made me chug down the rest of my drink, the whiskey burning my throat while it worked its magic of making me numb.
“Fine. Don’t tell me. I’m perfectly content with sittin’ here and gettin’ drunk.” Ryder chuckled and finished his drink, popping the top off another beer bottle and taking a few swigs.
We sat in silence, losing ourselves to the alcohol coursing through our systems. It wasn’t until two days later that I peeled myself off the couch, showered, and tried to make some semblance of my life again.
I vowed to get Addy back, if it was the last thing I did. How? I had no idea.
Marek was still holed up at his place, no doubt trying to repair whatever damage had been done to Sully’s emotional state when she laid eyes on the man who’d raped her. I’d phoned him a few times, but the conversations were always short and to the point.
He’s fine.
He’s taking care of his wife.
He’ll call me soon to discuss our next move.
Only there wasn’t a next move to be had. We couldn’t touch Yanez unless we wanted to bring down Carrillo’s wrath on our club. Marek had fought hard to break us away from the cartel, and I wasn’t gonna let him undo it all with a rash decision.
Again, he was a better man than me, but that was why he was leading the club. He needed to be the better man. For all of us.
“Stone!” Jagger shouted, jogging toward me with a big smile on his face. “Guess what arrived today?” The kid was like a pig in shit he was so happy. He bounced around on the balls of his feet in excitement, and for a brief second his mood was contagious. The corners of my lips turned up slightly, waiting for him to reveal the big surprise. When I cocked a brow, he said, “The cage.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, do you have time to spar with me in a bit? Hawke’s gonna help me set it up. He offered to go toe to toe with me, but you know as well as I do I’d knock him on his ass before he even knew what happened.” Jagger laughed at his own joke, but the fact was, he was right. Hawke could hold his own in a fight, but not against the likes of Jagger. He would be too busy showboating, playing it up for anyone watching, and that’s when the prospect would strike. He was young, and undefeated in the underground fighting world. Surprisingly, it hadn’t gone to his head. Not yet, at least.
He may be a superstar in that world, but he knew not to overstep his bounds in the club. Remaining respectful toward the other brothers, he wanted nothing more than to be fully patched in, but for whatever reason, our prez wasn’t a fan of the prospect.
And it was that very same day that I found out why.
An hour after the ring had been constructed, Jagger and I were both circling each other, adrenaline surging through my veins for the first time in days. I’d drowned myself in alcohol, trying to figure out what to do about Addy, but I had to admit it was nice to focus on something other than my battered ego. And heart, if I was completely honest with myself.
“Come on, old man,” Jagger taunted, a wide smile on his face while he bounced around me. He was doing his best to make me dizzy with his fancy footwork, but he should have known I wouldn’t be so easily distracted.
“Old man?” I’m half a decade older than your punk ass,” I mumbled around my mouth guard, frowning at his audacity. Trying to annoy me was surely on the top of his list.
Both of our hands were taped, but we didn’t wear any gloves. Or nut cups. There were rules, and we trusted each other not to break them.
No hitting below the waist, but everything else was game.
After countless minutes of Jagger pussy-footin’ around me, I decided it was time to make my move. With a quick jab, I managed to graze the side of his jaw before his hands flew up to protect his face. I didn’t blame him, though; he should protect that pretty face of his, unless he wanted to drive away all the free pussy that was endlessly thrown at him. Then again,
“Fine. Don’t tell me. I’m perfectly content with sittin’ here and gettin’ drunk.” Ryder chuckled and finished his drink, popping the top off another beer bottle and taking a few swigs.
We sat in silence, losing ourselves to the alcohol coursing through our systems. It wasn’t until two days later that I peeled myself off the couch, showered, and tried to make some semblance of my life again.
I vowed to get Addy back, if it was the last thing I did. How? I had no idea.
Marek was still holed up at his place, no doubt trying to repair whatever damage had been done to Sully’s emotional state when she laid eyes on the man who’d raped her. I’d phoned him a few times, but the conversations were always short and to the point.
He’s fine.
He’s taking care of his wife.
He’ll call me soon to discuss our next move.
Only there wasn’t a next move to be had. We couldn’t touch Yanez unless we wanted to bring down Carrillo’s wrath on our club. Marek had fought hard to break us away from the cartel, and I wasn’t gonna let him undo it all with a rash decision.
Again, he was a better man than me, but that was why he was leading the club. He needed to be the better man. For all of us.
“Stone!” Jagger shouted, jogging toward me with a big smile on his face. “Guess what arrived today?” The kid was like a pig in shit he was so happy. He bounced around on the balls of his feet in excitement, and for a brief second his mood was contagious. The corners of my lips turned up slightly, waiting for him to reveal the big surprise. When I cocked a brow, he said, “The cage.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, do you have time to spar with me in a bit? Hawke’s gonna help me set it up. He offered to go toe to toe with me, but you know as well as I do I’d knock him on his ass before he even knew what happened.” Jagger laughed at his own joke, but the fact was, he was right. Hawke could hold his own in a fight, but not against the likes of Jagger. He would be too busy showboating, playing it up for anyone watching, and that’s when the prospect would strike. He was young, and undefeated in the underground fighting world. Surprisingly, it hadn’t gone to his head. Not yet, at least.
He may be a superstar in that world, but he knew not to overstep his bounds in the club. Remaining respectful toward the other brothers, he wanted nothing more than to be fully patched in, but for whatever reason, our prez wasn’t a fan of the prospect.
And it was that very same day that I found out why.
An hour after the ring had been constructed, Jagger and I were both circling each other, adrenaline surging through my veins for the first time in days. I’d drowned myself in alcohol, trying to figure out what to do about Addy, but I had to admit it was nice to focus on something other than my battered ego. And heart, if I was completely honest with myself.
“Come on, old man,” Jagger taunted, a wide smile on his face while he bounced around me. He was doing his best to make me dizzy with his fancy footwork, but he should have known I wouldn’t be so easily distracted.
“Old man?” I’m half a decade older than your punk ass,” I mumbled around my mouth guard, frowning at his audacity. Trying to annoy me was surely on the top of his list.
Both of our hands were taped, but we didn’t wear any gloves. Or nut cups. There were rules, and we trusted each other not to break them.
No hitting below the waist, but everything else was game.
After countless minutes of Jagger pussy-footin’ around me, I decided it was time to make my move. With a quick jab, I managed to graze the side of his jaw before his hands flew up to protect his face. I didn’t blame him, though; he should protect that pretty face of his, unless he wanted to drive away all the free pussy that was endlessly thrown at him. Then again,
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