Finding the fight location was the easy part. As Deva expected, the whole thing was organized in an empty warehouse in the suburbs. The parking was packed, and what drew her eyes were the endless rows of motorcycles parked all around. She forced herself to take deep breaths and calm down. Not waiting any longer, she put a cap on her head and got out as soon as the pickup truck stopped. Lance stayed by her side, close and alert. She could see men looking in their direction, but none of them were familiar to her. In ten years, a lot could have changed, and she wasn’t known to other families, to begin with.
Nonetheless, Deva tugged the cap lower on her face before pulling the hood over her head. The last thing she needed was to advertise her real identity. Not yet. As they approached, music boomed from inside the structure, scorching her ears. Some things never changed.
As expected, at the entrance, security pulled them aside and searched them.
“Are you invited?” The man addressed Lance, but Deva stepped between the two men before he could answer.
“I’m always invited.” She turned her back to the man and tugged at her hoodie and t-shirt, showing him her tattoo that adorned her skin just above her buttocks and up her side. It was more than just a tattoo, it had been done to her as a young girl. It was specific to her father, known by everybody as it adorned every one of her family members and some of the most influent members of the MC. Often she’d thought about having it removed, but something had prevented her, and she knew why now.
Recognizing the symbols instantly, the man didn’t hesitate and nodded at her. “You are welcome, ma’am, you and your guest. Enjoy the show.”
She nodded and turned to Lance who simply winked and stuck to her side. The place was packed and the music deafening. Deva was aware how dangerous the situation was. Keeping her head low, she looked at the crowd and decided to skim the outer wall.
The cage was surrounded by bleachers like in an arena. Everything was painted black and strategic spotlights lit the stage. Colored lights blinked in the crowd making faces difficult to recognize. When in place at the bottom of the stairs near the cage, Deva tried to locate Rusty in the crowd. The heavy metal music was pounding through her body, and the crowd was getting wilder in front of the cage. The scene almost looked post-apocalyptic. Scanning the crowd, she saw that it was composed of various groups. This was no ordinary tournament, all the badasses of the city had willingly come together to sacrifice their best fighters so they could consolidate alliances and resolve problems. No rules, no winner until the loser fell unconscious or preferably dead on the mat. Deva battled old memories and suppressed a shiver, trying to concentrate.
What the hell was Aleksei doing here? When he’d come back from the last fight half beaten to death. What was his purpose? No wonder he wasn’t participating in the official MMA circuit. If the organization knew what he was doing at night, he would be banned for life.
The crowd roared when two fighters entered the cage. As the first bout was to start, she spotted Rusty coming out from what seemed to be the locker room. Not letting the ginger-haired man get out of her sight, she slithered through the mass of bodies until she could finally reach him. Touching him, the older man snarled and recoiled, ready for an attack, until he zoomed on her face. Shock was quickly replaced by anger.
“What the hell are you doing here?” And his eyes went wide when he noticed Lance beside her.
“I could ask you the same question, Rusty. For a man who is dead set on saving Aleksei, you have one hell of a way of showing it. Helping him back into this hell hole.”
He grabbed her elbow and pushed her against the wall, shielding her from sight, although she knew that her outfit concealed her face well enough.
“You followed me. You shouldn’t have Deva. And enrolling Lance in your little outing will get him in trouble.”
“He came of his own free will. And no, I didn’t follow you. I had contacts that told me where the fight would take place. Now that I’m here tell me what’s going on. Do you know why Aleksei is fighting, what’s his goal?”
“You need to leave. Now.”
She knew a stubborn man when she saw one, and Rusty was no exception. “I’m not going anywhere, so get used to it. Where is Aleksei?”
Rusty groaned and shook his head. “He mustn’t see you here. Nobody must know you are here. I’m not even supposed to be here.”
The man looked around before turning back to her. “You have to go, Deva.”
She looked over his shoulder and cringed, seeing the two fighters now covered with blood, but still going at it.
“Why is Aleksei fighting in underground combats while trying to go mainstream with you? It doesn’t make sense.”
Deva winced when she saw one of the fighters in the cage break the leg of his opponent. The man yelled in pain before crumbling down, but that didn’t stop the other madman from jumping on him, bashing him until two security guys pulled him away. EMTs came running, almost slipping on the blood covering the floor.
People screamed and shouted all around them, Deva almost couldn’t hear Rusty’s answer.
“It’s his choice, Deva.”
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t owe anybody. He wants to be here, Deva.”
The words rang wrong in her ears. But Rusty's face told her she had heard right.
“Deva, in the warehouse, right now, there are the most dangerous men in the city. The mafia, biker clubs, gangs... the most ruthless men are here to compete. Aleksei didn’t tell me why, but I guess it’s some sort of debt. Personal. Very personal.”
Deva ignored his warning. She was a spawn of that world, but she didn’t tell Rusty.
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.
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.