Page 26 of Bound By Consequences
I’d rather them pull out my nails and be done with it rather than this.
My head swam, and my vision became blurry as I fought back the bile that wanted to rise.
Micah, get the fuck up now! No one has the power to hold you down, Marine!
I listened to that inner voice and did as I was told, unsteadily climbing to my feet to look Rhys in the eyes. He said nothing, but there was something behind his. Before I could read it, he backed away.
“Green,” Cruz announced next.
Green was one of Cooper’s friends who'd joined the MC.
“Ravage is everything. You threatened that. You pay,” he declared as a left hook hit my face. It was hard, but somehow even though I staggered, I was able to remain on my feet.
“Cooper,” Cruz called his oldest son to the center of the room. Cooper was the oldest of our entire generation. When I was younger, I thought he was the shit, but I was jealous as hell of him. He was the poster child for what a member of the Ravage MC was, and there was no way I could live up to that.
“As a kid, I pictured it, Micah. How all of us kids would man up, and this legacy of the Ravage MC would be ours to maintain. You crossed that; you fucking tainted it. This shit is a disappointment for everything you were raised to be. Don’t give a fuck how mad you were—you crossed family. That shit is not tolerated.”
Cooper didn’t wait to finish what he said, so some of the last part was jumbled up because he hit my ear, and it started ringing. Hand to my ear, I didn’t protect my ribs as he laid four savage hits to them.
The pain was so immense, I knew he had to have broken at least one, probably more. My knees hit the dirt as the pain coursed through every single part of me.
Seconds ticked by—hell, minutes could’ve ticked by before I was able to get my bearings and stand up once again.
“Raid,” Cruz noted next.
“You’re everything I was raised not to be.” One hit to the temple, and I staggered back. Someone behind me pushed me back into the center of the circle as I shook my head, trying to get the ringing to stop.
“Ax,” Cruz yelled.
“Thanks for the lessons in what not to do,” he scolded just as he did a right hook into my jaw. Fuck, I hoped it didn’t dislocate that fucker.
“Breaker,” Cruz said. Breaker was always the quiet one. He was there but in the shadows more than in your face. It also meant that when he did talk, it was something one had to take to heart. With every single inch of my body in pain, it took everything to open my swollen eyes and look at Breaker.
“A man must be broken from time to time to see what is right in front of his face. You took for granted everything that matters to all of us. Consider this the fire where you gotta burn to rise up like a Phoenix in the ashes to become what you should’ve been. I’m here to make you feel shit.”
Breaker killed me with his words; the hits only added to the torment inside of me. Three hits to the gut and I wanted to puke, but I held it in and somehow stayed upright.
Cruz came before me, the anger in his eyes burning bright. This was it. The one that was going to hurt worse than the others. He had a lot of built-up anger that needed to be burned.
Each one of the men had their own reasons for hating me. But Cruz found out about a son, and nothing could top that.
“I’ve already said what I had to say.”
The punches came fast and hard. Each one more pummeling than the next. Hits to the face, torso, chest and back of my neck had me falling to my knees. The knee to the face threw my body backward and into the dirt.
The boot to the chest had me sucking in a breath to breathe. I couldn’t move. Physically couldn’t do anything but close my eyes. Pain was all around me, but most of all in my heart. The guys were right on everything they said. Hell, some shit I didn’t even know they felt.
Cruz must’ve been done because my father filled my blurry vision as he stood over me with his hand out. It was hard. It was painful, but I took his hand as he helped me rise from the ground.
“The past is gone. We will move forward and create our legacy. Ravage for life.”
The men around us made noises of agreement, but I truly couldn’t hear what they were saying. Standing on my feet was taking every bit of energy I had.
“Let’s call Doc and get you fixed up,” my father drawled, and I wondered if this was for real a new start for me and the Ravage MC.
10
Micah
