OWNED IN THE DARK

MATHEW I stood in the centre of the ring, my knuckles wrapped in tape, looking at the guy opposite me. Tony. The same guy who had been buying drinks for Ciara at the university bar for months. The same guy who looked at her with those smarmy, possessive eyes and the same idiot who came with her to my engagement and stood outside the door while I fucked her senseless. The thought alone made me smirk. My brother was dead, he had been dead for years and the only headway I had was Maggie. I was going to kill this man with my bare hands. The referee nodded, stepping back, and the bell rang. It was a deafening clash of noise-cheers from the crowd, the thud of boots on canvas, the grunts of exertion. I lunged first, aiming for his ribs, but he was fast. He sidestepped me, his arm shooting out to hook my neck. I choked, stumbling back, my eyes finding hers in the stands. She was there. Carlista was there. But Ciara... she was nowhere to be seen. My focus fractured for a split second, just enough for Tony to capitalise. He drove a knee into my stomach, doubling me over. I hit the ground hard, the air forced from my lungs. I panicked. Did she see me? Did she see how weak I looked? I scrambled to my feet, wiping blood from my nose, and lunged again. This time, I caught him. I drove my fist into his jaw, feeling bone give way under my knuckles. He stumbled, and I followed up with a right hook to his temple. He hit the canvas hard. My chest heaved, adrenaline burning through my veins. I looked at him, my eyes narrowing into slits. I was going to finish him. I was going to break him. "You alright, Mathew?" I looked up to see the referee raising my hand. The crowd was roaring. I pulled myself together, nodding at the referee, then turned to walk to my corner. I saw Carlista waving me over, looking excited. But my eyes swept the crowd again, scanning every face, every body. No Ciara. Where the hell was she? "Mathew! Come here!" I jogged over to my corner, where my coach, a burly guy named Kevin, was already wrapping ice around my shoulder. "You good, mate?" "I'm fine." I grabbed the towel hanging around my neck, wiping sweat and blood from my forehead. "Where's Ciara?" "Who?" Kevin asked, pouring water into my mouth. "Carlista's friend. The dark-haired girl. The one who got caught in the rain." "Oh, her." Kevin shrugged, tossing a bottle of water to me. "She wasn't feeling well, I think. Carlista said she needed to get home." I felt a knot of anxiety tighten in my chest. "Feeling unwell? What happened?" "She seemed pretty shaken up earlier, actually." Kevin paused, looking at me with a knowing look. "You okay, Mathew? You looked pretty intense out there." "I'm fine." I downed the water, feeling the cool liquid hit my empty stomach. "Just... focused." I finished warming up, listening to Carlista chatter excitedly about my next fight. But my mind was elsewhere. I couldn't get her face out of my head. I saw fear in her eyes when she left the room. The bell rang again, signalling the end of the round. I walked back to my corner, ready for the next one. I watched the match play out, my heart in my throat. I almost lost. Tony was good. He was relentless. And every time I thought about giving up, I thought about her. I thought about the baby. I thought about Maggie. I couldn't let them win. I fought with a ferocity that surprised even myself. I was a force of nature, a whirlwind of punches and kicks. I knocked Tony out in the fourth round. The crowd went wild. I threw my gloves in the air, shouting for Carlista. She ran down to the ring, hugging me, tears streaming down her face. "Mathew! You did it! You absolutely killed him!" she screamed, over the roar of the crowd. I hugged her back, my heart still hammering against my ribs. "Yeah," I said, my voice strained. "I'm fine." I looked at Carlista, but my eyes were scanning the crowd again, desperate to find her. "Where is she?" Carlista pulled back, looking confused. "Ciara? You mean Ciara? Why would she be here?" "She has to be here," I said, my voice rising. "She was supposed to come." "Mathew, she's not here," Carlista said gently. "She left." I felt the floor drop out from under me. "Left? When? Where?" "An hour ago. She left right after I told her about the package she got. She looked scared, Mathew. Really scared." My blood ran cold. "What package?" "She didn't say. She just grabbed her bag and ran out the door." I turned to Kevin, my eyes blazing. "Get the car." "What? But the afterparty-" "I said get the fucking car." I grabbed my robe, tying it around my waist. "I'm not staying here. I have somewhere else to be I'll see you later Carlista. " I walked out of the arena, my mind racing. Someone was threatening her. Someone knew about the baby. And I was going to find out who. I got into the car with Kevin, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Where's Ciara?" I asked, my voice tight. "I don't know, Mathew," Kevin said, starting the engine. "I thought you knew." "I thought she was coming with Carlista," I said, my voice rising. "You said she was coming!" "I never said that, Mathew. I said she was going to take her to cheer her up." I ran a hand through my hair, trying to process the information. "She's not with Carlista." I felt a knot of anxiety tighten in her chest. "Where is she?" I asked, my voice tight. "I don't know," Kevin said. "We can't just-" "I'm not asking you to guess," I snapped. "I'm telling you to drive. To the university. To her dorm. To wherever the hell she is." Kevin nodded, shifting gears. "Okay, okay. We're going to find her." I leaned back in my seat, my eyes fixed on the road. I needed to find her. I needed to protect her. I needed to tell her that I wasn't leaving her. We drove to the university, but her dorm was empty. I checked her phone records, but she had turned it off. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to stave off the panic rising in my chest. I was going to black out. I was going to die here. I needed to find her. I needed to see her. I needed to touch her. I called Carlista's phone again. "Where are you?" "I'm at the gym," Carlista said, her voice shaking. "I have the car. I'm coming to get you." "Good," I said, hanging up. "I'm going to the warehouse." "What?" Kevin asked, looking at me. "Why? What are you doing there?" "The note," I said, my voice low. "The one she got. It said to come to the old warehouse at Docklands tomorrow at noon." Kevin shook his head tonight. "This is crazy, Mathew. This is insane. It's late. No one is there." "I don't care." I got out of the car and started walking toward the warehouse district. I walked through the dark, empty streets of London, my heart hammering against my ribs. The rain had started to fall again, cold and biting. I felt like I was walking into a trap. I reached the warehouse district. I saw the warehouse I was looking for. It was old, run-down, and looked abandoned. But I could see someone standing outside. I froze. The figure was tall and broad, with tanned skin. He had tattoos on his arms. It was Tony. He was smoking, looking at his phone. I walked up to him, my eyes narrowed. "You sent the note?" Tony took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Hello, Mathew. Or should I call you 'Champion'?" He stepped aside, revealing the girl standing behind him. It was Ciara. She was standing near a delivery truck, her back to me. She looked like she was in shock. She looked small and fragile in the rain, a stark contrast to the dangerous man standing next to her. "I see you made it," Tony said. "Did you enjoy the fight?" I ran a hand through my hair, intensely. "Where's the threat? Where's the danger?" Tony laughed. "That's not what I meant. I meant, did you enjoy the fight? Because it reminded me of how I'd like to take you apart. Slow and painful." He leaned in close to me, his eyes glinting. "I'm going to kill you, Mathew. I'm going to kill you slowly. I have plans for you." My heart pounded. "What do you want with me?" "I want her," Tony said, nodding at Ciara. "And I want her child. That's why I sent the note. I wanted to see what you'd do. Would you come for her? Would you be a hero?"