Cara’s POV
“I have the tracker on. However, I feel it won’t be needed. Today’s just to get the feel of things and know what I’m up against.” Adonis informed me as he pulled on his black hoodie.
Dressed in black sweats and a hoodie with a black cap, he looked more like a street thug going on a theft mission. My eyes shined as he lifted his cap to push back some of his curls, and I couldn’t help but blush.
Let’s say a classy, rich street thug. A normal one wouldn’t look this good and reek of a million-dollar cologne.
“So, I’d like you to stay at your father’s place for the time. I’ll check in every two days to prevent them from getting suspicious of me.” He continued, dishing out instructions like he had been doing for the past fifteen minutes since I walked in from the shower.
“Bel, are you listening?” He called from the dressing room.
“Yeah,” I called back. “Just be quick. You’ve been in there for almost thirty minutes. And pull off your left stud. I don’t want any of those club ladies hanging around you because you look like an expensive piece of cake.”
“Are you watching me dress?” He replied, sounding amused.
My eyes darted to the big glass mirror-like wall that showed the reflection of the dressing room. “It’s kind of hard not to, judging from the setting of this room. Moreover, it’s my husband’s body. Sue me.”
A deep chuckle filled my ears, sending tingles all the way to my feet as he began to advance.
I straightened my shoulder, taking a defiant position as I anticipated Adonis’s appearance. He walked in, looking as hot as ever and a lot better than he did a week ago, adjusting his watch on his wrist.
“I’m ready. Your father already reached out to Luca, so there shouldn’t be any mess….” His eyes found me. “What are you wearing?”
“Oh, this?” A big grin graced my face as I pointed at my matching outfit, “I wanted to look exactly like you.”
He gave me a once-over. “Why?”
“What do you mean ‘why?'” My brows knitted together, doing my best imitation of his deep, cold voice. “It’s my first stakeout; I should learn from my seniors and, in this case, you.”
“We agreed on this already, Cara.”
“No. No, no, and no.” I waved a finger in front of his face to describe my disagreement. “You agreed. I didn’t.”
“Cara…
“Seriously! I stressed it during the last week. I made you understand that I won’t give up on this argument.”
“No, you didn’t. You kept on repeating, ‘If you’re going to have someone watch your back, then it must be someone I trust.’. Who knew you meant yourself?” Adonis argued.
“Well, who else would I trust better than myself? I’ll be going with you, and that’s final.”
He exhaled heavily, “Bel, don’t let me call your father.”
I met his gaze head-on, refusing to give up, “Go ahead. See if it changes anything. Don’t you remember?” My hands stood proudly on my hips, acting like the assertive woman I was aiming to be.
“I told you, I have a second condition. This is it.” I humped.
A lot can happen within a week. Like Adonis’s miraculous recovery. Let’s talk about that:
When he kept giving the time frame for his recovery, I thought he was bluffing, but it turns out the man knows his body more than I do. At first, I believed he was hiding his pain just to achieve his goal of becoming a detective.
I watched him intently when he wasn’t looking to get signs of the littlest discomfort, which turned me into a zombie due to lack of sleep. I’d study intensely while he slept to pick up even the slightest action that might give him away, but guess what?
Nothing. As the days passed, his skin received more light, and he began to look like his old self once again. I almost lost it when he decided to visit the gym on his third day of recovery.
The second thing that happened was filing Luca in on our new direction. I believed Cecelia was hurting badly and refusing to admit it, but boy did seeing Luca change my mind.
He looked like shit. Worse than when I saw him last. The pitiful glances my gaze held all through his visit were in sympathy for him being the one to shoulder all the stress of remaining in the mansion.
I had to hold back from calling Cecelia and putting an end to this madness, but it wasn’t my call to make.
Thirdly, I never knew a pregnant woman having a doting husband could be a bad thing. Adonis was obsessed. He was like a nagging wife whose husband refused to give up some cash for their home’s monthly upkeep.
Bel, don’t do that.
Bel, stop walking too fast.
Bel, should I install an elevator here? Would your father be fine with that?
I wouldn’t have minded if his doting actions wouldn’t cover this.
“This is for your safety, Cara. I don’t know how else to convince you.” My lovely husband continued with his protest.
“Then don’t bother. See,” I pulled out the moustache I had bought two days ago, giving him a peek at my updo beneath the cap.”With my hair packed and this, I can act like a man so well.”
“You’re pregnant!” He pointed out as though I’d forgotten.
“I could always act like a pot-bellied man then. I know self-defence and how to use a gun; we are ready to leave.”
The sound of shuffling feet reached our ears, and we both whipped our heads towards the entrance.
“Don’t mind me,” my father spoke, “I was just coming to get you, Adonis. You can go on with your… talk.”
“Thank God you’re here Miguel. Can you please talk some sense into Cara?”
Did I mention they were now on a first-name basis? My father was stealing my man.
“Camilla?” He confirmed.
“Hmm.”
I waited for him to disagree, prepared to go on a rampage. I just got my man back, there was no way I’d willingly let him walk back into danger.
However, I didn’t need to.
“Why? Let her go. She wants to and believes she can take care of herself. What can go wrong?”
Adonis scrutinised him carefully. “I… should… let… her… come… along?” Each word sounded strained as his clenched jaw.
“Yeah.” My father repeated. “You’ll be returning today anyway.”
Dubious, I asked, “What’s your plan? You’re not coming along?”
“No. I have something else to take care of. I’ll escort you both to the club. There’s a fight scheduled for 9pm, so if we leave now, we should be there on time.”
“We can be fashionably late.” I rose to my feet, flashing the gun and knife tucked in my trousers. “The club wouldn’t come alive till midnight.”
“This is why I said you shouldn’t come along. The fight is one of the biggest they’ve had in months, so they’re closing the club today. You can’t even disguise as a clubber if hell breaks loose.” Adonis complained.
“Guess I’ll be going as your manager then.”
“Fine! Have it your way.” He grumbled, stalking out of the room.
“I can’t wait to see how this pans out.” My father mumbled under his breath, and pointed two fingers at my eyes, then back at him.
Whatever his suspicious reason was that caused Adonis to easily agree, I’ll find out.
For now, manager Cara was off.
****
Struggling to keep my composure as we walked into a massive gym-like room, I pushed down the regret that kept shadowing my heart.
This place looked nothing like I remembered. Probably because I never got to come in-just a peep from the closed doors had me bolting.
It spanned across the entire second floor of the building, looking nothing like I’d expected after seeing the ambience of the club itself.
Everywhere felt stuffy and moist, the bare walls giving it a raw, unfinished feel.
It reminded me of the basement back at Adonis’s mansion, only that this wasn’t made for torture. I took in the sea of people cheering on their favourite fighters and wondered why a normal human would even want to be here.
Okay, except for ulterior motives like mine.
“Where do we sit?” My voice above their loud cries, leaning my small frame against Adonis’s, who had me in front of him the entire way in.
“Over there!” He pointed towards a bench not too far from where we stood.
Sitting came with a sense of security for me. I wouldn’t have to be bothered about getting squashed amidst the violent crowd.
Looking around, I noticed the number of people sitting was negligible compared to those standing.
We were late yet we got seats and they didn’t?
“How did you get us seats?” I yelled again.
“There’s an order,” Adonis replied; how I was able to hear him clearly despite the way he maintained his usual steady tone beat me. “This business is lucrative due to betting. You get to sit if you bet a hundred thousand dollars and more.” He said casually.
My lips parted.
“Are you saying amongst the people standing, some are betting over a thousand dollars?”
“Yes. And some are here just to watch.”
“Who would waste such an amount?”
“Addicted bettors? People who enjoy the thrill? I paid the same amount, so.”
I looked up at the gallery, filled with plush leather seats and men with cigars in between their lips, as practically naked women served them drinks.
If we got a bench for betting over a hundred thousand… my breath got caught in my throat as my mind processed the amount they probably staked.
Before I could confirm my thoughts, a loud bell rang throughout the room.
My eyes caught a man standing in a blue sparkly suit in the middle of the ring.
“Ladies and gentlemen. This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for-
The screams intensified, galling only when he waved a red flag.
“Six of our top fighters would be battling for the position ‘Lord of Axe,’ and the winner gets to go home with a whopping sum of ten million. ARE. YOU. READY?”
The screams picked up again, dragging on for longer…
He waved the flag once more.
“Now, for the first round, welcome, Death Eater versus The Lion!!!!!”
Two men walked in from separate ends of the ring. My eyes widened as they took in each of their forms, and I took back every of my word about Adonis’s men being huge and bulk.
Everything looked normal until,
A large roar tore out from the first, earning a more intense response from the crowd, “I AM DEATH EATER!!!!”
Oh boy.