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Sabre shrugged. “We’ve been in this a long time, you and I. It’s hard enough keeping family out. Friends like yours. Big guys who want to make a quick buck…”
Daniel peered at Sabre. The fuck… Suddenly Sabre wanted to be friends? As if finally meeting an angel face-to-face wasn’t wild enough, his life just took another bizarre twist.Might as well grab it with both hands, Danny.“I want out, you know?”
Sabre nodded. He circled the table and tapped on its top. “I know.”
Daniel watched as Sabre returned to his position at the front door, standing opposite Bull. He thought he knew the guy. Well, as much as anyone could know the muscle of a mobster. Strong, silent… except not so silent lately. Nope. Sabre had been downright fucking chatty.Weird.
Thelial
Theo tried to keep an eye on Daniel as he circled the room with Troy. It was hard to look at the man and not see the night demon lying beneath his skin. He had a moment of pity for the human being who’d been overtaken, but Troian wouldn’t have been able to get a foothold if the original owner of that body hadn’t already sold his soul to the dark side.
Troy talked about the set-up, pointed out the fighters and trainers, and made a big deal out of the money he could earn, especially if he won. “Big bucks, Theo. Big bucks. I pay my losers, too, but winners get a sweet bonus.”
He stuck a finger toward the current bout going on inside the cage between a heavily tattooed black man and a shorter, wiry Latino. Both men already boasted bloody noses and were panting heavily. “See that guy there… in the red trunks… he’s…”
Theo didn’t hear much of what Troy said, his attention snatched away by the muscular guard, who has leaned close as he spoke to Daniel. A stab of jealousy stole his breath. Whoever the guy was, Daniel didn’t seem at all frightened by him. In fact, there seemed a lightness between the two, a… familiarity. Which begged the bigger question: just who was he to Daniel?
“So what do you think? Are you in, Theo?”
“I’m not sure…”
“There’s good money to be made. Thirty minutes max of you in that ring, and you could walk away with anywhere from three to ten grand.”
Theo grinned, knowing that was what Troy expected. “When you put it that way… Making a buck fighting? Heck yeah, I’m in.”
“Great!” Troy clapped him on the arm, then squeezed his bicep, humming appreciatively. “I’ll set you up for tomorrow night. Get here around seven-ish and we’ll suit you up. Don’t worry about a thing except bringing your A-game. I think you’re going to make me—and you—a lot of money.”
“Okay, Mr. Troy. Thanks.” Theo bounced on his toes like an excited kid, waved, and skedaddled. He made a beeline for Daniel, who seemed a little paler than when he’d first arrived.
Daniel didn’t see him coming, since he seemed to be searching for something. “Hey. Are you okay?” Theo asked as he circled the table.
Daniel shook his head slightly and pressed a hand to his stomach. “Do you see a garbage can around?”
“I think there was one by the door. Do you want me to grab it?”
“Please.” Daniel covered his mouth, wincing. “Hurry.”
Theo dashed to the doorway, meeting the burly guard halfway there, who was already carrying a large garbage can in Daniel’s direction. “Here.” He shoved it at Theo.
“Thanks.” Theo raced back to Daniel’s side, making it just in time for his other half to grab the edge, lean over, and throw up.
“I fucking hate these fights,” Daniel muttered, thumbing the corner of his mouth and gratefully accepting the bottle of water the guard handed in. He swished some around his mouth and spit it out into the can before shoving it away a few feet.
Sheepishly, he peered at Theo. “Sorry you had to see that. I don’t like the sight of blood.”
Theo closed the distance between them. “Any particular reason?”
Daniel knuckled his lips and shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, there was a distinct sheen of moisture. “When I was twenty, my parents were killed by a drunk truck driver who failed to stop at a red light. My sister and I were in another car behind them. We saw the whole thing. EMS couldn’t get there quick enough to save them. They died holding my hands, covered in blood.” Daniel shuddered, and Theo was quick to hug his chosen mate.
Cheers went up around them, and Daniel gripped Theo’s shirt like a lifeline. Theo turned Daniel away from the violence, motioning for the guard who had spoken to Daniel to come grab the money box. He watched as the guy said something to the other guard, who rolled his eyes and waved for him to go.
“Hey. Is Dan okay?”
Theo wobbled his head. “He’s not feeling well.”
Big guy scoffed. “No shit. He hates the sight of blood. I don’t know Troy’s angle in making him work here. Name’s Sabre. Well, not really, but you know…”
Theo gripped Sabre’s extended hand. “I’ll call you whatever you want.”
