He didn’t look up, a slow smirk making its way onto his face. “You’ll find out soon.”
I wanted to throttle the man, but I didn’t have the time or energy to expel on it. I sat down on the edge of the cot, the anticipation was almost killing me but soon…it would be over.
Shae
Bear, rebel and I saw Wolf amongst a host of other men in black shirts with the Outlaws insignia on it. They didn’t wear cuts all the time, mostly they just wore this uniform of black on black. My heartbeat was in my throat as I proceeded to the ominous looking cage in the middle of the warehouse.
“Jesus,” I heard Bear let out on a breath as he looked up at the structure himself. Sharp barbed wire was wrapped around the ring. If his head smashed against that, his face or body would be ripped to shreds.
“What is this?” I asked Wolf as he came over to us, holding us away fromeavesdroppers.
“It’s a rite we perform when someone breaks their vow,” he admitted. “He just needs to fight one of the senior members and win, and once he does, he’ll be free. He can leave the Outlaws and there will be no one to come after him. It’s the best way forward for everyone.”
“What?” I gasped, looking over at the structure again. “He’ll be killed.”
Wolf looked away, watching over the Outlaws gathered who were all cheering for the show to start, and back at us. His expression gave nothing away.
“That’s the point,” Bear added. “It’s a death match.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Keep it in,” Wolf said. “You guys aren’t even meant to be here. So stay back, lose the cuts and watch if you want, but he has to do this or he’ll be killed anyway. He’s a skilled fighter, I’ve seen it myself. He stayed hidden for a year, escaping from pretty shitty circumstances. He’ll be fine.”
He walked off to go and talk to some men while I felt my knees wobble as I looked over the makeshift structure again.
“He can’t…”
“He has to,” Bear said. “Come on, we’ll put our cuts on our bikes and come back.”
Rebel pushed me to follow Bear, the support I didn’t know I needed and numbly, I followed what they were doing until Rebel slung his arm around my shoulders and walked me back inside. Somehow the ring looked larger, loomed more dangerous than before, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.
He was going to get killed and all I could do was watch on helplessly. Surely we could do something.
“You need to let this play out,” Bear said to me so that only I could hear. “There’d be no point in rescuing him for him to go on the run again.”
“He’s going to die.”
“No, he’s not. Have faith, Shae.”
Bear never called me Shae. He called me Valkyrie so for him to use my name now, I knew I had to trust in him. I pushed back the tears and let them lead me into the crowd, one man on either side. My family, protecting me as I watched my man fight for his freedom.
For our future together.
Dempsey
“Come on,” Bullet said, opening the door. “It’s time. You good?”
I nodded, jumping up and down on the spot to warm my muscles up again. “Let’s get this over with.”
Bullet led me out of the room and into the warehouse. Men I knew as Outlaws and others who weren’t all gathered around the ring, cheering and jeering at me. I ignored them, focusing on the ring of death in front of me.
When I got to the door, I saw one of the senior members standing there. “You know the rules, Viking.”
“There are no rules,” I said to him. His toothy grin met my stony expression and he held the door open for me. “Don’t catch yourself on the barbs, would hate for your mug to get any uglier.”
A loud raucous chuckle erupted from him. “You’re all right, Viking, you know that? Don’t get yourself killed, yeah?”
Fucking imbecile.
