“Did that look like I was suppressing my emotions? I’m through it, Wisecrack. When you get raped and sodomised over two hundred times, come and fuckin’ have a chitchat with me then!” I yelled.
Wisecrack didn’t do what any sane man would have. Instead of stepping away, he got in my face. “I feel what you do. Did you forget that? Every single ounce of agony you suffer, I do too. You ain’t alone, despite acting like you are. We’re fuckin’ family, and when you hurt, we hurt.”
“You have no idea how I’m hurting,” I snarled, shoving up. “Healed me enough?”
Slasher nodded.
I pushed past them. Fuck, I didn’t need to hear they thought I was spiralling. The hell I was. I made certain no one would be able to take me again. Why was that wrong? Leaving the room, I entered the minuscule bathroom. Neither would follow me in, and that offered breathing space.
I washed the blood, sweat, and dirt away and stood under the shower for a few minutes. The water, stone-cold, pounded me, and I let it clean my mind. The taunting never fell silent, always lurking, ready to pounce—the what-ifs and how-abouts. Those insidious fuckin’ thoughts couldn’t change what had happened. Romeo had offered to take the memories away, but that meant shit. The club was aware I’d been weak enough to be kidnapped and held for eight weeks.
That wasn’t on them. I’d been an arrogant bitch. Believing that my powers would always protect me. I’d become lazy and not practised. And when I needed them, they’d failed. Only I was to blame for that. Nobody else. I’d been so cocksure and confident; I wore my cut and believed no one wouldmake a move. It had meant nothing in the end. Neither had my telekinesis because I got raped multiple times and had been helpless at the hands of men. Never again.
Mike
What the hell had that been? I’d been stunned when Dynamo entered the ring and horrified when I saw the fight begin. I’d not been able to reach the brother with her as the crowd had gone wild. The only thing I could do was watch as Dynamo took a beating that would have finished a lesser man.
The fact she won was nothing short of a miracle. Knuckles was rumoured to have previously killed two men. That Dynamo walked out under her own power was indescribable. She shouldn’t have been able to do that.
“Back off,” Slasher snapped, capturing my attention. I’d been heading to her locker room when I’d seen him and another come out.
Curiosity won, and I stepped into the shadows. I recognised Slasher and thought the other was Wisecrack, but I wasn’t certain.
“Brother, Dynamo’s going to kill herself. What’s next? Two fighters at once? Four, five?” Wisecrack growled. I could see his name on his cut. Then his words sank in.
“Dynamo needs time to heal. It’s not been a full year since we found her,” Slasher replied.
“She’s in agony, Slasher. You healed the physical wounds, but I feel everything else. She’s not healing, not even remotely close,” Wisecrack argued.
“They held her for two months!” Slasher’s fist hit the wall beside Wisecrack’s head.
Wisecrack didn’t flinch. “Like I don’t know that? Think we didn’t suffer too? We won’t ever shift the guilt that we didn’t locate her in time. Teller calls once a month to check on her. Dynamo was in his town, and he’d no idea. Poor fucker reached Dynamo first, and what Teller saw is etched in his mind. Jameson carries guilt because one of his was held, tortured and raped, and despite calling in markers and brothers, there was no trace of Dynamo.”
Shamelessly, I listened. This was information I wanted. I’d no idea why that mattered, but it did.
“Warden doesn’t sleep and watches Dynamo like a hawk. Dare, Cécile, and Vogue aren’t allowed to go anywhere without an escort. Dynamo’s kidnapping had repercussions across the board. It’s rocked our base, and we’re on unstable ground,” Wisecrack added.
“Sorry my trauma has made life difficult for everyone,” Dynamo quipped as she left the locker room. Wisecrack held her gaze while Slasher groaned.
“Yeah, it has because you won’t talk to anyone. We fuckin’ know it happened to you, but it affected us too,” Wisecrack said.
“Damn, bro, I didn’t see you chained to a table next to me,” Dynamo hissed.
“I’m there constantly with you; you just don’t see or accept it!” Wisecrack shot back.
Dynamo flinched physically. “Then, brother, I’ll make sure I keep away from you, and my pain won’t affect you.” She went to storm off, but Wisecrack grabbed her arm. As I watched, Dynamo barely concealed her fear and the defensive reaction that followed.
“Run all you want, sister. Hide as much as you wish. I love you, and I’ll be here when you break. I’ll put the pieces back together. We do that for each other. Something you’ve forgotten. Your trauma is ours, and we’re just waiting for you to extend that hand. Because sooner or later, you’re gonna remember, we’re Royal Bastards, and fuckin’ family,” Wisecrack informed her.
Dynamo held Wisecrack’s gaze and then tore free. Well, I’d learned a lot, but I also wished I hadn’t.
Dynamo
Damn it, I wasn’t out of control. My training regimen showed that. I was disciplined and dedicated. Eight hours a day wasn’t that fuckin’ extreme. I did my job. The fights kept coming and were meticulously planned. Bribes were paid to make the cops look the other way. It was common knowledgethat I was Queen of the Underground ring. If someone fucked me, I screwed them right back. The club had no reason to worry.
I shoved through the crowd, accepting congratulations until I reached my target. Wiley Phil saw me coming and blanched.
A grin crossed my split lips, and the fucker flinched. This would cost him hugely. While I couldn’t bet on myself, Slasher had placed a wager on the club’s behalf.
