Page 22 of Death's Devotion
As soon as the bell rings, the kid starts bouncing on his feet and starts to hesitantly approach me. It takes every ounce of self-control I can muster not to fucking laugh in his face. The very second he gets close enough for me to lash out, I do. I land a punch right under his left eye and it knocks the kid straight out. His body slams into the mat with a resounding thud. Everyone surrounding the cage screams and claps in wild abandon while chanting my name. I turn my attention straight to Craig.
“Get me some real fuckin’ competition or it’ll be your ass in here for the next four fights,” I bark out, pissed that nothing has been done to simmer the rage filling me. If anything, it’s only gotten worse.
With a nod of his head, Craig points to a guy. This man climbs in the ring and I already know he’s not going to be much competition either. He’s got a cocky smirk covering his face, the shorts he’s wearing are little more than booty shorts, and he’s ready to prove he’s better than I am. I snort in his direction before shaking my head.
“Something funny to you?” he questions me, his voice a high pitched whine.
“Yeah. You’re fuckin’ ass actin’ like you’re gonna win against me. I’ve been in more fights than you’ll ever fuckin’ see in your entire, pathetic life. You don’t have a fuckin’ chance in hell of beatin’ me. I might let you get a hit or two in, but that’s about it,” I promise him just as the bell rings.
As I knew it would, the asshole standing across from me charges as if I’m not gonna see that move come a million miles away. His entire game plan is to get me on the mat where he can try to overpower me. Again, it’s not gonna happen. I easily step out of his way as he slams into the ropes with his head hitting the steel of the cage. Instant fucking knockout. I didn’t even have to do anything to him. What a fucking disappointment.
The next three fights I have are actually worthy opponents. Only the last guy is able to land any hits on me. Each of the other two didn’t get close enough to touch me. I used my height to my advantage and kept them firmly on their side of the cage. When I try the same tactic with the last guy, he doesn’t let me get away with it. It doesn’t really matter. The hits landing on my body only amp me up to take this fucker out once and for all. Our match lasts over a half hour. I’m barely breaking a sweat while the fucker across from me is panting, sweating, and barely able to stand on his own two feet.
“Just give it the fuck up,” I taunt him, bouncing around the cage as if I’m taking a nice stroll.
“Never,” he grinds out, his voice barely above a whisper with how heavy he’s panting.
He’s one of those stubborn fuckers who won’t give up until he can no longer stand up. Well, I can certainly help him out with that shit. I sweep his legs out from under his heavy body and he lands on the mat with the loudest thud I’ve heard here in a long time. The man lets out an ‘oomph’ as his head bounces off the mat beneath my feet. His eyes glaze over and I know he’s done. There won’t be any more fight left in him tonight.
When he doesn’t get up after a minute, the fight is called and I’m announced as the winner. I slide my cut on over my shoulders and stuff the end of my shirt in the pocket of my jeans. Jumping out of the cage, I head straight for Craig so I can collect my money and get the fuck outta here. It’s bad enough several people try to stop me and offer their congratulations while the women want to fuck or suck my cock as if I owe it to them. I don’t owe anyone here a damn thing and never will.
Craig hands over a thick stack of cash with a large smile on his face. “When are you coming back here to fight on a regular basis?”
“I’m not. One time fuckin’ thing. Needed what I couldn’t get at my new setup. If I choose this type of arena again, it won’t be here. Tired of bein’ your fuckin’ payday, Craig. No one else makes you the type of money I do and I refuse to allow you to use me for your gain. Again,” I bark out, my voice echoing around the room as the next fighters step in the cage.
Without another word, I head straight for the door and out to my bike. It’s cold as fuck out as I put my shirt in one of my saddle bags and pull out a hoodie. Once I’m dressed, I straddle my bike and start the engine immediately. The bolder women have no problem coming out here to catch me on my bike. Believing I’m going to put them on my baby. No one rides on my bike. If I were going to put someone on it, Kelsey would have the seat. Since I’m not claiming her, she won’t be on my bike either.
The ride to the clubhouse is shorter than I’d like. Instead of going to Kelsey’s apartment, I head for my room in the clubhouse and lock myself inside. Taking a shower to wash the grime and smells from the warehouse off me, I get in bed naked. Sleep claims me quicker than normal and I dream of Kelsey and what our family could be like. I dream of two little boys racing around and creating all kinds of chaos while Kelsey laughs at their antics. Wrapping my arms around her, we watch our boys. I can’t even escape her in my dreams.
Chapter Sixteen
DEATH HAS BEEN acting really strange the last few days. Whenever he’s guarding me, he always makes it a point to come in and talk to me for a few minutes, make sure I’m not overdoing anything at work, and has also ensured me he’s out looking for Vince when he’s not doing something else. That every club member is searching for him on a daily basis. There’s also long periods of time where no one knows where he is. I’ve overheard the guys talking about it when we’re at the shop and I drop food or a coffee off for them. Some of them are worried about Death while others are saying it’s just who he is. That he needs to work something out and he always disappears when it happens. Talon, Sabotage, and Boxer are the three I’ve heard talking about it the most and they’re all worried as fuck about him. Hearing this only makes me worried. We might not be together, but it doesn’t mean I want anything to happen to him either. Death has worked his way into my heart without doing much of anything and I can’t get him out of there. Even knowing he’ll never return my feelings.
It's all I’ve been thinking about since waking up this morning. Death was supposed to be watching over me throughout the night, but was replaced by one of the other guys. He didn’t come over to see me or anything like he’s been doing lately. Honestly, I kind of miss his nightly chats. For those few minutes at the end of the day, I can feel as if things are different between us. That we actually have a chance at being more than two people getting ready to have a child together. A child one person doesn’t want. No matter what, Death and I are tied together for the rest of our lives by the little boy I carry inside me. Every single day I want him more and wish things could be different than what they are.
Work was hell today. I was messing everything up and dropped trays of baked goods. At one point, I set off the smoke alarm when I was trying to cook a new dish. Every single thought is on Death and our situation. I’m disappointed in myself and vow to do better tomorrow as I walk through the shop and turn off all the lights while making sure every door and window are closed and locked up tight. Talon watched over me for a while and was constantly giving me concerned looks. He’s saw everything happen and knows I’m not in the right frame of mind for much of anything today.
“Half Pint, you’ve done the walkthrough three times now,” Death says, opening the front door of the shop and sending the Prospect outside.
“What are you doing here, Death?” I question him, my heart rate picking up speed as I think about him showing up out of the blue like this.
“I’m here because I have to show you somethin’. And we need to have a talk. One that’s long overdue. Things are gonna change movin’ forward and I need you to have all the facts before we do anythin’ else. Now, are you ready to go?” he questions me, looking around the shop as I carry Brent in my arms.
Brent is so tired. I’ve been here later than normal and he’s been asleep for a little while now. Death takes my son from my arms and cradles him close to his chest as we finally make our way out of the shop. After setting the alarm and locking the door, I rush over to open the door of the SUV. I could park in back of the shop, but with everything going on, the guys decided the safest thing to do would be to park out front so the SUV is in full display of everyone in the area throughout the day. I’m not going to complain or say a word. These guys know what’s best and I’m going to listen to them.
Death gets Brent strapped into his car seat and closes the door softly. Turning to look at me, I stand there with an open mouth. The man has never really had anything to do with my son. I mean, he brought him into my hospital room while I was still there, but it’s not like I could have gone to pick him up and brought him back with me.
“Close your mouth, Half Pint. Everythin’ will make sense in a little bit. At least I’m hopin’ it will. Follow me when we get to the compound,” Death orders as he leads me around to the driver’s seat and helps me inside before walking to his bike in front of the SUV.
Shaking my head, I follow Death back to the compound and down the road leading to the apartment I’ve been staying in. Instead of pulling over there, Death continues on his way. Following him, he leads me to a spot further back on the property where houses are located. I never even knew these were back here. The houses are separated from the rest of the compound by a bunch of trees. If you didn’t know the houses were back here, no one would ever think to look for them. Smart idea.
Death pulls up to a house that’s completely dark and opens both garage doors. There’s a large truck parked on the side of the garage as he pulls his bike in and turns to motion me into the other side. Once we’re both parked in the garage, the door lowers closing us in. I get out of the SUV and head for the passenger door where Death is already getting Brent out of his seat. My son doesn’t even stir as he’s lifted and placed against Death’s chest once more. Seeing him holding my boy does something to my heart. It flutters in my chest to see this big, strong man holding my small son against him as if he’ll protect him and never let him go. If I weren’t already pregnant, I’d want to be right now.
“Let’s lay him down so I can show you what I brought you here for,” he says, his voice filled with emotion as I continue staring at them.
With a nod of my head, we make our way inside the house through a door leading to what looks like a mud room. Death slips his boots off on a mat and I do the same with my flats. Together we walk through his house and I try to take in as many details as possible while Death flips on lights along our way. The walls are all painted in neutral colors, soft beiges and light grays. A few pictures hang on the wall of Death and his brothers with an older man at their side. There’s multiple pictures of the men of the club as well. All the pictures are placed on the wall in no order as they all mix together.
A little bit of furniture is in each room, but you can tell this isn’t somewhere Death spends a lot of his time. There’s basically enough here to stay for a little while before heading back to the clubhouse. I almost run into Death’s back when he comes to a stop down a short hallway and reaches out to open the door. There’s only four doors here and I look at each of them as they stand closed. I’m curious about what’s in each room, but it’s not my place to ask. Not when I have no clue what the fuck is going on right now.
