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Blade
My fist slams into Rebel’s face, blood splattering all over the half-ass ring we have set up out back. No outsiders can see in and that’s the way we want it. Handling our own in-house issues this way is how it’s been done for years. Rebel disrespected me at Akeno’s place, and for that he has to stand in this ring and face my wrath. He’s gotten a few good punches in but that’s about it. I’m stronger and always have been. His eye swells from the past few hits; I take in all the damage I’ve inflicted as lick the blood from my lip. With an evil grin, I raise my fists and go after him again. I can’t say that this physical release doesn’t feel good either. The guys all cheer as they stand around the ring, enjoying the primitive nature of the beatdown. We even have some of the other clubs we’re good with, out here tonight watching. Details of what happened weren’t shared because that’s our business. They know how we operate. Another jab to Rebel’s jaw and his head snaps back. I relish in the sound it makes when my fist collided with his bone.
“You don’t ever disrespect me!” I growl as Rebel comes back at me. I block the best I can but Rebel moves quickly, a fist hitting me in my stomach. It knocks the air out of me but that doesn’t stop me from moving back in on him. He keeps his guard up until I hear Neo. He’s calling out to me but I am way too into this to listen to his shit right now. I throw another jab when Neo leaps into the ring and straight in between us.
“What the fuck?” I roar, shoving him back a step. He leans in and whispers words I never thought I’d hear again. My heart pounds in my chest as I pull back and look at him, watching him carefully.
“You’re full of shit.”
“No. You need to go in, Prez.”
Before anyone else can say a word, I leap out of the ring and run toward the back door. Shoving the door open, I run down the hall and stop dead in my tracks when I see her standing there with Jersey’s arm around her. Snake stands behind her, his arms under her armpits. Her face is puffy from tears her lower half covered in blood to match her face. Her eyes find mine and the tears start to flow. I drag my gaze up and down her body as tension slowly collects in my muscles. I shouldn’t care. I shouldn’t give two shits after the way she treated me but I do. She looks like she’s been raped. Whoever fucking touched her is going to die. Slowly and painfully. I will cut the motherfucker piece by piece. I move toward her slowly as her pale face slowly falls. All the strength she had left in her is gone. I reach in and lift her into my arms, shoving Snake away from her. Jersey doesn’t move though, and when I look over at her, tears slide down her cheeks too.
“She’s gonna be fine, Jersey. Call the Doc and get him over here.”
Jersey nods her head and pulls her phone out of her pocket as I head towards the room. Lola wraps her arms around my neck as she cries into my sweat-drenched skin. My knuckles scream from fighting Rebel but nothing compares to the ache in my chest when she cries like this.
“Whoever did this to you, I will kill them. Every one of them. You tell me who it was and I will take care of it.” I kick the door closed behind me and head into the bathroom. I set Lola on the edge of the tub while I turn the shower on. Her body trembles and my shoulders tighten.
“I heard you with her,” she says softly as I reach for her shirt and pull it over her head.
“With who?”
“Shimmer.” Her voice sounds disgusted. I lift her so I can pull her skirt down her body and notice just how much blood she’s lost.
“I was never with Shimmer. Are you hurtin’ anywhere?” I ask her. Lola starts laughing hysterically while shaking her head before pulling out of my grasp.
“I heard you with her! In that fucking office, Blade. Don’t lie to me!” Her laughter quickly fades and her anger seeps in. That makes two of us.
“You heard me and Shimmer in the office when she was stitchin’ up my arm, Lola. What the fuck did you think I was doin’?” I roar as I spin my arm for her to see where the stitches have since been popped apart thanks to my fight with Rebel. Her eyes widen and her fingers come up to trace over the gash.
“Stitches,” she says softly, her face paling even more.
“You thought I fucked her? You really thought I fucked her?” I ask softly keeping my tone even. Something clicks into place right then. “You were jealous.” Her eyes snap to mine and those little rivers that run down her cheeks rip my apart inside.
“I came in from a shitty night and I heard you in there. I thought...”
Shaking my head, I kick my boots off and pull my jeans and socks off before grabbing her around the waist and lifting her into the shower.
“I told you how I felt about you, Lola. I’m not a cheater. Some guys might be but I’m not one of them.”
“I was pregnant,” she spits out quickly taking me by surprise. The water rains down over the two of us as I step back and look at her face.
“Were? What the hell does that mean?”
Lola drops her gaze to the pink tinged water that washes off her body and I gasp.
“I don’t think I am anymore.”
“Was it mine?” Her sad eyes come to meet mine and I know it wasn’t. I can see the look in her gorgeous eyes but damn it what I wouldn’t have done for her to say yes. My heart falls a little in my chest.
“I’ll leave as soon as I get dressed. I’m sorry, Blade.”
“You lied to me. You fuckin’ lied straight to my face! What was all that shit about you couldn’t get pregnant?” I yell louder than I need to, but my mind is trying to catch up to my heart and I can’t seem to stop myself. I’m rocked by disbelief, betrayal, hurt, and anger. What the actual fuck is going on? Granted we hadn’t known each other that long, but I still felt as though we had connected. How had I been so wrong. And I fuckin’ hate liars!
“I couldn’t because I was already pregnant.”
I run my hand through my hair and take another step away from her. She watches me but doesn’t say a word. I feel like I’m drowning in her words. She was pregnant. And it wasn’t mine. And she never said a word.
“I need a drink,” I grumble under my breath.
“I’m sorry. You don’t understand what it was like, Blade!”
“Tell me,” I say truly wanting to know. I need to know.
Lola takes a breath and opens her mouth, swiping at tears that keep falling.
“No one ever wanted me when I was little. My mom never really wanted me. She did what she had to do until I met Ryan. I went to live with him. He made me feel special. He made me feel loved and that’s all I’ve ever wanted! You don’t know what it’s like to have someone hate you all the time and then have someone else show you so much compassion and love. I thought I found my forever, my heart.”
“But you found a fuckin’ monster instead.”
“Not at first. He was good to me, took care of me. He didn’t care that I worked at the club because I wanted to have my own money and he seemed to understand that. When I told him I was pregnant, he lost it. He said I was a whore and that he didn’t want it. When I called him a piece of shit and told him I was keeping it...well you know the rest.”
“And this time? He find you? Send someone after you?”
