by Rose, Aubrey
“It’s complicated. It’s… Hutch made a bad deal, back in the day he made a bad deal and now it’s coming back to haunt us. Hutch blames himself. Which makes sense, given it’s all his fault.”
“So he just left?”
“He’s always been too hard on himself. People make mistakes, y’know? People screw up. That doesn’t mean they have to shoulder the blame themselves. Not when they have friends. Not when they have family.”
“Why didn’t he come to you, then?” I asked. “I know Hutch didn’t want me to worry about him, but why didn’t he at least ask you for your advice?”
“I don’t know. It’s—it’s that damn guy with the cane who has been hanging around lately,” Gina said. “He set up this whole thing to give Hutch a way out. That asshole has been squeezing us dry for the last month. Forcing Hutch to fight night after night. Backing him into a corner and then offering him a way to fix it all. Setting it up so he doesn’t have a choice. Hutch is too damn stubborn and too damn proud to ask for help.”
“Guy with a cane?” My mind was fuzzy. It couldn’t be Tommy. No way. He hated shifters. But then...
“Yeah, he acts like he’s doing us animals a favor by getting Hutch this crazy fight. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of money. Enough to buy us out a few times again and let us start over. But if I had known from the start that Hutch would be putting his life on the line, I would have chased him out myself, teeth bared, y’know?”
“Yeah,” I said, reeling from the idea of Tommy setting up this fight. He was jealous. And he had the connections. I couldn’t believe it, but it had to be true. Gina continued on, oblivious to my shock.
“Hutch won’t even tell anyone where the fight is,” Gina said. “It’s not in our ring, that’s all I know. He’s gone off somewhere to maybe get himself killed, and...”
She choked up and I refocused, setting my thoughts aside. She chewed her lip so hard I thought she would draw blood. I reached out and set my hand on hers. She looked up at me hopefully.
“I know you don’t want to be part of this,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“When Hutch brought you to come visit us, I thought you were just a dog. I didn’t see what he saw in you. But then I realized what he needed, and...”
She swiped away a tear as ferociously as if it was a wasp stinging her.
“Look,” she said. “I think you’re good for him. The rest of the pack liked you tons. And I know it’s not the life you envision, scrapping around trailers in a lot and waiting for fights on the weekends to pay the bills. But I don’t know who else could talk him out of this. I don’t—I don’t want to lose him, Nat. He’s all the family I have.”
I swallowed back the lump choking my words.
“I’ll—hey, I’ll do what I can,” I said. I thought of Tommy, sitting in his office chair, making deals. This was one deal he wasn’t going to get away with. “I have an idea.”
“Thank you,” Gina said. She leapt up nimbly from the brick wall and turned back to me. “Nat, I’m sorry. If it means anything, I think this whole thing was a mistake. He’s a goddamn idiot to let you go so easy.”
“It wasn’t easy,” I said. “And it’s not a mistake, not yet, anyway. I only hope we can stop this before it becomes a mistake.”
***
The building Tommy worked in was seven stories high, the windows mirroring the sky and me. I took a deep breath and smoothed the pleats in my dress. I wanted to keep this as professional as I could.
The elevator swept me up to the top floor and my heart rose right along with it up into my throat. I walked down the oak-paneled hallway, my kitten heels clicking loudly on the tile. The receptionist at the office desk looked me up and down, her blonde hair tied back into a smooth ponytail.
“He’ll be done with the conference call in just a minute,” she told me when I asked for Tommy. “Please have a seat.”
I sank down into the leather chair. The cushions swallowed me up, making me feel like a little kid. After what seemed like a million years, the receptionist waved me in.
The oak door creaked and I stepped inside, steeling myself. Tommy stood up, leaning heavily on his desk.
“Natalie,” he said. “What a pleasant surprise to see such a beautiful woman walk into my office.”
“We need to talk.”
“Of course,” he said, but his smile cracked at the corner. “Come in. Sit down.”
“I’m good,” I said, coming forward and standing at the corner of his desk. Tommy relaxed back into his armchair behind his desk.
“What can I do for you?”
“You can start by telling me where the fight is going to be.”
“Fight?”
“Yes.” I stared at him, unwilling to back down. “You know what I’m talking about. The fight you set up for Hutch. The fight... the fight to the death.”
“Oh, that fight. Natalie, I’ve been setting up fights for a while now, I get them mixed up.”
I seethed.
“You’ve been setting up fights ever since we argued, Tommy.”
“Well, since before then, technically. But after this fight, he’ll be done with it, yes? They’ll all be done fighting. Isn’t that better?
“Why?”
“The people who fund my campaigns are very particular,” Tommy said. “You have to understand that most of the deep pockets around here belong to people who hate your kind.”
He stared right at me when he said it.
“And?”
“I’m in the middle of launching a political campaign, and I can’t have people questioning me about my loyalties. I don’t want to give the anti-shifter brigade any more ammunition, to be honest. Their prejudices run deep, and I can’t change their minds. But that doesn’t mean I’m taking their side.”
“What side are you taking?”
“Neither side, Natalie. I don’t like taking sides. If this fight ends all of the fights, then I don’t have to worry. And your fighter, this Hutch, he won’t have to worry, either.”
“He’ll be dead.”
“Maybe, maybe not. That depends on how well he fights, eh? And no matter what, his pack will be free of all their obligations. It’ll give them a fresh start. He’s very selfless. It’s admirable, how selfless he is.”
“I’m sure it’s equally selfless for you to set him up to die.”
“My deals are always fair, Natalie. Am I selfish to want an end to the friction between the shifters and the people who run this town?”
“With a deal that will make you a bunch of money, I suppose.”
“We’ll both make money,” Tommy said, his tone slick and wheedling. “We’ll both be happier without the fights.”
Now I was beginning to understand the pressure Hutch had been under. Tommy had forced him into this fight to protect the pack’s future. And Hutch, as protective as he was, had taken the deal. I’m sure Tommy convinced him that it was all for the best. I knew exactly how convincing he could be. But I wasn’t falling for it. Not this time.
“Where’s the fight?”
“That’s private information.”
“Private to who?”
“To anyone with the money to pay for tickets. It’s a private event, you see. Not something we can publicize, for obvious reasons.”
“Obviously.”
“From what I hear, though, we’re almost sold out for this weekend. I’m quite excited.”
This weekend. My heart beat faster. Hutch would fight this weekend. He could die this weekend, or if not, he would be a killer. I lifted my chin.
“You’re going to the fight?”
“Of course. It’s my deal. My backers need me there.”
“Take me.”
Tommy pressed his fingertips together, looking up at me.
“Natalie, this isn’t an event I think you’d enjoy. Blood sports are messy, and—”
“I’m not asking.”
“Nat, I—”
I leaned forward and let the animal inside me rise to the surface. The skin on my hands itched with retracted claws. Teeth bared, I let a low growl escape my throat. Tommy’s eyes widened as I came closer to him. I smelled fear coming off of his skin.
“You’ll take me,” I said, “Or I’ll tear you to pieces right here and show everybody in this office how messy blood sports can be.”
His eye twitched and he gritted his teeth.
“The plane leaves tomorrow at noon,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said. Without another word, I turned on my heel and left him sweating in his fancy office chair.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hutch
They flew me to Atlantic City in a private jet, no expense spared. Crystal glasses of champagne on takeoff, leather reclining seats, a hot flight attendant.
I hated every second of it.
It was my first time in a plane, and hopefully my last. I’d never felt so disconnected from the world. I’d never felt so insignificant.
And the emotions running through me didn’t help my state of mind, either. The way it had ended between Nat and me. I guess I was an idiot. I’d gone to her expecting her support. That she’d understand why I had to do this. But at heart, she was still a dog.
The odd thing was, I didn’t think of that as an insult anymore. While I was with her, a little bit of it had rubbed on me. I had become more like her and I think, when I was, I was a better person. Maybe she was right, a little bit at least. The painting stuff made me understand her side.
But she didn’t understand that the needs of the pack came first. I’d do anything to make sure my pack survived the mess I’d gotten them into. If that meant killing, so be it. If that meant dying, so be it. When you’re an animal, sometimes survival means shedding a little blood. No, she didn’t understand that, not at all.
I scowled the whole way there, turning the conversation over in my mind as the miles flew by underneath us. The short plane trip was followed by a limo ride to the arena. It had decent legroom, but I missed my bike. I missed Natalie on the back of my bike.
At the arena there were people I had to meet, but it was fight night, so they waved a VIP pass in my face and let me in. I headed to the lounge, where the money hung out before a fight in fully-catered, open-barred, air-conditioned luxury.
I turned heads when I entered the room. I wasn’t part of their world, but they were fascinated with mine.
“This must be Hutch.” A dark-haired man in an expensive looking suit approached and pumped my hand in an enthusiastic greeting. “I am happy to finally meet you. I’ve heard good things. Good things.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah? Love it! Man of few words, right? I love it. It works for you. Me? I talk too much. But, what are you gonna do, right? So, Hutch, I know your kind isn’t too big on planes, so I’m not going to ask you how the trip was. You’re here now, that’s all that matters.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You have no idea who I am, do you? I’m Vince, Vince Castle. This is my place. Well I run it anyway.”
He laughed, a high grating laugh that made me want to punch a wall.
“We have a mutual friend and he recommended you highly, very highly.”
“Tommy?” I frowned. “He ain’t no friend of mine.”
“Ah, he can be a bit of a pain sometimes, but he’s alright. You just have to get to know him.”
That was something I had no intention of doing. Ever. The grease ball clapped his hand on my shoulder and I winced.
“Anyway, enough with that. You’re fighting Saturday. Tomorrow we’ll sort out the contract and get you introduced to a personal trainer and physician. We’ve got a world class gym here and world class medical facilities. You’re going to love it here.”
“What about the money?”
“We’ll sort it out tomorrow, get all your details and all that. Look we’ve got a great lawyer here to, ah, get your estate in order. You’ll get your money as soon as the fight is over.”
“And the fight is over when one of us is d—”
“Sure, look, we don’t like to use the ‘d’ word here. You’re a gladiator, this is your arena. You fight until submission, claws out, no rules. Once one of you submits or is rendered unable to submit, you’ll get immediate medical attention.”
Yeah right. ‘Claws out, no rules” meant that even if you did… how did he put it? Submit or were rendered unable to submit? Even if you did that, your opponent didn’t have to stop. Your fate was up to the will of the crowd cheering him on. And even if you were spared, first class medical facilities don’t mean shit if your guts have been sliced to ribbons. This was a fight to the death in everything but name. Vince’s eyes gleamed.
“Anyway Hutch, forget all that. It can wait. Tonight, have a little fun. Watch the fight and after… well, maybe you should introduce yourself to a few people. Little miss blonde and stacked over there hasn’t been able to take her eyes off you since you entered the room. Tiffany! Hey, Tiffany, come over here and meet Hutch.”
Tiffany was something else entirely. Her body was sheathed in a shimmering red dress that clung to her curves like a second skin. I found myself wondering if I should get Nat a dress like that. And then I remembered, yeah, that wasn’t happening. But even knowing I wouldn’t see Nat again, I couldn’t go through with it. As fun as it might be to peel Tiffany out of her dress, she wasn’t my mate. It wouldn’t be the same.
Vince left us alone, and I managed to ditch Tiffany before the fight.
The fight was… entertaining. A whole load of glitz and glamour. Dazzling lights and the ring miked-up so that every punch sounded like a jack-hammer. The crowd was certainly into it. A lot of wealth and power screaming itself hoarse as they watched men who weren’t quite men throw punch after punch into their bodies. That was what I was here to do, to fight. To beat fifty shades of crap out of my opponent.
The fighters themselves were good. Good, but not great. I would have stood a more than decent chance against either of them. But this was the undercard on a weeknight when the arena was half full. I wouldn’t be fighting guys like these.
After the fight, I headed back to the lounge to grab some liquid refreshment. As I knocked back some expensive imported beer I was approached by a couple that reeked of money. They also reeked of something else. The woman in particular was so excited that when she spoke the tremor in her voice made her sound as if she was on the verge of orgasm.
“Hutch. Hutch, is it?”
She reached out and touched my forearm. Like she was checking to see if I was real. Her fingertips shivered on my skin.
I shrugged. Yeah, whatever, lady.
The man, a solidly built guy with vaguely eastern European features, was excited too. An obvious erection strained against his suit pants. What the hell?
“We would like to make you an offer.” She nodded at the guy, as if asking for permission and he replied with an affirmative tilt of the head. “He’d like to watch you fuck me. He’ll pay you. Two thousand dollars… three if you—ah, shift—while you do it.”
My jaw dropped. For all of a half-second, I seriously considered it. That was a lot of money for boning some skinny chick with a thing for animals. The fact that the rich mook she was with wanted to watch didn’t bother me none. But she wasn’t finished.
“Another two… if you let me watch.”
“Me and him? Yeah, sorry, sweetheart, that’s not really my thing.”
“Oh no… I don’t mean watch you two… no… I mean, if you let me watch you… hurt him.”
He groaned! The guy fucking groaned as she said those words. He sounded like he was about to shoot his load just thinking of me punching him in the face after I’d fucked his girlfriend.
Rich people are fucking crazy.
I politely declined their offer, and the lady pouted. The man took her arm, and they went off looking for someone else to rope into their crazy idea of a threesome.
They were
n’t the only ones who propositioned me, either. It’s like the place was as much about sex as it was about fighting. I mean back home, sure, there was that too, but not like this. Not as decadent. It’s not that it made me uncomfortable. It just wasn’t my thing. I like to fuck, sure, but everything here seemed to have strings attached… or possibly ropes.
Whatever happened to just fucking because it felt good? Why go and overcomplicate it?
I ended up alone in my room in the adjoining hotel. Rooms to be precise. Each one of them was bigger than my trailer. They’d put me in a suite and it had everything I needed. From cable TV to a well stocked mini fridge. Everything, that is, except her.
“Man, Nat, I miss you,” I murmured, slumping back onto the luxury bed with thousand-thread linens. I couldn’t think. Every time I closed my eyes, there was her face, telling me not to fight.
By the time I got to sleep, the mini fridge wasn’t nearly as well stocked as it had been when I arrived.
***
“Mr. Hutch.”
“Just Hutch.”
“Hmm, if you say so. Looks like you’ve taken quite a beating in the past few weeks.”
“If you say so.”
Despite some nagging injuries, I managed to pass my physical. The doctor took notes as he poked and prodded. As a species, we shifters heal pretty quick when we’re given the chance. A chance I simply hadn’t been getting with the grueling schedule back home. But now, for the first time in as long as I could remember, I hadn’t stepped in the ring for close to a week. All the nagging aches and pains were starting to fade.
My ribs had been the biggest concern, but despite them still being tender it was the doctor’s opinion that they were healing. I’d be fit to fight on the weekend. He shook his head when he saw how happy I was to get the all clear.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s not too late to call this off, you know? The guy running this… Vince? He’ll be pissed that he wasted all that money courting you and making sure you lived like a high-roller for a couple of days. But you could still back out.”
“Yeah, thanks for the advice, Doc, but I’m good.”