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CHAPTER TWO

HENDRIX ~ PRESENT DAY

A fist the size of a sledgehammer came flying toward my nose.

Grunting, I swerved my head left and launched myself toward my opponent, following through with a flurry of punches, connecting hard with his already battered face.

The yells and shouts baying for blood filled the vast, echoing warehouse, calling for me to put the motherfucker I was fighting out on his ass, which was an option; I mean, I could’ve laid this clown out in the first round, but where was the fun in that? Entertaining this crowd of assholes encouraged them to bet more cake, and more bets equaled a bigger purse which would be added to my club’s coffers.

A sneaky right hook glanced off my jaw. I jerked left, and just to give the spectators a little show, I shook my head as if I was dazed, staggering slightly to the left. My veins swelled with adrenaline at the bellowing crowd screaming for a knockout.

The raspy deep voice of my dad roared from my corner, “Finish him off, Son!” followed by the clipped English accent of my Treasurer, Gambit, who stood beside him yelling, “Fuck him up, Prez.”

The acrid smell of sweat permeated my senses, and the metal tang of blood on the back of my tongue filled me with a newfound sense of determination to get this shit done.

The asshole I was fighting loomed, pulling back his fists, ready to strike. My entire body went into protection mode, and I coiled, prepared to attack. The aggression filling my insides made my fingers twitch inside my boxing gloves, itching to fuck my opponent up.

With a roar, I pulled up, swung my fists, and connected hard with his chin.

He stumbled backward, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as I followed through and swung my other fist across his temple.

He swayed backward, then forward, his eyes brimming with a mix of shock and confusion. Spurred on, I took my opportunity to deal a death strike with an uppercut that landed so hard on his jaw that it must’ve knocked a molar loose.

The asshole’s feet lifted from the ring, and seconds later, his back hit the mat with an almighty crash.

The crowd went wild, and I raised my arms, turning in a circle and letting out a roar of victory, basking in the glory of their adulation while counting all the green I’d just made in my head.

That was when I caught a flash of red hair from the crowd.

My heart jerked as if I’d been electrocuted, and my neck twisted toward her so fast that my brain rattled in my skull.

Frantically, I searched the crowd, trying to catch sight of her again. Another glimpse of copper red glinted under the low lights as she made her way through the crowd, and I held my breath as she reached a gap in the crowd and looked up to face me head-on.

My heart sunk like a deadweight.

It wasn’t her , but then what did I expect?

It was never her, and it never would be. My loser ass had made sure of that.

Larry, the fight organizer, suddenly grabbed my arm and held it high, grinning at the baying crowd. In the recesses of my mind, I heard him announce my name as the winner and undefeated champion among the roars and cheers, but my focus was solely on the woman meeting my stare, challenge and clear intent in her expression.

Like always, my eyes flicked over her body, and I calculated whether I could get away with pretending she was somebody else. Her height and figure were similar; her hips were a little wider and her hair a shade lighter, but I reckoned if I squinted my eyes, I could get away with it.

I jerked my chin toward the door leading to the locker rooms.

The redhead smiled like the cat who’d got the cream, and my cock thickened.

She’d do for tonight.

My neck twisted toward the fight organizer. “Give the prize money to my dad, and don’t think for a fucking second that you can stiff me, Larry.” He opened his mouth to protest, but I shut him up with a hard look. “Me and my boys will pay you a visit if you try your shit again, and we’ll burn your fucking house down.”

Larry dropped the hand holding the microphone and hissed, “We said fifteen grand, so that’s what you’ll get.”

“We said fifteen Gs last time, but you tried to fuck me over with twelve.”

“Already told ya it was a mistake,” he retorted, sniffing haughtily. “I’m a fair man.”

“Fuck off,” I argued. “You’re so crooked we should call you the Larry Tower of goddamned Pisa. Just make sure the envelope isn’t light.” I made for the ropes and caught the redhead heading for the door leading to the changing rooms before I jumped down to where Dad, Gambit, and Cass waited for me.

I held my hands out to my treasurer, staring at the redhead while he undid my gloves and tugged them off. When he was done, I held out a hand palm up and demanded, “Wrap, brother.”

“How the fuck did you pull already?” he clipped out. “You literally walked from the locker room to the ring.”

I turned my face to stare at him.

Shaking his head, he went into his pocket, pulled out a square foil, and handed it to me, muttering, “Fucking slut bag.”

I grabbed the condom, turned, and stalked through the crowd, following the redhead who waited near the long corridor where the locker rooms were situated. Light streamed through as she opened the double doors, walked through, and disappeared.

My stride turned into a jog and I caught the door just before it closed and slipped through, my eyes falling on the back of the woman a few feet ahead.

Her steps faltered, and she craned her neck to peer at me over her shoulder.

“Keep walking,” I ordered, taking in the blue eyes that I wished more than anything were hazel. “Last room on the right. Get inside and lift your dress.”

“Don’t you even wanna know my name?” she threw back over her shoulder.

I took in the sway of her ass, likening it to another and sadly finding it lacking, but then I always found them lacking because they weren’t her. Anna’s ass was perfect, like a ripe peach. High, firm, and so juicy it made my mouth water.

“Does it matter?” I asked, absentmindedly tracking her movements.

She stopped at the door of my locker and swiveled her neck to face me. “I guess not.”

Approaching the door, I pushed it open while at the same time grabbing her elbow and tugging her inside the locker room. “Lift your skirt and bend over the massage table,” I ordered, pulling my shorts down until my already hard cock sprang free.

Winning a fight always made me want to fuck. It must’ve been a testosterone thing because the brothers were the same. The club girls were never busier than on fight night, and usually, I was the first one there, except the girl I’d been railing on the regular had started to get ideas, which was why I was here with a fight groupie, about to play a game of make-believe that she was the woman I really wanted.

Was it an asshole move?

Yes.

Did I give a fuck?

Not one.

Sex, for me, was transactional. I fucked redheads I could pretend were her while they got the bragging rights of being with the prez of the local biker club and the undefeated champion of the local underground boxing ring.

They didn’t know me, my hopes, or my dreams, and they didn’t care about who I was inside or what I needed. It suited me because, well... same.

I ripped the condom packet open with my teeth and rolled the thin latex over my cock. My fingers went to the redhead’s pussy, and I slid them through to test how ready she was. She must’ve got off on watching me fight because she was soaked.

Grabbing her hips, I tugged her ass closer and eased my cock inside until I was seated as deep as I could go.

“Yes,” she moaned, twisting her neck so she could peer back at me.

Leaning forward, I grabbed a handful of her hair, forced her face forward again, and rasped, “Don’t look at me.”

Pulling my hips back, I drove into her again, probably harder than I should have. My hand moved lower and pressed hard on her clit until she moaned. I closed my eyes, already getting into the fantasy she was a different redhead. My balls immediately took notice and began to tingle. I pumped harder, my fingers gathering her wetness and using it to smoothly circle her clit.

She whimpered her pleasure, and the walls of her cunt clenched my cock so forcefully that my eyes rolled in the back of my head.

My heart wrenched at the memories assaulting me. A woman’s smiling face flashed through my mind. Shining, copper-red hair. Kaleidoscope hazel eyes and full, plump, smiling pink lips appeared in my mind's eye, making my cock kick at the memory of being inside her.

“Freckles,” I whispered under my breath.

Her face flashed behind my eyes, and her voice murmured inside my mind, I love the feel of you inside me. Fuck me harder, Jamie.

I gritted my teeth and thrust harder into the woman, making her groan. My head fell back, and I blocked out the sound of the whimpers filling the room. My hips thrust harder into the slick, wet cunt, and my fingertips furiously rubbed the woman’s clit until her clenching pussy clamped my cock like a vise, and she let out a cry as she came.

My balls pulled tight, and I fucked her hard through her orgasm. My fingers left her pussy, and I grabbed her hips, grinding into her so savagely that she squealed. The sensation of her cunt contracting around my cock ignited a tingle in my spine, and I knew I was about to blow.

I circled my hips, grinding into her. The build-up hit my gut, and I felt my cum shoot into the condom. My hips lost all rhythm, and I moaned, jerking uncontrollably while I filled the latex covering my dick.

Seconds later, I opened my eyes, eased my cock from the redhead’s pussy, slipped off the condom, and knotted the top of it tightly.

It was crazy. Back in the day, making love to Anna brought on feelings of closeness and left me feeling buoyant, like I could rule the world.

But now, like always, without her, I just felt empty.

The woman sighed before standing to her full height and wriggling her skirt back down over her hips before turning her head to address me. “You wanna go for a drink somewhere? Maybe do it again later?”

I pulled my shorts up and aimed the condom at the trash can. Tossing the latex, I watched it land perfectly in the center of the metal can. “You know that’s not what this is.”

She shrugged, a small grin playing around her lips. “It could be.” She sashayed over to me, resting her fingers on my chest. “You know, all the girls in town say the same about you. You fuck like a god, you’re good to them while it lasts, but underneath, you’re closed off.” She cocked her head. “Whoever you’re pining after, she isn’t worth it.”

My eyes lowered and met hers. “And you are? Worth it, I mean.”

She shrugged. “I could be if you got to know me.”

I almost recoiled from her. “That won’t happen.”

She stared up at me. “Your loss.”

“Get gone.” I jerked my chin toward the door.

Her eyes narrowed spitefully. “You’re an asshole.”

She was right. I was an asshole, a bastard, a weirdo, a cunt, broken and battered. I’d been called every name in the book and even some made-up ones. This woman needed to count her blessings because I was doing her a solid. I’d only end up hurting her like I did the others.

It was what I was best at.

I leaned toward her. “You think you’re the one who can fix me, doll? You think one sweet smile will mend whatever it is that needs fixing? Better women have tried and failed, so why don’t you turn around and get gone. This ain’t no love story. I’m not your hero. I’m your downfall.”

She let out a huff, and her hand punched to her hip.

I nodded toward the door again. “Are you slow or somethin’? I told you to fuck off.”

“I should’ve known you’re only good for one thing,” she muttered, pursing her lips.

Folding my arms across my chest, I cocked an eyebrow. “And you’d be right. I mean, I did make you come, right?”

She tossed her hair. “Barely.”

Voices drifted in from the hallway, and I sighed with relief. The redhead was about to get bitchy, and I didn’t have it in me to deal with the drama. She walked into this room and lifted her skirt with just a nod from me. She knew the score and was happy to play the game when it suited her, and now it suited me for her to jet.

The door opened, and Pop walked in with Gambit. His eyes hit mine, and I could tell he wasn’t in a good mood.

My dad jerked his head toward the hall. “Time to go, sweetheart.”

The redhead tossed her hair again and threw me a dirty look before stomping for the door. “Men are assholes,” she announced before walking out and slamming the door behind her.

Dad cocked an eyebrow at me. “You losing your touch?”

I shook my head frustratedly. “I’m starting to think a simple fuck isn’t worth all the complications that come with.”

He dipped his chin. “Could’a told you that years ago.” His eyes hardened, and he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. “It’s three grand short. I’ve called the boys; they’ll be here any minute.”

My mouth twisted. “Are the men briefed?”

“They had a sweepstake going on how much Larry would stiff you,” Gambit informed me.

“Did Colt draw up the papers?” I asked.

“Ready to be signed.” My brother grinned back at me. “We’ll have Arena under our control by morning.”

I scraped a tired hand down my face. “The last thing we need is an underground fight club. Our livelihood depends on government contracts for God’s sake. If the Feds find out, we’re fucked.”

“We discussed it last night, Prez,” Gambit pointed out. “We gotta point to prove. If we keep letting Larry get away with trying to stiff us, everyone else will start thinking they can do the same.”

“There’s no money in low-level gambling; it’s more trouble than it’s worth,” I grumbled. “We’re already walking a fine line with the security contracts. If the FBI finds out we’re running an illegal fighting ring, we’ll lose our main source of income.”

“There’s nobody else we can trust with it,” Pop pointed out. “There are no honorable bookmakers who would take this place over and run it respectfully. You’re looking for something that doesn’t fucking exist.”

“But if we don’t start cultivating relationships, we’ll never have a network of people we can trust except for each other,” I muttered. “What do you think about giving it to Cross?”

“Larry’s nephew?” Gambit asked.

I nodded. “I’ve gotta feeling he’ll do okay. He’s young, but he’s smart.”

Dad nodded thoughtfully.

“I don’t think the club would care,” Gambit declared. “Not one of those assholes wanna spend their nights here taking bets and dealing with drunken assholes. Too much work and not enough fucking and shooting.”

My lips twitched because he wasn’t wrong. “Did you bring the check?”

He patted the left side of his cut. “Two hundred grand ready to go.”

“Gimme the twelve,” I told my dad. “If we do end up taking the place over, I’ll add it on for good business relations.”

Dad began to cackle.

“I fucking love my job,” Gambit muttered. “Even though you’re all mad as a box of frogs.” His cell phone beeped, and he fished it out of his pocket to check the screen. “The boys are here. You better get changed, Prez, or you’ll give us all a show. Those gym shorts don’t leave much to the imagination.”

My dad chuckled. “I gave him his goods. Though he’ll never measure up to his old dad.”

“Not what Daisy says,” Gambit bandied back.

I went to my bag and turned my back on the men, listening to their light-hearted banter while I changed into my jeans, tee, and cut. I slipped my cell into my pocket, and we all made for the door before walking up the hallway toward the main fight hall.

The second we entered, I noticed my boys standing guard in small clusters, all of them situated strategically close to Larry’s men. I craned my neck, eyes searching the darkened room, trying to catch sight of the asshole himself. Finally, I spotted him over by the ring, talking to the redhead I’d just fucked. He was waving his arms, and his face had turned beet red.

My eyes narrowed on them. That fucker had planted the bitch to try to distract me from the light envelope he’d handed over.

“Yo!” a deep voice suddenly greeted in my ear.

My heart leaped, and I jumped out of my skin. My neck twisted to see my massive sergeant at arms standing next to me, his eyes darting all around, taking in the scene.

“Jesus, Diablo,” I snapped, my hand going to my racing heart. “You almost gave me a damned heart attack.”

He dipped his chin, his mouth twisting wryly. “We can take ‘em without firing weapons. Larry only brought six men, which was his first mistake of the night. His second was to lighten your take. He must’ve known we wouldn’t take his shit lying down, so I got to thinking, why did he only bring six men with him? He’s an idiot, but even he can’t be that damned stupid.”

“They’re packing, and they’re prepared to shoot,” I muttered.

Diablo’s eyes widened, then darted around the room. “They can’t shoot in a room with three hundred people in it. Someone’s bound to get caught in the crossfire.”

“We need to disable them before they get to their weapons. Get the word out to the brothers.”

“On it,” Diablo replied. He stepped back and disappeared into the shadows.

My SAA was a big guy, but he could also turn into a ghost. The way he did it was unnerving and cool as fuck. Diablo was the club joker, and he yanked the men’s chains until they wanted to kill him. Diablo, Iceman, my VP Blade, and I were the best of buds. We ran the club between us, along with input from my dad, who was our voice of reason and mostly talked us down from whatever crazy idea we were hell-bent on carrying out at the time.

My club was different from the Wyoming chapter. We were all younger and felt we had something to prove. Our town, Arrowhead Point, was up-and-coming in our corner of Virginia on the Potomac River. We set the club up and immediately started to open new businesses, which forced the locals to wake up and recognize what a goldmine they sat on.

Now, small stores and bars were shooting up everywhere, ours included, and we were doing okay, especially with our security business, which was thriving due to our extensive government and private contracts. We charged top dollar because we could. My team was elite, and it was an age-old adage that you got what you paid for, and in our case, it was the best.

Larry thinking he stood a chance was a joke, but then nobody could accuse the asshole of being a smart man. Cross must’ve got his brains from his mother’s side, along with his looks.

The dude was built like a brick outhouse and had way more intelligence than his uncle. I suspected Larry’s business had only lasted this long because of Cross’s input. He was an okay dude and ambitious. Cross wouldn’t like me and my club taking his birthright away, even if it was a shitty-assed legacy.

Scanning the room, I watched as, one by one, all my men moved into their positions. Diablo was obviously making the rounds, prepping all the brothers. Slowly, I began to walk toward the ring where two big fuckers were duking it out.

Weaving through the crowd, I checked one last time that everyone was in place and stalked straight for the ring, where Larry stood next to the redhead.

She saw me first, and her face paled. Her elbow discretely nudged Larry, who twisted his neck to glare at her, his expression tightening when she gestured toward me.

I came to a halt about three feet away and folded my arms across my chest, eyeing him like he was my next kill.

Larry’s mouth dropped open, and his face lost all color. His eyes darted around, looking for help, but it wasn’t there. His lackeys weren’t trained and even if they had a clue what was about to happen, they wouldn’t be a match for the Demons.

The fucker knew his time was up.

I walked around the ring where the two men were still punching the snot out of each other. “Finish it off, Hammer,” I called up.

One of the fighters turned to me and grinned widely, showing off his blood-coated teeth. He turned back to the other man and began to pummel him hard before going at him with an uppercut that took the poor fucker off his feet, knocking him out stone cold.

The crowd exploded. Everyone who wasn’t already on their feet jumped up and roared their satisfaction at the savagery. A lot of these people had a lot of cake riding on the fight, and my boy Hammer had just upset the apple cart in a way where most of the people in the room, including Larry, would be broke tomorrow.

Though my club would be a lot richer. We knew you should never bet against a Demon.

My ears picked up a few isolated shouts, and I knew my men had moved in. I skirted the ring, stalking toward Larry, who’d grabbed the redhead and was trying to find a gap in the crowd to escape. Grabbing the scruff of his neck, I pulled him clean off his feet and threw him on the ground.

That was when somebody came at me from behind and banded their arms around my chest, effectively caging me in.

A roar went up, and Hammer dived from the ropes, taking down Larry’s minion, who was trying to keep me contained so his boss could disappear.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Cross stomping toward me. “What the fuck’s going on?” he roared.

Bending down, I grabbed Larry’s collar and pulled him to his feet. He let out a pained cry as I dragged him so forcefully toward the ring that he lost his footing and landed on his knees.

“He stiffed me,” I bellowed.

The entire crowd quietened, watching as Cross’s eyes snapped incredulously toward his uncle.

“The envelope was light a-fuckin’-gain,” I declared. “I warned him last time what would happen if he kept trying to fuck me over. Now I’m keeping my promise.” I turned to Hammer. “Get everyone outta here except Larry and his boys. We’re taking over.”

My brother jerked a nod and disappeared into the crowd.

“Told ya what would happen.” I leaned down to grab Larry’s shirt, dragging him to his feet, then I pulled my neck back and headbutted him hard in the face.

I heard the loud crack, smiling as blood exploded from Larry’s nose, and he shrieked in pain before slowly sinking to his ass.

The sound of shouts filled the air. Screams and yells came from the crowd as the fighting between my boys and a couple of guys in the crowd escalated, but it only took a few seconds for my men to get the sitch under control.

“Everybody out!” my dad yelled. “If anybody’s owed winnings, come back tomorrow.”

Protests and complaints filled the room, but still, everybody began to file out of the building, muttering as they went. Some of them were familiar to me. Local businessmen stood with their arms around women who weren’t their wives. I even recognized a man who was rumored to be running for office duck his head to avoid my stare.

Diablo’s voice suddenly barked from close behind me, “You want me to break Larry’s jaw, Prez?”

I jumped at the unexpected timbre of his voice and cursed under my breath. “Jesus Christ, bro. Will you stop doing that shit?”

He grinned before nodding toward Larry, who still sat on his ass in the ring, nursing his broken nose. “Can we make an example of him?”

My stare fell on Cross, who stood with three of my men flanking him. “What the fuck did you do now?” he demanded, trying to twist his body away from Picasso’s hold.

“My envelope was short,” I informed him. “I warned him what would happen last time he tried to stiff me.”

“I made up the envelopes. The cash was all there.” Cross whipped his head back to Larry, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “You’re a goddamned liability. How fucking stupid can you be?”

I nodded at Picasso to release Cross. The instant he was free, he stalked toward his uncle. I saw the punch coming before Larry did. Cross caught him off guard and landed a jab directly on his uncle’s nose, which exploded for a second time that night.

Larry let out a high-pitched yowl , his hands flying to his face to contain the blood spewing everywhere.

“You’re done!” Cross spat. “You’re out, and I don’t mean this place; I mean out of town. I’m telling Aunt Karen about your bullshit, and I swear to God, if you turn up here thinking you’re gonna take it all back, you’re a bigger fucking idiot than you look.” He turned to me. “I apologize, Hendrix. I’ll make the cash up, and you’ll take an extra five K from my uncle to make up for his error .”

I shook my head. “It’s gone too far, Cross. I can’t allow this shit to stand. We took it to the table and voted to take this place ourselves if that prick tried to fuck me over again.”

Cross’s jaw clenched. “I’m not my uncle. I’ll run things differently. You can be involved if you want; I’ll even give you a slice of the action, but Arena feeds my entire family. Giving it up isn’t an option for me. There’s gotta be something I can do.” His voice dropped. “Come on, Hendrix, work with me here.”

My eyes slashed to Gambit, and I cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for the word.

After a brief pause, he rolled his eyes and nodded.

I must have gotten more mellow in my old age because I felt bad for the kid. It wasn’t his fault his uncle was a stupid twat. Cross seemed decent; maybe he deserved a chance.

“My clubhouse, tomorrow at midday,” I told him. “Come prepared ‘cause I’m warning you, no more chances and no more fuck ups. You gotta turn this place around. I get what it is, and I get there are limits to what you can do, but if you don’t up the standards, we’ll take it over. You’re working on the wrong side of the law here, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a professional, decent setup. The place is a dump with a shitty reputation. That changes from today. You get me?”

He nodded earnestly. “Agreed. I’ll be there at midday.”

I dipped my chin in acknowledgment before heading for the door, glancing at my dad as he fell into step beside me.

“You did the right thing,” he muttered under his breath.

“Maybe,” I murmured. “Problem is, we voted on it, and I just did a big ol’ turnaround.”

“The boys will get it,” he assured me. “It’s all fun and games when we’re discussing running an illegal fight club in Church, but they’d whine like bitches the second they’re ordered to stay sober on a Saturday night and come down and work security. At least this way, we don’t get the ball ache of dealing with it or its damned drama.”

We pushed the doors open and moved to our bikes, which were parked side by side. “ You know that, and I know that. All they see is easy women and watching two men knock the shit out of each other in front of a baying crowd.” I grabbed my helmet from my handlebars and shoved it over my head before opening the visor to talk to Dad. “To them, it’s the perfect night out.”

“So we tell ‘em some home truths.” Dad watched as I threw my leg over the saddle before doing the same. “They’ll soon see the light. And if they don’t, well, you are Prez. The buck stops with you.”

I barked a laugh, started up my bike, and waited for Pop’s hog to roar to life and pull up beside me.

He was right. I was Prez. I believed in democracy to a point, but when the chips were down and split decisions had to be made, I had to make them.

I revved my bike and pulled away onto the main road with Dad beside me, heading toward the clubhouse, all the while thinking about how much responsibility was involved in what I did and how sometimes the pressure was crippling.

I’d sacrificed a lot for my club, including the woman I loved, and I always thought what I gave up was worth it because becoming a Speed Demons’ Prez was a dream come true for me.

It was a position I’d worked and fought for. It hadn’t been easy, but I got here, and now I was doing something I loved, surrounded by men I trusted. I may have lost people I loved along the way, but everything else had slotted into place perfectly. I had everything a man could wish for. The respect of my men, booze, women on tap, laughter, and camaraderie.

Finally, life was sweet.

So why couldn’t my soul settle?

And more to the point, why did I feel so empty?