Written in Red

The air inside the underground ring was thick with sweat, blood, and the metallic smell of something he couldn't quite place. The crowd roared around him, their voices blending into one deafening wall of noise. He barely heard any of it.

Even with a busted lip and a swollen eye, Killian kept throwing punch after punch at his opponent's face. It was as if something else had taken over him, something that didn't know when to stop.

He didn't even enjoy being in the boxing ring, drenched in sweat and surrounded by the roar of the crowd. He was here for one reason—to let out all the anger and exhaustion he'd been carrying for the past week.

His opponent was already unconscious, but Killian didn't seem to notice. He kept throwing punches until someone grabbed him from behind and hauled him away from the ring.

Killian noticed the cheers had suddenly quieted. For a moment, he just stood there, breathing heavily, before finally realizing what he'd done.

He looked at the ring, and there he was—his opponent, lying still. Killian would've thought he'd killed him if not for the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest.

He tried to break free from the stranger's hold, but the arms around him only tightened. Then he heard a familiar voice.

“This will not bring your sister back.”

Killian went still at the mention of his sister.

It had been one week and three days since his precious little sister had gone missing, and he still hadn't found her. She was the only family he had left, and Killian couldn't imagine his world without her sweet smile.

He had searched everywhere he could think of. He'd contacted every dealer, every informant, every fucking contact on his list, but there was still no lead.

In his world, there were plenty of people who wanted him dead, just waiting for the right opportunity to take him down. And Killian had no doubt that some of them would use his sister to get to him.

He was scared. Yes, Killian did get scared when it came to the people he loved. And right now, he was terrified for his sweet little sister. Terrified of what she must be going through right now.

Killian looked at Vox, all the fear in his eyes gone. He snapped, “Then fucking tell me what will,” before storming out.

Vox stood there alone, watching the door swing shut behind him.

Then his phone buzzed.

He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the message.

We found something that might be of use to you.