CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) (34 page)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Four
nights later, Shannon was back at the clubhouse with Crash.

Cage
fighting. She couldn’t believe she was here, about to watch this spectacle. She’d
seen it once or twice on TV. Two men in a cage, beating the crap out of each
other. Punching, kneeing, kicking, headlocks, it seemed like anything was
allowed. Beyond that, she didn’t have a clue about it or how long it lasted.
Did they just keep at each other until one was a bloody pulp? She didn’t know
the rules, or even if there
were
rules.

When
they arrived at the club, the parking lot was packed with bikes, rows and rows
of chrome and steel glinting in the moonlight. Crash had told her that there
would be guys coming in from the Dead Souls, the War Dogs and even some guys in
town from several other Evil Dead chapters. Fight night apparently drew a
crowd.

They
were a little late in arriving. Crash snagged them each a bottle of beer from
the bar, and then led her through the hall to the back warehouse where he’d
shown her the cage. There was a crowd gathered around, cheering on the two
competitors who were currently in the cage.

Crash
worked his way around to where Cole, Red Dog, Green and Wolf stood. Angel,
Crystal and Mary were also there, standing a few feet away, and Shannon greeted
the girls, who were all glued to the fight, while Crash talked to Cole.

“What’s
going on?” Crash asked, his eyes on the two men currently in the cage fighting.

“Cajun
is fighting Jake,” Cole told him, standing with his arms folded, watching the
fight.

“You
got money on this fight?”

“Nah.
You?”

“Nah.”

“Guess
who’s up next,” Cole teased with a grin.

“Who?”

“Last
minute change by Mack. Wolf and your boy, Shane.”

Wolf and Shane?
“What the hell?”

Cole’s
eyes went to Crash, and then back to the cage. “Mack suggested they work their
problems out in the cage.”

“Shit.
Thought that was through.”

“It
was.” Cole looked over at Crash. “You know Mack. Always got a lesson to teach.”

Crash
grunted.

“Our
prospect did us proud. Beat the crap out of the Dead Souls prospect.”

“Good
thing, too. I had fifty bucks on that fight. He lost, I’d have beat the crap
out of him.”

Cole
smirked. “You’d have had to get in line, brother.”

“I
hear that.”

Red Dog jiggled his empty beer in the air, catching Mary’s eye.

“Sorry, I have to go. Herr Fuehrer needs a beer,” Mary said to the girls
and stalked off.

“Baby, don’t be like that,” Red Dog called after her, but she’d already
disappeared through the crowd.

Turning back to the cage, he grumbled, “Goddamn, I’m sick of being in
the dog house.”

“
Dog house
. That’s funny,”
Green chuckled.

“Ha, ha, ha. Shut the fuck up.” Red Dog turned back to other guys.

“What’re you in such a pissy mood for, Dog?” Wolf asked.

“Every time Mary gets pissed, she cuts me off.”

Wolf grinned. “Maybe you’re the only one lonely.”

“What’re you trying to say?”

“If one lawn service isn’t doing the job, you call another.”

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

Wolf shrugged. “Maybe Mary put some more men on the job.”

Dog looked over at Cole. “Did he just insinuate my wife’s fucking around
on me?”

Cole tried to hold back a grin. “Well, it was steeped in a hypothetical,
but yeah.”

Dog turned back to Wolf. “Well, aren’t you just a little ray of
sunshine?”

“I said, maybe,” Wolf clarified.

Red Dog snorted.

“But while we’re on the subject, cupcake, I’m thinkin’ she won’t have
any trouble filling the position,” Wolf tormented him with a grin.

“Twist the knife, why don’t ya,” Dog grumbled.

“Don’t listen to him, Dog, he’s a hopeless alcoholic,” Green put in with
a laugh.

Wolf leaned around Dog and slugged Green in the chest, right where he’d
heard Green had gotten his nipple pierced earlier in the day. “Go get something
pierced.”

Green clutched at his chest, doubled over and ambled off with a groaned,
“Son-of-a-bitch.”

“Fuck, I wish you hadn’t said anything,” Red Dog admitted, his head
dropping.

Cole chuckled. “Ignorance is bliss for a reason, Dog.”

They
watched the fight. Sometime during the third round, Shane made his way through
the crowd to Crystal. Wolf watched him like a hawk from his place on the other
side of Red Dog. He watched him dip his head to Crystal, and then heard him ask
her, “I’m up next. Can I get a kiss for luck?”

Then
he watched her pull his head down for a long, slow kiss. Shane moved off toward
the other side of the cage, to the area reserved for fighters to get ready.
Crystal turned and looked right at Wolf. She held his gaze a moment. As he
watched, she put her little chin in the air and headed off in the direction of
the hallway toward the front bar.

Wolf
moved to follow her but felt a firm hand on his bicep, halting him. He turned
back, and Cole got in his face, his eyes moving from Wolf to Crystal’s
retreating back. “Told you once, brother, cut her loose.”

“I
did.”

“Yeah,
then let this slide. You fight him, and you leave that shit in the cage. You
feel me, brother?”

Wolf
nodded, pulled his arm free and moved through the crowd, following Crystal. He
caught up with her in the long hallway. W
rapping a large strong arm around her waist, he halted her progress and
backed her up against the wall. “Fifty bucks says I beat the crap out of your
new boyfriend.”

“Yeah, and when you win I’ll make the check out to arrogant, selfish
dickhead.”

Wolf clutched his chest and snapped back, sarcastically, “Ooww, right
through the heart, babe.”

Mack came through the back door and down the hall. Taking in the scene
between Wolf and Crystal, he let out a frustrated breath. “Just so I know, who
am I supposed to be mad at?”

They both answered simultaneously.

“Him!”

“Her!”

Mack looked between them and shook his head. Then he turned to Wolf and
growled, “Don’t you have a fight to get ready for?”

“Right,” Wolf snapped, and with a final glare at Crystal, he stalked
off.

When he was gone, Mack turned to her. “You okay, darlin’?”

She nodded, her eyes still on the door that Wolf had disappeared
through.

“You and him, that’s done,” Mack ordered.

“I know,” she whispered, her eyes still on the door.

“I’m serious as a heart attack, babe.” He watched her eyes move to his.
He saw the sadness there as she nodded. Mack reached out a hand and brushed the
side of her head tenderly. Then he curled his arm around her neck and turned
her toward the door that led to the bar. “Come on, sweetheart. I’ll buy you a
beer.”

A
little while later, they were all gathered around the cage as Shane fought
Wolf.

Cole
leaned close to Crash’s ear and yelled to be heard over the crowd. “Jake
knocking out Cajun bodes well for his future in the club. Guys are already
lining up to sponsor him.”

Crash
nodded. “Jake and Shane will make good prospects.”

“Word
is you’re up next. Green’s chompin’ at the bit.” He nodded across the room to where
Green already had his gloves on and was shadow boxing the air, his powerful
shoulder muscles already showing a sheen of sweat.

Shannon
heard Cole’s words, and her eyes moved over Green. She wasn’t particularly fond
of the man, but she had to admit, he was built like a brick house. She
swallowed, beginning to worry about Crash. Not that she didn’t think he could
hold his own, but as her eyes moved to the two men currently pounding on each
other, this was all becoming very real. Someone could get hurt. Seriously hurt.
God, she didn’t want Crash to get hurt.

She
broke her eyes from the savageness of the spectacle taking place in the cage,
and her eyes traveled across the crowd gathered around the cage. She spotted
Mack and another man who was wearing a cut with a different patch on the back.
It wasn’t Evil Dead. His patch said Dead Souls. And then she remembered, that
had been where they’d taken her after pulling her from the back of that van
years ago. They’d stopped at the Dead Souls clubhouse. Some ramshackle place
out in the mountains somewhere.

Angel
stood to her left with Mary, and Crystal had moved to her right. Poking Angel
in the side, she nodded towards the man. “He looks familiar.”

Angel
followed her eyes, and then replied, “That’s Wyatt, President of the Dead
Souls.”

Shannon
nodded.

Angel
and Mary both became engrossed in the fight, whistling and cheering for Wolf.
Shannon’s eyes moved to a pretty blonde hanging on the side of the elevated
cage. Misty.

“Come
on Shane!” Shannon turned to see Jake cheering his buddy on.

“Get
him, Wolf!” Misty shouted.

“Wolf’s
back with Misty?” Shannon asked Crystal, eyeing the girl standing near the
cage, cheering Wolf on.

“Yup.”

“He
ever do that before? Go back to one of them?”

“Nope.”

Shannon’s
eyes ran over Crystal’s face, noting the way her chin was tilted up. “He’s
making a statement, then. I’m guessing this is about you.”

“Yup.”

Shannon
grinned and looked back at the cage. “So, my question is, who’re you pulling
for?”

Crystal
gave her a grin. “I’m kind of hoping Shane wipes the floor with him.”

Shannon
let out a chuckle, shaking her head. “You are
so
bad.”

“Hey,
why should I be the only one hurting?”

Shannon
put her arm around Crystal, giving her a squeeze. “I’d say you are so full of
shit, but I’m not sure you’re joking.”

“What
about you? You’ve got something on the line for the next fight coming up.”

Shannon
gave her a shy grin and mimicked Crystal’s accent back at her. “Yup.”

Crystal
shoved her away, laughing. “Bitch.”

Shannon teased Crystal, eyeing both Wolf and Shane, “Umm, hmm, hmm.
Nothing like a gorgeous ripped hunk of man all sweaty and powerful, and showing
off all those muscles.”

“You said it, sista. Fight night, gotta love it. A bunch of men beating
the shit out of each other, and a bunch of women getting off on it.”

“Especially if one of the guys in the cage is beating the shit out of
someone for
you
.” Shannon gave
Crystal a knowing look.

“Umm Hmm.”

Angel let out an ear piercing whistle, really getting into it.

Laughing and covering her ears, Shannon turned to her. “Damn, girl, you
could blow out an eardrum with that whistle.”

“Sorry. I get excited.”

“Do you come to all these fights?”

“No, but I wouldn’t miss this one for the world.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Crash is fighting tonight. For you.”

“He’s not fighting
for
me.”

“No, but you
are
the prize,”
Crystal put in from her other side.

“Oh, God. I never should have told you that. Does everyone know?”

“I don’t think so. Not from me,” Crystal replied.

“What about you?” Shannon asked Angel.

“Umm.”

Shannon’s eyes narrowed. “Who did you tell?”

“I might have mentioned it to Cole.”

“Angel!”

“What? I’m sure he didn’t say anything.”

“Right. That’s just why they’re all staring over here.” She nodded
toward some of the MC that was standing off to the left.

Crystal looked Shannon up and down, taking in her sparkling silver
sequined tank top and jeans, and she grinned. “Yeah, that’s got
nothing
to do with how you look. Right.”

Shannon rolled her eyes.

They
watched three five-minute rounds with one minute of rest in between. Rusty was
playing referee, an actual whistle around his neck and everything. Shannon
looked over noting they had a red digital time clock that counted down each
three minute round. “They take these things seriously, huh?” she asked Angel.

“Oh,
yeah. They have some big money down on these fights.”

“Really?”

“They
drew names a couple of days ago to see who would fight who. Then there’s time
for the bets to be placed.”