Slamming my glass against the countertop, I get off my seat and walk around the L-shaped bar quickly. Grabbing the first guy by the back of the neck, I pull him off the girl. He tries to twist in my hold while swinging at me, but I’ve already got my arm around his neck, holding him in a chokehold.
Before I can get this guy unconscious, his friend grabs the bar stool and lifts it in the air, swinging it at my head. Normally, I could have seen that move coming from a mile away, but in my current state, everything is fucked up.
I’m fucked up…
The hardwood lands with a crack against the side of my head that’s so hard, I’m surprised I don’t black out right then. I do, however, see stars. Releasing the guy, I stumble back and try to gather my bearings, but before I can do that, I’m being hit again, this time a meaty fist cuts across my face.
A woman’s scream pierces my ears as fists of fury rain down on me, clobbering every inch of my face. Pain is a welcomed feeling though. It blends with the pain that Dove caused me. I’m so gone now, I don’t think I could even bring my arms up to protect my face even if I wanted to. All I can do now is exist at this moment, and let the pain rule my life. The light inside my head flickers in and out, and I know it’s coming.
One more punch and the light goes out.
Darkness surrounds me, but I welcome it.
Only in my dreams can I be beside Dove again.
When I come to it feels like I’ve been hit by a truck before sliding down the side of a mountain face first. My face is throbbing so much so, I swear I can feel my heartbeat in the side of my head.
What the fuck happened?
The memories flicker through my mind like an old movie reel with some scenes missing, the film ripped apart. Dove… drinking… the bar… a fight. Either, I drank way more than I thought, or I got hit in the head pretty hard. On second thought, I’m sure it’s a combination of those two.
I pry my eyes open slowly, immediately thankful that there is not much light in this room. Blinking, I try to make sense of where I am. The room is bare, brick walls surround me, and it doesn’t take long for me to realize I’m in a cell.
Fucking hell.
Sitting up, I’m forced to close my eyes yet again, as the entire room starts spinning. When I open my eyes this time, I see the iron bars, confirming that, indeed, I’m in a cell. There is nothing inside but a cot that is creaking beneath me with every move.
I look around the cell, scanning every inch before I get up. The only thing I find is a water bottle sitting next to my cot. I grab it, unscrew the cap and start drinking. My parched mouth welcomes the cool water. I don’t stop until the entire bottle is gone. Still, I feel more thirst. Damn, I’m dehydrated. Of course, that’s the least of my worries right now.
My first thought is Christian found me, but he would have probably killed me right away. Castro is my second thought, but why would he want me locked up? No, both of them would have either killed me right away, or I would have woken up to being tortured.
I push myself up to stand on unsteady feet. Swaying slightly, I walk to the iron bars so I can look up and down the hallway. At the far end, I see a man posted. As soon as he catches sight of me, he turns and starts to walk away from me.
“Hey, asshole!” I yell after him. Instead of getting a reaction out of him, I make my ears hurt. The sound echoes through the hallway, only intensifying my headache. Ugh.
Walking back to my cot, I sit down and try to gather my thoughts. Where the fuck am I, and how did I get here? Most importantly, how the hell will I get out of here?
A few minutes later, I hear someone approaching. Getting myself ready for a fight, I get up on my feet and let my hands form fists beside me. Every muscle in my body is tense when I see none other than Xander Rossi appear on the other side of the cell door.
“Good morning, Zane. Sobered up enough to behave?”
I’m so shocked at seeing him, that I’m speechless, but I’m even more shocked when he reaches in his pocket and fishes out a key to unlock the cell door. The door swings open, and he takes a step to the side, motioning for me to come out.