Page 40 of Kade

“Sam’s going to handle the girls.”

Logan stopped bouncing, stopped swinging his arms. “What do you mean?” He was suddenly all serious.

“I told her enough about tonight, asked if she’d run interference with Taylor and Quincey, if we need it.”

Logan’s eyes flicked to Nate before the corner of his mouth tugged up. “Don’t think she’ll need to worry about Quincey, but she’ll have to debrief Taylor before we get back because I don’t want my face to give her a heart attack.”

He turned toward the middle of the ring as two guys climbed inside.

“Hey.”

He looked back down to me, an eyebrow raised.

“This is for us tonight. You hear me?” I said gruffly. “When you’ve had your fill, you can tap out. You don’t have to win if—”

He snorted. “Get the fuck out of here. I’ve not had a decent fight in decades. I’m fuckingsalivatingfor this.”

“Yeah, but…” Nate was right. The rules said no permanent damage and no death, but these weren’t sanctioned fights. Shit could go sideways.

“Mase.” Logan stopped everything—the attitude, the unhinged look in his eyes. His voice and face were all Logan again, the brother who had been at my side when we walked into our dad’s office a week ago. “Iknow.”

Jesus Christ, I’d missed my brother. I hadn’t fully had him with me this last week, but he was here now. He was thinking clearly. I drew in some of the comfort I always felt when he was at my side and nodded to him before stepping back. “Got it.”

He held my eyes another moment before he blinked and the maniacal Logan was back. Maybe he needed to slip into his old role in order to deal with everything. I understood that.

Fuck. Maybe I should start doing the same.

The bell rang, and the fight was on.

17

MASON

The guy fighting Logan was big. He had a good twenty extra pounds of muscle on my brother, and I didn’t like the look on his face. He was looking at Logan as if he were about to steal candy from a child, then eat it in front of the kid.

He was going to enjoy this fight. Or so he thought.

The guy went in fast, with brute force.

Logan dodged him easily, not even moving, just ducking his head. There was no hint of anything light or unhinged or surface level with my brother right now. He was all serious, and he was all dark. It was as if all this had been festering inside of him—building, rising—and the second the guy charged him, Logan gave himself permission to peel back the layer he used to face the rest of the world.Thiswas the real Logan. As the big guy turned and went at him again, delivering an uppercut, Logan stopped it. He fucking reached out, stopped it, and then he leaped and pounded down with his other fist. It was a pretty move, and once that happened, a different wave of energy entered the warehouse.

This was what I’d known coming in. They thought we were pretty boys. We were famous. We were wealthy. We were civilians.

Yes, we were all that, but in our heart of hearts, we were like them. And as I looked over to where Nate was standing, I knew another truth. Logan and I were not like him. We had these monsters inside of us, and mine had been hiding. The moment I committed to the NFL, I tucked that beast away. I locked him up and tossed the key. My years of playing football had been some of the best in my life.

I had my children. Dinners with my colleagues. Fancy fundraisers. We’d been to a few movie premieres. To the White House. Played in the Super Bowl. Won a couple rings. I had lived life, and one could argue that I’d lived life to the fullest.

We’d been normal.

The difference between Nate and Logan and me was the life I had before my dad killed himself, that life would’ve made Nate content. Being normal. He would’ve been at peace. Happy.

But for Logan and me, that life was our mask. It’s what was expected of us. So we went the normal route. I did it because I loved playing football, but I also did it because I didn’t want to work in my father’s company. Taking that road would’ve led here a lot sooner. In this warehouse full of criminal bikers, at a fighting ring where my brother was dominating a guy twenty pounds bigger than him, and I was buzzing with anticipation. This felt altogether too comfortable.

I’d barely kept myself in control growing up, and now that I was back in Fallen Crest, here I was anyway. A part of me loved this. My soul thirsted for this, and Logan was the same. I could see the sick delight on his face.

His opponent had gotten a few hits in. Blood streamed down the front of Logan’s face, but his eyes were alive. They were dancing.

I glanced back to Nate, wondering what he saw when he looked at my brother.

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