Page 12 of Courting the Consequences

Devil stood by as both his brothers taped up their knuckles to fight.

A wrong needed to be righted. A respect paid.

Mayhem looked every bit the fighter he was. Thick corded muscles filled out his large frame. His blond hair shone in the bright lights of the Pit. His baby-blue eyes were alight with a crazed fury.

Rockstar lived up to his nickname: a shiny star on a stage, spiky black hair glinting in the lights, his dark eyes narrowed with rage. He was leaner than Mayhem, but every inch of his bare upper torso was corded with muscle. Not an ounce of body fat.

Devil sucked back his cigarette, feeling the buzz of the building. All of their brothers were home for this. The Old Ladies, wives and girlfriends of patched members, were off to the side. They mostly hung together at these events, letting their men hang up front together. Club whores, orcourtesansas they had been nicknamed for the throwback to the time of knights and courts, walked around in various states of low-cut and super-short, carrying trays of liquor. Hangers-on and friends of the club were also hanging out. A fight night was always a fun night.

The Ravager Knights were hosting guests this evening. Their neighboring charter from Woods Creek was in town for a long weekend. This fight was just the entertainment they were looking for. The fact that Rockstar and Mayhem were using it as a way to settle up between brothers was no skin off their backs.

Ravager Knights President Mac “King” Taylor, Johnny’s father, hit the bell three times with a hammer to get everyone’s attention. The excitement amped up tenfold.

The crowd pushed forward.

Rockstar and Mayhem took their respective corners.

Devil sucked back his cigarette.

Hotrod climbed into the ring, microphone in hand, his bald head shining in the lights. “Old ladies and gentlemen, bastards and scoundrels,” Hotrod called into the mic. A loud roar of hollering answered him. “Whores and courtesans,” he paused for the riotous laughter that rose up over the crowd, a wide smile on his face as he looked around. “Brothers from Woods Creek,” he continued his grand opening, “we welcome you to the Pit!”

Another loud roar came from the crowd of close to a hundred people.

“Without further ado, I give you our very own Rockstarrrr and Mayheeemm!” Hotrod dragged out their names as he backed to the edge of the ring.

King rang the bell once and Kevin and Johnny were on each other.

Kevin didn’t hesitate. His sucker punch landed right on Johnny’s jaw.

Johnny stepped back and shook it off before he grinned. One given shot. One punch to right the disrespect Johnny had shown his brother by kissing his girl. The rest of the fight would be any man’s guess. Johnny got in a blow to Kevin’s ribs as Kevin punched Johnny’s eye.

Derrick leaned against the octagon and rested his arms on the lower rope. He generally loved these fights, but watching his two brothers fighting over something they could be sharing…it didn’t sit well with him.

In a slick move, Rockstar ducked Mayhem’s punch, got his foot hooked behind Mayhem’s and got him flat on his back. He shoved his forearm into Johnny’s neck and tossed his legs across too. Just when Derrick thought Johnny might tap out, he managed to flip and reverse the pin on Kevin.

There was a flash of surprise before Kevin grinned and elbowed Johnny in the ribs.

Johnny grunted, and then they were both on their feet again.

These kinds of fights didn’t have any sort of ascertained ending. Not in the case of a brother seeking justice or righting a wrong. The fight could last until they both passed out or their eyes were too swollen to see.

Kevin wasn’t the type to hold a grudge, though. Not typically.

Once both men were back on their feet, Kevin grinned and held out both fists for Johnny to knock with his own, a signal that he was willing to forgive and forget.

Johnny grinned and knocked his fists against Kevin’s, knuckles hitting. Then they were both hugging in the center of the ring. Hard manly slaps on their backs, but hugging just the same.

Derrick took a deep breath and lit another cigarette. Now that he knew they wouldn’t kill each other, he could get a drink. He ignored them both and headed to the bar alone.

If he thought he could get over a little blue-eyed blondie, he’d find some pussy. But he was already so pussy-whipped on her, it wasn’t funny. It would just be him and his hand for the evening. Again.

Thenextmorning,Karatook extra-special care when she got ready. She found a wrap dress that showed a little more cleavage than she generally displayed in the office but was honestly still too fucking conservative by industry standards. It was a deep red color that looked hot on her.

She toyed with the idea of leaving her hair down or at least only putting it up halfway, but she had court and a long twelve-hour day ahead of her. The last thing she wanted to be doing was dealing with her hair.

She headed down to the lower atrium around the same time she did every morning. She glanced around, wondering if Kevin would be waiting and how she might find him if he wasn’t. She didn’t have to track him down, though. He was waiting in the alcove of the lower-level conference room.

He was wearing blue jeans and a black Taylor Construction T-shirt that fit well, and a black baseball cap was pulled down low over his eyes. She approached slowly, wondering why she suddenly felt nervous. “Good morning,” she greeted him with a smile.

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