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Troy ground his teeth, baring them in a fierce scowl. “And what do you suggest I tell all my guests coming tonight who are expecting a fine match between Viking and Skull?”
Again Daniel shrugged, this time stuffing his hands into his pants pockets to hide their shaking.
“I must have someone in Theo’s place, Dan.” The evil gleam in Troy’s eyes and the slow, wicked smirk growing across his face had Daniel taking a step back. “And if you can’t provide someone, then there is only one other option.”
“What’s that, sir?”
“Oh, sir, is it now?” Troy giggled manically. “Oh, sir, the person we’ll be announcing isyou.”
Daniel shuddered even though Troy’s demand was exactly as he expected it would be. He’d take Theo’s place. Daniel would take the punishment meant for Theo. He couldn’t bear for his sweet angel to be hurt again. “If that’s what you want.”
“No, Dan, it’s not what I want, but it’s what you deserve.” The flash of red in Troy’s eyes, the menacing gleam, and the potent sneer almost had Daniel backpedaling on his idea, but no. For once, he completely agreed with his boss. This was what he deserved for his years of wrong-doing. He turned away from Troy and headed for Theo’s locker. As he stripped off his clothes and pulled on Theo’s undergarments and shorts, Walt appeared.
“What are you doing? Where’s Theo?” he asked. Glen followed behind, listening in.
“He’s not coming.” Daniel sighed, keeping his back to the two men he’d sort of somehow become friends with over the past week.
“What?” Walt shouted. “Are you out of your mind? Skull will kill you.”
“Probably.”
“Probably?” Glen grabbed Daniel’s arm and spun him around to face them. “Does Theo even know you’re here?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’m doing this.” Daniel hung his head, unable to meet their flabbergasted expressions. “I can’t let Theo be hurt again.”
“And you don’t think Theo will be hurt if you’re dead? How can you do this to him? He fucking cares about you.”
Daniel shrugged off Glen’s hold, heading for the hand-wrapping station. “I know.” He attempted to get the tape around his hand, mucking it up terribly before Walt silently assisted him. Disapproval rolled off the trainer.
Glen gave him a cursory look-over, his mouth set in a grim line. “I don’t care what Mr. Troy says. If you get hurt, I’m calling 911.”
Daniel gripped Glen’s wrist. Ensuring he had the medic’s full attention, he said, “Fine, but if Theo, Jay, Sy, or El show up, tuck your phone away, okay?”
“There’s a…” Glen leaned closer, voice dropping to a low whisper, “plan?”
“I don’t know, but I think, yeah, maybe. So if they show, you run and hide. Keep yourself safe, alright?”
“You think they’ll have guns?”
Guns?The bitter laughter that came out of Daniel was dark and foreboding, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t care what Glen or Walt thought. His entire focus at that moment had to be on saving Theo.His angel.In the end, he knew the angels would come. Whether he survived to see Theo once again bring a triumphant end to his demonic boss remained to be seen.
“They’re calling for you,” Walt said grimly.
Daniel nodded and headed for the door. Sabre met him in the hall. “Why are you doing this?” Sabre urgently whispered, flanking Daniel as he walked along the hallway toward the eerily quiet arena. That was his first clue that something was wrong.
He glanced around at all the empty chairs. Troy’s guards circled the cage. Skull stood in the middle, glaring at Daniel.
“What the fuck is this?” Skull bellowed, punching his fist into the palm of his other hand. “This puny human is no match for me. Where’s the angel you promised me, Troian?”
Human?Oh, fuck… Skull’s eyes shone with brilliant crimson fury, stopping Daniel in his tracks. Realization washed over him in an icy wave. Troy knew about the angels helping him. He’d planned this fight with Skull to destroy Theo.
“What the Hell?” Glen whisper-shouted.
Hell was exactly right.
“Call your man, Daniel. Call him and you won’t have to get into that ring,” Troy urged from his seat in the front row. The demon’s casual pose as he twisted, scowling at Daniel, had him quaking. Like he knew Daniel would back down…
Instead, it strengthened his resolve. He stiffened his backbone as he took step after step forward.
