Chapter 18
Declan
Sunlight filters through the cracked blinds, painting soft lines across Lena’s bedroom walls.
I blink against the light, unfamiliar but not unwelcome.
Her bed is smaller than mine, her pillows fluffier, and the faint scent of coconut and whatever shampoo she uses clings to the sheets.
It’s different, but not bad. Actually, it feels good. Comfortable. Like I belong here.
I shift, propping myself up on one elbow so I can look at her. Lena’s still asleep, her face half-buried in the pillow, hair sprawled across her cheek. Peaceful. She looks peaceful. It’s a rare sight, and it hits me harder than I expect.
I never planned on this with her. But I’m here, and for once, I don’t feel the weight of everything else pressing down on me. Not right now.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand earlier, but I ignored it. Probably the club, Wesley, or someone needing something. I’ll deal with it later. For now, it’s just her.
Last night flashes back in pieces. The look in her eyes when she opened the door.
The way her voice cracked when she laid into me.
I deserved it. I knew it the second I heard her voice on the phone while Wesley was standing next to me, all sharp eyes and expectations.
I was stuck between what I want and what I’ve built my life around.
And I panicked. Pushed her away instead of pulling her closer.
I hate that I hurt her. And still, she let me in.
She shifts a little and lets out a soft hum. Her lashes flutter, and then her eyes open, hazy and half-awake. She sees me and gives this small smile that pulls something tight in my chest.
“Hey,” she whispers, voice raspy with sleep.
“Hey,” I say back, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “Sleep okay?”
She nods, stretching a little under the covers. “Yeah. Better than I thought I would.”
“Me too.” I hesitate for a second. “Thanks for not kicking me out last night.”
Lena gives me a look, one part amused, one part exasperated. “I almost did. You deserved it.”
“I know,” I admit. “I handled it like an asshole.”
She raises a brow. “You gonna tell me what was so important that you couldn’t even give me two minutes on the phone?”
I sit up a bit more, letting out a sigh. “Wesley was standing right next to me. I couldn’t say I was talking to you in front of him. We were dealing with club shit and it was just a bad moment.”
Her expression softens, just a little. “You could’ve just said that. Instead, you treated me like I was nothing.”
I reach for her hand, threading my fingers through hers. “You’re not nothing. You’re the only thing that feels real in my life right now.”
She doesn’t say anything at first, and I let the silence stretch. I want her to believe me. I need her to.
“I don’t want to play games, Declan,” she says finally. “I want something real. A relationship. Not some secret late-night hookup.”
“I want that too,” I say without hesitation. “I didn’t think I could have something like this. But I want it with you.”
She studies me, like she’s trying to decide if she can really trust me. I hold her gaze, letting her see I mean it.
“What does that even look like?” she asks. “With the club, your responsibilities, and Wesley?”
“It’s messy,” I admit. “And complicated. But I’ll figure it out. I’ll make it work, because you’re worth it. I don’t want to keep you in the shadows, Lena. I want you in my life. All in.”
She squeezes my hand. “Okay. Then I’m all in, too.”
I lean in and kiss her softly, letting it linger. It’s not rushed or heated like last night. It's slow and full of promises. When we pull apart, I rest my forehead against hers.
“We’ll figure it out,” I whisper.
“We better,” she whispers back, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Because I don’t do halfway.”
“Neither do I.”
Lena’s kitchen is small, but cozy like the rest of her place. I lean against the counter, sipping coffee while she moves around in a sleep shirt and shorts, making us eggs and toast like we’ve done this a hundred times. It feels weirdly domestic. Normal. And I like it more than I should.
“You’re gonna burn the toast,” I say, smirking as the smell starts to drift.
She glares over her shoulder. “Maybe I like it a little crispy.”
I chuckle, watching her sway to a quiet song playing from her phone speaker. “You like it charcoal.”
She laughs, tossing the burnt toast and making fresh toast.
Breakfast is simple, but good. We eat at the tiny table by the window, knees brushing. Her foot slides against mine under the table, and she gives me a look that makes it really damn hard to concentrate on food.
I could get used to this.
But of course, the second I start to think that, my phone buzzes. I check the screen and it’s Wesley.
Lena catches the shift in my expression. “You have to go?”
I nod, finishing the last of my coffee. “Club needs me. Something to do with it being Saturday night at Twisted Souls. We always need to be prepared.”
She stands when I do, following me to the door. I go to kiss her cheek, but she pulls me in, lips on mine in a way that makes it very clear she’s not mad.
When we break apart, she looks up at me and says, “See? I can handle it when you’re honest with me.”
That hits hard. I press my forehead to hers. “I’ll text you later, alright?”
She nods, brushing her fingers down my chest. “Be careful.”
Twisted Souls is buzzing when I pull up. I can feel the energy before I even step foot inside. I head straight for the back, where the real business happens.
The door to the meeting room is cracked open, and I push through to find Wesley, Hux, Kaden, and a few others already seated around the long table. The air smells like leather, coffee, and someone’s cheap cigar.
Wesley looks up. “Nice of you to join us, Romeo.”
I shoot him a look, but don’t take the bait. “What’s the situation?”
Hux leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Tonight’s fight’s gonna be packed. Word got out about the payout, and more crews are showing up to watch. We need eyes everywhere.”
Wesley nods. “Also, Killer’s in town. They’ll be here tonight.”
A low ripple of excitement moves around the table. Killer’s a legend in these circles, half rockstar, half wild card. He’s good people, but his presence is unpredictable as hell.
“Any issues expected?” I ask.
“Not yet,” Kaden says. “But you know how these things go. Especially with Killer around. We’ll need to keep things tight, watch the crowd.”
I nod slowly. “I’ll take outside detail when the fight ends. Make sure no one lingers.”
Wesley raises a brow. “Trying to sneak out early? That’s unlike you.”
That’s the thing I wasn’t planning on staying late. Not originally. But with Killer here, the crowd doubled, and tensions high, leaving early might not be an option.
I pull out my phone, staring at the blank screen for a second before opening a message to Lena.
Declan: Hey, this is me being honest. Killer and the band are gonna be here tonight, so why don’t you come hang out at Twisted Souls, and we’ll end the night together at my place.
I hit send before I can overthink it.
No one will know I invited her. She comes to the club often, especially when Killer is playing.
It could be sexy wanting each other and the growing need all night.
Or it could be a horrible mistake.
“I’m not sneaking anywhere. I’ll be here, like I always am.”
Only I am sneaking around with his sister.
The red lights of the fight club pulse like a heartbeat.
It’s loud, constant, and alive. The whole place is electric, the air thick with sweat, blood, and the unmistakable scent of smoke and testosterone.
I stand at the edge of the pit, the roar of the crowd vibrating through my chest as our guy lands another brutal hit.
The guy in the ring, the one getting his face caved in, isn’t just some unlucky bastard we picked off the street. He owed us. Big. Not just cash, although his stack of unpaid bets had stacked up higher than his ego, but worse, he was about to do something no one in this world survives.
He was gonna run to the cops.
A rat.
And there’s nothing I hate more than a man who pretends he can handle what we offer, then runs crying to the law the moment things get heavy. He thought he could play the game, rack up debt, profit off our violence, and then just snitch to save his own skin.
Watching him get the ever-loving shit beat out of him? That was an adrenaline rush I hadn’t realized I needed. Every crack of a punch, every sickening thud of knuckle meeting bone, it all settled something inside me. A calm. A sense of order being restored.
He deserved it.
I glance over at Wesley, who’s nursing a beer, eyes locked on the ring like he’s watching the best movie of his life. He catches me watching and nods once, nothing but grim satisfaction on his face. We did what we had to do.
The fight ends when the guy crumples. No bell needed. Just the silence that falls when the body stops moving. Blood pools beneath him, painting the canvas a darker red under the harsh glow of the lights.
The crowd erupts, a mixture of cheers and laughter. Bets are exchanged. Some celebrate. Others fume. But no one says a word because that’s how this is played.
You win or you lose. That’s the chance you take when placing a bet.
But to us, this was justice.
And more importantly, it was final.
He’s not walking out of here. He’s not going to open his mouth to a single cop. He’s not going to threaten the life we’ve built with his cowardice. The relief is instant. It settles deep in my bones, even as the chaos swirls around me.
He’s gone. And that means we can breathe a little easier. At least for now.
I grab a bottle of whiskey off the bar and take a long pull, letting the burn coat my throat, grounding me.
Then my eyes flick to the exit.
Lena’s coming tonight.
She doesn’t know what this place really is. Not yet. I didn’t tell her everything. But I need her to see it, to understand the world I live in. I need to know if she can handle it. If she can handle me.
And maybe selfishly, I want to see her here. Among my world. In it.
My world’s full of violence, secrets, and men who live by their own laws.
But it’s also full of loyalty. Brotherhood. Purpose.
I want her to see all of that.
I want her to see me.
Because for the first time in my life, I’m not sure I could handle her walking away.
It can’t happen tonight, and if I’m honest, it really can’t happen until Wesley finds out.
But once he finds out, Lena might see me in the ring instead.