Caged Love: MMA Contemporary Suspense (Book One) Read Free Page A

gray scar above his right eye, the result of a bottle upside the head, seemed to droop with fatigue.
    As he looked away from the mirror he noticed that he was racing up on a car on the shoulder. He swerved to the middle of the road and slowed to 80 as he passed. It was a nice Chrysler 300, and apparently abandoned. Nick guessed the driver was pissed that his car had broken down out here. At least it was just 15 minutes outside of Boulder City.
    Nick kept his Toyota Celica at 80 as he rounded a slight bend. His headlights showed a rocky hill that butted up to the right shoulder. Then he noticed that something resembling a fat snake was draped across the asphalt, except it was shining in the beam of the headlights.
    Nick tried to swerve, but the object was too close. He hit it and his right front tire blew. Then his back right tire exploded. The car pulled hard to the right and Nick already had it aimed in that direction as he went around the bend. He pushed hard on the brakes, but was going too fast.
    The right side of the Celica hit the rock wall at 30 mph and bounced off of it before coming to a stop. The impact jolted Nick even though he was wearing his seatbelt. He didn’t think he hit his head, but it was throbbing.
    He released his death grip on the steering wheel and climbed out. He rubbed his head and felt for blood. Just a little bit on the left side, nothing serious. Nick started to walk around the car to check the damage. His leg now hurt all over, not just his shin. Then he heard something behind him. He turned and a gloved fist slammed into his jaw. Nick fell, his head careening off the side view mirror. He was dazed, not unconscious. Then a booted foot slammed into his ribs. The air drained from his lungs and he gasped.
    He rolled to his side, hands up, looking for his attacker. He was kicked again, this time in the chest. A car had pulled up behind his, but it stayed on the asphalt. Nick hoped it was the police. Instead it looked like the Chrysler he’d just passed. Someone approached, and Nick pushed his back up against his car in an effort to get up. Another kick to the chest and he groaned in agony.
    Two men squatted down. Through blurry vision Nick saw a bald-headed man and a man with short blonde hair. They looked vaguely familiar. “You got us on a dark road mother fucker,” the blonde guy said.
    The statement didn’t make sense. “Don’t remember us?” the bald one asked.
    Nick wiped blood off his face and shook his head. “The club, last week,” the bald one said.
    It came back to him. He was off last week, but hanging out at the club. These two were there and acting like asses. The blonde guy bumped into him and despite doing better with his life, Nick still didn’t back down from anyone. They briefly exchanged words. “You’re lucky we’re not on a country road,” Nick had said. “I’d stomp your ass.”
    As if the bald guy read his mind, he said, “You’re not stomping shit are you.”
    Then the blonde punched Nick again and looped something over his head. Nick realized that it was some kind of wire. He reached for it. The wire cut into his fingers and he was punched in the stomach. He doubled over and tried to roll. He could feel the wire against the bone of his fingers.
    He fought to keep it off his neck, but the blonde guy was strong. The man adjusted and grunted as he pulled. The wire sunk into Nick’s flesh. Nick felt the warm blood spilling from his neck and his breath came in rasps.
    This just didn’t make sense. A brief confrontation that wasn’t a big deal and now he was fighting for his life. He couldn’t have known that these two were sociopaths who liked to kill.
    The man strained as he pulled with everything he had. Nick fought until his eyes rolled back into his head. His last thought was of his brother playing in the World Series, and then his body went limp.
    The man smiled as he continued to apply pressure. The wire was a half inch deep by the time Nick’s heart