Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Ink
I bounced on the balls of my feet, grinning at the brand-new prospect on the other side of the ring. He’d been named Knockout by the club because apparently, he was a damn good fighter. He was ex-military, but Blink was worried about his PTSD fucking everyone up during a run.
The guy woke up from a lot of fucking nightmares, and if the club had to camp out somewhere to do lookout, that could be catastrophic. Blink and the other founding members, who had moved on with their lives to settle in retirement, were ex-military, too. So, I knew Blink was trying to give the guy a chance, but I overheard him, Sabotage, and Grim sometimes talking about him, and talks weren’t all that great.
I might have just been a prospect at that point, but I was still included in the club information because before I began prospecting, I was already family.
I honestly could have skipped prospecting, but I insisted. I wanted to earn my way in—prove my loyalty. I wanted to earn the patch on my back just like every other member had. Even though Sabotage was Blink’s adopted son, he’d had to earn the patch on his back just like everyone else.
I didn’t understand why Blink was being so different with me. Either way, I was determined to do the right thing and follow normal club protocol. I had to earn my way into the fold. Had to earn my seat at that table.
“You two know the fucking rules,” Hatchet said. I nodded once at him. He smacked his hand on the mat and moved back, a silent order to start the fight.
“Think you can take me, kid?” Knockout asked me, a cocky grin on his face.
I just smirked. He may have been in the military—may have skills with hand-to-hand combat—but I was a kid who fought dirty. I’d learned to fight because I had to survive . To me, survival beat training any fucking day.
He swung out at me, but I blocked, sending two uppercuts to his abdomen before I danced back, adrenaline pumping through my veins. He gritted his teeth, glaring at me.
He knew this wasn’t a game anymore. I had skill—skill he hadn’t anticipated from someone as young as me. Joke was on him. I’d been defending myself since I was a little boy.
“Heard you lost your girl to your brother,” he taunted. My smirk dropped from my face, anger replacing my amusement. “Shitty way to lose, kid.”
Knockout had better watch his goddamn mouth before he no longer had a tongue to fucking talk with.
“You’ve been here all of two fucking seconds,” I reminded him. “You don’t fucking know shit. Unless you want me to beat your ass so fucking bad you lose your prospect cut and have to go crying back home to your fucking mommy, I suggest you stop running your goddamn mouth.”
He smirked. He knew he was getting under my skin.
I let him. He’d regret it soon enough.
Because in this ring, I was the fucking king. And I didn’t get here without learning a thing or two. If Knockout wanted to run his fucking mouth, I’d show him exactly what I’d learned.
“Didn’t even get a chance to get your dick wet, did you?” he asked. “Bet your brother is tearing her pussy up.”
I lost it.
I tackled him to the ground and pummeled my fists into his face. His blood coated my hands, splattering across my chest, arms, and abdomen. Even when he was out cold beneath me, I didn’t fucking stop.
Two sets of hands grabbed me, yanking me back. “Chill!” Grim roared in my face, shoving me back a step when I moved forward again. I glared at him, shoving him back. He shrugged off his cut, tossing it to the side. “You want to square off, brother? We’ll square off,” he warned me. I glared at him, but I didn’t rise to the challenge. I wouldn’t turn on a brother—not when he wasn’t the one I was pissed with. “That’s what I thought. Shove it down now, Ink,” he growled.
My chest was heaving, rage clouding my vision. “I want him out,” I snarled.
Sabotage and Grim pushed me back against the ropes. “Reign it in, brother,” Sabotage warned me. “Need you to lock that shit up, you hear me?”
I clenched my jaw and glared up at the awning above me, forcing all that anger back into its tightly locked box. I worked my jaw around, forcing myself to cool down.
“You good?” Grim asked me after a moment. Looking back at him, I nodded. “Good. Get a fucking shower. Meet us in the chapel.”
Fuck .
That wasn’t good.
I slid out of the ring and stormed inside of the clubhouse, going up to my room. After showering and getting dressed, I headed downstairs. I dropped my phone in the basket and walked into the chapel. The entire club was already seated at the table.
“Shut the doors,” Blink ordered.
I did as I was told before turning to face them, crossing my arms over my chest. It was a defensive gesture, one that could also be taken as a threat, but I didn’t give a fuck. “What is it?” I demanded, my voice hard and flinty.
“Jordan has just been arrested,” Blink informed me. I snorted. I wasn’t surprised. “Got arrested in Ohio—sex trafficking. Copper just called to inform me.” Copper was Blink’s son and the mother charter’s president. “You might want to head out and go check on your girl. She’ll be receiving word soon.”
“That all?” I asked. I’d thought I was getting the cut ripped from my back for losing my shit and shoving Grim.
Blink nodded. I left the room and snatched my phone out of the bin I had dropped it in. But I wasn’t going to see Reina yet. The dickish parted of me wanted to wait until she found out.
Johnny and I had both warned her that Jordan was no fucking good for her. Maybe now, she would finally see it.
But when the phone call from Reina came, it wasn’t what I was expecting.
“He left,” she cried. “He left me a note in my bedroom and left ,” she sobbed.
Jordan had known he might get caught, and he’d covered his tracks.
Son of a bitch .
That mother fucker was always one damn step ahead of me.