It took some negotiation, and another tattoo demonstration to convince the security team to let them pass and access the restricted area. The moment they came closer to Aleksei’s corner, Deva quickly called to him before stepping back. She turned her back to most of the crowd and lifted her cap off so he could see her face. The first thing she saw was surprise and then unbridled fury. She gestured to him, making him understand that she would remain in his corner. If looks could kill, she would be lifeless on the concrete floor. They had no time for explanations as the bell rang.
A five-minute bout started, hard and brutal. She had only seen Aleksei fight at the training center, never in a live fight, even less in an unsanctioned, illegal underground tournament.
The two men circled each other several times, before his opponent, the Hispanic man, jumped forward. Aleksei was quicker and evaded easily, before placing a couple of hard kicks to his side. His opponent retaliated with an elbow hit on Aleksei’s brow. Blood spurted. Deva ground her teeth and quickly realized that she didn’t have anything on hand to stop the blood when the bout was over. Frantically, she looked around and saw the entrance for the lockers. Nobody was looking at her, all eyes were on the cage. Lance was solely focused on Aleksei, lost for an instant in the battle.
Deva dashed inside the locker room, desperate to find any sort of medical supplies. Nobody was in sight, so she started testing every cupboard, every locker while keeping an ear on what was going on in the cage.
Cursing as she slammed the last locker closed, she turned to the bathroom, hoping that she could at least find clean toilet paper when a shadow moved in her direction. Fear clogged her throat for an instant until she recognized Lazarus. Why was he here? She had no time for any sort of explanation and had to return. Before she could utter a word, he lifted some sort of box. It looked like a tool box, and she recognized it as what the crew used for medical equipment. Nodding at Aleksei’s brother, she took the box and just as he turned away, she gripped his elbow.
It was impossible to mistake the way his body tensed at her touch and how he reined in his response to simply turn his head back in her direction. A reaction so similar to Aleksei’s.
“Thank you.”
Surprise flickered on his face so quickly, she could have easily missed it. But as soon as she noticed it, it was gone, and so was the man.
With a strong hold on the box, she went back beside the cage. Only a minute left to the bout. Aleksei was still standing and fighting which was a good thing in her opinion. Small blessings, but strong hits were given and received, as both fighters’ faces were bloody.
When the horn resonated and the fighters returned to their sides, Deva lowered her head and entered the ring. She quickly put on latex gloves, hiding under the hood and cap as well as she could. Lance approached but made sure not to startle the man. Aleksei sat and didn’t seem to notice he wasn’t alone at first. Lance started rubbing his arms, and Deva kneeled before him working on the gash above his left eye. Again, he was oblivious to her, breathing hard, wincing at each inhale and exhale. She kept her hands steady, tending to all the wounds she could see as quickly as possible before the second bout started. The crowd was heating up, a sure sign that the fight was soon to start again. She gathered the soiled gauze, and Lance handed Aleksei his water. The two men nodded at each other, a silent recognition. Only then did he lift his eyes and met hers. If he allowed emotion to show when he first saw her, it was frustration and annoyance that set his silver eyes ablaze. She saw him reign his temper at the last second, looking around to make sure nobody read anything suspicious in his reaction. Then, his eyes locking with hers, he took another sip of water and leaned in.
“You leave, now.” His voice was so low, it rumbled through her. But what threw her off, was how thick his accent got, Russian scratching every word. He was angry alright. When he got up, the hand on her shoulder squeezed her to the point of pain, another clear message. Too bad it was one she wasn’t prepared to listen to. At the buzzer sound, Deva and Lance scrambled out of the way. The second bout began, and as Lance remained close to the cage, she tried her best to blend in the shadows by the wall. It was one thing to stand her ground, but she didn’t want Aleksei distracted, thinking about her.
Immobile as a statue, she observed the two fighters. The Hispanic seemed more aggressive, more emotional than Aleksei. He yelled and insulted him non-stop, but apart from encouraging his fans, it didn’t seem to affect the Russian. At first acting defensive, Deva thought that Aleksei was affected by his healing injuries or was letting his adversary tire himself, but she rather suspected that Aleksei was analyzing him, trying to find his weak spot. Again, and again, the other fighter attacked, and Aleksei retreated. Halfway through the bout, Deva sensed a shift. Aleksei was done waiting. He had found what he had been waiting for.
Deva had observed Aleksei train with the other fighters at the club, had seen him practice and spar, but it didn’t really reveal the kind of man he was in the cage. Lightning fast and ruthless. It took three strikes, and three vicious ones, to bring the Latin muscle man to his knees and into la-la-land. All three were illegal, and all three were potentially deadly, but rules didn’t apply here she reminded herself, trying not to wince, imagining the pain and injuries the man had sustained.
Like a tree, the fighter fell, and the crowd exploded around them. The win was undeniable.
One look at the winner and Deva could see the resigned look on Aleksei’s face. He acted the part, but he wasn’t proud. The victorious, satisfied smile she had seen at the gym was nowhere to be seen. This was an obligation to him.
The groups shifted, and she saw Lance walk back in her direction when what seemed like the loser’s crew made a move toward them. It happened fast. Someone grabbed her from behind, dragging her toward the lockers. About to scream, she looked up and recognized Lazarus.
Very quickly, Lance, Lazarus, and Aleksei formed a protective circle around her until they were safely inside the empty locker room. Without a word, bloody and still panting, Aleksei went to the shower, without even looking in her direction. Lazarus nodded at Lance, sighed, and sat on the bench, rubbing his face. Lance slapped him on the shoulder as a sign of recognition, or a manly show of support, which ever it was men did in these situations. Lance was right when he’d said he knew King.
“Shit.” In fact, Lazarus murmured the curse at least a dozen times.
“What are you doing here, Oz?”
“I’m still asking myself that question.”
Lazarus glared at her, pointing to the SEAL at her side. “Gabrielle sent Lance Sorenson? How convenient that I wasn’t told. No offense, Lance.”
“No need to bite my head off. It was a last-minute call. He was training in Rusty’s gym. I didn’t know he had a relationship with you until he decided to come with me. Last minute protection and cover due to an incredible star alignment, let’s say. From my end, I wanna know the reason why you’re here.”
Aleksei’s brother rubbed his face with both hands. “I didn’t think. When I was told Aleksei was wounded and returning to fight so soon...”
Deva sighed. “I’m lost. You sent me here to keep an eye on him, what do you want me to do now?”
Lazarus shook his head and stood. “No, act as if you don’t know me. Keep close to him. I followed Finch here and lost sight of him. I’ll try to keep an eye on him. Are you going to be okay?”
Deva looked at Lance who’d remained silent but hadn’t missed a single word of the conversation. His blue eyes were bright, and even though he didn’t have all the details, his brain was obviously processing the situation fast.
The water stopped behind her, and she looked back at Lazarus who nodded at her. Better brace herself, the rumble was about to start.
