CHAPTER 6 DARE TO LIVE

James turned slowly, standing tall despite the tension that coiled in his muscles. He wiped the blood from his knuckles on his sleeve, fixing the brother with a cold stare. "You Tarlose brother talk a lot, don’t you?"

The brother’s face twisted with fury, but before he could speak, James swung his leg up and kicked the man lying on the floor. The tortured man groaned in pain, curling up tighter, his cries echoing through the room.

“You bastard!” the brother spat, his fists clenching. “How dare you touch him!”

James didn’t flinch. His voice was calm, almost bored. “I've barely touched him. You want to know what happens when you mess with me?”

The brother’s face flushed red with anger. "Kill him!"

Victor stood back, watching, confusion etched on his face. He hadn’t expected this. “What the hell are you doing?!” he shouted at his men. “He’s just some poor man! Take him down!”

James smirked, knocking another guard to the ground. “Poor man? I’m giving your guys a free lesson.”

Victor sneered, waving another batch of guards forward. “You’re a nobody! Some lowlife who got lucky. You really think you can take on trained professionals? You don’t stand a chance!”

James landed a solid punch, sending another guard sprawling. “Doesn’t matter how many of them there are. You’re running out of guys, Victor.”

Victor's eyes narrowed, clearly rattled. “You’re a dead man, Donovan. I’ll crush you.”

James smirked again, wiping sweat from his brow. “You’ve been saying that for a while now. Maybe it’s time to stop talking and do something.”

Victor’s confidence wavered, frustration growing as he realized James wasn’t the easy target he had thought.

Two more guards came at him, but James moved with lethal precision. He ducked under a punch, grabbed one guard by the collar, and slammed him headfirst into the wall. The second guard swung wildly, but James blocked the blow, delivering a brutal knee strike to his gut. The man doubled over, gasping for air.

The brother watched, eyes wide in disbelief as his men fell one by one. “What the hell are you doing?!” he shouted. “Take him down!”

More guards charged, and James felt the burn in his muscles as he took them on. But there were too many. He landed punches and kicks, dropping one guard after another, but the numbers started to overwhelm him.

The room went still. All eyes turned to the door, where Kyle stood, arms casually crossed, a confident smirk playing on his lips. Behind him, a group of sharply dressed men entered, exuding power and authority. But it was the man at the front of the group, with his commanding presence, who grabbed everyone's attention—the President of Raynder Company.

Victor’s smirk faltered, his face quickly morphing from arrogance to confusion. “Mr.Kyle? What… what are you doing here?”

Kyle took a step forward, the smirk never leaving his face. “Surprised to see me, Victor?” he asked casually, his tone mocking. “It’s been a while since we’ve crossed paths.”

Victor’s face drained of color as he processed what he was seeing. “Sir..why are you here?”

Kyle chuckled and moved closer, his eyes cold. “How dare you to offend, our Boss.”

Victor staggered back a step, his expression turning to fear. He glanced at his guards, who were starting to look uneasy themselves. “No… no, this can’t be happening,” he muttered, his voice trembling. “You—Kyle Raynder? And James… he’s…?”

Kyle’s grin widened, his eyes glinting with amusement. “James Donovan isn’t just some guy. He’s the God of War, and you’ve made a massive mistake messing with him—and with me.”

Victor’s eyes widened in shock, his mind racing. “No… no… Him? The God of War? But he’s just—”

Kyle’s expression darkened. “Just ordinary man? No. He’s the one man you never should have crossed.”

The guards, sensing the gravity of the situation, began to lower their weapons. They exchanged nervous glances, clearly unsure of their next move.

Victor, frozen in fear, took another step back. His mind reeled as he tried to make sense of what was happening. “No…No…its not true…”

James, now free and standing tall, wiped the blood from his lip. His icy gaze locked onto Victor. “You wanted a fight, didn’t you?”

Victor opened his mouth, trying to speak, but before he could get a word out, James stepped forward and threw a powerful punch, landing squarely on Victor’s jaw. Victor crumpled to the floor, groaning in pain, barely conscious.

The room went silent again. The guards slowly backed away from James, realizing they were in way over their heads.

Victor’s eyes darted between Kyle and James, terror filling his face. “Please… please don’t kill me. I’ll tell you everything! I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

James turned slowly, his eyes dark and unreadable. In one swift motion, he grabbed Victor by the collar, pulling him to his feet with ease. Victor gasped, his legs shaking as he was forced to face James’s icy stare.

“Why did you kidnap my daughter?” James growled, his voice low and dangerous. “How dare you lay a hand on her?”

Victor whimpered, his body trembling. “I… I didn’t know she was your daughter! I was just following orders. Please… I’ll tell you everything. Just… just spare me. Don’t kill me. Please.”

James’s grip tightened on Victor’s collar, his knuckles white. “You should’ve thought about that before you made her a target.”

Victor nodded frantically, his voice barely a whisper. “I’ll tell you the truth. It was all about the heart transplant… I had no choice. Please… please don’t kill me.”

Kyle stepped closer, his voice cold. “You don’t deserve mercy, Victor. But start talking, and maybe James will decide how much longer you’ll be breathing.”

Victor’s face twisted in panic as he desperately tried to plead for his life. James, his fury barely contained, slowly released his grip, pushing Victor back against the wall.

“You’ve lost, Victor,” James said, his voice a deadly whisper. “Don’t make it worse for yourself.”

Victor, his legs barely supporting him, could only groan in response, too terrified to speak as James and Kyle turned and walked out of the room.