Cross

"You're staying for the fight tonight, right?" Lizard asks after we shake hands on the cigarette smuggling deal.

"We sure are," I answer in my best "let's be friends" voice.

"No doubt," Tank chimes in. "I got good money riding on Iceman's opponent tonight. I think your man's finally going down."

I can hear the double meaning in Tank's tone, but I'm sure Lizard doesn’t, so I don't react. Lizard does enough reacting for five men by himself, starting with a loud, fake, derogatory laugh, which involves smacking his own stomach.

"Iceman has a lot of good fights left in him," he says. "He thinks I'll set him free if he wins them all. But when I say, "All" I mean every last one of them."

He laughs loudly at his own joke, and I chuckle too, just to give him even less to be suspicious of, though it sickens me to hear him speak like this about Roxie's brother.

"I'll tell you what," Lizard says, turning to me. "Let's go to the venue together now. I’ll show you around, and then you can watch the fight with me from the first row."

"I'd like to secure this place first," I say, swinging my arms wide to encompass all the boxes filled with cigarettes around us. "And do some inventory. But I'll be there when the fight starts."

"Fair enough," Lizard says, and leaves, surrounded by a pack of his men. But he's perfectly safe for the moment.

"Is everything in place?" I ask as soon as Rook, Tank and me are the only ones left in the room.

"Yeah, twenty-five of our guys are already at the venue," Tank says. "Twenty more will secure the outside as soon as Lizard goes in, and put the final touches on the set-up. It'll go over without a problem, trust me."

"Good," I say and go sit in the only chair in the room. "Might as well get some rest."

I didn't sleep much last night, but now that the negotiation is handled and everything is in place for tonight, I can get some shuteye. It seems odd to many, but the anticipation of an upcoming battle always relaxes me. It's the planning that has my nerves all fired up. I made a good plan for tonight, and all the pieces will be in place by the time I enter the arena in a couple of hours. Then it'll all be over in a manner of minutes.

At dawn tomorrow, Roxie will know I keep my promises, and that I never meant her any harm. Nor ever will.

* * *

The final of the Death Match championship takes place in a different venue each year. Lizard chose a former candy-making factory on the outskirts of Vegas for tonight's fight, a new place, which he apparently purchased for a hefty sum and converted it into a fighting arena. I guess he chose it for its remote location just a stone's throw from the strip. As far as I'm concerned, the best part of this venue is that it's right next to the highway and has its own ramp onto it.

I arrived on my bike, with Rook by my side, so as not to arouse any suspicions, but as soon as we're inside, our guys will wheel it onto one of the trucks we'll be using as our getaway vehicles.

About a hundred people are still waiting in line to get inside, but the bouncers on the door wave me and Rook forward as soon as they see us, and let us in past the line.

"Lizard is just there," one of them says and points to the end of a cleared path that leads from a gleaming metal door on the north side of the building to the fighting cage set against the far wall. The two fighters will be entering down that path on their way to the cage.

"Good to know," I say then head along the wall towards it.

Tonight’s fight will be the first ever in this arena, and the bars on the newly built cage are gleaming in the overhead lights. Lizard clearly went all out in setting this place up, which is probably why he wanted to show it off to me before the fight. But we’ve already learned all we could about it as part of the preparation for tonight’s job.

It's built like a legit fighting arena, with bleachers rising on all sides of the cage, so everyone has a good view. The cage is also not in the center, as it is in most underground fighting pits, but next to one wall. Two of the three metal doors that line that wall lead directly outside. Lizard may not be very bright, but he's been organizing these fights since he was a young man, and he designed this venue up in this way, because he wants a clear and easy escape path should the cops come raiding. Tonight, it'll also make our job of getting Ice out that much easier.

Apart from that cleared path leading down to the cage, the place is already jam packed with people and I'm not sure the one hundred still outside can even fit in here.

I spot a few of my men in the crowd, but I’m careful not to make eye-contact with any of them. As I instructed, they’re all already in position, two standing close to each of Lizard's men, which are the only security here tonight, since this is his venue.

Tank is standing a quarter of the way down along the cleared path.

"You sure you don't want to move down to the cage with us?" I ask loudly once we reach him.

He grins from ear to ear.

"No, I'm staying right here," he answers just as loudly. "I want to shake Iceman's hand tonight. He's made me a lot of money over the years."

"You're acting like a teenager at your first fight," Rook says derisively. "Grow up already."

"Never gonna happen," Tank assures him.

There's more to him staying up here than we're letting on, and this charade is intended to muddle his true purpose even more. He'll be shaking hands with Ice, that much is true, but he'll also be handing him a knife. I fully expect Ice to help free himself tonight, because getting out of this room will not be the easiest task. We don't know this venue as well as I'd like to. I had a few of our guys staking it out for the whole day, but we couldn't get any closer than that without arousing suspicion.

One of the doors behind the cage leads straight out to the parking lot. The other opens into a long hallway that eventually also leads out, but I want to avoid using that one. Our guys outside will make sure the path through both is clear, but the one leading out directly is our safest option. Our getaway truck will be waiting right outside it.

"You made it," Lizard says once we reach him. He waves for the six guards standing around him in a circle to part and let us through.

Ten of my guys are standing just behind the circle of guards. I take my position as close to where Ice will pass on his way to the cage as I can without arousing Lizard's suspicion.

"So it's about to start, right?" I ask.

"Yes, in about five minutes," Lizard says, checking his watch. "Tonight's entrance ceremony will be something else. I spared no expense."

Lizard loves his fights, that's no secret, but seeing him this excited, takes my queasiness straight to nausea. Thank God it'll all be over soon.

Just as I think it, the lights go out, more than a few voices rising in alarm, since a disruption like this could mean cops arriving. But then the whole room starts flashing with white and red lights, as a booming voice welcomes everyone to the fight. Cheers and whistles erupt all around me as the voice announces Iceman's arrival.

I can clearly see the glee on Lizard's face, even under the strobe lights, which still cast the whole room into complete darkness every couple of seconds. I move away from him, get in front of two of Lizard's guards, as though I'm waiting to shake Ice's hand too. The strobe lights are a real bonus, since my movement goes unnoticed.

He's still a few paces away from me, the spectators cheering him on and slapping him on the back as he passes, but his eyes remain firmly fixed on the cage. I yank him close once he finally reaches me, my hand slipping on the dark streaks of paint his arm is covered with. But I got his attention.

Me speaking to Ice in front of the cage was to be the signal that the job is starting, but the lights are still only flashing in total darkness, so I don't know if all of my men can see me right now. But this is it, and there will be no do-overs or second chances.

"Are you ready?" I ask Ice as his eyes fix on me. He just nods calmly.

I release him and elbow the guy to my right in the stomach, as Ice stabs the one to my left in the neck, going right in for the kill, that stone cold determination that clearly earns him his name not leaving his eyes even as the guy's blood sprays out all over him. Behind me I can hear groans and thuds, as Rook and the rest of my guys do away with Lizard’s guards.

It all happens so fast that when I reach him, Lizard is still squinting and trying to figure out what's going on and why the entrance ceremony is not going according to his plans. I grab him before he fully comprehends that he's under attack, and press my knife against his jugular.

"We'll be leaving now," I hiss into his ear. "The fight's over."

The entire venue is in a state of loud turmoil now, the overhead lights still flashing. But just as I start moving backwards along the cage, dragging Lizard behind me, the bright neon overhead lights come on.

"You have no chance, Cross," Lizard says. "I figured you might try something tonight, but this was your last mistake."

I don’t even have the time to fully appreciate the cramping queasiness in my stomach at hearing his words, before the door my guys were supposed to have secured—our best exit from this place—opens and ten Spawns rush in, blocking our path.

Most of my guys are still in the thick of the crowd trying to subdue Lizard's men.

"This way!" Ice says, breaking off to the left and running in the opposite direction around the cage.

Lucky for us, Lizard has kept a barrier between the crowd and the cage, so we now have about three feet of open space all around it to make our escape.

"Might as well," I say to Rook who's looking at me questioningly. The door Ice is leading us to is not one of the two we scoped out. I don’t know where it leads, but I assume he knows this place better than we do. And I’m certain he wants to get out of here more strongly than all the rest of us combined.

I can now see about ten of our guys elbowing their way through the crowd in various spots, trying to reach us. The other fifteen are nowhere to be seen. Five leap over the wooden barrier separating the cage from the crowd, just in time to shield our retreat from the Spawns that entered through what was supposed to be our exit.

"Hurry the fuck up!" Ice yells, holding open the door for us.

Lizard is wriggling around in my arms, trying to break free, and no amount of pressing the knife to his throat is dissuading him, even though blood is already trickling down his neck from several cuts.

"Enough of this shit," Rook says and lands one of the knock-out blows he's famous for to Lizard's temple. He goes from a struggling giant to total dead weight in my arms.

"Just fucking leave him," Rook says. "We'll come for him later."

"No, we finish this tonight," I say and start dragging Lizard behind me.

More of our men have fallen on the Spawns trying to reach us, Tank among them, swinging his long bladed knife. I decided to only use knives tonight, since gunfire in a crowded place like this would spell disaster. The Spawns are still thinking the same thing, but their patience seems to be running thin. Several of them have already drawn their pistols.

"Take them out and follow us!" I yell loud enough to be heard over the roaring of the crowd, which is locked in a raging mass as they all try to leave at once. I counted on a mass panic aiding our escape, and so far at least that part of my plan is working out. Apart from the ten that came in from the parking lot, the rest of Lizard's men have trouble reaching us. But now some from the crowd have noticed the exit that we're making for.

"Help me with him," I say to Rook, and he grabs one of Lizard’s arms. Together we make short work of dragging him to the door Ice is holding open for us.

We're in a long, stark white hallway now, the only way out a metal door at the very end.

"Go, go," Ice is urging as he runs for it.

He reaches it before us, and I actually breathe a side of relief once the cool night air filters in. We're standing on yet another loading dock, smaller than the one we were aiming for, and bordered on two sides by the exterior walls of the building. We didn't stake this exit out, didn't even know it was here.

There's no one blocking our path to the parking lot proper, but I can't see our truck anywhere once we reach it, and people are already starting to crowd out through the door we just left.

Tank rounds a corner of the building about thirty yards to our left, waving his arms frantically. "This way!"

Our truck is waiting for us around the corner, and me and Rook waste no time hoisting Lizard into the back of it. Mine and Rook's bike are secured at the front of the empty truck bed, but otherwise we're the first to reach it. And I don't have time to wait for anyone else, since some of Lizard's men have exited with the crowd that came out behind us, and have already almost reached the truck.

"Let's get the fuck outta here!" I yell to Tank and he sprints to the cab, leaving the loading doors at the back of the truck open.

A few moments later we're driving off, but just as the truck gains speed we veer left and stop abruptly, Lizard's lifeless body slamming into the side of the truck with a thud. I hate the fact that I can't see anything that's going on in front of us, am just about to go investigate, when five of our guys jump in, Scar's left arm hanging loosely by his side, with blood trickling down his palm.

“It’s just a scratch, Prez,” he says as I look at him questioningly. We start moving again.

After a few more starts and stops interspersed with bumps, we finally make a sharp left turn forceful enough to slam one side of the loading doors shut.

We keep going faster and faster, and I tell my men to shut the other side of the door too. We're on the highway. The job is complete. It didn't go as smoothly as I planned it, but they never do. And that only adds to the thrill. I hope all my men got out alive, but they all have years of practice with jobs just like this one behind them, so I’m confident they did. I only took my most experienced guys with me for this job.

Ice is standing over Lizard clutching his knife. Lizard has regained consciousness, but is completely motionless under Ice's steady, cold look. The hatred beaming from that look is enough to freeze my blood, and it's not directed at me. No wonder Lizard is frozen stiff.

Ice spits in Lizard's face, breaking the spell for a split second.

“I waited six years for this moment,” he hisses, right before stabbing Lizard in the stomach.

"Stop! What the fuck are you doing?" Rook yells, but I halt him with a raised palm. I insisted on bringing Lizard with us because I planned to kill him tonight, so I'm happy to let Ice get his revenge. It saves me the trouble of killing Lizard and will clearly make one of his biggest wishes come true.

Lizard is screaming, clutching at his stomach and promising me all sorts of things, if I pull Ice off him. Ice is looking at me now, as though daring me to try and stop him, though I think he’s also seeking my permission. I nod and for a few moments afterwards he's just a blur of slashes and stabs as blood rains down on us all. Lizard's screams fade long before Ice stops stabbing him.

Eventually Ice pulls the knife out of Lizard's lifeless body one final time and faces us. All of my men are already holding their knives at the ready.

"Steady now, Ice," I say. "Put the knife down. You're with friends."

"Yeah? How do I know that?" he asks. "Why'd you spring me?"

Lighting is flashing from his eyes, and I'm sure he's more than willing to take all of us on right now. I think he even wants to.

"I'm Cross, President of Devil's Nightmare MC," I say. "We met about ten years ago when your father commissioned us for a job."

"And what do you want from me now?" he asks, still pointing the knife at me and using Lizards dead body as a barrier between us.

"Nothing. I'm taking down Lizard's MC for my personal reasons," I say. "But first I'm delivering you to someone who can't wait to see you again."

Ice's eyes narrow, but lose none of the cold hatred. "Who's that?"

"Your sister Roxie," I tell him, watch all the ice in his eyes melt for a second before hardening into an even more dangerous edge.

"Roxie's dead," he says, kicking Lizard's body. "This fucker killed her."

I shake my head. "He never even got close to her after you saved her from him. She's perfectly alright, better than alright."

He stares at me in silence for a few moments, his eyes boring into me like he means to read the truth of my words right off my brain. If he doesn't see it soon, then we'll have to subdue him and that might not be possible without harming him. I hope it doesn't come to that.

"What you got to lose, Ice?" Rook asks, breaking the tense silence. "Just trust us."

Ice flashes him a look, and finally lowers the knife.

"When can I see her?" he asks, his voice shaky.

"We'll be there in the morning," I tell him. "But first we'll have to do something about all that blood you're covered with."

"We also have to do something about Lizard's body," Rook puts in.

"We'll leave his body on the border, at Stone Hill, then call his men to come and collect him," I say. "I have it all worked out."

"I wish you'd share your full plans with us every so often," Rook complains, to the general agreeing grumble of the rest of the brothers.

"I was gonna save Lizard for last and make him watch while we destroyed all he tried to build, but I changed my mind," I say. "Cut off the head and the body is easier to deal with. I want to conclude this war, as quickly and painlessly as I can."

I also wanted to give Roxie the second gift of never having to worry about Lizard coming after her again.

"You know best, Cross," Rook says and sits down, leaning against the side of the truck. The rest of the guys do the same, Ice sitting down behind Lizard's body as though he's still not sure if he can trust us.

Rook is wrong. I used to know best. But right now I have no idea, if Roxie will accept my gifts and come back to me. And it's driving me insane.