Then there was Krew’s monster of a brother.
I shuddered with absolute terror. Thinking his name aloud had me looking around in the dark with utter horror, as though he were about to magically pop into my room.
“I’m losing it.” I flipped onto my other side, bunched up the pillow, and laid my head down. Then I did my best not to think of the events that had destroyed my life.
Exhaustion eventually won, the pills took effect, and I fell right into a fitful night’s sleep.
Teke yanked my head back by my hair—the pain scored through my scalp like a thousand stinging hornets. But the agony was nothing compared to his brutal punches to my face.
I saw stars, the taste of copper filled my mouth, and blood dripped from my nose until I couldn’t breathe.
I clawed and scratched—tried to fight my way out from under him, but Teke was relentless.
He captured both of my wrists in one of his hands, his grip as strong as a steel handcuff. He ripped my underwear off as though it was made of paper.
Then Teke forced my legs apart with his knees, and the whole damn time I couldn’t look away from his eyes—both of them—eerily similar to the one so precious to me.
I screamed as he bit my?—
“Regi, wake up.” Maya’s fearful tone pulled me from the dark. She shook me. “Regina!”
I jolted upright, a scream lodged in the back of my throat.
“It’s me,” Maya said in near panic, cupping my face in her hands. “You’re safe.”
I scrambled out of the bed, not wanting to be touched, and scurried to the kitchen, switching on the hallway light. I tried to swallow the knot in my throat, but my mouth was too dry. “Water.”
I snagged a glass from the drying rack, filled it to the brim, and choked down half the contents before the constriction in my throat eased.
“Are you okay?” Concern etched the corners of Maya’s eyes as she cautiously approached me.
“Yeah,” I croaked out the lie and finished the water.
“Want to talk about it?”
I shook my head, not wanting to voice the nightmare, fearful that it might happen again if I talked about it.
Maya studied me through the speckled red-framed eyeglasses that she never wore in public, before she turned her eyes back to the wall clock. I followed her gaze, and to my surprise, it was only four minutes after three in the morning—I’d barely slept at all.
She blew out a heavy breath. “Okay. Then I’ll tell you what happened after you left the fight. You have no idea.” She dropped onto the sofa and tucked the small, gray rectangular throw pillow under her chin.
“What is it?” I asked, welcoming the change in topic. I sank into the chair next to her, curious on what went on after I left the fight, especially if it involved Krew.
Threading her fingers repeatedly through her messy hair, Maya’s teary eyes appeared haunted. I’d never seen her so distraught. “Kane was murdered. Someone shot him in the head.”
“What?” My spine snapped straight. “Who shot him?”
“I don’t know. The second Kane hit the ground, everyone scrambled out of there so fast, I lost sight of Jess. I ended up huddled behind a damn folding chair like that piece of metal was going to protect me from a bullet.”
I placed my water glass on the coffee table, moved onto the sofa next to my friend, and hugged her. “I’m sorry. But I’m glad you’re safe.” And I was.
However, I was a bit baffled at Maya’s extreme emotional reaction to Kane’s death. Being upset at witnessing a murder was normal, but I thought she hated the man. Maya often said she wished him dead, and described different scenarios how it was done.
“Why are you sorry? You didn’t pull the trigger. Besides, Kane was a jag-off anyway. He probably deserved it. But Jess…” she choked out.
“Is he okay?” I hugged Maya tighter, since she was trembling in my arms.
“I think so. He was in the cage with Kane when… I don’t…” Maya burst into tears, while she kept talking. “He sent me a text message an hour ago.” Maya didn’t explain further, and I didn’t push.
