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I drop my gaze to the floor, my chest aching. If I could do something different, I would, but what Viper says makes sense. I suppose the only thing I can hope for is that the outcome is in our favor.
CHAPTER22
JADE
“I don’t like this,” I whisper, turning toward Viper. No sooner. Rosemary flees the room, guilt pouring off my best friend.
“Know that, darlin’, but we’ve got to do this,” my man retorts calmly. His hands running up either side of my hips, spanning my waist. “But we’ve talked about this. The club voted on it. Rosemary’s family to all of us. We can’t let this shit go. I won’t see your family hurt.”
“Isn’t there another way?” Noelle asks, her voice trembling.
“As much as I want to think there is. Prez and VP are right,” Aries remarks gruffly and lets out a harsh breath. “Someone needs to get her to stop overthinking shit.”
“It’s just who she is.” The words are no more than a whisper. My chest aches for my best friend. She was there for me when I needed her most. She helped me get through the dark and made me laugh when I wanted to weep. Now, she’s hurting even more and blaming herself. “But she’s also a woman who does need to work out what’s bothering her. The only way I’ve known her to do that is in the ring, and she’s scared to death of getting back in it.”
“Then we make her get back in it,” Aries growls.
“And how the hell do you expect to do that?” Noelle demands snapping. “Rosemary was forced to kill in a ring. She’s not going to just get back in it.”
“We make her get back in.” I hate the words that come out of my mouth, but it’s the truth. To help Rosemary, we’ve got to get her back in the ring before she ends up destroying herself with guilt.
“You got an idea how to do that, darlin’?” Viper asks, drawing me down onto his lap. “What do you suggest we do to get her back in that ring? Because in two weeks, she’s got to watch fourteen matches and be able to face each of us knowing what we’re doing for her.”
I nod and think about what Viper’s saying. For her to watch them, it’ll likely destroy her . . . unless, sighing, I meet Viper’s gaze, then shift a glance to the other two men in the room. “You get in the ring by picking her up and tossing her in, then demand she go against each of you. Tell her it’s payment for what you all are about to do for her. To free her. She’ll fight. But I think it’s going to be Kevlar who she’s really going to have to be able to face.”
“Best way to do that is for her to get in there with Zain,” Aries states. “The two of them could be twins, they look so damn alike.”
Viper leans back, taking me with him. “We’ll give her tonight and tomorrow while we talk to the others, tell them what we’re gonna do. After that, we’ll get her ass in the ring. She’s got to be ready for fight night just as the rest of us do, because I don’t intend for any of us to lose our lives in two weeks.”
Two weeks.
I swallow the bile back down and lean deeper into the man whom I love more than anything. If I lose him, I’ll lose myself. The only thing that will keep me going is the knowledge that I’m carrying our babies. I’m scared to death of the what-ifs, but I also know this man, he’ll fight like hell to come back to me. Just as he fought to save me.
This is why I know I can trust in him that everything will be okay in the end. It has to be.
CHAPTER23
KEVLAR
Pacing the cell, I was thrown in, I’m more than ready to get the fuck back out of it. Dominic hasn’t shown his face in the past two days, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t made his presence known. He’s sent his men down to taunt me . . . goad me into a fight that would weaken me. Other than giving me some water, I haven’t had anything since before leaving the clubhouse. I expected as much beforehand that if Dominic agreed, he’d do his best to weaken me. It’s a good thing I know what I’m doing. Otherwise, his plan would work.
I’m not about to let it happen. Not when I know what’s at stake.
I roll my shoulders, stretching my tense muscles. Tension fills me alongside adrenaline as I anticipate the fight to come. I need to be prepared for it, but I also have to stay on guard since I’m sure Dominic will try to play a few tricks against me before the night he goes up against me.
Across from my cell are a few other men. They’re beefy meatheads who look like they’ve all been through hell. I hate to be them if they have to be the ones to go up against my brothers. My brothers will demolish them all without blinking.
These men might be able to defend themselves, but they don’t have nothing on the men in my club. Hell, Aries alone could take on three of them without breaking a sweat. I’ve seen the bastard do it in person as well. Same with a couple of my other brothers. The rest, well, I’ve sparred with them, I know what they’re capable of. And I’m pretty sure in this fight, there won’t be any rules. It’ll be an all-out dirty fight.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Dominic pitied those men against me. Compared to me, he’s a weakling, and he knows it. I’m sure he knows it as much as I do. To level the playing field, he’ll want to try and break me down a notch or two. What he doesn’t know is it won’t work. My dad trained me to be able to fight dirty. To expect the unexpected. To never turn your back on the enemy. Especially when you’re in the snake pit surrounded by venomous bastards ready to strike at a moment’s notice. Blink, and they’ll take you out.
The only thing that keeps me sane is knowing that I’m doing this to free my woman. Thinking of her and the beauty that waits for me when this bullshit is done is what allows me to handle everything. In the end, I know when I leave this place, when I finish Dominic off, I’m going home to my Rosie.
I’m sure she’ll be pissed, ready to murder me herself, but this will all be over with.
Whatever comes after fight night, we’ll get through it together.
The creak of a door gets my attention, and my gut tells me that something’s about to happen and it’s time to focus. I’ve never not listened to my gut. When I spot Dominic’s goons grinning in my direction, I prepare to take them on.
