Roy had in store. Probably learning his tactics on the dark web where those fights are posted by me. Though, he has no idea what I am like in a fight.
“Prefer those women who don’t fight back now, García?” I taunt him.
And perhaps this is my mistake because as my rage overshadows every other emotion, he reaches behind him and brings a knife out.
I step back. We’re not allowed to fight with any weapons.
The crowd roars, and from the corner of my eye, I see William and Macsen, who for some reason stayed, and are now moving to the cage to open it and stop the fight. I raise my hand, silencing everyone. It’s not one of the rules I usually let someone break, but it makes it more challenging, and I can’t pass up on it.
“Didn’t think you could win against Neale?” I cock my eyebrow. This knife wasn’t intended for me in the first place. If he was to fight with his previous opponent, he’d be disqualified. I wouldn’t hesitate because I’m not risking my fighters. However, I’m stupid enough to go along with this change of scenarios.
But I add a little twist of my own to it.
“Alright, García. Have it your way. But if you use the knife, we’re fighting till death,” I say. “There’s no turning back.”
His expression shifts into fear, which he covers up at once. He’s not one to show that he doesn’t like this turn of events. I don’t give a fuck. A knife means consequences, and I don’t ever play with it like a toy. If I get a hold of it, this means a deep, deep cut.
I wipe my lips where I can still feel the blood and move towards him. I take off as I get close, throw my leg over his hands with the weapon and grip his wrist with my hands. Using all my body strength, I twist and land on the hard floor with him. I hear a snap, realizing that his arm is broken. The knife falls out of his hand and I take it with me.
He smirks as if nothing fazes him. Not the pain that he surely must feel, nor the fact that I’m holding his weapon. The one thing he wanted to hurt me with. And it aggravates me. I kick him in the stomach. He coughs out the blood and it lands on my face as I’m close to him. Without a second thought, Tony rolls to his stomach and pushes himself on his hands. His back faces me, telling me that he doesn’t care that I’m holding an ultimate advantage in my hand. Then I look at the blade, toss it up and catch it by the metal part. Its sharpness rips through my skin but I can’t care less. I take a swing and throw it at him. It whooshes through the air with such speed that I instantly think it’ll be just about over for the fight. But then he moves to his left and the knife barely grazes his skin. It gets stuck in between the wires of the cage, making the crow go wild.
Furious now, I run at him. I land hit after hit, some of which he blocks. We’re not holding back. Cuts and bruises are forming on our bodies as we are growing more tired by the minute. As we’re both skilful fighters, it’s not easy to win.
Then something that I haven’t been expecting happens. My eyes go right behind Tony to the people cheering there for a quick glance. And as I make out the form of a tall man with this significant wide smile full of mockery, I freeze.
How is that possible?
How is he there?
What the fuck is going on?
No, my brother-in-law is dead.
Taylor’s dead.
I shake my head.
Unfortunately, my opponent uses my distraction to his advantage. He grabs my hair and yanks at it before hoisting me up and throwing me on the floor. My back hits the hard surface with a loud thud. The pain knocks my breath out and I find it impossible to inhale. He doesn’t stop. His fist collides with my jawline and he grips my throat, choking me.
A shiver goes through my body at the sudden change of pace.
My face feels numb from the punches and the pain in my back is growing stronger.
I ignore it, though.
He teases me with the blade against my neck, holding me still. And because he’s not so easy to shake off, I watch his eyes darken. It doesn’t take me long to realise what he must be thinking, comparing this moment to the one with that girl in Sapphire.
As I try to jerk away from his touch, he moves his knee in between my legs and the self-prevention kicks in. I twist my arm in such a way that my muscles tighten and there’s a snap. My shoulder gets dislocated, but I manage to grab the knife. Using his shock of what I‘ve done, I steal it from his filthy hands, and with one smooth move, I slash across his throat.
Deep.
Very fucking deep.
Blood spreads everywhere. Blood sprays everywhere, coating my glistening skin like a thick layer of rain on an April morning.
His eyes widen. I see the spirit leaving his body, the shame of a girl making him lose and the anger at the whole situation. Then he loses his hold, his heavy body slumping on me. It takes all the strength remaining to get him off me. I stand up, my eyes glancing down at the dead body of one of my fighters.
People cheer, having had the show of their life. I let women fighters fight here as well. But it’s nothing compared to a boss of the Firm punishing one of her people for something so trivial, as they would put it, like rape and battery. For me, it’s anything but easy. And definitely not what I can accept ever in my life.
I let go of the knife and walk towards the door of the cage. My feet are covered in blood that’s pooling on the floor. I look up and meet Macsen’s eyes. Once again, they show nothing but cold detachment. There’s no saying what he’s thinking, however; he won’t let it go no matter if he is impressed or not.
I open the door but don’t step down. I pull my hand up, silencing everyone. I know I have to look like a total mess and psychopath; both. Especially as my lips curve in a smile. One that must look very unsettling at this point with the rest of my body crimson.
Everyone goes quiet.
“I don’t care who you are or what kind of money you bring to the Firm. If you ever touch what’s mine, no matter how little you might think it is, I’ll rip you to shreds without batting a goddamn eye. Do you understand?” I ask, and as if on command they nod. My low tone probably adds to the fear I can make out on a few of their faces.
Then I glance at William who shakes his head with disappointment and goes to the office.
I jump from the cage stand and move through the crowd right behind him. But then I feel a hand gripping my arm and I’m dragged to another part of the arena. I’d fight off the attacker, though I realise that it’s Macsen at once. Besides, it hurts like a bitch and I can’t pull off the same move for a second time tonight. He gets us inside the storage room right behind the bar and his furious eyes settle on me as he pulls me to the wall.
Macsen
My phone rings on my desk. Without taking my eyes off of the laptop screen, I answer the call.
“What?” I hold it to my ear, one hand scrolling through the data spreadsheet.
“Davina is going to fight with Tony García. Come to the arena right now,” William states from the other end of the call. My body instantly freezes because of his words as I keep staring at the screen like there is something there. My thoughts running wild, expression blank.
“I’m on my way.” I take a deep breath, enraged. Standing up, I release a loud grunt and slam my hands on the desk, making the files and pen rattle from the impact. That woman seriously has a death wish.
Taking my jacket from the back of the chair, I rush downstairs and bark orders at the guards. They don’t waste a single second, knowing well about the consequences of pissing me off. More than I already am.
Within fifteen minutes, we arrive at the arena. The crowd is roaring and cheering as they watch one of the fights.
But I am nowhere near interested in what’s happening. It’s my wife I am looking for; tempted to drag her out of here by her hair. García is one of the best fighters in the country and Davina challenging him is the most reckless and idiotic decision she’s ever made.
I make my way through the crowd when a small, fragile body collides with mine, followed by a gasp. “I’m sorry–” Her words are cut off when she meets my gaze.
“Lara?”
My sister’s eyes widen from nervousness and fear. Instantly, she looks away, my glare clearly being too much for her. Nothing changed. She’s always had this problem of looking people in the eyes for longer than a few seconds. And when it comes to me, whenever she does something wrong, it lasts even less.
When she’s about to break away, I grip her by the elbow. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarl. “Did Davina bring you here?”
I swear to God if she did, then I’ll fucking shoot her.
She shakes her head furiously. I feel her body trembling from my cold tone.
“She didn’t know I followed her here,” Lara merely whispers.
As much as I want to know the whole story of what she’s doing here and how she even got here in the first place, it’s not the right time. She has a lot of explaining to do later, though.
I clench my jaw as I think about Davina letting my sister stay here, unprotected. This place is filled with every sort of criminal from the Firm and beyond. Anything could have happened to Lara. She could have been drugged, kidnapped or...
I stop myself from thinking about one of my worst nightmares before looking over my shoulder towards my guard. “Take her to my place. Make sure she doesn’t leave until I return.”
Luckily, Lara doesn’t argue and leaves the arena with one of my most trusted men following her.
I focus back on searching for Davina. I don’t have to look further as I hear the next fight being announced and the name of Tony García, making me pay attention to the cage. Then I see Nyx striding towards the man, everyone confused as to what’s going on. Apparently, I’m not the only one she hasn’t mentioned her plans to.
“Davina,” I shout at her, my voice low, seething with annoyance. She sees me but doesn’t stop and I’m too far from her to get to her in time. The determination is written all over her face, fists tightened and I realise there’s no convincing her against fighting. Whatever made her do this is strong enough for her not to back down.
My blood is running cold.
Fuck.
The sound of the gong echoes as the start of the fight is announced. This time no mention of the former fighter who was supposed to be there instead of Davina. And I feel like fucking everyone up for the excitement that this change of heart has been met with.
Despite not knowing what the outcome of this can be, I decide to stay. I just really hope that the marriage hasn’t ended before it even started. It’d completely fuck with my business. Though, on the other hand, I’d have The Firm for myself.
They start to fight, using every ounce of energy into their hits and punches, fighting for survival and pride. Every time she takes a hit, my body leans forward on instinct to save her, to protect her. But I stay rooted to my place with my hands inside my pockets.
William moves in my direction, standing right next to me.
“Why haven’t you stopped her?” I ask him, furious. He’s her right-hand man and her uncle for fuck’s sake.
“What would you suggest I do? Lock her in the office until it’s over? When she sets her mind to something, there’s no going back. That’s why I called you.”
I laugh throatily. “Of course. Because I’m more capable of making her do shit,” I mock.
I open my mouth to say more but then García takes out his knife and both William and I at once move to the cage to stop the fight. Weapons are not allowed and Tony knows that like no one else. However, Davina lets him use it.
What the fuck is wrong with that woman?
She teases, mocks and taunts him as if she’s above it all. As if she can’t possibly lose. She’s a damn good fighter but she’s weaker. Tony has the body strength that Davina, no matter how many years and hours a day she fights, just won’t gain.
I find myself staying still, letting it continue.
She fights as if nothing has changed. Meanwhile, with every passing minute, I am so enraged that I feel like a volcano about to erupt anytime to create havoc in her life. Finally, the fight ends and Davina wins by killing Tony. Her shoulder is dislocated, showing just how ridiculously insane she really is.
She surprises everyone. I guess I wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t bet on her being the last one standing. Then she opens the cage and looks at people, turning silent at once.
“I don’t care who you are or what kind of money you bring to the Firm. If you ever touch what’s mine, no matter how little you might think it is, I’ll rip you to shreds without batting a goddamn eye,” she orders. “Do you understand?” she asks, and each and everyone nods before she leaves the cage. Without wasting a single second, I grab her arm and drag her to the nearest room I can see.
The minute the door closes, silence greets both of us at last. I am infuriated. Filled with so much rage that I don’t know if I will be able to control my actions tonight. Nyx keeps staring at me as if waiting for me to speak. This time she crossed the line. Talking seems like a moot point now. Her body will have bruises for days from the hits she took today, and her arm will take time to heal, too.
God, even just looking at her makes my anger boil like lava. She has the audacity to roll her eyes with a huff, looking bored. Glancing around the shelves stacked with bottles behind her, she picks the most expensive whiskey and opens the cap before taking a sip.
I frown at her, my fists tightening as I give it all to hold onto the last thread of my patience.
She takes another sip before looking at the label of the bottle, nodding in approval. “This is really damn good. Worth every penny,” she mutters like we are having the most ordinary conversation.
I snatch the bottle from her and throw it against the wall with a loud groan, watching the liquid pool on the floor upon the glass shattering into a million pieces. When I meet her gaze, she doesn’t seem fazed by my act. She doesn’t flinch.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I ask, my tone oozing with indignation. She remains quiet, never breaking eye contact. “Do you have any idea what you did tonight? Not only did you kill one of the best fighters, but you dared to risk my sister’s life along with yours. If I knew about this whole charade you’ve planned behind my back, then–”
“You would have tried to stop me, wouldn’t you?” she finishes my sentence.
“Exactly, Davina. I wouldn’t have wanted my lunatic wife to get into a death match just so she can look all high and mighty.”
She narrows her eyes as her jawline ticks with a cold and distant demeanour engulfing her.
“You are my wife. A part of the Addison family. I told you from the very beginning, I won’t tolerate any reckless acts. What you did tonight makes me want to shoot you right fucking now.”
Before I know it, she puts her hand inside my suit where I keep my guns and pulls one out. Placing my hand on it, she positions the barrel against her chest where her heart is.
“Do it, then. Pull the trigger if you want to do it so badly,” she challenges me, even though she knows I won’t do it. I can’t do it. Not because she is my wife and we have a deal to live up to. It’s just that the thought of killing her leaves an unsettling feeling I haven’t felt for her before. For the first time, my hand is hesitating to pull the trigger. The same hand that has killed hundreds of people in the most torturous ways possible without even blinking an eye. But at this moment, that very hand is faltering in front of Nyx and I hate it. I loathe being weak and losing control to anyone.
“What are you waiting for? Shoot me,” she taunts me further. Almost the same way she did Garcia during the fight. She must get off on pushing people’s limits. “Or are you suddenly too weak when it comes to punishing your wife, Mr Addison?”
Her words feel like venom stinging me. I grab her jaw tightly, almost in a bone-crushing grip, and point the barrel under her mandible. My breathing turns shallow and ragged as I give her the threatening look that only my enemies get the chance to witness.
“Our agreement is the only thing that’s keeping you alive right now. Tonight’s fight might make you feel proud, but you know damn well being reckless only shows how weak you are.”
Her strong demeanour suddenly falters because of my words. But she builds her walls back up again. But I saw it, even though it was for a fleeting moment, I saw her strength stumble and it’s a moment I will relish. She knows it, too.
“I made this decision to fight because the fucker dared to hurt one of my girls in the Sapphire. He deserved to die at the hands of a woman. It’s my concern so I had to deal with this on my own. I certainly didn’t need to tell you about it because it’s none of your fucking business,” she murmurs.
I scoff. “Many other problems happen Davina, but you don’t attend to each and every issue on your own. You have people working for you, for fuck’s sake. You send one of them.” Seeing her incomprehension, I let out a humourless laugh. “I can bet you fought just to prove to others that despite being a woman you can be the leader. But even if you fight thousands of times against the best of the best, those people will still see you as the weaker sex. They will see you as my wife. Someone who got married to unite two territories to give the Firm back to me. That’s all they will see. Stop getting into pointless fights. The Davina I know doesn’t give a fuck what people or the Firm think of her. She rules and protects her people with her power and ambition,” I speak through my clenched teeth.
For the first time ever she is silent as she keeps her gaze focused on mine.
“You keep telling me to control my anger but look at yourself first and take back your control,” I whisper before loosening my grip on her and taking a step back. She just stands there with her back against the shelf as if she is clueless about what to do or say to me.
But I don’t care. She can do whatever the fuck she wants as long as our deal isn’t broken. I’ve had enough of her bullshit power strategy.
“Go ahead and celebrate your win.” I point at the door before I walk towards it.
“Where are you going?” she asks when my hand rests on the handle.
“Home. To pack my bags,” I mutter coldly.
“To go where?”
I look over my shoulder giving her an emotionless expression. “Malaysia.”
She frowns in confusion and makes her way towards me. “You didn’t tell me you were going to Malaysia,” she accuses, crossing her arms.
I snicker, offering her an impassive smile. “You didn’t tell me you were going to have a fight with Garcia. Guess we both keep secrets,” I retort back.
There is a slight discomfort in her eyes but she hides it by looking away and licking her lips. Good. She should be uncomfortable. If she is expecting me to ask for forgiveness for telling her the bitter truth, then it’s a futile attempt. Until I met her I had a very different idea of who women are and what they are for. She might have proved me wrong by knowing her business and taking the necessary steps without second-guessing herself, but there’s a difference between being a leader and being a soldier. And with her making this decision tonight, she showed that those two are blurry for her.
“Why are you going to Malaysia and when will you be back?”
Leaning closer, I whisper my response. “Marriage is about equality from what I’ve heard. But you don’t consider me as your equal and keep doing whatever you wish. So don’t expect me to treat you like you are my equal and share everything with you. I hope the win was worth it.”
I open the door.
“Says the man who wanted to shut me up forever at our first meeting,” she whispers under her breath. Yes, this was my mistake but I’m not going to admit it. I leave without looking back for once.