Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Fury
I sit by the bar, my eyes fixed on Xanthe chatting with the other old ladies. “She fits right in,” says Coop, taking the seat beside me.
“Like she was always meant to be,” agrees Axel from my other side.
I grin. “I’m gonna make her my old lady,” I tell them.
“Good man,” says Coop, slapping me on the back in congratulations.
“I just wanna get this fight out the way before I make it official,” I add.
“It would make things easier for her if she’s got our protection,” says Axel. “It’s the right move.”
“She’s not so sure,” I admit. “I mentioned it to her last night. I think she feels like I’m rushing into it.”
“It has only been a few weeks,” Coop agrees, “but when you know, you know, right?”
I nod in agreement. “She’ll come round. I’ve given her a little space, but once this fight is done and we make it official, she’ll realise I’m serious about her.”
When she came to bed last night, she seemed a little more settled. And although we didn’t talk about it anymore, she didn’t protest when I slipped into bed with her, or when I gave her another orgasm before we fell asleep wrapped around one another.
But today, she seems distant again, and I’ve hardly seen her between her helping Duchess in the kitchen and then Luna in the garden. I’d have preferred to spend the day in bed worshipping her before this fight.
I stand. “I have to go and get this out the way.”
“Me and Grizz will be there,” says Axel, shaking my hand. “And I’ll keep the brothers on standby in case.”
“It’s just a fight,” I reassure him. “Nothing’s going down tonight.”
I head over to Xanthe, and she looks up, smiling. I lean closer and kiss her. “I have to go.”
She gently places her hand on my arm. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she mutters.
I brush some hair from her face. “I love you. I’ll be back in a few hours.” I add another chaste kiss and head out. All these doubters are making me anxious.
The fight club is packed out, even more so than usual. I head straight for the changing room and strip down to my shorts. When Chevy comes in minutes later, he doesn’t quite meet my eyes, and before I can question him, Donnie comes in. He grins. “You ready, champ?” The way he addresses me concerns me some more. He doesn’t usually come back here before a fight.
“Why do I feel like this is a big deal?” I ask warily.
“Isn’t every fight?” he asks, smirking.
“No,” I say bluntly. “There’s something going on.”
“There’re rules to this fight,” he says, arching a brow.
I shake my head, knowing I won’t like what he’s about to say. “I’m not throwing the fight,” I snap.
“Nothing like that. It’s a fight until knockout.”
“What?”
“Years ago, it would be a fight to the death, but apparently, they’re banned . . . but you get the idea.” I know that look—he means death.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “No.”
“No?” he repeats.
“I’m not killing anyone in that ring.”
He laughs. “Let’s not be dramatic. I didn’t say those words, did I?”
“But you meant them.” Fuck. I knew he was bloodthirsty, and I’ve gotten rid of bodies belonging to fighters, but I assumed it was from fights that had gone wrong.
“I don’t think you understand me, Fury,” he says firmly, stepping closer. “I have a room full of rich and important men out there tonight. They’re wanting a real fight. Like the good old days.”
“Axel won’t allow this,” I snap. “He’ll be here any minute, and you really don’t want a war with the club.”
This makes him laugh, and he pats Chevy on the back, who forces a smile. “He’s so confident I’m afraid of his precious club,” he scoffs, then he straightens up and his smile disappears. “I know you have her.” His words settle in my brain, but not quick enough for me to admit or deny it before he continues. “I know she’s your childhood sweetheart.” I swallow down a response. “Get in the ring. Fight like you agreed, and you get to walk away debt-free and with the girl.”
“And if I lose?” I ask, my heart slamming hard in my chest.
His lip lifts slightly at the corner, giving him a more sinister look. “But I thought you said you won’t.” And then he turns and leaves.
Chevy shifts uncomfortably. “Who am I fighting?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s gonna be good. He’s keeping it to himself.”
“Fuck,” I hiss.
“And just a heads up, he ain’t letting any bikers in tonight.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
He shakes his head. “Look, man, I like you, and I hate this. If I was you, I’d back out.”
“How can I?” I snap. “No. I’ve got to go through with this.” I sigh. “Look, I’m asking a lot, but get a message to Axel for me.” He hesitates, but before he can refuse, I add, “Just tell him, if this goes wrong, she’s my old lady.” He gives a stiff nod and leaves.
I pace the room, trying to keep my shit together. And when the knock comes on my door, I square my shoulders and take a deep breath. I’m a good fighter, and so far, I’ve only ever lost one fight. I can do this. For Xanthe.
I go out to the beat of a song I’ve never heard. Usually, I choose my own music for big events, but there’s nothing usual about any of this. I keep my head lowered as I climb into the ring. It’s not until I look up into the eyes of my opponent that the rest of the room fades away. I can hear my rapid breaths and the fast pace of my heart as the crowds fade to nothing. Ripper stares back, almost smirking. He bounces on the spot, warming his muscles and readying himself for the slaughter that’s about to happen. He tips his neck from side to side and gives me a wink. He’s been waiting for this for months, and fuck knows I deserve it.
The bell sounds, bringing me from my daze. I’m still rooted to the spot, and Ripper takes full advantage, closing the space between us and slamming his fist into my nose. The blood vessels burst immediately, spraying us both. “It’s good to see you, brother ,” he spits before jabbing my stomach fast and hard. I wince, trying to shake it off and gain control of the situation, but my mind is reeling, and I keep scanning the crowd for her . As if he senses it, he grins, pulling me in close so his mouth is to my ear. “She got rid of it,” he hisses, bringing his knee up as he forces me down, making contact with my stomach again. This time, I go down, coughing violently.
He doesn’t give me a second to recover before he’s on me, pinning me down so he can climb over me. I lie on my back, and he stares down at me with a smirk. “Come on, it’s no fun when you don’t fight back. Give the crowd a show.” He proceeds to pummel my face, and then the bell rings. He doesn’t stop immediately, giving me an extra few hits before climbing from me and going to his corner.
I pull myself up, and the sound of the crowd booing hits me. I wince, pushing to my feet and going to my corner. Chevy hands me a bottle of water, and I take it, rinsing my bloody mouth and spitting into the offered bucket. “What the fuck was that?” yells Donnie, marching over.
“Fuck you,” I hiss, grabbing my towel and wiping my nose. “You did this on purpose.”
“You better start fighting,” he warns, “cos if you don’t, I’m gonna get her back and give her a night she’ll never fucking forget. Am. I. Clear?” he bellows.
The next round is as brutal as the first. Letting Ripper get so many shots in the first round has put him at an advantage, and even though I manage a few moves, I don’t execute them in the way I usually would.
Round three is better. I manage to break his nose and possibly his cheekbone. I just need to hit him one good time to knock him out, and then maybe this madness can stop.
When the bell sounds for round four, I’m feeling more like myself. This fucker isn’t even a brother anymore. He’d made that perfectly clear when he asked Axel’s permission to end me. I owe him nothing.
I slam my fist into his face, hitting the same cheek with two quick jabs. He stumbles back, and I follow up with a round kick, which makes him lose his balance and he crashes to the floor. I dive on top of him, straddling his waist and punching him over and over. The crowd is going wild, and then I hear her calling to me. I glance to my left, and there she is, with tears streaming down her face. Joanne. “Please,” she begs. “Don’t.”
It’s not lost on me just how much she looks like Xanthe. Maybe that was the reason I was so attracted to her. But it was never love, and that’s the reason Ripper could never forgive me. I fucked his old lady . . . I got her pregnant when he couldn’t . . . and it wasn’t even about love.
Joanne’s distraction gives him enough time to shove me back, and I realise he must have been holding back before, because now, as he lands each precise blow, I feel as though my skull is breaking. The crowd is cheering, they’re so fucking fickle, and I pray for the bell to ring. But as he pins my hands under his knees and continues to rain down blows, I know it’s not going to sound.
This was always Donnie’s plan. This way, he wins.
Xanthe
The atmosphere has changed around the room, and the bikers are quiet. Even the women have felt it and have asked several times what’s wrong. It’s not until Axel storms in, followed quickly by Grizz, that I realise it might be something to do with Fury. “Motherfuckers,” Axel yells, kicking a wooden chair that flies across the room and breaks against the wall.
“What’s the plan?” asks Fletch.
“I don’t have a fucking plan,” Axel shouts angrily. “My plan was to monitor the situation from inside, but that stupid fucker made sure we didn’t get in.”
“How bad is this gonna get?” asks Coop cautiously.
The men exchange a look I don’t understand, and I push to my feet. “What’s going on?” My voice comes out less confident than I wanted it to, and Axel stares at me with a mixture of worry and pity.
He looks away. “Lexi, get her out of here. Get all the women out.”
I feel her gently tug my arm, but I shrug her off, frowning. If this is about Fury, I have a right to know. “Where is he?” I demand. “Has something happened to Fury?”
“Church,” he barks, heading for their sacred room, which Fury made very clear women weren’t allowed to enter.
The men file into the room and then the door slams shut. I turn to Lexi, who offers a pitying smile. “I’m sure he’ll fill you in when he can.”
“That’s not good enough,” I cry. “Something’s very wrong, I can feel it,” I add, rushing after them and shoving the door to church open. My breathing comes out in fast bursts as the men all turn to look at me. Axel stands, his large frame looking scarier than usual as he grips the edge of the table. “I need to know if he’s okay.”
“You can’t be in here,” says one of the bikers, trying to guide me from the room.
“If you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll go and find out for myself,” I threaten, looking Axel in the eyes.
He scrubs a hand over his brow. “I don’t know if he’s okay,” he admits. “I don’t know fuck all because Donnie wouldn’t let us in. But I’m guessing it’s not good.”
I let his words sink in, pain searing my heart. I almost fall to my knees as the realisation of what he’s saying hits me. The biker who was pushing me out is now gripping me to keep me upright. “I’ll come find you when I know more,” Axel says. “Try not to worry. He could be fine, and I might be overthinking this.” But we both know he isn’t.
The biker leads me from the room, but I pull free of his supporting arms and head out. I need air because I feel like the walls are closing in on me. Shoving the door hard, I inhale the cool evening air. Fuck. I knew something bad would happen. I had a dread in the pit of my stomach all day. What if Donnie knows I’m here? What if the fight went bad? I pace back and forth, not leaving the safety of the doorway, just in case.
A movement catches my eye, and I glance up in time to see a cat running across the carpark. And then my eyes land on a dark heap in the gateway. I can’t see what it is, but it doesn’t look like it belongs in the centre of the driveway. I take a few steps closer. “Hello?” There’s no movement or sound. I look around, but there’s no one else here, so I go closer. It’s only when I’m a few steps away that I realise it’s a person because I see a hand splayed out to the side. “Shit,” I mutter, dropping down beside the body. My nursing instincts kick in, and I gently place my hand to their shoulder. “Hi, I’m a nurse, are you hur . . .” My words trail off as the hood falls away and I’m faced with Fury. “Oh shit,” I gasp, falling back onto my arse and covering my mouth so I don’t scream. His face is a bloody mess. His eyes are completely swollen shut, and his lips are bloody and busted. His nose is broken, and he’s covered in small cuts.
“Reese,” I cry, scrambling to my knees and unzipping his hoody. I run my hands over his chest and feel wetness there. When I bring my hands up, they’re soaked in blood. “Help,” I scream. “Somebody help!” Seconds later, Lexi appears in the doorway. “Get Axel,” I yell. “It’s Fury!” I lean down to check his breathing.
The men run out, and Axel reaches me first, skidding to a stop beside us. “Holy shit, is he breathing?”
I nod. “Barely.”
“We need to get him inside,” says Grizz, looking around cautiously.
“We can’t move him,” I cry, wiping my tears on the back of my hand. I lean my ear back to his nose and mouth to monitor his breathing. My fingers dig into his wrist, feeling a faint pulse. “Call an ambulance.”
“We have to get him inside,” Grizz says again, more forcefully this time. “They could be watching. We’re targets out here in the open.”
“He’s right,” says Axel, touching my shoulder.
I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. “Okay, but we need to move him really carefully and slowly. I don’t know if there’s damage anywhere else.”
The men gather round, each taking a part of Fury under my orders and lifting with a trained precision I’ve only ever known from soldiers.
Once inside, he’s laid on the floor. In the light of the room, his injuries look so much worse, and I fight my tears to try to assess him while Grizz calls for the ambulance.
I get the men to help me carefully roll him into the recovery position, placing cushions behind him to keep him there, and then I feel down his spine. Nothing feels out of place, but without a scan, I can’t be sure. I keep my finger on his pulse and my ear to his mouth. “Please be okay,” I whisper. “I love you.”
When the ambulance arrives, they jump into action, and I stand back, Lexi holding me as we watch them hook him up to their monitors. They eventually get him stable enough to move him, and they place him on a spinal board before putting him onto the trolley.
“Is anyone coming in the ambulance?” the paramedic asks.
“Me,” I say, stepping forward.
“No,” says Axel firmly. “I’ll go.”
“But—”
“It’s too risky,” he cuts in. “Donnie will be waiting for you there. I’ll keep you updated.”
I stare helplessly as he heads out after them. Lexi gently squeezes my arm. “He’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know that,” I mutter. “He was in a bad way.”
“Try and stay positive.”
“I’m a nurse,” I say, “I know a dying man when I see one.” A sob escapes me, and I clamp my hands over my mouth. “Oh god, what if he dies and I’m not with him?”
“He knows you love him, Xanthe,” says Luna.
“It’s not enough,” I cry. “I should be with him, holding his hand, begging him to stay with me.”
“He’s a Chaos Demon,” says Gemma simply. “He’ll fight with everything he has to be back here with you.”
I don’t bother to reply, instead heading upstairs to my room. Once inside, I break down, huge sobs racking my body. I can’t get the image of his battered face out of my mind. I go to the bathroom and scrub his blood from my hands. Then I strip from my clothes and pull on the T-shirt he wore last, pressing the soft cotton to my nose and inhaling his musky aftershave. I crawl into bed, lying on his side and soaking his pillow with my tears.
I wake with a start to find Lexi shaking me. “Wake up,” she whispers. “Axel is on the phone.” I sit up, grabbing the offered mobile and pressing it to my ear.
“Yes?”
“He’s stable,” he says. “It took them some time to get him there, but for now, he’s stable. He’s got some swelling on the brain. If that doesn’t settle soon, they’re talking about a . . . fuck knows what it’s called, but they wanna remove a part of his skull.”
“Ventriculostomy,” I tell him as fear grips me. “I want to come and see him, Axel. He needs me.”
“I told you, it’s not safe. I won’t leave him, and I’ll update you.”
“Do you know what happened yet? Who he had a fight with?”
“No, but I have men looking into it.”
“Have the police been informed?” I know the hospital would have to call the police to report an assault. It’s standard practise.
“Yes, but I can’t tell them anything,” he says in a lowered voice.
“Like fuck you can’t,” I snap, and Lexi gently rubs my arm as if to calm me. “He could die. You have to tell them everything, including how Donnie is looking for me. Fury was only trying to protect me.”
“We’ll talk when I get back.”
“You just promised not to leave him,” I remind him.
“And I won’t. But at some point, I have to update my guys, so a prospect will come and take over from me for a while.”
I hand the mobile back to Lexi, and she turns her back, talking in whispers before disconnecting. “He’s in the best place,” she says, sitting beside me.
“I have to see him,” I cry. “What if he dies and I never get to see him again?”
“You heard Axel, it’s not safe. Donnie will be waiting for you.”
“I don’t care,” I say, throwing the sheets back. “He can take me, just as long as I see Fury first.”
“And then what?” she asks, standing. She looks pissed, and I keep my sarcasm to myself. “Fury asked the club to keep you safe if anything bad happened. If you take yourself off to the hospital and Donnie gets to you, Axel will then have to worry about you. He’s got enough on his plate already.”
Guilt swamps me, and I give a slight nod. “You’re right. Sorry.”
She sits back beside me. “I know this is hard. I can’t imagine how you feel. But you need to listen to Axel. He’s just doing what Fury asked him to do.”
“What if I call my mum? She loves Fury too, and she could go and see him. It’s not like Donnie knows who she is.”
“I’ll ask Axel.”
When Axel returns later that evening, there is no change and the doctors have decided to drill a hole into Fury’s skull to allow space for his brain to swell. But before he goes into church, Axel gives me permission to call my mum.
I don’t waste any time, and the second she answers, I burst into tears. She waits patiently, even though I can tell by her voice that she’s worried. And when I finally get it together, I blurt it out. “Fury is in hospital.”
“Oh my lord, are you with him now? I’ll come right away.”
“I’m not there, Mum. I can’t be there because . . .” I sigh. “Everything is such a mess.”
“I assumed things were going well. You texted to say you were really happy.”
“They’re fine between Fury and me,” I tell her. “Mum, there’s an ex who’s being stalkerish. And the thing is, I think he’s kind of the reason Fury is in hospital. I think he fixed one of his fights.”
“You’re in danger?” she asks, sounding panicked.
“I’m staying at Fury’s club with his friends. Yah know, the ones he told you about?”
“The biker place?”
“Yeah, and they’re really nice. They’ll keep me safe, but it means I can’t go sit with Fury right now. I was wondering if you would go for me and keep me updated?”
“I already have my shoes on,” she says, and I smile.
“It’s really important you don’t tell anyone that you know me, or that Fury and I have history.”
“If anyone asks, I’ll tell them I’m his foster parent. That’s the truth.”
I relax a little. “Thanks, Mum. I love you.”
“I love you too. I’ll call you when I can.”