A cleaning crew appeared in the ring, wiping the mat in preparation for the next fight.
“You have to go, Deva. Now.”
“But you came. Do you intend on standing in his corner?”
Rusty hesitated, and Diva understood immediately. “If someone sees you here, recognizes you as Aleksei’s ally, and friend, you would be tied to whoever he’s affiliated to. No more neutral immunity. And you too Lance.”
She would protect Lance the best she could so the man would come out of it unscathed. If she were discovered here, her ties would protect her. Partly at least. As she wasn’t yet claimed, it could prove to be problematic as a woman had less power than a man, and even fewer rights unless she was married, sold, or owned.
“I couldn’t stay away, Deva. Same as you. I went to see him in the lockers. He’s one strong son of a bitch. I don’t know much about his life, but I can see that he went through some tough shit. Worse than anyone I know, and that says something.”
Two other fighters entered the cage. Deva started to look at the carnage repeating itself in the cage. Other warriors, but the same unbridled determination and rage. Animalistic in the worst way. But she’d seen similar rage in Aleksei’s eyes when he let his guard down. Rusty’s words resonated as true in her mind. He’d gone through hell and was still trapped in there, unable to break free for whatever reason. She should be heading for the door, focus on her life and the future she was still working so hard to grab. But how could she do it knowing that Aleksei was alone fighting his demons?
“What a mess, Rusty.”
The coach nodded and turned to look at the cage once more. The fight was still on, both opponents determined to be the last one standing. Hits flew, and Deva saw more and more illegal tricks. Blood started to spill, and as it went on, partly hidden by Lance, she started to examine the crowd present. Men in suits clashed with bikers’ leathers, and gang members. One constant was the tattoos. Even the men in sharp suits sported impressive amounts on their hands and necks. Most of them had their back to her, except one. A man she recognized. Tall, dark with silver eyes. It was as if he absorbed light. But beyond the jet-black hair, thick beard and clear eyes stood Lazarus King. Damn, the situation was starting to be unbelievably complicated. She needed to get Rusty out of there. It would be impossible to protect both men and Lance had a better chance in her eyes.
“Rusty, you need to go. Now. Before the fight.”
The man blinked at her as if she was speaking nonsense. “Are you out of your mind? I’m not leaving, and you should be the one running out of here.”
Deva prayed for patience and leaned to his ear. “Rusty, I know you can keep your mouth shut, so listen well. I’m an MC princess. My real name is not Deva. I’m part of the Dark Blood Row MC. I’m the daughter of their president. I’m safer here than you would ever be. Trust me. I can’t protect you if everything goes south. I’m here to protect Aleksei. I know how to deal the outside ring and take care of him; I’ve done that before.”
The man looked at her as if she had sprouted a second head. “You? Why? Why would you do that for him?”
Why was a good question, and she had to be honest. “He doesn’t want to be here. And I know how it feels to be trapped in this world. I was lucky enough to find someone on my path to help me out. I’ll do what I can for Aleksei too. But for that, he needs to stay alive. Please, Rusty, trust me on this. Leave me to it. I have Lance if I get in trouble, but with you here, it’s getting complicated.”
Another roar from the crowd drew her eyes away from the older man. Another combat had been concluded with an unconscious man in a seizure on the mat. At least, he was still alive. What a grim thought.
“You can’t stop the fight, Deva.” Rusty seemed resigned.
“I know. But it’s not my only concern.” Jamieson Finches name flashed in her head.
“I’m not allowed in the locker room to tell him what’s going on. But we can stand in his corner during the fight.”
Deva nodded. “That’s where I’ll be. Now go. I’ll take care of Aleksei. I promise.”
Rusty hesitated a moment before putting a hand on her shoulder and squeezing. He left without a backward glance, and she couldn’t fault him for that.
Bout after bout, the fights were getting longer, with better-suited opponents, but the outcome was no less bloody. Even the winners looked like they went through the grinder. For a moment, her mind recalled another man in that cage; her brother Johnny, there, bloody and fighting, and she shivered. The more blood she saw, the more difficult it was to manage images of her brother in her head. As the fights went on, the energy in the warehouse spiked. The fighters now had a support team with them, two people including a coach. The fighters were fitter, stronger, more experienced and there for the kill. Where was Aleksei? The more fights that concluded, the more she feared for him.
After the next fight, the announcer grabbed the mike and shouted the final fight of the night. The crowd went berserk. From one corner, she saw one huge Latino man, entering the cage with two other equally tattooed and frightening men as his posse. All dressed in black, the announcer yelled a name Deva couldn’t make out. A specific group of men in the audience jumped at the name, yelling and clapping.
And then, the announcer called for his opponent. All she heard was Aleksei’s name being called. From the reaction of the crowd, he was well-known and appreciated. From the corner of her eyes, she saw more money being exchanged. Aleksei came out of the lockers and entered the cage, alone. Sporting dark red shorts, his hands taped in the same color, his face was a mask of concentration. He was loosening his shoulders and arms, his body already glistening with sweat. Then she noticed something and grabbed Lance’s arm.
“We’ll walk to his ring side when the first round starts.”
Lance frowned and looked around. “I suspected as much. Will they allow us near, or will you need to flash that tattoo of yours?” She glared at him and saw that despite his stern face he was teasing her.
“You can still leave, Navy SEAL. And as a matter of fact, I would strongly recommend it. You’re not chained to me.”
Teasing was gone, replaced with icy determination. “I’m not leaving. I’m curious to see how everything will unfold. I’ve seen Voronov fight, I can learn a lot from the guy.”
“You’re a sick man, Lance.”
His blue eyes flashed, and he nodded. “I can be. Also, I may not know this Aleksei guy, but I’ve heard of him at the gym. He needs someone in his corner. I’ll stay in the shadows, follow your lead, but I’m not leaving him, or you.”
For a moment, she examined him and finally nodded. Deva pushed through the mass of bodies towards the octagon, Lance on her heels, scanning the crowd.
