Rusty winced but continued. “I know. It was a... private fight.”
Private? And then it clicked in her head. “An underground fight ring. That’s what you are referring to, right?” Deva had personal knowledge of that circus back in the day. Savage fights that made MMA look like ballet dancing. This revelation raised another question. Why was Aleksei involved in that? He had the shape and the skills to go pro, but it would take a good reason or a valid threat to force a man such as him into that cage for a fight to the death.
Rusty didn’t answer her question, but his face confirmed her suspicions. It was the point of no return. Her father’s motorcycle club was most probably involved in that, too. A risk of being discovered lurked. But Deva had given her word; she would try every possible trick she could to fulfill her promise to Beatrice, even uprooting her life once more.
“How badly is he hurt?”
The older man sighed in defeat and with obvious relief at her words. “When I left him at his place, he was hurting all over, but there may be more injuries than he told me. I hope he’s not bleeding to death internally. Damn, his opponent was massive, it was sheer luck that he beat him. But there is more.”
There was always more where the underworld was concerned, in Deva’s opinion. “I’m not sure I want to know what’s next.”
“There’s another fight in three days, one he can’t miss.”
Could a fighter that was wounded and on his knees, recuperate enough to be battle-ready in three days? Another memory flashed through her head, giving her the answer.
She waited a beat before answering. “I’ll do my best, Rusty. But you’ll have to cover for me. I might not be able to take all the appointments with the guys here, and I fear I will need all the time I can manage with Aleksei in the hope of getting him back in shape. And for that, he would need to let me in. Let me help him. I have doubts about his willingness.” Deva was careful not to reveal too much to her boss.
Rusty reached into his pocket and threw her a key. “His access code is my phone number. He had to change his previous code. It was the only way I could remember it. Do your best, Deva. It’s the first time I have seen him in that state. And I fear that the next time he steps into this Godforsaken cage, it might be his last.”