Chapter 10
Declan
“We’ve got a big crowd coming tonight,” Hux says, leaning back in his chair at the head of the table, arms crossed casually over his chest.
“Always do when a fight pops up last minute,” Kaden replies with a cocky grin, tapping his knuckles on the wood grain of the table like he’s counting down to the chaos.
The room is buzzing with low chatter and anticipation, but I’m miles away from it all.
Lena walked out of my house, and I didn’t stop her.
Didn’t run after her. Didn’t say a damn word.
I couldn’t. Because if I had, I would’ve dragged her back inside, tossed her onto my bed, and done every filthy thing I’ve been fantasizing about.
So I let her go.
Now all I can do is sit here, pretending like my blood isn’t boiling from every possible thought of her. Who she’s with. Where she is. If she’s safe. If she’s thinking about me the way I’m thinking about her.
Hell, I haven’t heard a single thing being said at this table. I’ve been dodging Wesley’s eyes all night, afraid he’ll see the truth all over my face. He knows me too well. It won’t take much.
But all I can see is her. The way she looked in my bed, bare-legged in one of my shirts. Her body pressed against mine like it belonged there. Like it fit. Like she fit.
I can still feel her soft breath on my chest. Her fingers tracing lazy circles on my skin while I pretended not to be wrecked by every damn second.
My heart hasn’t calmed down since.
And the icing on the fucked-up cake? Twenty-five hundred in cash shoved into my sock drawer like I’m some damn charity case. I told her that money was hers. She never listens. It’s infuriating and it kills me to admit, but kind of hot.
“Declan? You with us?” Kaden’s voice cuts through the fog, dragging my attention back.
“Yeah,” I mutter, sitting up straighter.
Hux eyes me for a second before speaking again. “So, you wanna be the one to bring Jason into the ring or what?”
Now that gets my attention.
A slow, genuine smile tugs at my lips as I lean forward, my mood shifting instantly. “Fuck yes.”
Dragging Jason’s smug ass into that cage will be the highlight of my week. Hell, maybe even the month. A little taste of violence, of control, and I need that right now. I need something I can control.
“Great,” Hux says, pushing up from the table. “If there’s nothing else, let’s get ready for a fight.”
We all rise, chairs scraping against the concrete floor as we file out of the room. The sounds of Twisted Souls come alive beyond the office walls. The music pulsing, laughter rising, the unmistakable buzz of a crowd hungry for a good time.
“Hey,” Wesley says, falling into step beside me as we head down the back hallway toward the underground stairs. “What the fuck is going on with you?”
I glance at him, force a grin that feels stiff on my face. “Just didn’t sleep good last night.”
Not a lie. Just not the whole truth.
Wesley watches me for a beat, then claps a hand on my back. “I talked to Lena this morning. She’s good. I should’ve called you and let you know.”
I nod, trying not to show how much her name lights something wild and reckless inside me. “Good. Was I right?”
“Yep. Stayed with some guy,” he says, shaking his head. “She needs to stop that shit because it never ends well. We should both talk to her. Knock some sense into her before she really gets hurt.”
“Sure.” The word tastes bitter on my tongue.
If he only knew.
If he had any idea that his little sister had slept in my bed last night, wrapped around me like a fucking fever dream, he’d lose his goddamn mind.
We reach the stairwell, and the familiar, gritty scent of sweat, beer, and blood hits us as we descend. The low thrum of music grows softer as we make our way down.
The fight club is already packed, standing-room only. The cage is lit in a harsh spotlight, as the rest of the club is lit up red. It’s the opposite of the bright blue upstairs.
The crowd roars in anticipation.
The energy is electric. Addictive.
Tonight’s going to be brutal.
And I need it.
Because if I don’t get this out of my system, Lena, the lies, the need, I might just explode.
Time to channel it all into something useful.
Time for a fight.
Bodies crowd shoulder to shoulder around the cage, the roar of the crowd swelling with every minute that passes. They know something’s coming. They can feel it. A last-minute fight always brings out the bloodthirsty ones.
I open the door to the room that Jason is in and nod for him to come out. He’s grinning like the arrogant prick he is.
He’s the kind of guy who thrives in chaos.
But tonight? He’s not the main event.
He’s the bait.
“Move,” I bark at him.
I stand beside him as we push through the packed hallway that leads straight to the cage entrance.
Jason chuckles behind me. “This the part where you finally get your hands dirty?”
I stop dead and turn to face him. The cocky smirk on his face makes my blood boil.
“Wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to break you,” I say low, stepping into his space. “But I don’t do the fighting in the ring.”
He steps closer. “Then why you walking me in like my damn babysitter?”
“I’m your escort to hell, asshole. Try not to scream on the way down.”
I shove open the cage door and push Jason in. The crowd goes nuts, shoving and yelling and climbing onto chairs just to get a better view.
“Let’s go!” someone screams. “Rip his fuckin’ head off!”
Jason climbs in and stretches like this is a joke. But I don’t move.
Not yet.
Because I need to make a point.
I walk in behind him.
Jason doesn’t wait.
He lunges.
His fist connects with my cheek so hard my jaw cracks. The impact snaps my head sideways, and for a split second, I see stars.
The crowd loses their minds.
The second punch comes quicker. A body shot, low and sharp. I grunt and stumble back, bracing my hand on the cage to keep from going down.
Then comes the third.
“Jesus Christ!” Kaden yells from outside the cage. I hear chairs clattering, movement everywhere.
But it’s Wesley’s voice that cuts through the noise.
“Declan, get the fuck out!”
I shake off the haze, jaw clenched, and shoot Jason a smile laced with venom.
“You should’ve saved that for the guy who’s actually fighting you.”
Then I lunge.
My fist connects with the corner of his mouth, and before he can recover, I slam into him, knocking him against the chain-link wall, arm pressed to his throat.
“You’ll leave this ring in a body bag, and I want you to remember my face when you’re dragged into the gates of hell. Good luck, asshole.”
I shove off and stalk out of the cage just as Nico, the real fighter, steps up, shaking his arms loose, eyes locked on Jason like he’s already dead.
The bell rings a second later, and fists start flying for real.
As I drop down beside Wesley at the edge of the crowd, he grabs my shoulder, inspecting the forming bruise on my face.
“You okay?” he asks, voice low.
“Yeah,” I mutter, eyes still locked on the fight.
But the ache in my chest has nothing to do with Jason.
It’s her.
I let the brutality of the fight be my focus, trying to block out everything else.
The crowd is going wild as Jason tries to fight off Nico, but there’s no way. Nico is one of our best, and the harder Jason tries the weaker he gets.
Over and over, Nico attacks as blood is pouring down Jason face.
A kick from Nico’s leather boot brings Jason to the ground, and that’s where I know it’s going to end. Jason has no fight left in him and I grin as I watch him cowaring on the ground.
“He never should’ve touched a woman,” I say to no one in particular. “He deserves all the pain.”
“Who did he touch?” Wesley asks.
I continue to watch the fight, and when I see Nico’s heavy boot come down on Jason head repeatedly, I know it’s over.
“Declan, go call it,” Kaden says over my shoulder.
I don’t move, though. I watch as Nico continues his brutal, deadly beating. It gives me a sense of relief and redemption.
Jason touched Lena, and he deserved to die for it.
“Declan, fucking call it,” Hux yells.
I get up and rush to the ring, opening the door. I push Nico aside and lean down to check Jason for a pulse.
Nothing.
I stand up with a smile on my face.
“Winner,” I say, grabbing Nico’s arm and raising it high.
I look down at Jason’s body before I step out of the ring.
“That’s what happens when you put your hands on her,” I whisper, low and venomous, before stepping over his bloody body.
I don’t even look back.
“I need a fucking drink.”
Wesley falls into step beside me without hesitation. He doesn’t ask questions; he never does. We’ve been through enough together to know when the other is ready to snap.
While the rest of the crew stays behind to clean up the aftermath and collect the winnings, we make our way upstairs.
The second we hit the club floor, it’s like we’ve stepped into a different universe.
The pounding bass hits first, vibrating up through the floor and into my bones.
Cool blue lights slash through the darkness, dancing across sweaty bodies.
Laughter spills out from every corner. People high on music, liquor, and the kind of freedom that only comes with pretending nothing else exists.
The smell up here is different. Not blood and sweat and rage. It’s perfume, alcohol, and desire.
I pause at the edge, adjusting to the sensory whiplash, when Kaden shouts from behind us.
“Wesley! We need a hand!”
Wesley looks at me, hesitating.
“Go,” I say, voice rough. “Do what you gotta do.”
“You good?”
I nod once, turning my attention to Kaden. “You need me?”
Kaden meets my eyes as Wesley turns back. His expression softens for a second, which is rare for him. “Nah, you need a drink more,” he says. “We got it.”
I offer him a nod of gratitude, then push my way through the crowd to the bar.
“Shot of tequila,” I say to the bartender, tapping the counter with my fist.
The glass hits the bar, and I toss it back without blinking. The burn is welcome, it’s sharp and numbing. Exactly what I need.
“Another. And a beer.”
The second shot goes down slower, settling like fire in my gut. I grab the beer and lean against the bar, scanning the chaos in front of me.
The place is packed. Shoulder to shoulder with people dancing, flirting, moving in time with the beat like the world outside these walls doesn’t exist. They’re lost in it, eyes glazed with lust and liquor, and for a second, I envy the hell out of them.
I want to forget. Just for a night.
And then I see her.
Like a punch to the chest, the air leaves my lungs.
Lena.
Her name slams into my brain before I even process the rest. Her eyes lock with mine from across the floor, and it’s like everything around us drops away, the noise, the light, the sound, all gone in a heartbeat.
My body tenses, every nerve snapping to attention.
Anger.
Confusion.
Need.
Her jeans are tight enough to make my mouth dry, hugging her curves like a second skin. The top she’s wearing dips low enough to tease a glimpse of cleavage, just enough skin showing to wreck my already frayed self-control.
She looks like sin wrapped in silk. Like trouble in heels.
Like mine.
I grip the edge of the bar hard enough to make my knuckles crack. I shouldn’t be thinking about her like this, not after what I just walked out of. Not when every time I look at her, I see the war between what I want and what I shouldn’t have.
But fuck…
I don’t know how I’m going to handle it tonight.