13. Beck
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BECK
After our brief meeting with Gideon, I went straight to our room to get ready for the most important fight of my life.
These few weeks without Taryn had felt like years. I hated every second. That’s why I’d argued with Adrian so fiercely about going in the first place. The farmhouse was secluded, but if the incident at Ben’s taught me anything, it was that nowhere was safe anymore.
I’d never admit it, but as strange as our situation was, Adrian’s arrangement eased my mind.
I’d spent my whole life believing a man protected what was his with his own two hands.
Then the meteor shower happened, and Adrian and Lucas entered the picture.
Soon after arriving here, I realized that one pair of hands wouldn’t be enough anymore, not with how precious each woman had become.
I’d much rather share her than lose her altogether.
Adrian saw danger before it happened.
Lucas saw the pieces of people that the rest of us missed.
And me? I handled whatever slipped through the cracks.
Together, we gave Taryn something none of us could’ve managed alone—a fighting chance.
I sat on the edge of my bed, slowly wrapping the worn leather around my knuckles.
The familiar ritual settled my mind.
Across the room, Adrian stood at the window, watching the street below with that unreadable expression he wore when he was already three steps ahead of everyone else.
Lucas was cleaning one of the rifles we’d been allowed to keep in case an infected broke through the defenses the town had erected.
I was surprised Gideon had trusted us that much before we took a woman and became a family group. Then again, Adrian had been meeting with him regularly, and there’s no telling what that brilliant bastard had come up with to ensure Gideon believed he had us under control.
Neither of us spoke for several minutes.
Nobody needed to. We were all on the same page.
Finally, Adrian broke the silence. “Mace has been talking shit since our meeting.”
I tightened the wrap around my wrist. “What about?”
“That he’s going to grind your dick in the dirt.”
I snorted. “He’s a fool who’s let this enhanced bullshit go to his head.”
“He’s hoping you’ll fight pissed off,” Lucas said, looking down the rifle barrel to make sure it was immaculate.
“I’m more than pissed off. What that stupid fuck doesn’t know is that’s when I’m at my best.”
“I know you are.” His gray eyes met mine. “I’m asking you to fight smart and don’t get reckless.”
I stood, rolling my shoulders. “I know what’s at stake. I’ve got this.”
“Taryn is one smart bit—” Lucas rolled his eyes when Adrian and I both let out a growl, “—girl, and even without all of this shit, she’d figure a way out for her and Lila.”
I looked at him in surprise, but Adrian just smirked, as if he knew something we didn’t.
“She may be a lot of things, but I never thought stupid was one of them.” He stood and leaned the rifle carefully against the wall.
“That she’s not.” Adrian smiled with pride. “And I have faith you’re right. But isn’t it fortunate that she has us to pave the way?”
“She has the two of you. I’m only in this to help get us the fuck out of here.” Lucas stepped into our small bathroom and shut the door.
“You know he’s full of shit, don’t you?” I downed a bottle of water.
“So much so, his breath stinks,” Adrian smirked, then pushed away from the window. “I’m sure Gideon plans on making this a spectacle, so be prepared.”
I picked up my shirt. “Then let's make sure it’s a good one that ends with Taryn in our arms.”
Adrian looked surprised by the ‘we’ I’d used. Admittedly, it felt strange on my tongue, but when I agreed to something, I was all in.
“I like the sound of that.” Adrian’s nod of approval meant more to me than I’d ever admit out loud.
If I had to share my girl, I could do worse than these two men.
The old baseball field sat on the edge of town.
Although fresh timber and steel cable reinforced the fighting ring built over home plate, the chain-link fences still surrounded the outfield.
The place buzzed with anticipation.
Men filled the bleachers, with a few women scattered throughout. Armed guards stood watch along the perimeter in case an infected situation had to be dealt with quickly.
The moment I stepped through the gate, conversations slowed and heads turned. There were daily fights, but not between two men like Mace and me.
Across the ring, Mace leaned against a corner post, speaking quietly with Gage. He looked over, and our eyes met; neither of us was willing to look away first. The D-bag was a big guy, maybe an inch taller than me and fifteen pounds heavier, with broader shoulders.
It didn’t matter.
The only measurement I cared about was whether he stayed down when I popped him in that big fucking mouth.
A bell rang once, and all the conversations going on around me died almost instantly.
Gideon stepped into the center of the ring.
“This town still exists because people chose survival over pride.” Silence fell over the crowd.
“The old world rewarded selfishness.” He slowly turned, taking in the families around the ring.
“We built something stronger.” He gestured toward the people watching.
“Strong families, strong defenders, and strong leadership. Our walls stand because capable people put aside old beliefs and embraced our new reality.”
The crowd nodded and shoulders straightened. This bastard really knew how to captivate an audience. I bet they’d heard all this before. Maybe not word for word, but enough times to believe it.
“Conflict weakens us.” He paused for effect. “The ring prevents that weakness from spreading. Today, two family groups seek the same future.”
My jaw tightened, and across the ring, Mace smiled.
Gideon turned toward the entrance. “Ahh, here she is, the lady of the hour, Taryn Calder.”
Every head in attendance turned.
Harper escorted Taryn through the crowd, with Lila beside her. I glanced around but didn’t see Wren, the poor, misguided soul. That was probably for the best. I didn’t think Gideon was her biggest fan.
Conversation erupted all over again. And why wouldn’t it?
My Fox looked gorgeous, as always. Her dark hair fell in a French braid over one shoulder, almost brushing her lush breasts.
And those eyes… those amazing eyes most people called gray.
Gray didn’t do them justice. They were every shade between silver and smoke, shifting in the light.
One minute, soft enough to make a man forget his own name. The next, sharp enough to cut him open.
My heartbeat kicked once.
Hard.
Gideon motioned toward a single chair positioned beside the ring. Of course, it was front and center.
Every damn person could see it and her, too.
For half a second, I expected her to argue. Instead, she walked toward it calmly, as if she’d accepted invitations like this one every day since the world ended.
She sat, crossed one leg over the other, then rested her hands in her lap, and lifted her chin.
She didn’t look nervous or embarrassed.
Hell… she looked as if she’d been crowned queen.
A slow grin tugged at the corner of my mouth, and I felt my dick get hard. Gideon thought he’d put her on display.
And I guess he had. But he didn’t realize Taryn would never be anyone’s pawn.
Her beautiful eyes were already moving. Watching and calculating. Learning. She wasn’t some damsel in distress; she was gathering ammunition.
I was one lucky bastard, and I couldn’t wait to fuck this piece of shit up so I could claim my evil queen.
Adrian and Lucas settled to her left and right. Both remained standing, watching the crowd rather than the ring. Two very different men, yet with the same instinct to protect our heart.
Even if one of them hadn’t admitted the truth to himself.
Then fucking Gage walked over and took the empty spot behind her. Something ugly twisted in my chest, and my hands clenched.
Mace noticed and laughed. “If that pisses you off, imagine how bad it’ll be when we have her spit-roasted between us.”
I rolled my neck. “We’ll see.”
The bastard was trying to get in my head, but I was focused now. Beating his ass was the only thing standing between Taryn and me.
His smile dropped, and for the first time, he looked a little worried.
The bell rang again.
Time to let all these fuckers watching find out what happens when you try to take something that's mine.
Before the bell's echo had time to fade, Mace came at me like a freight train. Way too damn fast for a man built like him. His fist crashed into my shoulder, hard enough to numb my entire arm before I could fully block it.
Fuck, that hurt.
I smiled.
Good. That meant the fun would last longer than I’d anticipated.
I answered with a straight right that caught him across the jaw. The impact echoed through the ring as if someone had swung a baseball bat into a telephone pole.
The crowd roared as Mace’s head snapped sideways. He spat blood into the dirt, then looked back at me. “You’ve got some moves, boy, but it’s not going to change the outcome.”
He barely finished speaking when his shoulder slammed into my chest, lifting my feet off the ground.
I crashed through a corner rail, splintering thick oak boards before landing in the dirt outside the ring.
The entire front row scrambled backward.
I grinned as I climbed back to my feet. “Not bad, old man. Now it’s my turn.”
Mace vaulted over the broken rail instead of waiting for me to climb back inside.
We met halfway, and his elbow clipped the side of my head. The world flashed white for half a second, then I buried my fist in his ribs.
Something cracked, but he barely slowed.
Neither did I.
We traded punches that would’ve dropped ordinary men.
His left split the skin over my eyebrow, and mine broke his nose.
Blood poured down both our faces.
Mace swung again, but I slipped inside his reach and drove my forehead straight into his head.
The crack blurred my vision.
Mace stumbled and tried to recover, but I didn’t give him time and doled out three body shots.
One hook.
An uppercut that lifted him onto his toes.
And another shot to his already injured ribs.
He answered with both hands locked together like a damn sledgehammer. The blow smashed across my shoulders and drove me to one knee.
The ground beneath me cracked, and dust burst upward.
A woman screamed, and I heard Adrian’s voice somewhere beyond the ring. “Stay the fuck back.”
Mace wiped blood from his mouth and nose with the back of his hand. “I’m done playing with you.” He gave me a bloody grin. “I’m ready to bury this dick in that fine young pussy.”
I laughed. “The only place you’ll be burying that tiny prick is in Gage’s ass.”
He charged.
At the last second, I stepped aside, caught his wrist, and used every ounce of strength the meteors had left me.
His body left the ground.
Two hundred and fifty pounds sailed through the air before crashing through another section of railing.
The wooden posts exploded.
People in the first row dove out of the way.
Mace landed hard and stayed still for a beat before pushing himself back to his feet.
We collided like two bulls, no technique now, just violence.
Every punch shook my bones. Every block sent shocks through my arms.
He caught me across the jaw, and my head snapped back. I answered with a hook to his liver. He drove a knee into my stomach, and I buried an elbow in his temple.
The crowd erupted every time one of us landed a solid hit… I barely heard them.
Then there was movement beside the ring. My eyes flicked for the smallest fraction of a second.
Gage had leaned toward Taryn.
Mace’s fist exploded across my cheek before I could turn back, and pain burst through my skull.
I staggered.
“Finish that fucker!” Taryn yelled in a tone that demanded my obedience.
Something shifted behind Mace’s eyes. Taryn had made her choice clear, and he didn’t like it.
He roared and came straight down the middle. Exactly what I’d been waiting for.
I stepped inside his reach.
One punch to the ribs.
One to the throat.
Then everything I had went into a right cross.
The impact sounded like a gunshot, and his feet left the ground once again. He hit the dirt flat on his back.
Mace lay there for a few moments, then blinked once.
Twice.
Then the stubborn bastard rolled onto one knee.
We were both breathing hard. Sweat, blood, and dirt covered our bodies.
He stood and lurched toward me. Much slower now, his feet landing heavily on the ground.
I met him halfway.
Another right.
Another left.
Then one final uppercut that lifted him just enough for gravity to finish the job.
He crashed into the dirt without even trying to catch himself.
This time… he stayed there.
The so-called referee looked at Gideon and gave a slow nod.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the fight, and for a second, I just stood there. My chest heaved, and blood dripped from my chin. A savage grin covered my face.
The crowd exploded.
Whistles.
Cheers.
My name being chanted.
None of it mattered.
My eyes found Taryn, and I saw she was already standing.
Her eyes locked on mine.
Storm clouds.
Steel.
The kind of eyes that promised she’d never belong to anyone but herself.
Good.
Because I never wanted to own her. I wanted her to choose me.
Without looking at Gideon…
Without acknowledging the applause…
Without sparing Mace another glance…
I started walking. Straight toward her.
The crowd parted before me. None of them were stupid enough to get in the way.
I stopped in front of Taryn.
Adrian acknowledged me with a nod but said nothing. He understood this was my moment, and although I had agreed to share her, this one was mine alone.
I’d fucking earned it.
Lucas never even looked at me, keeping his eyes trained on Gage in case he interfered.
Taryn opened her mouth. Probably to ask if I was hurt… maybe to yell at me for not finishing him earlier.
She knew as well as I did that I could have.
But I’d never know, because when I reached for her hand, her mouth closed.
Fifty people watched us, but I didn’t give a single shit.
“Come.”
Taryn searched my face for a long second, then without a single word she followed me.
The cheering of the town slowly faded behind us as I set out to reap my reward for being a brave knight.
This day was about to get a lot better.