Chapter Four
Shane
As he had thought, the cops weren’t going to do anything.
Shane sat in his car just outside the grocery store, trying to pull himself back under control. Smoke seeped from between his closed lips, and he knew that anybody watching would latch onto the ‘angry dragon’ stereotype and be afraid he was going to go on a rampage. He normally didn’t have any trouble controlling his emotions. Even before he joined the navy, he was very schooled and rarely allowed his fires to reach a point where they produced smoke.
In this case, though… How could they just turn a blind eye to the horrors that were happening in their own town? They had to be taking a cut.
He inhaled deeply, quietening his fires, and released the rest of the smoke his lungs were filled with. Kayla was safe. That was the important thing to remember at the moment. She was safe, and he had time to figure out his next step. Whether that was going to a higher authority to get Gordon’s fighting ring shut down or to go back and destroy it himself, now that he knew where it was.
The most important thing was that Kayla stay safe, though. It might be a good idea to wait until the dig was over… or at least until Kayla moved into a new project, as this could be years.
The ringing of his phone made him jump. Shane shook his head, bringing himself back to the present, and answered.
“Hey, big bro!” The perennial cheerful voice of his younger brother, Tyler, came over the phone. “How’s it going?”
“I’m good. But you haven’t called Mom in three weeks.”
Tyler let out a huffy breath. “Come on, bro. Seriously? I call up and the first thing you do is start scolding me? Aren’t you curious as to what I’m calling for?”
Shane bit his tongue to stop himself from asking Tyler how much money he wanted. That was always what he called for. Every other time, it was Shane calling him to remind him to call their mom. They had a good enough relationship when they were together but keeping in touch was not a family specialty.
“I met a girl,” Tyler continued. “A great girl. Pretty, smart, cares about the environment. She’s vegan, too. You know how hard it is to be vegan? I could never do it.”
Kayla was vegan, too. And she wasn’t all preachy about it, either, which was the biggest problem Shane had had with vegans in the past. For her, it was a personal choice. She had explained it to him when he had asked but other than that didn’t bring it up. She even made her own soap. How awesome was that? She was amazing.
“So what do you say?”
Shane blinked, then shook his thoughts away. “I didn’t catch that.”
Tyler groaned. “I told you that I want to take her on a trip to Paris. I think she might be the one, you know? My destined mate.”
“Mates aren’t destined, Tyler. You choose them as much as anything.”
“You’re such a romantic guy. It’s a wonder that you haven’t found your mate yet,” Tyler drawled dryly.
“And you find yours every other week.”
Tyler groaned. “Are you gonna lend me the money or not? She’s a great girl, the girl of my dreams. Come on. Please?”
“Fine. But I want you to pay it back by Christmas. I’ll wire the money over right away.”
“Thanks. You’re the best. So… how are you doing?”
Shane repressed a sigh. Talking on the phone wasn’t their strong suit, even when they had something to talk about. Now, though… trying to grind out a conversation with his little brother wasn’t something that he wanted to do. Not when there was so much else weighing on his mind. “I’m pretty busy, actually. That dig that I’m funding has just started and I’m in town picking up groceries for supper tonight. So I’ve got to go. But I’ll call you later.”
“Sure, sure. Sounds great.” Tyler already sounded distracted. “I’ll call Mom.”
“Good. Love you, Ty. Bye.”
After hanging up, Shane pulled up his banking accounts and transferred a couple thousand dollars to Tyler. That should be enough to get him to Paris. If his relationship lasted that long. Tyler fell in love easily but fell out of love just as easily.
Well, it was his life. As much as Shane wanted to protect his baby brother, Tyler was his own man and needed to learn his own lessons.
He did the shopping quickly, though his mind was elsewhere. As he was loading up the car, though, there was another unwelcome addition to his day. Gordon Hunt, driving a flashy little sports car, pulled up beside him. Shane didn’t miss the two beefy men in a jeep that pulled up on his other side and rolled his eyes. If this was Gordon trying to intimidate him, he was going to learn that it took more than a couple of knuckleheads to intimidate the ex-SEAL.
“Freeman.” Gordon greeted as he exited his car. “Just the man I was looking for. I was hoping you and I could talk a little bit.”
“’Bout what? I thought our business had concluded.”
“So did I.” Gordon cleaned some imaginary dirt from off his nail. “Until I got a visit from a buddy of mine on the police force. Seems like you’re stirring up some trouble. Now is that any way to treat me after I was so generous and I let you and your little BBW walk away without any trouble?”
Shane’s jaw clenched so tight he was surprised he didn’t crack a tooth. “BBW?” he repeated.
“Big beautiful woman. She’s big and she’s beautiful. Those curves. A man could drown in them. Got a lot of positive responses with her, too.” Gordon smirked. “Tell me, how was she?”
Shane refused to react. Gordon was wanting him to lose his temper. “What do you want?”
“After you left I looked you up. I was surprised to read about your history. Wealthy, outspoken on equal rights issues. It’d be a shame if everybody found out that you had gone and gotten involved in an illegal fighting ring.” Gordon’s smile became more self-satisfied. “You see, every fight is filmed and I’ll release your display to the world unless we come to an arrangement.”
“You think this is the first time someone’s tried to blackmail me? You release that video and it’s the proof I need to shut you down.”
Gordon laughed. “Don’t you think that I’ve got that covered? You’d shut down this fight, yes. But me? No. Some poor local would take the fall and I’d build their family a new house or something. It doesn’t really matter the details. I’ve dealt with situations before. The cops don’t want justice, they want their paycheck and donuts.”
Shane’s fires flickered a little higher but he shook his head. He wasn’t ready to make his move yet. And if that meant giving this slimy man money in order to buy himself time and find a way to bring him down? Well, then he’d have to pay it.
“How much?”
“Let’s start with ten thousand monthly. I’ve got this great little charity that you can donate to. Funding women’s shelters across Canada.” Gordon’s smile became even more pronounced. “Oh, and by the way, I’m going to need your prize back.”
Shane’s shoulders tensed. His voice was flat and deadly when he spoke. “What are you talking about?”
“Not clear enough? The prize that you won at the last fight. My beautiful BBW. She was only yours for the week. I’ll need her back before the next fight tomorrow.”
Smoke billowed in Shane’s lungs. His fires roared so high that they scorched his throat. He couldn’t stop himself from growling. The beefy men started forward but Gordon held up a hand. The grin was still on his face, as though this was all a joke to him. The bastard was going down. But he had to play this smart.
“If anybody tries to touch her, I will kill them,” Shane told Gordon, making sure his threat was clear.
Gordon clapped his hands. “Yes! That’s the kind of spirit I want to see in my ring. I knew you’d be an excellent champion. I just had to find your motivation. So there we have it. A nice little agreement. You can donate to my charity and in the meantime fight for your lady love. She’s a beautiful girl. She’s got that wide-eyed innocent look to her that makes men want to get their hands on her. She looks like she wouldn’t know what to do with herself once you take her clothes off. I bet she’s good though.”
Shane’s hands clenched at his sides. He could always kill this worm before him. His guards wouldn’t be able to stop him that quickly.
“Now you come back every week to fight for Kayla. If you win, then you keep her for another week. If you lose, then I’ll give her to the man who does win.” Gordon paused a moment and nodded. “Yes, that will work. I’m sure she won’t be pleased but there are ways to make a woman compliant.”
Shane’s hand shot out before he could stop it. His fingers curled around Gordon’s throat. But he didn’t squeeze. Gordon wouldn’t have come here with this blackmailing if he didn’t have an ace up his sleeve, some way to ensure his safety.
The two beefy guards jumped forward but once again Gordon held up a hand to stop them.
“Let’s not get violent, Mr. Freeman. If you kill me the video of your illegal activity is released. And that, combined with a murder? Tsk, tsk. What will all your hard work to provide dragons with better lives do then?”
Shane forced himself to release Gordon, breathing heavily. He had dedicated years of his life to various charities and working towards making life better not only for dragons but every oppressed group. He had scholarships for poor people to attend university. No-interest loans for people starting up their own small businesses. The video was one thing but killing Gordon? The public would turn on him in a heartbeat regardless of the situation.
His nostrils flared but he nodded. “Fine. I fight. I keep Kayla out of your hands. But even if I lose, she stays safe. She doesn’t get traded off to someone else.”
“Yes, she does. How else will I motivate you to fight?” Gordon clapped his hands and chuckled, the true image of a supervillain. “Oh, this is good! I’ve been so bored lately. Thank you for giving me something to be excited about again.”
“I don’t want Kayla to know about the fights.” If he had to do this, he didn’t want her to be constantly on edge and afraid. “And the moment she does find out? I kill you.”
Gordon rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. Fine, Kayla can stay ignorant if that’s what you want. Remember, tomorrow. Don’t be late.”