All he does is laugh before he leaves me alone once again in this cold concrete cage. I know I will never get out of here unless my savior comes.
47
Salvation
I wrap my knuckles while I wait my turn to take a few hits and land a few punches. There is always one fucker who hangs around the club during a Dark Leopards party just to see if they can kick my ass. It’s all for bragging rights so the asshole can tell his buddies he solely took out motherfucking Salvation, but they only get one or two cheap shots in before I lay a dickhead out flat.
“Hey man.” Ridge appears in the doorway of the bar area and sets a beer down in front of me.
“Sup, Ridge?” I ask, picking up the beer, putting the cold bottle to my lips to take a long pull.
“Came to see if you’re ready to smash some shithead’s face in.”
“Aren’t I always?”
“You never disappoint and there are more than enough willing females to show you their appreciation for your talents after you knock an asshole’s nose through the back of his head.”
I shake my head. No! “Shit.” He’s not wrong, there is always a healthy amount of women who hang around the club, especially on a night like this, but I just don’t care. I’d rather sit in a corner with my beer alone than be hounded by some chick who thinks she’s gonna tame me and the wild beast that lives inside. “They can go work a pole, and I don’t mean mine.”
“Won’t stop the offers, though,” Ridge states.
“My idea of a victory is not some bitch bent over my couch.” The sweet voice that continuously invades my thoughts is the only thing I crave. The longer she talks to me, the more my panther stirs. It won’t be long before he opens his jaws and growls.
“See you out there. Are you gonna be able to focus, man?” Ridge breaks my thoughts of the phantom woman inside my head, and I’m back in the clubhouse preparing to tear the head off some asshole who thinks he can take me.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be out there.”
Ridge disappears and I stand, shaking out the tension in my muscles. I stretch and it reminds me of my cat waking after a long nap. I laugh to myself; it’s been a long ass time since I’ve let the cat out and I can feel the need getting stronger every day - especially now that the angelic voice of a woman I’ve never met, speaks to me all day, every day.
I remove my kutte, folding it over the bar and take off my shirt. I wad it up and set it with my kutte. I throw a few practice punches at the air to loosen up, and then head outside to whip some poor big-mouthed fucker’s ass.
48
Maximus “Max”
I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been in this cement cell. The chain link around my ankle is gone, replaced with metal cuffs around my wrists that are attached to hooks in the middle of floor. Genocide is here again; he’s been here for hours just watching me. His boney finger slides down the side of my face and I grit my teeth so I don’t vomit. I want out of this hell. I want Genocide to get what’s coming to him; if that involves him falling off the side of a mountain, so be it. I won’t be the least bit sorry.
“You feel that rage inside of you, my little pretty?”
“My name is Max!”
“Animals don’t have names.”
“Is there something wrong with your hearing? I’m not an animal!” I snap.
“The itch will get stronger. The burning in the pit of your stomach will have you begging to let yiour animal out. And when that happens, it will be beautiful.”
Why isn’t he listening? I’m not an animal, I’m human. Is this why I’m here, surrounded by cold, hard concrete? The only burning I feel is in the depths of my stomach, a desperate need to puke, so that Genocide will get away from me. I jerk my face away from his wandering finger. “Get away from me.”
“It’s going to be a beautiful thing when you release your inner animal. You’ll be free of your confines and then the real hunt begins.” He stands up from his kneeling position on the floor in front of me, and walks to the door. “Sweet dreams, Max. It’s only a matter of time.”
I grit my teeth. “For your death, asshole.”
He goes to the open door, turning to give me another nasty grin, and slams it shut behind him. I hear the lock click into place and his heavy footsteps climbing the stairs. Another door opens and shuts and then quiet consumes my small room. I close my eyes, picturing pure white snow, a man with auburn hair, and deep ocean blue eyes coming for me. I imagine him slaying the dragon that is Genocide and breaking through the door to take me away. “Get me out of here!”
49
Salvation
I throw a few punches into the air, pumping myself up. The panther inside me stirs, kneading its claws for a fight. Jude comes around the corner and gives me a heads up and I step out the door to the partiers crowding the guy I’m going to beat with my fists.
I stare down the dude hangin’ out in the corner of the makeshift ring surrounded by chain-link fence. He doesn’t look intimidated at all, but that’ll change the second I draw first blood and smash his face with my fists.
“You ready?” I can feel Jude’s nervousness. It’s rolling off of him in waves.
“Relax, bro, I got this.”
“There’s money involved, Salvation.”
Of course there is. “How much?”
“To knock this dude’s head off his shoulders, two hundred grand.”
“And how much if he
