Chapter Twelve
“Hey, at least you aren’t going to jail. I don’t think you would make a good jail ho. I can’t imagine you being kept by some six foot lesbian named Jojo.”
“I’m pretty sure I could take care of myself in jail. Why would I need to be somebody’s bitch?” Ronnie slipped off her sweats and adjusted her tits in the sports bra. If it were up to her, she’d fight in more clothes, but Joe insisted they show as much skin as possible. It kept the frat boys coming and tossing around their daddy’s cash. And more cash meant bigger payouts.
Tonight though, money was the last thing on her mind.
“You want to have the full prison experience, don’t you? How can you do that if you don’t get freaky with some lady lifers?”
“You were dropped on your head as a small child, weren’t you?” Ronnie stuffed her clothes into her bag and threw it in her locker. She was pumped for the fight, as usual, but she needed this one. It wasn’t just about the money and responsibilities this time. She needed to release some rage.
“What? Come on. If you are going to be sent to the pokey, you might as well make it a true experience. You might even like it. Have you ever been someone’s bitch? You can’t really know you won’t like it unless you try.”
Ronnie held out her hands to be taped and kept a blank expression on her face. She knew better than to encourage Lizzie’s craziness. Once she was prepped and ready, she headed out to the pit to wait her turn in the cage. She glanced around, wondering if she would see Luc there again. Since he didn’t approve, she figured he wouldn’t show, but there was a part of her that hoped he would.
She loved the way his eyes felt on her. Whether it was on her naked body, or during a fight, his gaze fueled her on. Not that she needed any flames on her fire. She was so pumped she almost felt sorry for her opponent.
“So what’s going on with your boss?” Lizzie asked, as if she’d been reading Ronnie’s mind.
“Huh? My boss? Why?”
“Whoa. Now I really wanna know. Did you sleep with him again? You don’t tell me anything anymore.”
“It’s nothing.” Even as she said the words, she couldn’t keep a straight face. She was filled with rage, in need of a face to pummel, but thinking about Luc and the amazing sex they’d had, still brought out a school-girl grin that was hard to wipe off her stupid face.
“You’re a liar.”
The warning buzzer went off and Ronnie was saved from having to explain. Normally, she had no problem giving Liz every juicy detail of the guys she was with, but for some reason, she wanted to keep this one to herself. It wasn’t like she was falling for Luc. She wasn’t, not really, but there was something so intimate about what was between them, that it almost felt wrong to divulge any details.
Joe lined her up with a feisty little Latina girl for the night’s match. She was pulling her long black curls up into a ponytail as they took their places. Bad move. She must be new to these underground fights. All the veterans knew to keep their hair from being a handle to swing them around with.
She was far too pretty for fighting. Ronnie almost didn't want to mess up her perfect round face.
Almost.
Lizzie was yelling something from the side, but Ronnie was already in the zone. She popped her mouth guard in and readied herself for the fight. When the buzzer sounded, she tapped the girl’s fists, and bounced on her feet, ready for the first blow. She would give her that. Just one and then it would be hers.
The girl paused just a moment, her eyebrows drawn together, then lunged forward, striking Ronnie in the side of the face. It was a good shot, enough to leave an iron tang in her mouth, and a ringing in her ears. It was also enough to suck her rage back to the surface. She had let thoughts of Luc and the amazing sex pull her attention to places it shouldn’t be before a fight. The punch brought her back, got her on track.
Ronnie smiled around the mouth guard and she knew she probably looked like a rabid animal. She hoped she did anyway. Inside, she felt like one as she leaped onto the girl and pushed her to the mat. Her fists made contact with the girl’s face in quick succession. Blow after blow, she slammed into her with little resistance. Her nose bloodied and bent. It was enough to have the ref pulling her off to see if the girl had enough. She flipped herself over and pushed up, swaying just for a second.
Ronnie was glad she got up. She had willed her to in her mind. The fight couldn’t be over that quick. She needed more. Ninety seconds left in the round and the girl was holding her own, or at least, she was standing on her feet. Mostly. She hadn’t made another decent punch, because Ronnie’s defense was on her A-game tonight, but she gave it her best shot. She landed a few weak blows to the ribs, but Ronnie just shook them off and slammed her against the cage.
The crowd was thick and pressed against one another, screaming and cheering her on in a deafening chorus. After the beating she took the week before, they wanted to see her win. She had no doubt she could give them what they wanted this time.
The girl swung for Ronnie’s face, but she wasn’t fast enough. Ronnie grabbed her arm, swung her around, and pinned her face into the metal cage with one arm. With the other, she landed punch after punch into the girl’s kidney, until she slumped forward, and her knees gave out. Ronnie released her and she slid to the floor.
Normally, the ref would check her out, make sure she was still good to go. Before he had the chance, Ronnie jumped onto her and started pummeling the girl’s face. The crowd started going wild, yelling “Kill her” repeatedly, in a sickening chant. Ronnie hardly registered the sound, or anything else, until she was pulled off the bloody girl and dragged across the mat into the corner. Even as she was being held, she kicked and clawed, trying to take everyone in sight down with her.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Lizzie was shaking her, trying to get her to focus, but her vision was blurry. Ronnie struggled, tried to get back to the girl, not finished beating her senseless.
At some point, she noticed she wasn’t in the cage any longer. The tape was pulled off her hands, water was splashed over her face, and a hoodie was pulled past her head. People were talking, yelling, but everything sounded muffled, like she’d been in an explosion. Nothing but a ringing, and muted, faraway sounds met her ears.
Lizzie, at least she was pretty sure it was Lizzie, led her outside into the cold and forced her into a car. Her arms and hands ached, and an overwhelming exhaustion flooded over her. The rage was quiet now. All she needed was sleep.
***
It was mid-afternoon the next day, before Ronnie opened her eyes, and re-joined the living. Her head ached and her entire body was flooded with soreness. Not an atypical way to wake up the morning, or afternoon, after a fight.
Her knuckles were bandaged, so she assumed she’d done a real number on them, but she didn’t have much of a memory of how they’d gotten that way. In fact, most of the night, after the start of the fight, was a blur.
Her first thought was to call out for the kids to see if they’d done anything about breakfast, then it dawned on her that they were gone. Sometimes she still thought about calling her dad when something went wrong, or sending her mom a text to let her know she’d been thinking about her.
But they were gone.
They were all gone.
Her parents, the kids, everyone who meant the most in her life was taken away. All she had left was Lizzie. Lizzie. She had been the one to take Ronnie home the night before. She couldn’t quite remember much of what happened, but that much she knew.
Normally, she spent the night with Ronnie after a fight. She liked to stick around in case Ronnie had a concussion, or had any trouble getting up during the night. Some fights left her in bad shape, but Liz stayed regardless. Even on her easiest matches, Liz was there.
The heavenly scent of fresh coffee made its way to Ronnie’s nose. So at least she wasn’t alone. Even if it wasn’t Liz, whoever it was, would be a welcome sight, at least until she got that first sip or two.
“You up?” Liz poked her head into the room and held out the coffee mug.
“Yeah. Bring that here, quickly.” Ronnie held her arms out and wiggled her fingers in anticipation.
Liz took a few tentative steps in the room before Ronnie jumped up and grabbed it from her hands. “Hey, take it easy. You’ll spill it.”
“I don’t even care. I need caffeine.” She gulped down the hot liquid burning her throat, without even caring.
After Ronnie settled back down on the bed, Liz climbed up next to her. “How are you feeling?”
“Typical. My knuckles are a bit worse than usual, but other than that, pretty much like every other fight.”
“I guess that makes sense since you spent the majority of the fight slamming them into that chick’s skull. She’s in the hospital, you know?”
“She is?” Ronnie’s insides twisted and the coffee turned sour in her stomach.
“Didn’t you think she would be? After the beating you gave her, she is lucky to be alive.”
“Last night is kind of a blur. She’ll be all right, though, right?” Ronnie set the mug down on the nightstand and pulled her knees up to her chest. As much as she enjoyed the fight, she never wanted to seriously hurt anyone. Of course, every fighter knew the risks, but that didn’t make Ronnie feel any better about what she’d done.
“I’m not really sure. She was unconscious when the ambulance showed up. Joe is furious. He told me to get you the hell out of there and never bring you back. So I really hope that bar gig is working out.”
Ronnie closed her eyes for a long moment. “What is wrong with me?”
“Isn’t that the question of the month. I don’t even know what to say to you anymore. You’re out of control. You’re going to ruin your life, if you haven’t already. I’m at a loss here.”
It wasn’t like Liz to give up on her. She’d always been the one to look on the bright side. But There wasn’t really a bright side this time.
“I just miss the kids so much.”
“All you ever did was complain about them. You were never cut out to be a mother of three, Ronnie. We both knew that.”
Of course she knew it, but hearing her best friend say it cut like a knife. It felt as if her insides were spilling out and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
“I was doing my best.”
“I know you were sweetie, but you can’t handle this all on your own. I really think you should try some therapy, or maybe a support group. You need to do something.”
“I’ve lost the kids, Liz. What does it even matter now?”
“Because you’re one blow-up away from killing someone. Whether or not you get those kids back, you need to get your life under control. I can’t stand seeing you spiral out of control knowing there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it.”
“You’re usually on my side.” Ronnie stared at her busted up knuckles and took in the gravity of what had become of her life.
“This is me being on your side.” Liz sighed. “You don’t need me to tell you I love you and everything is going to be all right. You need me to be honest with you so you can come to your senses and get the help you obviously need.”
She was right and Ronnie knew it, but it was the last thing she wanted to hear. She wanted to wallow in her misery. Wallow and hit things. Even after what she did to that girl last night, she was still itching for another fight. No amount of shame or guilt took that away. Maybe it would have been better if she’d stayed locked up. At least then she couldn’t hurt anyone else.
***
“She nearly killed the girl, Luc. This is twice, since you met her, that she lost control to the point of nearly taking a life.” Azrael sipped off his drink and flipped his blond hair off his shoulder. “This chick is nuts.”
“She is not nuts. She just has some anger management issues.” Luc chuckled, finding the whole thing a bit too humorous. She was supposed to represent wrath, after all.
“This isn’t funny, Lucifer. Father is going to insist you punish her.”
“Since when do I take orders from him? I don’t tell him how to run his business and he needs to stay out of mine. Besides, you do realize she was chosen for the sin wrath, right? The whole point was that she was angry.”
“Angry is one thing, Luc, but homicidal is another. I think you should cut the month short and be done with this one. Maybe get her some professional help.” Az winked and nodded at a redhead walking by with her boobs nearly up to her chin. For an angel, Azrael was a bit of a slut.
“Why do you even care? Since when do you get so involved in my personal life?”
“I care about you, brother. And to be honest, I’ve started to care about Ronnie, too. Her life is a mess and I’d like to see her turn it around.”
“I appreciate the concern, but I’m not giving up on her. So give it up.”
“Whatever, but I met a woman the other day who would be great for you. Her name is Patience and she is super hot. And not psycho.”
Luc spit his whiskey across the bar. “Patience, huh? Why didn’t I guess that?”
“Come on now, Lucifer. Give her a chance. I have been thinking, and I think we should amend the rules to include two women, one that Harley has chosen, and one that I choose. That way you get options. Options are good, no?”
“No. Leave him alone, Az. He doesn’t want your choices. We all know what kind of women you go for.” Harley wiped up the whiskey and poured both men a fresh drink.
“Ah, but I wouldn’t be choosing a woman I would go for. This is for Luc, so it would be someone right for him.”
“And you think that a woman named Patience is the one?” Luc turned on the stool to face his brother with an amused smirk.
“I do. Don’t judge her by her name. She’s a lot of fun… I’ve heard. I certainly don’t think this Falcon chick is the one for you.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Ronnie is a fun girl.” Luc stared off into space remembering his alone time with her. She had a lot of great qualities, and maybe if she were older, and more established in her life, she would have a better chance, but as she was, Az just might be right.
“Opposites attract, brother. Maybe what you’ve been doing wrong all this time is picking women who are bad girls. Maybe what you really need is a nice girl, someone who contrasts your qualities, not compliments them.”
“Oh I’ve tried nice girls, Az. In fact, I’ve tried just about every kind of woman you could think of. Out of all of them, I do find the bad girls to be head and shoulders above the rest.”
“I thought you were looking for love, not just another good time? Ronnie is no different than every other girl you bang on the regular.” Az stood, stretched, and caught sight of the redhead again. “Just think about it.” And with that, he was off to work his angel charms on the poor unsuspecting redhead. Not that she would mind one bit. Az knew how to please the ladies. Hell, all angels did, but most didn’t do it quite as often as Az.
Not even close.
“Your brother really pisses me off.” Harley slapped the bar towel down and watched after Az until he disappeared in back with his new girl-of-the-night.
“So you don’t think his new pal Patience could be right for me?” Luc swirled his drink in the glass and watched as the liquid settled into a whirlpool.
“This game isn’t supposed to showcase the seven virtues. The women are supposed to be sinful. Azrael is just an ass who doesn’t want you to find love.”
Luc raised an eyebrow and met Harley’s eyes. “Couldn’t I say the same thing about you? The not wanting me to find love part. Not the ass part. Although your ass is an exemplary specimen.”
“Stop looking at my ass, perv.” Harley rolled her eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want you to find love, Lucifer. I just worry what finding it will mean for you. You heard about Fergus’s plan for uprising, right?”
“Of course.” Luc took a sip off his drink and shrugged. “I always know what’s going on in Hell.” It wasn’t like Harley to doubt him, especially not quite this often.
Harley leaned her elbows on the bar and let out a long breath. “And that doesn’t concern you? The rumors of you being more interested in human women than your responsibilities in Hell should worry you.”
“I’m the devil, love. I don’t worry.”
“You’re so full of shit right now. I realize you have a reputation to uphold, but this is me you’re talking to. I know you.”
“Then you should know that I’ve already taken care of Fergus and his little band of asshats. In all the time you’ve known me, have you ever known me to mishandle my responsibilities in Hell? I have things well under control there. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I’ve never known you to be interested in human emotions like love before either.”
“Fair enough. But have a little faith in me.”
“That’s ironic.”
Luc laughed. “I realize you’re concerned, but you are the one who came up with this little game. You do remember that, right?”
“Of course I remember, but you were going off on this crazy quest anyway, game or no game. I’m just trying to help you keep from going off the deep end with it.”
“I’m not headed for any cliffs, Harley. You can take some breaths. Humans do this shit all the time.”
Harley nodded and sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to trust you.”
“That would be appreciated.” Luc finished his drink and pushed the glass at Harley. “Any chance you still have that friend in the social services agency?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I have a little problem I need some help with.”
***
“Come on Suzie Q, you can do this one little favor for me. Can’t you?” Az twirled his finger around a lock of the social workers hair and flashed her his dazzling smile. “I bet there are some things I can do for you, too.”
Susan Rafferty giggled like a schoolgirl and batted her eyelashes a few times. “I don’t know. It’s not standard procedure to allow visits before the court date. I do have superiors to answer to.”
Azrael took a step closer, closing the short distance between them. His breath burned against her flesh and he watched as she shifted on her feet. A deep scarlet spread out across her neck and he could feel the heat coming off of her. She wanted him to touch her. Hell, she wanted him to rip off her clothes, throw her down on her paper-strewn desk, and show her what an angel could do. Az didn’t need to look into her head to know what she was thinking.
“Oh forget standard procedure.” Az slipped her glasses off and placed them neatly on the desk. She wasn’t exactly a pretty woman, but his body reacted nonetheless. “All I’m asking for is a visit. I bet you have a lot more power than you’re letting on. Surely you can make that happen? Can’t you, Suzie Q?”
“I… I don’t know.” She bit her bottom lip and let her eyes graze over him.
Az pressed his body against hers and let their heat intertwine. Beads of sweat gathered at her temple as he ran one finger down her arm, eliciting a shiver.
“I think you can.”
With a quick swipe of her tongue over her lips, she nodded. “I suppose I can find a way to work that out. Just this once though.”
And with that, he was in.
It didn’t matter what Az thought of Ronnie Falcon, which might not be as harsh as it was a few days previously. Luc asked for his help and he would do what he could. Regardless of what anyone thought, Az was quite fond of Luc. So even if he thought it was a bad idea, he would help.
Hell, it wasn’t the kids fault their sister was off balance. And since she was all they had, Az would do the right thing. Even if it did cost him an afternoon with a sexually pent up social worker.
Or maybe that was only the bonus for his good deed.
Gotta love being an angel.