SHOOT: A Novel (24 page)

“Fuck!” she
screamed out. He continued working his cock in and out of her, picking up the
pace as the minutes ticked by.

It felt so damn
good, but the discomfort from her spanking couldn’t be ignored. Nathan took a
few more long strokes until her shaking died down and the loud moans of
pleasure took over. He held onto her hips and started thrusting in and out
until he had her downright screaming.

That was when he
reached around to rub her clit. At the moment her body tensed up, she choked
out a breath as the orgasm slammed into her. Nathan was thrusting against her
mercilessly now, but it didn’t last long. His hands clutched at her hips so
tight it nearly hurt. He buried his cock as deep as he could. His body went
stiff and his thrusting stopped as he came with her.

“Oh fuck,” he
grunted with the final pump of his orgasm.

He fell onto the
bed on his side, opening his eyes to look at her. Emma was still collapsed
forward with her ass in the air, trying to catch her breath and steady her
body.

Finally, she
dropped down and curled onto her side to look into Nathan’s beautiful, deep
blue eyes.

He had just
reached out to run his hand down her cheek when they heard a loud
bang
from the living room.

Nathan hopped out
of the bed at once. Emma curled up in the bed, covering her naked body with the
blankets.

Nathan skidded to
a halt as soon as the three men with guns came into view.

Emma didn’t even
realize what was happening at first. Nathan jumped forward and threw a punch,
forcing the man back into the wall and crumpling to the ground. The other two
men jumped on him at the same time. Emma covered her naked body with the
comforter. She knew they had to have seen her, but they were focusing on Nathan
and there was nothing she could do.

Her heart was
pounding and he body shaking. This had to be Nick’s work, there was no other
explanation for three armed men busting into Nathan’s apartment. She wondered
if Nick had even assumed she would go to Nathan right after and was getting
twice the kick out of all this thinking she would get caught by his men as
well. Nathan was struggling against the weight of the two men as she curled up
against the headboard and peered out over the blanket.

She saw Nathan
pinned to the floor with a gun pressed against his head and it took everything
in her not to scream out in terror. Then she froze. The other man walked in and
sneered as soon as his eyes landed on her, his gun now pointing directly at her
chest. She couldn’t even breathe. There was no way she could see them getting
out of this. It was sure death. Nathan’s little conversation with Nick had come
to this. It was too late for her to get out of this alive.

Her thoughts were
interrupted when the man pointing the gun at her spoke up. “Nick is
not
to be fucked with.”

He stepped over
Nathan, who was still pressed into the ground by the other man’s gun, and
walked forward to Emma. He pressed the gun to her chest and moved it downward
to expose her breasts. She didn’t even dare cover her body back up. He looked
down at her and placed his free hand on the buckle of his belt, smacking his
tongue against his teeth.

“Tell ‘em,” he
barked at the other man, his gaze not leaving Emma’s exposed breasts even for a
second. The gun felt cold pressed into her stomach.
 

“Now ya either do
the deal Nick proposed or both you and Emma die,” he said, pressing his gun
into the side of Nathan’s head. It didn’t take long for him to reluctantly
agree to the deal, if only for the sake of staying alive and getting them out
of his home.

“Can’t be a little
fuck and be obvious about it either. You go down in the third round, you
heard?”

Nathan agreed to
Nick’s demands sent over by armed messengers. The two of the men backed out of
the room, guns still pointed at Emma and Nathan, pushing the third man out the
door. As soon as it shut, Nathan ran over to secure it although the lock was
broken. He immediately ran back into the room to find Emma, who was clearly
shaken up, on the verge of tears.

“Fuck,” Nathan
said, fist curled up and ready to be hurled at someone or something. Emma’s
body shook and tears spilled out the corners of her eyes. This was the type of
thing she hoped to avoid every day she was part of this lifestyle but, in the
end, she hadn’t managed to escape it.

“I can’t stand
seeing you this way,” he muttered. He walked forward and pulled the blanket up
to cover her exposed body. Although he wasn’t someone she wanted to hide her
body from, it was comforting for him to do it.

“
No
one
fuckin’ treats my girl this way,” he muttered, his voice low and dangerous.
There was a little quiver in it that suggested just how furious he was.

Emma wanted to
plead with him not to make any rash decisions, but she knew it was pointless.
Not only that, she was frankly thinking something needed to be done to put a
stop to this. She had the sinking feeling Nick would never stop targeting them.
Even if he didn’t want her, he wanted to make it impossible for her to be with
anybody else. And he hated being outdone, something that Nathan threatened to
do all on his own.
 

“I’m not throwing
that fight,” he declared. Emma looked up at him, heart racing. After what had
just happened, how could he actually say that? “I’m going to win that fight. I
don’t care what Nick says or how the fuck he threatens me. This isn’t ending
like this.” He paced up and down the bedroom, running his index finger on his
upper lip.
 

Emma could tell he
was thinking and coming up with a plan, but she didn’t like it one bit. She had
already warned him Nick wasn’t the type to defy and the three armed men had
proven her point. She couldn’t understand what was running through his mind.

Finally, he
stopped pacing and turned to look at her. He saw the fear in her eyes and
walked over to her, kneeling down beside the bed and placing his hand on her
thigh.

“There’s only one
way about this. I’m going to Alex Moretti.”

“You’re
what
?” Emma finally spoke. That seemed
even worse of an idea than anything that had passed through her mind.

“I’m gonna make a
deal with the guy. If I win the big fight against ‘Tiger’ when Moretti comes to
watch, there’ll be a big payout.” He paused and looked into Emma’s eyes with
hope. She wasn’t sure what he was getting at but the road seemed far too
dangerous. Nathan hopped up onto the bed and gently placed a hand against her
cheek.

“Then we can use
the money from that to leave Chicago and go to California.”

Silence.

They stared at
each other, Nathan waiting for her response and Emma trying to find one in the
mess of thoughts running through her mind. It was awfully dangerous, but one of
the most tempting things she had ever come across. She knew deep down that even
if they did as Nick wanted now, it was only the start of his torture of them.
One way or another they had to leave Chicago.

 
If she felt it was too late to get out now,
she could only imagine how it would be after more time had passed. After some
thought she agreed; although somewhat reluctantly.

“I’ll talk to
Moretti before the fight,” Nathan told her.

The night of the
fight finally arrived. It had been a tumultuous time leading up to it, mainly
because Emma was incredibly nervous. She knew Nathan was too, but he didn’t
show it. He was being strong for her and for the sake of appearance. As she
watched him lock up the moving truck that was packed with all their belongings
and ready to go, she realized her questions about the relationship had mostly
been answered.

Now there was a
real chance for them to have a future together. They kept the moving truck at a
storage unit just outside of the city ready to go for their escape, so they
hopped into his car and drove down the highway toward The Ring.

The moment of
truth was fast approaching, but Emma wasn’t as jittery as she thought she would
be. All of it seemed so surreal. It was also Nathan’s confidence and strength
that brought a comfort to her.

Once they arrived,
Nathan went directly to the locker room to get ready for arguably the most
important fight of his life. The fight wasn’t just against his opponent,
‘Tiger’, but also against Nick. She was more worried about the latter than the
one he’d be going toe to toe with in the ring.
 

Emma undid another
button of her top to show off some cleavage and put on her poker face. If this
was going to go off without a hitch, she had to play her own part in it. So she
went to the betting booth and sat next to Laura, who was already taking bets
for the big event. She made small talk, as usual, and leaned forward to show
some enticing cleavage to the men recklessly betting away their cash. She was
doing it on purpose because she knew Nick was keeping an eye on her and she
could see him scoffing at her actions.

Now he
certainly
thought she was a whore, she
thought with a little giggle. It was right then that Emma got a text from
Nathan letting her know the deal had been officially made with Alex. Her
stomach did a little flip. This was really happening. The plan was already in
full action and there was no turning back now.

It was only a
couple minutes later when none other than Alex Moretti walked up to Emma’s
window. There were three men with him, one on each side and the third behind
him. It was quite obvious they were his bodyguards. It alarmed her to figure
out he knew who she was even though they had never officially met, but then she
realized that was to be expected. He cleared his throat and leaned forward,
placing his elbow on the little ledge sticking out the booth window.

He quietly placed
his bet on Nathan before loudly saying, “He
is
the best fighter in the city.” His gaze lingered on Emma for just a moment
before he winked and turned around. Her throat felt scratchy as she nervously
swallowed against dryness. She could tell he was subtly sending her a
message—Nathan better win, or else.

As soon as Moretti
walked away, the first bell of the fight rang. Emma and Laura closed up the
booth windows and got organized to walk out for the fight. This was the part
Emma always hated the most, but tonight she felt an even greater dread for it.
The crowd was bigger and louder than usual. She noticed a lot were there
cheering for Nathan, but Tiger had plenty of fans of his own. He was regarded
as the second-best fighter in Chicago, after all, and this was no small event.
In fact, this was pretty much the big time when it came to underground fights.
She wanted to feel proud of Nathan, but the situation just didn’t allow her to
do so in earnest.

The two men in the
ring started moving back and forth, looking intensely at one another. She knew
each was sizing the other up and thinking of when to throw the first punch.
Tiger swung first, but Nathan expertly dodged out of the way, taking the
opportunity to take his own swing. Tiger was too good for that and avoided it
with equal skill. The crowd jeered. They wanted to see blood from the start.
The two men continued to swing and miss until Nathan ducked for one second too
long. That was all Tiger needed to finally get his fist to collide with
Nathan’s cheek.

The punch had a
tremendous force to it, forcing Nathan to stumble back. That allowed Tiger
enough time to throw another and get him on the shoulder, sending Nathan’s arm
swinging backward. The two men were already starting to sweat profusely under
the hot lights of The Ring. Emma saw beads of sweat fly off Nathan’s arm where
Tiger had caught him.

Nathan stumbled
forward, almost head-diving into the floor of the fighting ring, but it was
just a way to finally get out of Tiger’s line of fire. He grabbed onto the ring
ropes and pulled his body up straight before suddenly turning and successfully
delivering a punch to Tiger’s stomach. It wasn’t very strong, but it was enough
of a warning shot to make Tiger step back.

Nathan swung his
arm forward for another punch but Tiger was quick– he threw out a forceful
punch that grazed the side of Nathan’s chin. The force of it made Nathan fall
to the floor and Emma cried out, her hand covering her mouth immediately. The
crowd jeered even louder, some calling out Nathan for shoddy fighting and others
cheering for Tiger’s knockdown. Nathan got up quickly and got back into his
fighting stance.

For the rest of
the first round, nothing more than a couple weak punches were thrown out by
either fighter. The bell rang and they each retreated to their corners for
water. Emma wanted to rush over to Nathan, but she held back. She didn’t
usually do that and she figured it wasn’t a good idea to do something
differently now that Nick was monitoring her so closely.

 
The second round was even more intense than
the first. There were a lot of narrow misses but as time went on, Tiger seemed
to be getting the best of Nathan. Every little trick Nathan usually pulled off
either failed or made him susceptible to a powerful blow from his opponent.

Near the end of the
second round, Nathan’s left eye was nearly swollen shut and a tiny cut appeared
along the bridge of his nose. Emma couldn’t remember the last time she had seen
him limping around so much when a fight wasn’t over yet. The cut on his nose
was starting to bleed more than she liked and her gut wrenched as a million
thoughts raced through her head.

 
She started to worry he might
actually
lose the fight– which would
make Nick happy, but would set Alex Moretti and his men hot on their heels.
Neither of the two were enemies she wanted to make. With Alex, however, there
was nobody to help them out or keep them safe. There was no getaway from him.
Her stomach clenched and she started sweating.

She watched, on
edge, as Tiger landed another solid blow to Nathan’s face. His head cocked back
and the crowd went silent as he crumpled to the ground. It was all she could do
to push herself through the crowd of people and get as close to the ring as
possible, tears in her eyes and body shaking with worry. She hated seeing the
man she loved lying there as if he were lifeless. Then she caught something out
of the corner of her eye.

She turned to her
right and saw Alex Moretti standing on the side of the fighting ring. He was
livid. He was glaring at the crumpled heap that was Nathan. He shifted his gaze
to Emma. She couldn’t turn away from him. The crowd was going crazy and it was
clear nobody thought Nathan would be getting back up.

Nobody thought
“The Comeback Kid” would pull off his spectacular last minute moves this time
around. From the looks of it, Moretti was one of those people. His icy stare
pierced through the crowd at Emma as the referee continued his counting.

“Four! Five!”

Emma’s heart was
pounding so hard she couldn’t hear a single thing over the thundering pulse in
her ears.

“Six!”

Everything seemed
to be moving in slow motion. Her body was being shoved about by the chanting
angry men around her, but she didn’t even notice.

“Seven! Eight!”

She stood there,
as if time had stopped, waiting to see if Nathan would get up. It seemed like
the end and, as much as she hoped he would be healthy afterward, she didn’t
know if it mattered. Moretti was ready to kill Nathan himself if the fight was
lost.

“Nine!”

Just as the
referee was about to slam his hand down on the canvas of the ring and call
Tiger the winner, Nathan pushed his body up with trouble. The crowd went
absolutely insane and Tiger looked like a cross between completely shocked and
captivated to continue fighting someone with Nathan’s spirit. Nathan gave the
referee a reassuring nod as he wiped a bit of blood and sweat away from his
eye.

Moretti
immediately focused his attention on the fight and that was when Emma saw Nick
standing clear across her, on the other side of the fighting ring. He was
watching the fight calmly, but she knew he was keeping an eye out for what he
wanted. Nick glanced across the ring at her. That’s when she saw the
realization in his eyes. He was starting to piece together what was happening.
If Nathan didn’t stay down at that point in the fight, he wasn’t going to stay
down at all.

It was during the
third round that Nathan put his fists up and looked Tiger dead in the eye.
Despite how beat up he was he didn’t back down one bit. He made a movement as
if to throw a punch toward Tiger’s face, but switched it up last second and
caught him in the stomach with a punishing blow.

Tiger stumbled
back into the ropes. Emma could hear him wheeze and pant with pain.
Immediately, he lunged forward to get to Nathan, but he dodged out of the way
at the very last second, sending the Tiger flying forward into the ropes on the
other side. As soon as he turned around, Nathan delivered a lightning fast
punch square in the middle of Tiger’s face.

He looked
completely disoriented and Nathan took full advantage of it. His swollen eyes,
the blood still running out from his mouth, none of it could stop him. He swung
his arm up and caught Tiger right under the chin before finishing him off with
another punch across the jaw.

Tiger crumpled
down to the floor. A wet slap echoed against the walls and over the loud
cheering of the crowd when his body hit the canvas. The referee immediately ran
over and started counting.

He didn’t get back
up.