Page 28 of Death's Devotion
When we get to the door, the bouncer steps aside after letting us know he’s in a room in the back. They told him he’d get a dance and to wait until she was free to go in with him. It’s not gonna happen because we’re gonna enter the room instead. This fucker is so damn easy if we manage to catch him like this. He’s a bigger pussy then I believed he would be. I can fully say I’m whipped when it comes to Kelsey. That’s not what this man is about though. He’s literally about intimidating women and making them bend to his will. That’s what he did to an ol’ lady. Fucking scum bag.
Ice stalks to the back of the club and we stand in front of the door where the man is for a matter of seconds before entering. Slamming the door open so hard it slam against the wall putting a hole in it, Ice runs into the room. The man in here is laying on the bed with nothing but his damn briefs on. I can see from my position across the room they’re stained from shit and piss. This man is so damn pathetic and it’s no wonder he acts the way he does. No one will want him because it takes a second of looking at him to realize how fucked-up he really is. Though, it doesn’t excuse his behavior at all.
“It’s not fuckin’ him!” Ice yells out after roughing the man up for a few minutes. “This is some other fuckin’ loser. What the fuck?”
“You’re tellin’ me. I’m ready to go the fuck home and be with my family. My ol’ lady is fuckin’ pregnant and I’m here runnin’ around in fuckin’ circles instead of bein’ with her,” I grind out, rage filling me as I realize I’m not done here yet. Mother fucker!
“Sorry. Went with the lead. Thought this would be him this time,” Ice apologizes. No one ever gets an apology from him for any reason.
“Let’s get the fuck outta here,” I state, leaving the room and stalking through the club as more than one woman tries to get me to stop. I simply shrug them off and keep moving.
“I’ll get in the ring with ya when we get back. You can pound the shit outta me and get some of that rage out,” Ice offers as we straddle our bikes and get ready to take off.
“Deal.”
Starting my bike, I rev the engine a few times before pulling out. I don’t need to follow Ice this time because I know where I’m going. Straight back to the clubhouse to change and get in the ring with him. My brother is gonna get a fucking earful too. I’m not staying here much longer. They can kiss my fucking ass.
Ice and I made it back to the clubhouse and told the Rebels to save our dinner. Neither one of us is in the mood to eat right now. We’re both pissed as fuck and ready for this job to be over with. During the day, we ride around town and the surrounding ones looking for this sick fuck. At night we do the same thing and also follow any leads Ice gets his hands on. A few people have called them in to Judge as well. My brother follows up on those ones personally. Yet we can’t find this asshole no matter what we do or where we go. He’s good at fucking hiding. We’re fucking better at finding people. He’ll make a mistake sooner or later and I hope I’m there to fucking catch his ass. He will pay for all the time I’ve been away from Kelsey, Brent, and our other son even though he’s not born yet.
“Death, what the fuck are ya doin’?” Judge asks, walking up to me in the gym they have at the club while I tape my hands up.
“What’s it look like, big brother? I’m gettin’ in the ring with Ice because I’m tired of bein’ here. I want to be home with Kels and Brent. Yeah, I volunteered for this shit, but it wasn’t supposed to be this fuckin’ long. Now, Kels is dealin’ with more threats from Vince fuckin’ LaRusso and I’m hours away from her. Somethin’ happens to my ol’ lady and son while I’m here, no one will stop me from tearin’ every-fuckin’-thin’ apart. I’m tellin’ you that shit now, Judge,” I answer my brother without looking at him.
“I know you don’t wanna be here, Nolan. You want to be home with Kelsey. Gotta say, I’m surprised to see you like this. Talon told me you’d be a fuckin’ asshole because you were away from her. I can’t really say I believed him. What fuckin’ changed? Why did you change your mind about an ol’ lady and kids?” Judge asks me, taking the tape to finish taping up my hands for me.
“She’s not Brittny. Kelsey wants me for me and not what the club can do for her or the guys in the club. I’ve watched her interact with them and she always keeps it friendly but doesn’t flirt with them or any of the other bullshit that skank always did. The day she had an ultrasound done, I was there with her. I saw my son on the screen, heard his fuckin’ heartbeat through the speakers. It all became fuckin’ real for me. Decorated a nursery, started to set up a room for Brent, and knew I’d do anythin’ to make her mine.
“What truly sealed the door for me is Fourth of July. Some Rebel put her hands on me and Kelsey fuckin’ claimed me in front of everyone. Put that bitch on her ass and told her to stay the hell away. So, I claimed her ass back. Made her my ol’ lady right there. Didn’t think about it or anythin’. I’ve never had a woman claim me for herself before. Kelsey is everythin’ I didn’t know I was lookin’ for and I’m goin’ to do what it takes to keep her. She knows it’s for life and is willin’ to accept me for me. I can spend hours talkin’ to her and tellin’ her shit no one else knows. Just so she knows me as a person. And my position in the club, the blood I have on my hands, doesn’t bother her. Kelsey isn’t disgusted by it or makin’ me choose between her and the club at all,” I answer my brother, finally looking up to see him smiling at me.
“Knew she was a good fuckin’ woman from the little bit of time I spent with her. I’m happy for you, Nolan. You deserve to be happy as fuck and I’m glad she gives you that. You’re not scared for your son to be born?”
“Not at all. I can’t wait to hold him and make him and Brent the center of our world. When I think about this innocent baby bein’ completely dependent on us, I take the time to understand what that means. What I want to teach our boys and how I want them to grow up. It’s not scary at all because I know if somethin’ happens, Kelsey will be at my side and know what to do. She’ll teach me how to be a good dad and love our boys no matter what.”
“You know I’m gonna be there when he’s born. Not in the room, obviously. But I’m gonna be in the waitin’ room so I can be among the first ones to meet my nephew. And when you get married, I’m gonna marry your ass to the woman who makes you happier than I’ve ever seen you. Now, get the fuck in the ring and hand Ice his ass,” Judge says as we both laugh a little.
“Wouldn’t expect anythin’ less, Judge.”
Getting in the ring, Ice stands across from me. He’s got a smirk on his face. We’re pretty evenly matched. Judge tells us to fight, knowing we all know the rules already. No hitting below the belt and don’t pull your punches. We’re not sparring tonight. Ice and I are fighting and will go at it hard as fuck. It’s what we always do.
Ice and I circle one another a few times before I lunge and land a punch against his ribs. He grunts in response before landing his own hit against my jaw. For the first few minutes we go back and forth trading hits at an even match. I land one, Ice lands one and vice versa. Calling the round at fifteen minutes, Judge gets us both in our corners as we gulp down bottles of water. Giving us three minutes, we’re right back up and circling one another again.
This round, I manage to take the advantage. Ice doesn’t go down to the mat, but he does lean heavily against the ropes a time or two. For the first time in a long time, I’m panting and sweating during a fight and this isn’t one where I’m counting on winning. It’s honestly a toss-up as to who will win. Ice is one of the few men I actually like getting in the ring with here. My brother is the only other guy here I’ll get in this ring with because I know he’s not going to fuck around and pull his punches. We grew up fighting and wrestling with one another. Now, we’re just overgrown kids when we’re in the ring.
Again, my brother calls the round and we go to our corners to down some more water. Looking around the gym, the ring is now surrounded by club members. They’re all placing bets and trying to figure out who’s going to win. If I take this round, I win. But if Ice takes it then we go one more round to see who wins. Ice and I have only ever tied once and it was years ago. Now, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will win on a given day. Right now, I’m gonna go with myself because I’d rather be home than here. And the rage I have fueling me is going to make me take his ass out.
Judge starts us once again and Ice comes out swinging. He knows it’s down to this round and possibly one more. I can see the determination filling his eyes as he tries to kick me down to the mat. I block or dodge every single kick and punch he tries to land. Frustration is soon filling him and he takes a deep breath to compose himself once again. When Ice comes at me again, he manages to land a few hits I can’t block. I’m rocked on my heels, but refuse to go down.
I clear my head and get back in the fight. Gaining a quick advantage, I don’t let it go to my head because Ice can come back again easily. At the end of the match, I gain the advantage and end the match by getting Ice down on the mat. I might not pull my punches, but I don’t go all out on his ass like I would in a real fight. In a matter of minutes, Ice taps out and the fight is over. There’s a mixture of groans and cheers from the club members. Judge comes in and raises my hand in victory for a brief second before I get out of the ring.
Sucking down one more bottle of water, I use another one to dump over my head. Heading out of the gym, I make my way to the temporary room I have here. A shower is an absolute must before I try calling my Half Pint. If I’m lucky she’ll still be awake. It’s later than I typically call, but I needed to burn this shit off before talking to her. Kelsey picks up all of my emotions even if we’re not on a video call. One more reason I’m falling for her a little more every single day.
Chapter Twenty
EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED so much since Jaelyn returned to work a few days ago. I’m no longer in the shop on a daily basis after Vince’s call threatening me for the money in my trust funds. Instead, I bake and cook at the clubhouse and then Prospects or one of the guys take everything to the shop for Jaelyn to have. She works on the candy, tries new desserts and things not already on the menu to gauge customer’s reactions to them. We barely see one another because she’s there and I’m here. It’s actually kind of lonely. No one comes in the kitchen when I’m working except for Talon or Sabotage if they’re the ones watching over me for the day. Even then, they don’t talk to me about much of anything. If I’m not playing music on the small radio, there’s nothing but complete silence in the room.
Talon still has my phone. He lets me know every day if Vince has been calling or messaging me. So far, he has every damn day. The messages he sends are getting worse and worse while the voicemails are downright terrifying. To hear the rage beneath his promises against Brent and me fills me with nightmares I can’t combat on my own. Especially knowing Death is so far away and there’s nothing he can do.
I miss Death more every day. I’m so close to my due date and he’s not here with us. Whenever I have a doctor’s appointment, he calls me on video chat so he can see and hear firsthand what’s going on. Kathy answers all of his questions and has tried to assure him he’s got nothing to worry about as far as me going into labor early. It’s not really a guarantee because the baby will come when he’s ready. My only hope is Death is home with me when I do go into labor. He’s just too far away to give me any assurances that he’ll make it in time if he rides his bike all the way back home. Even pushing his bike as fast as he can and breaking traffic laws he won’t be able to tell me for sure he’ll be here.
