Page 22 of Dozer

Rogue acknowledged me with a nod. “How’s Tank? I heard you went for a visit.”

“He’s great,” I lied.

If they wanted to know, they could haul their asses down to county and subject themselves to the scrutiny of the assholes ensuring my old man had a five-star experience in a six by nine.

“Anyone interested in heading down to the basement?”

A glint reflected in Bullet’s eyes. “Let’s go.”

“Dozer, please.” Levi blocked my way and placed her hand on my stomach. Concern shown in her eyes. “I hate when you fight.”

“Then stay out of the basement.”

“This is about Pippa,” she said. “Hurting yourself isn’t going to hurt her.”

“Stay out of it,” I said, brushing past her.

“I can’t. You hurt. I hurt.”

“Nah, we don’t feel shit, Levi.” Lies. I felt too much, and fighting forced those emotions back where they belonged, to fester in the darkness of my soul.

Levi threw open the door and stormed over to Jazzy. “He’s fighting,” she hissed. “For that bitch.”

I ignored Levi and headed to the basement. She viewed Pippa through the fog of jealousy. So did I. Raw need clawed at me. Friends, I’d told Pippa. For the first time, friends was another F-word fucking up my life.

In the basement, I shrugged off my cut and hung it over a stack of crates in the corner. Fighting in the basement wasn’t the gentleman’s sport of boxing. We didn’t wear gloves and wait for a bell. There were no rules about illegal maneuvers.

Bullet tossed his cut to Rogue, took two steps toward me, and swung.

I dodged the blow but missed seeing the hard left. Pain exploded in my jaw.

Pippa, with her legs spread.

I railed into Bullet with a solid strike to his mouth.

He lunged back and spit blood on the floor. “Someone is pissed. Take it out on me, then we’ll take it out on the Crawlers.”

Fuck the Crawlers.

Pippa with her tongue in Romeo’s mouth.Another strike.

They’d pay. Today, my thoughts swirled around Pippa.Her back arched and her body shattered.The mewling whimpers, the breathy exhales.

I charged Bullet, landing a flurry of punches, not caring where I hit. In my rage, I stopped seeing Bullet. Hate surged, a tidal wave of chaos, frustration, and regrets.

Stronger and faster, he overpowered me. I felt the blows of his bare fists battering my body the way I felt Pippa’s lips hover over mine as we shared breath, getting high off each other.

Pain knifed through my chest, not from the punches but from seeing her in my mind as she followed Romeo into his room, away from me.

With a surge of adrenaline, I slammed my fist into Bullet’s face. Chills shivered over me as sweat slicked my flesh. Blood and tears blurred my eyes. Another punch crunched into my face.

Rejection cut deep.

Slam.

Stars burst behind my eyes. The room spun.

Words, a scream, ripped through my mind. A slur of fear and anger. I tried to focus. Fuck. Pippa was here. She covered her mouth with her hand. Romeo stood behind her with a hand on her hip.

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