jaw had it connected, the bastard moved left and kicked out at Jacob’s weak ankle in a move that Jacob should have anticipated.
He was knocked off balance, his ankle giving out. And when his opponent kicked again, he aimed for the same leg, the force so hard that Jacob’s knee hyperextended, bent backwards in a way that was unnatural.
My heart stopped in that moment, both Benny and Franklin crowding forward as all three of us watched in disbelief.
As soon as Jacob fell, I felt three men surround me and knew they were keeping me in place, preventing me from ignoring all the fucking rules to rush down there to pull him out.
“Oh my God,” Lisbeth turned into me, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. I didn’t trust myself to comfort her with hands that could crush her if I lost control.
My heart sank into my stomach, pulse so hard all I heard was the thundering rush of blood.
The crowd around us lifted their hands as Jacob’s opponent circled him.
Franklin, Benny and Connor crushed against me tighter knowing I was one second from exploding in a wash of violence that would bring this stadium to the ground.
Jacob’s eyes opened, his unfocused gaze seeking me out, the silent goodbye stilling me in place as the crowd turned down their thumbs.
I went cold in that moment, fucking helpless, time slowing to a crawl as I watched the only brother I’d ever known accept defeat, our eyes locked as his opponent reached down to end the fight.
My heart thumped painfully in my chest, breath held, every muscle a vice across my bones as Jacob lay still.
Mortize’s man went to his knees to lock Jacob’s head in a fatal hold, the crowd roared louder, Lisbeth cried harder, my fingertips dug into the cement railing beneath them just as Jacob reached up at the last second to cup his hands over his opponent’s head and pull him forward.
The move was so sudden and unexpected that it took even me by surprise, a loud snap echoing out against the shocked hush of the audience just before a new wave of roars filled the air.
I released the breath I’d held when Moritze’s man collapsed to the ground, his life snuffed out in the blink of an eye as time snapped back, my heart lurching painfully hard.
Jacob wouldn’t be walking out like he promised, but he wasn’t dead.
Cupping my hand against the back of Lisbeth’s head, I said, “He won.”
She looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks as Jacob fell back against the ground.
“Stay with Benny and Connor,” I told her, Franklin and I both rushing out to race to the gates to assess the damage, my trust in the two men to watch over her unquestioned.
I didn’t wait for the gates to fully open before slipping through and running toward the asshole now lying with his eyes clenched shut, his leg fucking mangled.
“How bad is it?” He asked, voice strained, barely audible beneath the roaring crowd.
My hands ran over the knee knowing it could be repaired but would never support him in a fight again.
“Bad,” I answered, refusing to sugarcoat the truth.
“That clears it up. Thanks,” he grit out.
My head fell forward, muscles unlocking as a fresh wave of anger surged through me.
“When we get you out of here, you should know I’m going to fucking kill you myself.”
He grinned despite the pain. “Good luck with that.”
Franklin knelt down on Jacob’s other side, medics running in behind us. But before they were able to shove us aside to render care, the lights above our heads went out, the arena falling into absolute darkness, four muffled sounds drawing my eye up to the viewing box to see the flash of gunshots.
I was running before anybody else knew what was going on, my body knocking disoriented people to the side, my steps heavy as I climbed a set of stairs and tripped over a heavy body.
When the emergency lights powered on, I saw who I’d tripped over.
Both Benny and Connor were dead, shot in the chests and heads.
Moritze was gone.
And Lisbeth was nowhere to be found.
I was nothing but violence in that moment.
The shadow of death.
My eyes scanning the arena in search of a man that I should have killed the moment I’d first learned he was a threat.
Lisbeth
The first sensation I felt when my mind dragged from an unconscious fog was a pounding against my skull that was agonizing.
Confusion held me like a desperate lover, my eyes refusing to