The lady in Red (REWRITTEN!)

Chapter 65

 I followed Samantha as she walked. My irritation and sadness arose from her inability to openly talk to me and tell me what I desired and needed to know. But at the same time, I didn't want to keep pressing her for information, so I walked and waited patiently until she would speak; however, my patience was running thin the longer we stayed silent. As we walked towards the back of the house, it became colder and colder, and I hugged myself for warmth.

"He'll kill me if I tell you things," she said finally, catching her breath. What is it that puts her in jeopardy for talking to me?

"Samantha..."

"You ever heard of The Silver Truth?" She started. I had heard the name before, but it had been a long time. I took a minute or two to figure out what it stood for, and then it clicked. London was home to The Silver Truth.

"The infamous Underground Combat League?" Mixed Martial Arts league.

"That's right," she said, her eyes flashing. I heard about it. All I knew was that some people had died there, and The Silver Truth no longer existed. However, when it was a thing, it was massive. Famous wrestlers and boxers trained and fought there.

"Then you must know that it was shut down a couple of years ago due to some deaths that occurred there." Her eyes zoomed in on me, which made me restless. I wondered why she was telling me this. I knew the Silver Truth was a dangerous underground training ring. That underground ring was feared by the surrounding population, and it was forbidden for anyone to go near it.

"Yes, I heard about it, but why are you telling me this?" I asked. Her eyes flicked around, checking to make sure there was no one else in her garden, and she leaned in when she realized it was just me and her.

"Reece used to be one of the infamous fighters there," she said, in a low voice. Voilà. The beginning. I felt my heart skip a beat. There were people who died. Many people. Something very bad happened there, and I believe I had an idea of who was responsible; otherwise, she would not have been telling me about it.

"He used to fight?" I braced myself for an explosion, something that might have me running for my life. In addition, I braced myself for the ultimate truth that might help me put the puzzle pieces together. Since that day I witnessed Reece Dean murdering someone, I have always wondered who he was. To learn this little bit of information about him was shocking to me.

"Those who watched him admired his skills, and those who fought him wished they were like him. His ability to be on top made him who he was and Reece could not be defeated. He fought ruthlessly against those he faced, but he fought with respect toward others." Samantha went quiet for a moment.

"No one has ever bested him?" I asked, wondering where this conversation was going.

"Gary D'Cruz, a heavyweight champion, once fought him in that underground ring, and Reece came very close to losing for the very first time in the two years he used to fight there."

"The Gary D'Cruz? That man is huge! And Reece beat him?" I asked, shocked.

"Oh, yeah," she chuckled. We continued walking until we approached her private lake.

"How old was he?"

"Oh, he was still young. He was in his early twenties when he fought." And now he's thirty-two. I paused and took the moment to admire the beautiful lake in front of me, but my mind was racing.

"What made him fight?" I inquired, my curiosity piqued. He was a very wealthy, famous, and admired business tycoon, but what made him fight back in London?

"Fighting used to be his passion. Until one day...it became an obsession." She looked sadly at the lake, while I glanced at her. "He used to say that it helped him feel better letting all his frustrations, and anger out on his opponents. It made him feel lighter."

Was he aware of what happened there?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Did he leave after or before the deaths?" I asked, bracing myself. Her gaze remained fixed on me.

"Afterward," she replied. The answer was already in my subconscious. I knew it with every fiber of my being. However, I was not aware of what had occurred there, and why everything happened.

How did it happen?"

"You want to know where it all began for him?" Her eyes shone as she asked, glossing over. "How did he develop such an irrational anger?" She asked. Again, I swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Why?" My stomach churned, and I became hyper-aware of how anxious I was.

"Reece saw me being attacked right there on the spot he fought underground."

"What?" My eyes grew wide.

"I only went because I thought Reece would be there, and I wanted to surprise him. Father was already waiting in the car, so he didn't know what was going on. But the men there...they recognized me, and...well...I didn't realize Reece had enemies there. They made an example of me."

"Samantha..."

The point is that Reece rescued me after seeing I was in trouble. Eight men. There were eight men that day, and Reece alone. And I promise you, I had never seen him that angry before. He fought as if his life depended on it.

It was he who killed them. That's why The Silver Truth was shut down?" She nodded, and sniffled before dabbing at her nose with her sweater sleeve. In his entire life, how many men had he killed and gotten away with it? My stomach churned again, and I felt dizzy.

"He doesn't compromise anything when it comes to the people that he loves. The day my mother was attacked, all bets were off for him."

"Natalie was attacked?" My jaw dropped. Sam looked at me nervously and nodded.

"When we were walking down the street one night in London, someone attempted to throw acid on her face."

"My, God," I whispered, closing my eyes.

"Reece's anger was at an all-time high. He ransacked every enemy of his, and got away with it." I couldn't find words to describe that information she handed me. I was shocked by everything she said, and I was beginning to spin. I felt as if I had forgotten how to properly take in oxygen in my lungs.

She panicked. "Catherine? Are you okay? You're pale. Have I said too much?" she asked. I shook my head in a lie as I wiped my hand over my face.

"I'm fine," I replied. Everything he did, he did to protect. He protected her, he protected Natalie, and he protected me.

"Reece doesn't see beauty in things. If he sees you, he's looking for the goodness in you. If someone is bad, he removes the threat. If someone is good, he cherishes the ground they tread."

"Does he see the good in me?" I asked, bending to my knees. I took a deep breath, and exhaled. I was growing lightheaded.

"If he didn't, Catherine, you wouldn't be standing where you are right now."

Bile. Foamy vomit. Right there on the ground in front of me, overlooking the beautiful lake. Samantha gasped, and I closed my eyes in preparation for another.