Page 4 of Devotion

“Cro…” Matvey appears at his side again.

“No. He fuck with me. He act like big dick. Now he learns what this means to be Bratva.”

Hands shove me forward, to the gate and through.

“Matty…you’re a shitbox.”

“Sorry, Diamante. I tried to warn you.” He grabs the fence, looking dour.

“Next time, just use your words! Any suggestions?” I feel the adrenaline rising as rattling metal and growling shouts echo from the doorways spaced along the low walls of the arena. Dozens of voices, all desperate and violent, fill the frigid air.

“Try not to die.”

“Cute. I’m guessing jokes won’t do me a lot of good in this case.”

“Your jokesarebad enough to kill…”

The gates open and screaming men, wild, half-dressed, and armed with makeshift weapons storm into the yard. The crowd roars.

I kinda wanna piss my pants. Kinda wanna run and hide.

Kinda wanna kill every last one of these fuckers for doing this to me. And the bitch who threw me in here.

A rush of fear and rage and blood-boiling adrenaline surges through me. The mass of killers crashes toward me, beating each other, screaming bloody murder.

I feel my lips pull back in a sick, wild grin.

“I will have drink to remember you after,mertvets.” I hear Matvey’s voice behind me, distantly.

“Cheers, then. What’s that mean, anyway?” I call over my shoulder, fists clenching.

“Dead man.”

1

CIRO

“Shakal!” Matvey laughs, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

“Matty-Mack!” I clap him on the back.

“You look like shit, this is usual now, no?”

“I make this prison uniform look good.”

“Today, you finally get to change into regular clothes.”

“I’m actually extremely excited to wear my blood-spattered dirty laundry from when they threw me in here.”

“Volk will outfit you soon with new clothes. No worry.”

“I’m not. I’m more worried about making it to the gate.”

“Good point.” He nods, tonging the inside of his cheek.

Our rivals in the Gulag make it a point to make one last try for any member of an opposing branch of the Bratva leaving the prison on release day. Super cool.

Almost as awesome as three months of nonstop fighting for my life.

---