29. Radley
Chapter twenty-nine
Radley
Henderson sits beside me, as we are flanked by the guys, eyeing the metal cage in front of us.
The Nightingale is set to go on, but with her opponent ending up on the literal chopping block she is set to fight a man two times her size and suspected to be harming children from the school he lives beside.
The Lords were going to wait and have me fight him in two weeks at the next rounds but they couldn't lose the money that having the Nightingale fight tonight brought in.
Henderson was pissed learning that his “ Natural Born Killer ” was fighting a man that was twice my size and well she was sitting 5 '4 at least 165 pounds of pure delicious curves with an ass and tits to die between.
I groan, shaking my head at the way my thoughts turned sexual, especially when the fear that Henderson has is justified. Cerv stands at 6 '3 weighing at least 298 pounds and he's not a newbie like the Nightingale, he has been in the ring before doing the same thing I was trained to do. Kill by using my hands, in any way that it deems me to.
Whoever set this fight up has it out for the dear Little Nightingale, that's for sure. But I'm curious to see if she will survive and if she can, then what we need to talk to her about will be worth it. After Drake filled us in on what happened with Josie, we all decided that we would hear what the Nightingale had to say before we asked for what we wanted instead. Protection for a girl we can't seem to forget.
Caden laces his finger with mine, holding onto them with a death grip. This week has been the hardest in his recovery and the withdrawals have been ugly. We have fought just to end up with one of us fucking or sucking the other off.
Bringing the pain with the pleasure that we both seem to crave in the bedroom, the cut on Caden's thigh that I had to stitch up last night after he had me cut him so deep I thought he'd bleed out.
The stupid bastard moaned and then fucked me in the ass so roughly with his blood as the lube I came right beside him and then cleaned and stitched him up. Then we decided on a shower to get the blood from our bodies that ended up with him on his knees and sucking me so deep into his throat I had to grip the tile so I didn't pass out when I came for a second time shooting it across his lips and face. He looked like every fantasy I ever had of him but the real thing is better.
“What has you blushing, pretty boy?” Caden looks at me with a knowing smirk like he can read my mind and see what I do
“Nothing that concerns you, Cade. Watch the fight .” I grumble, shouldering him lightly with a smile as he lets out a loud laugh making the other two look at him with equal matching smiles.
“ Whatever you say, pretty . Also, I've got a question. Henderson why the fuck did they set her up with him? Isn't this a match of disadvantage?”
He looks up as the referee steps into the ring explaining the rules and what's expected of each individual during this fight. The sight of the masked figures sitting in her corner catches my attention as one spins a knife that looks vaguely familiar
“Yeah, it seems my protege has pissed off the wrong people because this whole fight is bullshit. They almost didn't let her fight with her mask on risking her identity being exposed, Her safety is due to her being anonymous. The mask doesn't cause issues in the ring; it's designed so she can breathe and have the lower half of her face covered. So I told them if they forced her to part with it, I'd pull the venue and they'd be out of the 4 million they've earned for tonight's events. I tried the same tactic for getting someone more in her weight class but nothing would persuade these bastards, they said they couldn't find someone for her to fight that would make it worth the money that everyone paid to see her in action.”
He looks at us all as he leans in closer, whispering the next part in a voice so low like he's scared someone will catch the next part and put a bullet through his skull. “We got big-money players tonight and some low-level up-and-coming groups. They all want a piece of that girl in that ring, to own her in any way that they can but they want to test the product and see if it's worth it before pursuing her to make her an offer to join them.”
“Fuck it's that serious? ” Drake looks at Henderson, sucking in a deep breath trying to calm the panic that's so obvious on his face.
“Have you seen another like her? To have just started a month ago but to have a huge following and a name for yourself. She's rare” Caden says, paying full attention to the woman before us as she stalks her opponent like a lioness ready to kill for her pride.
“Hen, do you think she can survive this? ” Drake asks, his leg bouncing a mile a minute as he watches Cerv try to land a series of rapid blows to the small woman, but she sidesteps him and slams her fist into the center of his back making him stumble forward with an audible grunt.
“Yes, The Nightingale can kick their ass with her hands tied behind her back and blindfolded. Now don't worry or doubt her, watch her and learn .” She barely blocks the kick he rounds to her ribs, lightly grazing her and causing a loud huff to leave her lips. She jogs three steps backward, bouncing from side to side as she watches her opponent waiting for the right moment to pounce on him.
The opening comes as she uses the cage she's been pushed against to avoid his advances. She hooks her foot into one of the second loops, propelling her body into the air. She latches onto the man before her and starts landing punch after punch on his head.
He grunts and slams her against the wall behind them, her back hits the cage with a hard crack. She groans but doesn't release her grip, her thighs tight around his legs, making his knees buckle. The big bastard stumbles before crashing onto the hard ground of the ring. He is currently calling her many obscenities, cursing her life and everything else. As he spits blood in her direction, she dodges it.
She stands up and delivers a harsh kick to his head, knocking a few teeth onto the floor before them as his blood splatters across her leg and white shoes. He reaches up and snatches her foot right before she delivers the second kick, bringing her to the ground with his large body on top of hers as he slams his fist into her arms that are currently guarding her masked face from the onslaught.
The sight before me makes me clench my fists, reminding me of the memory of my father doing the same to my mother. My hands tremble as I rush to the cage. “Get up! Don't stop fighting!” I scream, pounding against the metal bars, praying my words reach her. “End him!”
Cerv pauses, looking at me with a bloodied smile that reveals the few teeth still attached to his skull. His next words send chills down my spine. “I was ordered to kill this bitch. She's not ending anything,” he replies confidently, barking out a laugh at my shocked expression, seemingly oblivious to the woman beneath him.
She reacts sharply to his words, seizing the distraction to her advantage by delivering a powerful uppercut directly to the center of his chin from her current position.
Cerv's head snaps back from the impact, blood pooling from his mouth onto the woman's body beneath him. His dazed eyes focus on her as she bucks her hips, causing him to lose his balance and fall onto his back. She’s on him again in record time, delivering one, two, and three punches to his unprotected face. His jaw hangs at an awkward angle as he struggles to regain control, but she’s not making the same mistake twice .
She is maneuvering him into a rear-naked choke hold, her legs barely able to wrap around the big bastard but that doesn't stop her from securing her grip on his neck, her arm tightening around his windpipe. As he struggles and attempts to lift himself, he hits and claws at her arm.
But it does not diminish her determination; the bloodlust is evident in her eyes as she chokes him. His flailing gradually subsides as he loses consciousness. It takes her a moment to release her grip once she realizes he is no longer a threat. When she finally does, she shoves his limp body off of her. Her breathing is ragged as she struggles to regain her composure.
My eyes remain fixed on the woman before me as the referee re-enters the cage, leaning down to check the pulse point on the side of Cerv’s neck. Once he is satisfied with the result, he walks over and offers his hand to the Nightingale, which she takes hesitantly. He pulls her to her feet, and with a smirk, raises her bruised arm, announcing her victory. The crowd surrounding the metal cage erupts into deafening applause, and her name is shouted from every corner.
The referee lowers her hand and signals for someone to remove the still-unconscious Cerv from the ring so he can begin preparing for the next fight.
The Nightingale staggers toward the exit, and two sets of hands reach out to help her escape the cage in which she is trapped. I begin to step in her direction when a hand on my shoulder causes me to spin around to see who it could be. “Not now. You've got a fight to prepare for as well, Radley. Go ahead and head to the dressing room. We'll see you ringside.” Reed's voice trembles as he glances at the woman behind me, his expression revealing the emotions that are consuming him: fear and pain.
“ Alright, alright. You're right. I'll see you all later.” With those parting words, I make my way to my dressing room to prepare for what I must do tonight. It won't be the first life I've taken under the orders of the Lords, and it certainly won't be the last. It's just part of the job.
I reach my room just in time to catch a glimpse of the guys from the race and Henderson entering Nightingale’s room. I fight the urge to follow them to check on her, but Reed is right; we will talk later, after my fight. I enter the dimly lit room, and the smell of cigarettes and sweat, permanently ingrained in the carpet, makes me cringe. I walk to the closet and pull out the shorts and the black tee with the Horsemen logo on the back. As I start undressing, my reflection catches my attention; my body is littered with love bites, interspersed with old and new scars, telling a story across my flesh. I slip on my shorts and then my shirt, sitting down to lace my shoes when a knock at the door causes me to pause.
“Come in!” Drake enters the room, quickly closing the door behind him as he walks up to me.
“Are you going to be okay?” He asks, looking me up and down trying to find my fault s
I look from him back down to my shoes, sighing softly as the full weight of what I’m about to do falls on my shoulders. “I have to be. I’m a Horseman, Drake, and this is what Horsemen do.”
He nods along with my words but I see the look on his face. He’s worried about me. The guys know how hard it is for me to be so violent when my father was an abusive fuck. It makes me think maybe I’m not so different from him after all…
“ Hey.” Drake puts his hand on my shoulder, causing me to look at him. “You’re nothing like him.”
I shoot him a soft smile before standing, stretching my arms up above my head as I hear my name being called from the ring. “Time to go.” Drake and I walk out of the room, Henderson now standing outside my door waiting.
“ You ready for this, Tiny Tim?” Hen asks looking at me with a half-cocked smile, and all I do is nod in return. The three of us walk ringside and watch as my opponent climbs into the ring. He’s a big dude, maybe even bigger than Cerv, and I just know this is about to be one of the roughest fights of my life.
Instead of answering, I climb into the ring, bouncing on the balls of my feet to get the blood flowing and ready to be spilled across the stained mat of the ring. The referee introduces us, the crowd roaring our names as we circle each other. I let my opponent strike first, his fist flying through the air at my stomach that’s easy enough to dodge.
Letting them hit first may make me look weak to others, but it helps me get a feel for their fighting style, and it’s obvious to me after one swing that this guy may be big and full of muscle, but he’s slow.
I continue to dodge him, tiring him out as he continues to advance. Movement to my left catches my eye and causes me to look over, watching as the Nightingale moves to stand beside the guys, her bodyguards flanking her sides. The momentary distraction costs me, though, and I fall to the mat as a hit to my side has me falling straight on my face.
I groan, slowly opening my eyes as Caden runs to the side of the ring, “Baby, get up. Please get up!”
I hear footsteps approaching and quickly turn over, throwing my legs under me as I jump up to find my opponent smirking directly in front of me. “Yeah, fag, get up and fight like a real man. Or do I need to bring your little boyfriend in here and show him what a real man is?” Red instantly clouds my vision and I immediately rush toward him, no thought on my mind but the utter destruction of yet another person who berates me for loving who I love. My fists fly, punching anything that comes too close. I feel blood flying, hitting my face and splattering onto my arms as my vision goes completely red.
“Rad! Radley, stop!”I hear my name being called from the sidelines but I can’t tell who’s yelling it. I feel hands on my shoulders, pulling me back. I try to fight back but before I do, I see Caden’s face pop into my field of vision, his hands on my chest pushing me backward and away from my opponent.
“You did it, Rad. You did it. You won.”
I look around his body to look at my opponent lying on the mat, his neck at a weird angle, and his face beat so bad I can’t even recognize the man he was before. “Oh God…did I do that?”
Caden doesn’t answer me; instead, he pulls me up and out of the ring, my arm around his shoulders, and walks me back to my room. I hear the referee announce me as the winner, but the cheers for me aren’t as loud as before.
“I just blacked out, Cade.”
He walks me into my room and closes the door behind us. I hear the lock slide into place as I turn to look at him, my eyes filled with unshed tears as the weight of what just happened hits me all at once.
“I’m just like him, Cade. I’m just like my father. I blacked out.”
Cade wraps his arms around me, shaking his head as he does. “You’re nothing like him, Rad. You’re good. I heard what that man said to you and you can’t help that it’s a trigger.”
I don’t say anything, trying to pull myself together instead of falling apart like I know I want to right now.
“You haven’t let me fall into myself this past week and I won’t let you do it either. ”
I move my head back, my eyes meeting his. “Then make me forget. Make me feel something other than guilt. Get me out of my head.” I whisper the last part, the anger and hurt filling me.
Caden doesn’t need any more words, though, and neither do I. He picks me up, my legs wrapping around his waist as he walks us to the wall and slams my body back. I feel the body-length mirror behind me shatter as pieces fall to the floor and for some reason that sound alone has me ready for anything Cade is willing to give.
Clothes come off, ripped and shredded to pieces as Cade and I give in to the urge, impatient to feel each other. His lips meet mine in a show of passion and claiming, teeth nipping at my lips as he forces my mouth open to accept his tongue. My hands slide down his chest, nails ripping at his skin as he ravages my mouth, and our breath mingles as we fall to the floor, right in the middle of the broken glass.
Wincing as shards slice into me, but Caden just smiles. He knows I like the pain as much as he does.
I watch as he reaches down to my back, sliding his hands through the blood pooling beneath me from the dozens of glass shards sticking into my flesh. He collects the blood on his fingers before reaching down to slide his hand up and down his cock, stroking it and covering it in my blood.
I groan at the sight, reaching down to cover his hand with my own as we stroke his cock together.
“I’m not going to be gentle, Rad. I’m going to fuck you with your blood covering my cock as your back gets ripped to shreds, and I know you’ll still moan as I do. You’re my dirty little whore, Radley.”
I tighten my grasp around his cock, bringing it to my ass. “Then do it, Cade. Fuck me. Make me forget how violently you love me.”
He reaches behind me again, gathering more of my blood to use as lube. He spreads it around my ass before adding more to his cock as he slides inside of me. I moan at the intrusion and gasp as he begins to thrust, the broken mirror digging into my back just like he said it would.
“Fuck, Cade.” I reach up to grab at him, but his hands find mine as he laces our fingers together and slams my hands down beside my head, pinning me down beneath him.
He continues to ravish me, his groans mixing with mine as he slams into me harder and harder each time. Thoughts of the fight no longer fill my brain as Cade does exactly what I asked of him and makes me forget. All I can think about now is how he looks as he slams into me, my dark angel, covered in blood as he forces me to bend to his will.
One of his hands releases mine as he reaches beside me, picking up a larger piece of glass and bringing it to my chest. I don’t say anything as he digs it into my skin, instead moaning at the intense pain mixing with the pleasure. Him fucking me while carving into my skin is a new high I didn’t even know I needed.
But he did. He always knows exactly what I need.
He throws the bloodied glass back down to the floor, picking up speed as I feel my orgasm building.
“Anytime you start to feel like you’re at your lowest point like you’re alone in the world and no one could ever possibly understand, look at your chest. Look at your heart and know that you could never be alone because I’ll always be with you.”
The words themself throw me over the edge, my orgasm shooting out of me and covering his chest and mine. Cade leans down, licking the mixture of cum and blood off of me as I feel him finish deep inside of me.
My body shakes with the after-effects of such a rough session, but the smile on my face consumes me with happiness. My Cade always knows what I need.
“I love you, Cade.”
He rolls off of me, still holding my one hand in his and he stands up and pulls me with him, “And I love you, Rad. Now let's go get cleaned up before the guys walk in here and have a spasm.”
I shake my head, laughing at the normality of a shower after everything that just happened. Following behind Cade, I look down at my chest, my heart swelling with love once again when I see his name forever carved into me.