And Christian wasn’t moving.
CHRISTIAN
Blows rained down on him as he lay there unprotected and let it happen. He grunted as pain exploded across his cheekbone and he thought that this was how his life would end, the same way it had begun, in pain and helplessness.
But there was no fear, not now, because this was his choice. Even as everything swam around him and his heart jolted unsteadily with adrenaline and pain, he felt the same peace that he’d seen in Dave’s eyes.
The weight was off his chest. He lay there, unable to move, scarcely able to breathe, aware of movement and noise, but nothing made sense.
Dave was kneeling beside him, his voice breaking on his name. And somehow, Dave’s arms around him were helping him to sit up as everything around him tipped and went fuzzy at the edges.
“You won,” Dave said, his voice low and hoarse. “They’re letting us go.”
He knew he should say something because he couldfeelthe worry and fear in Dave, but it was too much effort.
He didn’t know how long they stayed like that before someone got their hands under his arms and pulled him onto his feet, though he couldn’t tell where his legs ended or the floor began. His head was going to fall off his shoulders, he was sure—it felt like an overripe melon, too heavy and soft in all the wrong places.
But a shoulder was under his left arm, Dave was on his other side, and they practically carried him to the fighters’ area. They sat him down in one of the seats and he was aware of someone fussing around him, shining a light into his eyes that hurt like fuck, but all he could really see was Dave. He didn’t know why Dave was so sad.
“I’m sorry.” Dave’s voice cracked on the words. His fingers clenched around Christian’s, like the world had ended and he was the one who’d pressed the button.
“God, Christian, if it hadn’t been for me… I’m so sorry you had to do that.” Guilt rang through his voice, but worse than that was the utter desolation in him.
“Don’t,” he said, and found that talking must have split his cheek open again because he could feel warm, wet blood spilling down his skin. But hey, women liked scars, or so they said, so maybe Dave would as well. “Easiest decision I ever made.”
And the thing was, it was true.
Dave’s throat worked and his nostrils quivered and his eyes were getting all—oh, God, no, please don’t let Dave cry, because Christian didn’t know what he’d do.
Tony was suddenly there, looming over him, and Christian tried desperately to get on his feet to meet the threat. But for the first time in his life, someone else was there, putting himself between Christian and danger so he didn’t have to fight.
Christian hadneverseen Dave like that before—vibrating with fury and ready for battle.
“The cut you would have got last night,” Tony said, shoving a fat envelope at Dave. He didn’t wait for Dave to say anything, just turned away as if the transaction was beneath him.
The hairs on the back of Christian’s neck stood up when he heard more footsteps approach, and he knew who it was before he looked.
Barton didn’t speak immediately. He stopped a few feet away, hands in the pockets of his coat like he had all the time in the world. His gaze rested on Christian, who’d summoned the last of his strength to stand.
“You cost me,” Barton said, voice low and flat. “You paid. That’s the endof it.”
He turned to go, pausing briefly to speak over his shoulder. “Don’t come back.”
And then he was gone, and Christian could breathe again. The last of his adrenaline vanished, and he was glad of Dave’s support as he fumbled back down onto the chair. The front door slammed behind Barton, echoing in the big, empty building.
When the hell had everyone else left? And who was that futzing around over there with the gauze and the—oh. Blondie.
Dave leaned in close to Christian, lowering his voice so Blondie couldn’t hear him. “They really are letting us go. Maybe we were wrong about you-know-what.”
Or maybe they just weren’t in a killing mood today. Just because they were letting them leave, didn’t mean they weren’t guilty of murdering Jesse’s pack. Which meant they should get while the getting was good.
Dave finally thought to open the envelope he was clutching, and stared down at the bills inside. “Why did they pay you? I don’t understand—theymadeyou fight.”
“I screwed them, they punished me, now we’re square,” Christian said. He didn’t know how else to explain what Dave clearly didn’t get. It wasn’t a payout so much as a reminder that they were the ones calling the shots. Maybe Christian should leave the money, except hell if he was going to do that. He’d fuckingearnedit.
“You can come back to my place to clean up if you want,” Blondie said, and he was talking to Dave. Like he couldn’t look Christian in the face. Like if he did, Christian would see how badly he still wanted to get into Dave’s pants.
Dave hesitated, and Christian took that as his cue. “We’ve got a flight,” he said, and got to his feet. His knees didn’t buckle too badly this time, so that was an improvement, even if he thought he might be sick from the way the world was moving up and down.
