I clenched my fist and punched a hole in the wall near the terrified gym owner's head. "I can't let anything happen to you."
"Then, lose the fight, Mr. Morris. It is as simple as that," Mr. Winchester said. The line went dead.
I turned back to the gym owner and his eyes rolled back as I tightened my grip on his shirt. "Where are they?"
"I don't know. I don't know what's going on," he whimpered.
Realization swept over me, and the alarmed ringing in my ears stopped. "Yes, you do. You knew they took her. I did not even have to explain what I meant. You knew they took her and planned to hold her for leverage. Tell me where they are and I won't flatten your skull."
"I don't know. I don't want anything to do with them. They've got leverage over me, too, man. They know where my kids go to school."
I watched his eyes and saw them dart back and forth between me and a scuffed door near the back of the gym. I dropped him and headed toward the door. I kept my steps light. When I cracked open the door and saw the staircase leading down, it confirmed what I thought – there was a basement and somewhere down there, they were holding Kya.
One look was all it took to silence the gym owner. He nodded and went to the door, opened it and closed it. From downstairs it would sound as if I had left. He then shuffled back to his office, slammed the door, and locked it.
I took the steps one at a time. Easing my weight onto each one stopped them from creaking. Downstairs, I could hear voices.
"This is not what I signed up for."
"Stop complaining, Toby. You can have the girl if the fighter doesn't lose."
"Don't be disgusting, Winchester."
"Oh, come on, you were so happy when she hit on you at the bar. Doesn't it bother you she just did it to make Fenton Morris jealous?"
I saw Winchester's shiny suit. The tall man in black, Toby, leaned on the far wall with his chiseled arms crossed. Kya sat on a stack of gym mats, her wrists tied together, a bandana tied into her mouth.
"She was just using you," Winchester continued. "And, that's all we're doing. The fighter loses, we collect a fortune on the spread, and she goes free."
"And, what happens if she goes straight for the police?" Toby asked. "I didn't sign up to do time for kidnapping."
I ducked as Toby's brown eyes swept up the stairs near where I crouched. He stood up and faced his boss. "I'm thinking I should just walk out of here right now."
"Don't be stupid. I mean, you are stupid, but try a little harder. I know you're not a kidnapper and you've got a soft spot for the pretty lady there. If you take a step up those stairs, I can't promise I won't get to know her a lot better."
Bile rose up in my throat. I was going to kill Winchester. Across the room, Toby felt the same, but did not move. The two men faced off. Behind them, I saw Kya slip out of her restraints. She leapt down from the stack of gym mats and ran for the stairs.
As Toby swept her up in his arms, I took my chance. I lunged out from the stairs and clocked Winchester hard as he turned towards me. His expression of anger turned into a snarl.
"Fenton, no! He's got a gun!" Kya struggled hard against Toby. He swung her out of the way and kept her safe as Winchester took aim at me.
"Tie her up again, Toby. Get over here and help me. Our friend needs a little more convincing," Winchester instructed.
Toby did not move. When Winchester glanced at him, I pounced. One hard kick to his hand dropped the gun to the ground. My momentum carried through and brought a lethal punch to his jaw. He dropped to the cement floor and laid still.
Toby picked up the gun and tucked it in his belt. Then, he let Kya go.
"Thank you," she said to him.
She ran to me and jumped into my arms. I refused to let her go and carried her upstairs. Even as I drove the Mustang back, I could not let go of her hand.
The early morning light was gray and the Tropicana strangely deserted. We walked in the front doors and into an elevator without seeing another soul. Neither of us said a word until the suite door locked behind us.
"I was just trying to do you a favor. I'm so sorry," Kya said.
I stopped her with a kiss and my lips did not stop there. I devoured her, starving for her against me. We stumbled across the living room. She wrapped her arms around my neck, opened her mouth to my plunging kisses, and we did not make it farther than the floor in front of fireplace.
I lowered her gently to the ground, our lips never parting. She tangled her hands in my hair and arched against me, as though needing to be as close as possible. Her dress slipped up her body and over her head. I ripped off my sweatshirt and shirt. Coming back against her bare skin ignited my whole body.