22. Delaney
CHAPTER 22
DELANEY
“What the fuck was that?”
“Delaney, are you okay?”
Voices surround me, but I can’t tell who’s talking so I shake my head to clear the fog. My vision is blurry, and I blink rapidly to bring my world back into focus faster. Once the room stops spinning, I realize I’m lying on my back.
Sparring… proving myself… Jacob.
“Oomph.” I sit up as Violet and Abyss crouch beside me. Abyss shines a light in my eyes, and I push his hand away from my face. “I’m fine.”
“What the hell were you thinking?” Skye yells, and Rogue wraps his arms around her waist to keep her from charging.
“That was a fucking cheap shot, Jacob, and you know it,” Cece adds.
Jacob puts his arms up in the air. “I swear it was an acc?—”
Crunch.
Blood sprays all over the mat from the punch that Thorn delivers to Jacob’s nose.
“I’ll fucking kill you!” Thorn threatens, but Soul pulls him back before he can land another blow.
Thorn breaks from Soul’s hold, and I scramble to my feet. Malice tries to grab me as I push between Thorn and Jacob, but I dodge him.
“STOP!” I holler. “It wasn’t his fault.”
Everyone gets eerily quiet and stares at me. I can feel the bruises forming from the hits I’ve taken today. I’m not going to complain, though. I’ve had a lot of pent-up energy, and my sexcapades with Thorn helped, but fighting is more cathartic.
“He fucking hit you without warning,” Thorn argues. “You weren’t paying attention.”
“It was an accident, Thorn.” I shrug. “I knew he was there. We were sparring, for Christ’s sake. I let myself get distracted when Violet said ‘nutsack’.”
“I am so sorry,” Violet says softly. “I was translating for Grim, and?—”
“It’s fine,” I assure her as I squeeze her hand and shake my head. “Really, it was my fault. If TJ were here, he’d kick my ass for letting Jacob get the jump on me. I know better, but shit happens.”
“Who the fuck is TJ?”
“My trainer and pseudo-brother, I guess.”
“Oh, great, another one of those relationships,” Malice mumbles, and Apple elbows him in the gut.
I lift my brow in question, and Mark stands behind Malice with a conspiratory smile on his face.
Oh, Mark and Apple. No wonder Malice is always cranky.
“He could’ve seriously hurt you, De, and it would’ve been my fault,” Violet reiterates.
Carmella narrows her eyes and points at all the men. “ They never should’ve let things go this far. I understand you all wanted her to prove she could handle herself, but was this really necessary?” The men have enough sense to look down sheepishly. “And I heard you had her go up against Grim, for fuck’s sake.”
All the ladies nod, except Jez and Skye. They both look at me with shock and respect. I stood against their Enforcer. Yeah, he might have won, but I held my own and showed them all that it doesn’t matter how small I am, I can defend myself. Besides my parents and Daphne, I’ve never had anyone in my corner. All these women are angry on my behalf, but I can’t let them fight with their men over this. I asked for this… No one forced me into the ring.
“Delaney, I’m really sorry.” Jacob winces as Abyss finishes packing his nose.
“We’re good.” I hold out my hand. “It was an accident.”
Jacob shakes my hand, and Thorn stomps over to me.
“I should’ve never gone along with this crazy-ass plan of yours. We’re gonna talk about this.”
“Hey, girls!” Heather bounces between us before I can tell him where to shove it. “Let’s take Delaney to Purgatory for celebratory drinks for kicking Grim’s ass.”
“She didn’t kick my ass, but she’s a worthy opponent,” Violet translates for her husband.
I close the distance between me and Grim and throw my arms around him. He stiffens for a moment, and I tilt my head up so he can see my lips.
“Thank you.”
He wraps one arm around me to return my hug and then quickly spins me toward the women.
Thorn intercepts me. “I’m sorry.” He leans his forehead on mine. “I saw you go down…”
I stand on my toes and place a soft kiss on his lips. His hand weaves through my hair and pulls my head closer. His kiss turns hungry, and his tongue demands entry, which I gladly allow. When the catcalls start, we pull apart, both of us breathing heavily.
“We’ll bring her back in one piece.” Carmella grabs my elbow and pulls me toward the edge of the ring.
Rogue reaches for Skye before she can follow me. “Behave.”
Skye winks. “We’ll see, Sir.”
Rogue growls and scoops her up, squeezing her ass. “Keep talking like that, and you won’t sit down for a week.”
She giggles. “Promises, promises.”
I squeeze between the ropes and head to the lockers where Cece waits with my bag so I can shower and change. I’m glad I grabbed that as we were leaving the clubhouse because I hate being sweaty when I leave the gym. You never know when you’ll have to run an errand or go somewhere unexpectedly. Always be prepared… That’s my dad’s motto.
An hour later, we’re sitting in the VIP section at Purgatory. It isn’t too busy since it’s a Sunday night, but Mark and Zach are diligently keeping watch from the bar. There’s a pitcher of margaritas and a bottle of tequila with shot glasses sitting on the table, and we’re about to dive in when a man in a bright purple sequined tank top that says, ‘I am that Bitch ’, black leather pants, and black high-heeled boots saunters up.
“Hi, ladies!” he hollers, and when his eyes reach me, he shifts back. “Honey, what the hell happened to you?”
“RaRa, this is Delaney,” Skye introduces. “Delaney, this is RaRa. He’s the cook of our lovely establishment.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” I greet.
“Pleasure is all mine, Mon Chéri.” He picks up my hand and places a chaste kiss on it. “What happened to your beautiful face, and where are we burying the body?”
A deep purple bruise was visible when I stepped out of the shower at the gym. No amount of make-up was gonna cover it up, so I didn’t even try.
“Jacob sucker punched her,” Cece hisses.
“I thought Thorn was gonna kill him,” Carmella adds. “Our men are extremely protective.”
“Wait… You’re Thorn’s woman?” RaRa asks, perplexed. “And Jacob is still breathing?”
Violet snorts. “His nose is most likely broken, so breathing could be problematic.”
“I’m not Thorn’s woman,” I dispute. “We’re curr?—”
“Fucking?” Heather helps.
My face flames with embarrassment. “Well, yes… I mean, no,” I protest. “I was gonna say hel?—”
“Yeah, helping each other right into an orgasmic coma.” Jez grins.
“What the hell is happening?” I groan and bang my forehead on the table.
Apple rubs my back. “We’re just teasing you.”
“RaRa, do you have any orders?” Skye asks, taking the focus off me, and RaRa shakes his head. “Pull up a chair and let us tell you all about how Delaney here took on the men of Saints Purgatory.”
“Gossip!” RaRa squeals as he pours our drinks. Then he slides a chair between Skye and me as she begins relaying all the details I told them on the way here.
“I wish we’d have been there to see it all,” Violet complains. “The guys’ jaws were on the floor when we arrived, and I’m pretty sure some are still there. She’s tiny, like me, but she put each one of them on their asses.”
“Until Jacob took a cheap shot,” Apple snarls. “I hope they kick his as?—.”
“Guys, I really appreciate it,” I interrupt. “But we’ve been over this. It was an accident. I’ve been in the ring a lot with guys who are bigger than Jacob. I let myself get distracted. It wasn’t his fault. Cut him some slack.”
Cece picks up her shot glass. “To Delaney, one badass bitch!”
We all clink our glasses and toss back our shots. I wrinkle my nose as the liquor burns my throat on its way down. Tequila isn’t my favorite because it leaves me sappy or horny, and I never know which personality will appear until it’s too late.
Three shots and two margaritas later, the room slightly sways from side to side. It’s not full-blown spinning yet, but it’s close.
These women are my best friends in the whole world.
Oh good! It’s sappy Delaney. I’ve missed her.
“Can I tell you girls a secret?” I whisper yell. “RaRa, you can hear too because, well, you’re one of us, right?”
“Hell yeah, I am!” He high-fives me.
“Thorn punched Jacob for me… in the face. No one’s ever stood up for me today like you all did,” I confess. “Sure, I’ve had my parents, but ever since Daph died, I’ve pushed everyone away. Thank you for being there for me. It means a lot.”
Oh no, too many emotions, Delaney. Pull back, pull back. You’ll scare them away.
Violet stands and stumbles around the table to wrap me in a hug. “You’re one of us,” she cries. “We take care of our own.”
“It’s hard to let people in. I’m scared that if I do, something bad will happen, and all the good will be taken away.”
“Don’t do that anymore, Delaney,” RaRa admonishes. “How are you gonna hang out with cool bitches like us and fuck sexy men like Thorn if you hide from the world?”
“Thorn single-handedly ruined all other men out there for me,” I blurt.
Apple leans forward on her elbows. “Oooh, do tell.”
“Yeah, Delaney, do tell.”
I twist in my chair and see Thorn standing behind me.
Fuck me.