Page 35 of Bear

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I asked.

“It’s too loud for a baby in there, trust me,” Pedro replied. “I’ll be fine. If any problems come up, I’ll let you know. Now, go.”

As soon as I climbed out of the van, the low bass beat of music humming in the air greeted me. A raucous cheer went up from inside the clubhouse. A neon blue sign over the door read ALPHA RIDERS MC.

I scrubbed my palms against my jeans. I didn’t really have a plan. Once I was inside, what was I going to do? I guess I would figure it out as I went along.

Taking a breath to steady myself, I wrapped my fingers around the door handle and stepped inside.

A sea of people filled every available inch of space in the room. The smell of stale beer and sweat mingled to a nauseating level. The noise was so loud, I could feel it vibrating in my body. But the cage was impossible to miss.

It took up one entire wall, with chain link fencing that spanned from floor to ceiling. I attempted to get closer, elbowing my way through the crowd, but the crowd jostled back and I didn’t get far.

Two men were in the cage already, stripped to the waist, sweaty, bloody, and bruised. I strained to see their faces as they grappled and punched.

Not Bear or Justin.

I blew out a breath of relief. I wasn’t too late to stop the fight, to talk some sense into them. There had to be a peaceful resolution to this problem…

“Shelby?”

I jumped at the sound of Rooster’s voice so close to my ear. He placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry, darlin’. Didn’t mean to startle you. What are you doin’ here?”

“Is Bear fighting tonight?”

Rooster’s eyebrows flickered upward slightly in surprise.

“I wasn’t supposed to know about that, was I?” I added.

Rooster slid his hand from my shoulder to cradle my elbow.

“Look, he’s trying to do right by you.”

“Just tell me where he is.”

Rooster clenched his jaw and pressed his lips into a thin line. I wanted to shake the answer out of him.

Then his gaze flicked up, fixated on a point over my shoulder. And the loudspeaker crackled to life.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is it, folks. It’s time to conclude tonight’s festivities with our final match! The one you’ve all been waiting for.”

A deafening roar of applause and cheers rose up from the crowd. Rooster drew me a little closer, using his body as a shield against the press of the people around us. When the noise died down, the announcer continued.

“Please welcome our guest fighter and a newcomer to the scene tonight, Justin Davis.”

I went cold all over as I watched Justin emerge into the ring. A polite smattering of applause filtered through the crowd. He wore only shorts - no shirt, no gloves. Pedro had warned me during the drive to the clubhouse that it was a no-holds-barred deal. Weapons weren’t allowed, but anything else was fair game.

“Pitted against Justin Davis tonight,” the announcer went on, “will be a local favorite and always a crowd pleaser, Hector ‘Bear’ Calderon!”

The crowd erupted, screaming, howling, stomping their feet. My heart surged into my throat as Bear emerged into the cage, bare knuckles, bare chest. I hardly recognized him with the scowl etched into his face, his dark brows drawn together and casting his eyes in shadow.

It was strange to see them side by side. Justin, with his smooth, lean, muscled body, sculpted from hours in the gym. And Bear, thick with muscle carved from survival, ridges of scars on his brown skin, dusted with dark hair.

The announcer droned on but I didn’t hear a word of it. All I could think about was putting a stop to the fight. I took a step forward but Rooster caught my arm.

“You have to let this play out, Shelby,” he said, practically shouting to be heard over the noise.

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