Page 89 of Silent Damage

Why should I give a fuck if he’s broken when he hurts everyone around him?

Whatever, it just fuels my fire for the fight tonight.

There’s a line of people waiting to get into the club, all of them clad in black leather. The guys are hulking monsters, and they sneer as I walk past them in my crappy denim and cut-off shirt.

Just focus on the fight. You’re a beast when you turn on.

It’s true. A lifetime of rage courses through my veins constantly, so I barely need a reason to let it rip.

As I approach the door, a massive man with teardrop tattoos on his face stops me. “ID?”

“He’s one of the contenders, Mac.” Tobias Kay’s voice sends a cold streak down my back. He wades through the bodies crowding the entrance, all of them parting and nodding with respect once they see him. “If it isn’t my scrappy blond, Jackson.”

“Jason,” I correct him, and instantly curse myself for doing it, but Tobias doesn’t flinch.

“Right. Jason.” He walks toward me and fingers my ratty T-shirt. “You never disappoint, do you?”

“Um…what do you mean?” I ask.

His gaze is intense as he explains, “You exude a brash trashiness that is simply delicious.”

Is that…a compliment? “Th-thank you, sir.”

Tobias’s eyes widen. “Did you hear that, Mac? He thanked me. Good manners are so hard to come by these days.”

Mac steps closer, looking me up and down. “You really gonna let this little rat into the pen tonight, boss?”

My hackles rise, both fists clenching at my sides.

Tobias notices and tsks. “Save the anger for downstairs, little pup. Mac just likes to fuck with people. Especially if they look as good as you do.”

“I’m stronger than I look,” I say with an attitude.

Mac laughs and replies, “You better be, or you're leaving in a body bag.”

I’m pretty sure people down the block heard me swallow just now.

Tobias gives me his arm. “Let me escort you to the dungeon.”

It feels weird taking a guy's arm like this in public, but I guess I did fuck Gabe four ways till Sunday, only a couple of days ago.

I wish Gabe were here right now.

Focus! Stop thinking about him.

Tobias leads me down a stone flight of stairs to the dungeon. There’s a check-in area that opens onto a semicircle of rafters where spectators already sit, and the sounds of laughter and chatter echo throughout the space.

Everything is black: walls, floor, clothing, everything.

I stand out like a sore thumb in my white cut-off and ripped blue jeans.

“Have you ever been down here before?” Tobias asks. I shake my head no, and he continues, “It’s typically a maze, but we dismantle the walls for our fight nights.” He points to what looks like a bunch of dividers stacked against the wall, then motions to another area of the dungeon. “That hallway leads to cabins where you can do whatever your little heart desires. Tonight, we have medics posted in the cabins with all of the necessary equipment should you need assistance. Mac was just teasing; you won’t leave here in a body bag, though you may leave with a fractured skull, so be careful. The floor is quite hard.”

Oh, my god.

“Yes, sir.”

Tobias grins. “Those manners again. I truly hope you succeed tonight, Jason. I’d like to see more of you.”