by Jade Kuzma
“I’m fine. I can do this.”
There was no stopping him. From what I knew about Aden, he was too headstrong to be stopped. There was only one thing I could do now.
“I’m going to be there for you,” I whispered. “Don’t make me leave you again. Let me be there for you, Aden.”
“…Okay.”
“Promise me… Promise me that you’ll let me stay by your side.”
He moved away from me. I used what little strength I had left to push myself up from the table.
Aden stood there with the bandage still around his stomach. But seeing him half-naked, I’d never seen him so proud before. Maybe it was just the sex. Maybe it was how damn hot he was. But there was something else about him. I couldn’t walk away from him now. Whatever he faced, I would be there with him.
“Promise me,” I repeated.
He leaned forward and kissed me deeply, whispering between my lips.
“I promise.”
The fight with Hawk and his gang was looming. Aden was capable of anything. But with his injury, there was no telling what else could go wrong. All I knew for sure was that I had to be by his side to help him get through it.
Chapter 20
ADEN
Injuries always got worse right after they happened. An uncomfortable night sleeping told me this shit was as bad as I thought it was. The bleeding wasn’t serious. Mia knew someone who could stitch me up good enough without having to go to the hospital. The bruising made most of the skin around the area a dark purple.
That didn’t stop me from being where I needed to be. Spending the night with Danica was enough to make me forget about whatever pain I might’ve been in and focus on the task at hand.
The fight was just one night away. Nothing else mattered until it was over. Everybody else felt the same way.
Danica and I spent the early part of the day in Hades with the rest of the MC. It was mostly empty, so we had the entire place to ourselves. Seeing as how Danica didn’t wanna leave my side, it was the safest spot she could be in.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be just fine around here,” Mia said.
“You seem pretty confident about that,” Danica replied
“Some troublemakers are trying to start something with the MC. Just a couple of flies that need to be swatted away. I’ve lived through worse my entire life.”
Mia did her best to console Danica. Danica acted confident but I knew she was still worried about me just the same. Mia had all kinds of experience being in trouble, with her father being the powerful Mafioso that he was. It was nice knowing that I wasn’t alone in making sure that Danica was safe.
“Come on,” Mia said as she took Danica’s hand. “Being an old lady can be tough. I can help you through it.”
“Oh,” Danica replied. “I’m… I’m not his old lady.”
Danica looked at me, her eyes wide and some embarrassment reddening her cheeks.
“Sure, you’re not,” Mia said with a smirk. “All the same, let the boys handle their business.”
She led Mia over to the side of the bar. I watched as the two of them sat in a booth and talked about whatever women talked about.
“Mia might be young but she knows what she’s doing.”
Roman suddenly appeared next to me. He leaned up against the bar and crossed his arms.
“I wouldn’t have thought it when I first met her,” he continued. “But she’s grown a lot since then. Having a son can do that to somebody.”
“You and Mia…” I said. “I bet you two went through a lot of shit to get where you are.”
Roman gave me a smirk. But it disappeared slowly from his face like something was wrong. He turned toward the entrance. I did the same and saw a uniformed officer walk in.
He was an older man, hunched over a bit like he had trouble standing up straight. His face was wrinkled, cheeks sagging. His hair was white and disappearing. If it wasn’t for the uniform, I would’ve thought he was some old man looking for a place to drink himself to death.
“Sheriff Sutton,” Roman said.
“Rock,” the old man said, his voice soft. “Where’s the rest of the club?”
“They’re around.”
“I need to talk to ‘em.”
“Sure, sheriff. Anything you say.”
Roman walked to the meeting room in the back where Hunter and Sebastian were discussing club business.
“Sheriff Sutton,” I said as I looked at the old man’s badge on his chest.
He eyeballed me for a second then shifted his stare toward the patch on my chest.
“You must be new around here,” he said. “Don’t recognize you.”
“Something like that.”
“You sure joining the Devils is something you wanna be doing?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“The Devils have a long, storied history. Is that something you wanna be a part of?”
“I don’t care about the past. All I care about is right now.”
“That’s what they said all those years ago. And look how that turned out…”
I could see a lifetime of memories in Sutton’s eyes. It was exhausting to think about all the shit he probably went through. He was old enough to be around before anybody else in the MC was even born.
“Sutton.”
Sebastian stepped out of the backroom with Hunter and Roman in tow.
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Sebastian said.
Sutton looked around the clubhouse. The only other people inside of Hades were Mia and Danica, who were busy with their own conversation.
“I know what’s happening,” Sutton said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Don’t be coy with me,” he interrupted Sebastian. “I’m the sheriff of this town. I have a responsibility to keep the people of Ivory safe and secure. The day anybody walks around and they’re afraid, that’s the day I failed my job.”
“The Devils aren’t a threat to civilians.”
“That’s just it. MCs go around doing whatever they want to try to justify their end goals but they don’t care about the collateral damage.”
“Get to the point, Sutton.”
Sutton sighed a deep breath through his nose and straightened his back.
“Look,” he said. “I know that you’ve got some beef with the Iron Spades. There were Spades in Ivory before and they were causing trouble. Seeing a new group back in town with the same ideology doesn’t sit well with me.”
“It doesn’t sit well with any of us,” Sebastian said.
“But you’ll do what it takes for your club and the people close to it.”
He took a step forward and held his index finger up.
“You got beef with the Spades, fine,” he said. “I’ll stay out of it. God knows how much I’ve stepped aside so clubs can settle their business. But if you even think about going to war with the Spades, I’ll lock both of you up and make sure that none of you see the light of day. You got me, Cain?”
The old sheriff made his point clear. Despite how meek he looked, he carried himself with the kind of confidence you would have if you put up with club bullshit for decades.
“Don’t worry. The club won’t do anything you have to worry about.”
I looked to the back and saw a man as old as Sutton shuffle out of the backroom. He was wearing an expensive-looking, gold, pin-striped suit. The outfit was so gaudy that it looked like a fucking Halloween costume. His white hair was slicked back over his head like he’d just gotten out of the shower.
He kept walking forward, moving with the confidence of a younger man, until he was right in front of the sheriff.
“The Devils always handled their business,” the old man said. “Back then they did. They’ll do the same now.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Sutton said.
“Murph is right,” Sebastian said. “This situation will resolve itself soon.”
“It’d better.
Or else every man wearing that patch will catch hell. I’ve worked too hard to restore order in this town. Ivory deserves peace. Nothing less.”
Sutton eyeballed the other old man.
“Murphy.”
“Sutton.”
The two had a short exchange before Sutton bowed his head and left the clubhouse without saying another word.
“Roman, Joker, Mercer,” Sebastian said. “Church. We gotta discuss this shit now.”
Hunter and Roman made their way into the clubhouse meeting room. I stayed leaning up against the bar, looking back at the old man who was staring at me through squinted eyes.
“So… You’re the new patch, huh?” he said. “The West Devils never had an enforcer. We all handled shit together. Black always made sure that nobody fucked with us.”
“You were a Devil?” I said.
“A long time ago. Maybe I’ll tell you the story one day. Gonna go back and take care of some business now.”
He patted me on the arm and went on his way.
“Murphy,” I shouted.
He turned around and arched an eyebrow at me.
“Murphy… Is that your name?”
He stared at me for a few seconds then gave me a half-smirk.
“Everybody calls me Murph.”
He shuffled toward the back of the clubhouse and disappeared. I didn’t give him another thought before I headed into the meeting room where the rest of the club was already waiting for me. They all had their eyes locked on me as I slowly sat down. There was a throbbing pain near my stomach and I had to do my best to make sure that nobody noticed. There was no point in hiding it though because they already knew.
“Mia’s doctor says it’s as bad as it looks,” Sebastian said. “A couple of broken ribs.”
“Shit,” Roman muttered.
“It’s cool,” I said. “I can still do this.”
“Nobody else seems to agree with you,” Hunter said.
He leaned forward in his seat to make his point clear.
“I’ve been watching the line,” he said. “I’ve been talking to a couple of people. The line’s moving in favor of the Spades. Sharps are slamming down cash against you, Mercer.”
“Sharps?” I said.
“The people who are making bets. These guys are experts. They wouldn’t be betting money unless they knew they were gonna make a profit off of it.”
“Then that means you make more. I’m telling you guys. Put every dime you got on me. There’s no way I can lose.”
I was confident. There was no reason for me to believe that shit wouldn’t be different. The other members of the club wouldn’t lie to me. They looked back at me and I could see the hesitation on their faces.
“You can barely stand up straight,” Roman said. “You haven’t been in a fight in how many years? You sure about this, my man?”
“This isn’t a boxing match,” I said. “All I need is one fucking punch and I can end it. You’ve seen me fight before. Those gloves I was wearing were like pillows. Bare knuckles and I’ll put anybody to sleep.”
“The line’s not moving just because of the brawl,” Hunter said. “Word on the street is that the Spades got someone.”
“Got someone?”
“A ringer or something. Some motherfucker who specializes in this kind of shit.”
“That makes sense,” Sebastian said. “If the Spades are running illegal street fights in back alleys, there are probably motherfuckers lining up to fight for them because they know they can make some cash.”
“It doesn’t fucking matter,” I said. “This is what I do. They can put me up against anybody. I’ll win.”
Sebastian looked at me and nodded.
“Normally, I’d agree with you. I’d back you every single fuckin’ time, Mercer. But—”
“But what?” I said. “You don’t think I can win.”
“No… I’m saying that Hunter is right. With that injury, there’s a reason the odds are against you. All it takes is one wrong move. That asshole hammers you in the ribs and you’ll crumple.”
“He’s got a point,” Roman said to me.
“You were undefeated,” Hunter said. “I saw what you did to people. Brutalized ‘em. They called you No Mercy. But it’s just like you said. This isn’t boxing. There are no rules. There’s no ref to save you. These guys are gonna be looking to end you for good.”
They were all doubting me. I shook my head, refusing to listen to a word they were saying.
“You guys think I’ll lose,” I said. “Is that what you all really think? Whatever happened to having my back?”
“We got your back,” Sebastian said. “A hundred percent.”
“Then what the fuck is the problem?”
“There’s no problem. I’m just giving you another option. Maybe an option with better odds.”
“And what’s that?”
Sebastian got up from his seat. He put his palms on the table and leaned forward. He looked around the table in the meeting room, staring at Roman and Hunter before turning toward me.
“We go to war with the Spades,” he said. “We put an end to ‘em before anything happens.”
“That’s an option,” Roman said. “We ice ‘em and you won’t have to put yourself on the line.”
“No,” I said. “You just heard Sutton. We go to war and we’ll all end up behind bars.”
“Not if we end it quick—”
“It’s too much of a risk!”
I jumped up from my seat. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
“It’s too much of a risk,” I repeated.
“Maybe we should put it to a vote,” Hunter said.
“No. No vote. I’m doing this. Fighting Hawk or whoever he puts in front of me is our best chance. Injury or not, I’ll win.”
“Mercer…” Sebastian started. “I’m trying to look out for you.”
“And I’m trying to look out for you, for all of you. Give me the chance. Let me fight. I’ll beat Hawk’s man and it’ll be over just like that…”
I snapped my fingers.
“…No guns. No drive-by shootings. No brawls in the clubhouse. I can end this beef with one punch.”
I stared hard at Sebastian. There was nothing more I could say to get my point across. All I could do was try to get him to see things from my point of view.
“Come on, Cain,” I said. “You have to let me do this.”
He looked right at me, his eyes unblinking, then slowly started to nod.
“I believe you can do it,” he said. “If anything happens, you know I got your back.”
“We all got your back,” Roman said.
Roman stood up and patted me on the back.
“Looks like I’m making a big bet tonight,” Hunter said.
“I’ll give you some cash,” I said to him. “Put everything on me.”
The entire MC was in agreement. There was only one way this could end. It was all up to me. Now the only thing left for me to do was to go out there and do it.
Chapter 21
DANICA
Aden was a picture of everything an Ivory woman could want. Tall and imposing though I was never intimidated by him. Tan skin without an inch of fat all over his muscles. Intricate tattoos all over his arms that made his biceps that much more appetizing. Not to mention that he was handsome enough that I could look at him and get lost in that hazel-eyed gaze of his.
But seeing him move was what really separated him from everybody else. Even if I hadn’t seen it for myself, I’d believe he was a boxer or some type of athlete. The way he threw his punches. The way he shifted his feet. He was so quick and so strong. The way he moved around the mat was like some kind of intimidating dance. A perfect blend of violence and beauty.
He wasn’t pushing himself as hard as he could. Not with the stitches and broken ribs concealed underneath his tight t-shirt. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t get the work in.
I sat off to the side of the gym and watched him. He
had his hands up, shadowboxing and throwing punches at an imaginary opponent. I’d known him for a few days now but this was the only time I’d ever seen him as focused as he was.
With all of the drama surrounding him and the rest of the club, the news was spreading around Ivory. There were some other people in the gym watching and observing him like he was some spectacle there for their amusement. But Aden kept his focus. Everything was on the line. It was easy to tell that just from the look in his eyes.
It was the middle of the day. Aden had already been going at it for a few hours. He finally stopped to take a break. The casual observers in the gym went back to their own work, leaving me alone to watch over the man I wanted to be there for.
Aden walked over to me and gulped down a bottle of water. The sweat on his brow dripped down his face and cheeks. It highlighted everything on his face, making his chiseled features even more apparent. I bit my lip and grinned just looking at him.
“What’s so funny?” he said, an eyebrow raised at me.
“Nothing. I was just… thinking.”
“Thinking? About what?”
“I was thinking how good you look.”
“I’ve looked better,” he sighed. “I can’t really push myself. Unless I wanna re-aggravate this shit.”
I couldn’t imagine what kind of pain his injury was causing him. I wanted to do anything but there was nothing. Aden had to do this on his own. All I could do was be by his side.
“You sure you should be pushing yourself at all?” I asked. “Maybe you should rest.”
“I’ll rest when I need to. I need to make sure that I can still do what I need to do.”
“You’re really doing this, aren’t you? You’re really going through with the fight.”
“It’s the only way.”
“Is it? The Spades are a violent group. I can tell that just by looking at them.”
“If that’s the case, the sooner they’re gone, the better.”
“Maybe there’s another way.”
“Another way?”
“I… I was talking to Mia. I was talking to her about her father. You know who she is, don’t you?”