Page 19 of Rooster's Redemption

“Tell me what I want to know and I’ll end this for you quickly,” I growl.

“Fuck off, Ace.” Adam wheezes out.

I squeeze Adam hard before releasing him and landing a round kick to his midsection. His breath whooshes out and hebends over. I come at him with an overhand, landing on the side of his head, causing Adam to stumble and shake.

“You ready to talk yet?” I ask while landing another jab to Adam’s body and face. This asshole isn’t even putting up a fight and I’m getting bored. Adam charges me again, bloody and beaten, his eyes are almost swollen shut, and I lift him over my back in a suplex. I flip us over and he lands hard on his back. Adam flips onto his stomach trying to catch his breath when I’m on him in a rear naked choke. I squeeze hard, letting him feel how his life will end if he doesn’t answer me.

“It was Steam who told me about Rooster. He’s the one who’s working with Kingston and has his daughter. That’s why you can’t find her. He’s planning on getting that little bitch too.” I squeeze his neck a little tighter. “Ju..st kill me now.” Adam pleads harshly.

And I do. I end his life quickly and shove his limp body off me. The bell dings and the crowd roars. I find Duke standing by the Cage door with his hand on his weapon, waiting for me to exit. Some people try pushing their way past Duke, Seth and Seth’s men but no one lets them. I exit the Cage and make my way back to my room. My adrenaline is falling fast and my whole body is shaking uncontrollably. This is the worst it has ever been. I fall into the metal chair and the voices surrounding me fade in and out, one thing I do hear is Duke calling Rooster. I tried to tell him not to leave Alyssa alone before my world goes black.

Chapter

Eleven

ROOSTER

Ipull up to the brick building and park my bike next to Ace and Duke’s. Knowing where I need to go, I yank open the metal door and take the metal stairs two at a time down into the basement. My best friend is in a world of trouble and I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to him.

Once my feet hit the concrete floor, I look around and assess my surroundings. People are moving about, trying to leave or just hanging around waiting for something else to happen. Two guys standing behind Seth and his men catch my attention and I head in that direction. Seth spots me before I make it to them and he redirects me toward the back of the Cage. He knocks once and opens the door. Duke is crouching over Ace’s limp body with his gun raised, aimed at the door. He lowers it once he recognizes me and I hurry across the small room. Seth leaves, giving us privacy and closes the door behind him. I check Ace’s breathing. It’s shallow but steady.

“What happened?” I ask.

“He was fighting Adam and after the match, he made it back in here and passed out. I don’t know why or how.” Duke responds. “Will he be ok?”

I check Ace over to make sure none of the blood on him is his. I move his hands, arms, feet, knees legs and head. He pushes back against each movement. “He’s in between unconscious and conscious. When he’s had a harsh fight, his body gives up but his mind is still alert.”

“How does this happen and is there a way to prevent it from happening again?”

“I wish I knew. Did he say anything before he went down like a box of rocks?”

Duke shakes his head. “Ace mumbled something but there was so much chaos after the fight, I couldn’t hear him. By the time Seth and I got the door closed from the crowd wanting in, Ace was on the ground. I’ve never seen someone transform the way he did in there. It was like he was playing with his prey, knowing when to strike and when to hold back.”

Shit, this is bad. The last time Ace went down this quick, it was days before he woke up to tell us anything. I pull out my phone and dial Kayne.

“Rooster, what’d you find out?” Kayne answers on the first ring.

“It’s bad, Prez. Ace went down as soon as he got into his room. I’m going to need a van, a prospect and Butch to get him home.”

“Consider them on the way.” Kayne hangs up before I can respond.

I shake Ace’s hand and he grips mine for a second before letting go. His mind is awake and he’s trying to fight what’s got ahold of him. “Take it easy, Ace, I’ve got you. Rest so you can let us know what’s going on.” I don’t know if he can hear me, but I keep telling him over and over, that I have him.

“Duke, get me something comfortable to rest Ace’s head on and keep him warm.”

Duke starts rummaging through the boxes along the wall before he pulls out some clothes. I have no clue why Seth would have boxes of clothes in here, but I’m not going to complain if it makes Ace comfortable. “Here, Rooster.”

He hands me a few hoodies and together we turn Ace on his side, slide two underneath his body and then use one for a pillow.

After twenty minutes, Seth comes into the room to check on Ace. “The two men with Adam are still being detained by my men. What do you want to do with them?”

“Tie them up and we’ll take them from here,” I respond while texting Kayne to let him know I have a couple of packages. He responds, telling me he will meet us at the repair shop. Seth leaves the room and a few minutes later Butch and Stone, the prospect enters. Duke is still overprotective of Ace and has his gun drawn, pointing it at their heads. Stone throws his hands up and Butch just walks toward us.

He does some things to Ace before picking him up and putting him over his shoulder. Ace is a big fucker and Butch acts like he weighs nothing. “I’ll take him to the van and Stone will drive him home. I’ll take Ace’s bike.”

“Thank you, brother.” I open the door for Butch and let him pass. Thankfully, the basement is completely empty now. “I’ve got to get a couple of packages from Seth. Don’t let Stone leave until I get there with them.”

Butch nods his head and he and Stone ascend the stairs while Duke and I search for Seth. We find him in the corner with two men hog-tied, gagged and bleeding. I raise an eyebrow to Seth and he shrugs his shoulders.

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