Tanner bounced
on his heels, fists up to guard his face. “Come on, man, you’re slow tonight.
Wore yourself out on some pussy?”
Wolf laughed. “Wore
some pussy out, more like. And once I’ve handed your ass to you, I’ll go
start over on some fresh pussy while you cry in the mud.”
Then the real fight started. No
more quips or banter, just the grind and grit of fists smacking flesh, boots to
ribs, fingers to eyes. Bloody, messy, and raw as hell.
Tanner lost himself in the brutality of it, no longer seeing Wolf, his brother,
but just a body to pound. And Wolf gave as good as he
got. Every jab, every kick, every gouge, Wolf matched Tanner. It was like
draining poisoned blood, Tanner always thought.
He didn’t know how long they
fought. Probably only ten, fifteen minutes really, but the time stretched out
until he could feel every blow, every drop of blood and sweat right down in his
bones. His stamina was good, but he was rusty and Wolf was wearing him down.
When Wolf came in for a shot to his face, Tanner dodged and caught the other
man’s fist, twisting his arm behind his back in a quick, sharp move that left
Wolf trapped and tapping out.
“Don’t break my fucking arm, man,”
Wolf said through gritted teeth. “I am planning on getting in the cages sooner
or later.”
“Give?” Tanner gave his arm one
good yank to make sure Wolf was really quitting. Wolf yelped and slapped
Tanner’s thigh with his free hand.
“I give.”
Tanner released him. They were both
panting for breath, shoulders heaving, and sweat dripping down their faces.
Tanner’s lip was cut and he wiped the blood away as he dropped down on the
porch. Adrenaline oozed out of him in a heavy surge, leaving him both tired and
energized. It was a strange combination, one you only got from a good fuck or a
good fight. Wolf sat down next to him, massaging his arm.
“Feel better for that?” he asked.
Tanner shrugged. He did, mostly,
but nothing had changed while he was slugging Wolf. “Got that joint ?”
Wolf lit up and for a couple of
minutes they smoked in silence, passing the joint back and forth. In the
darkness, with the warmth and light of the mill behind him, Tanner felt
something close to peaceful. The weed helped, but it was more than that. It was
the same feeling he’d gotten when he first left prison and came home. It was
just … home . His
family at his back. He wondered if Beth had ever had that feeling.
“You’re not bad for being so out of
practice,” Wolf said, breaking the silence. “When’s Nash letting you back in
the cages?”
“As soon as I prove I’m not looking
to get put away again,” Tanner said, trying not to sound bitter.
Wolf chuckled. “The big man’s
playing father figure, is he?”
“Not even that. More like moral
panic facilitator.”
“Big words.”
Tanner socked him in the arm, not
really trying to hurt him. “I know he’s all about keeping our noses clean and
staying under the radar, but fuck me, I don't need a babysitter. He needs to
chill about some things.”
“Big man’s got some big skeletons,”
Wolf said. He sound thoughtful, not a state Tanner usually associated him with.
“Could be fun to go through his closet, huh?”
Tanner shook his head. Everyone was
entitled to their secrets. Whatever secrets Nash kept, Tanner wasn’t interested
in unearthing them.
****
The night was winding down. Someone
had dropped the volume on the music, leaving it as a dull background throb
instead of an overwhelming roar. The club’s bar was almost empty, with most of
the brothers heading home or upstairs to get laid or crash out, or both. Judge
sat at the same table he’d occupied all night, one arm around Roxy, fingers
under her shirt and casually stroking the soft stretch of skin between her bra
and her jeans. With his free hand, he toyed with a playing card. Roxy was
dozing off against him, and as always he found that damn near irresistible. He
nuzzled her hair, inhaling her smoky
on his heels, fists up to guard his face. “Come on, man, you’re slow tonight.
Wore yourself out on some pussy?”
Wolf laughed. “Wore
some pussy out, more like. And once I’ve handed your ass to you, I’ll go
start over on some fresh pussy while you cry in the mud.”
Then the real fight started. No
more quips or banter, just the grind and grit of fists smacking flesh, boots to
ribs, fingers to eyes. Bloody, messy, and raw as hell.
Tanner lost himself in the brutality of it, no longer seeing Wolf, his brother,
but just a body to pound. And Wolf gave as good as he
got. Every jab, every kick, every gouge, Wolf matched Tanner. It was like
draining poisoned blood, Tanner always thought.
He didn’t know how long they
fought. Probably only ten, fifteen minutes really, but the time stretched out
until he could feel every blow, every drop of blood and sweat right down in his
bones. His stamina was good, but he was rusty and Wolf was wearing him down.
When Wolf came in for a shot to his face, Tanner dodged and caught the other
man’s fist, twisting his arm behind his back in a quick, sharp move that left
Wolf trapped and tapping out.
“Don’t break my fucking arm, man,”
Wolf said through gritted teeth. “I am planning on getting in the cages sooner
or later.”
“Give?” Tanner gave his arm one
good yank to make sure Wolf was really quitting. Wolf yelped and slapped
Tanner’s thigh with his free hand.
“I give.”
Tanner released him. They were both
panting for breath, shoulders heaving, and sweat dripping down their faces.
Tanner’s lip was cut and he wiped the blood away as he dropped down on the
porch. Adrenaline oozed out of him in a heavy surge, leaving him both tired and
energized. It was a strange combination, one you only got from a good fuck or a
good fight. Wolf sat down next to him, massaging his arm.
“Feel better for that?” he asked.
Tanner shrugged. He did, mostly,
but nothing had changed while he was slugging Wolf. “Got that joint ?”
Wolf lit up and for a couple of
minutes they smoked in silence, passing the joint back and forth. In the
darkness, with the warmth and light of the mill behind him, Tanner felt
something close to peaceful. The weed helped, but it was more than that. It was
the same feeling he’d gotten when he first left prison and came home. It was
just … home . His
family at his back. He wondered if Beth had ever had that feeling.
“You’re not bad for being so out of
practice,” Wolf said, breaking the silence. “When’s Nash letting you back in
the cages?”
“As soon as I prove I’m not looking
to get put away again,” Tanner said, trying not to sound bitter.
Wolf chuckled. “The big man’s
playing father figure, is he?”
“Not even that. More like moral
panic facilitator.”
“Big words.”
Tanner socked him in the arm, not
really trying to hurt him. “I know he’s all about keeping our noses clean and
staying under the radar, but fuck me, I don't need a babysitter. He needs to
chill about some things.”
“Big man’s got some big skeletons,”
Wolf said. He sound thoughtful, not a state Tanner usually associated him with.
“Could be fun to go through his closet, huh?”
Tanner shook his head. Everyone was
entitled to their secrets. Whatever secrets Nash kept, Tanner wasn’t interested
in unearthing them.
****
The night was winding down. Someone
had dropped the volume on the music, leaving it as a dull background throb
instead of an overwhelming roar. The club’s bar was almost empty, with most of
the brothers heading home or upstairs to get laid or crash out, or both. Judge
sat at the same table he’d occupied all night, one arm around Roxy, fingers
under her shirt and casually stroking the soft stretch of skin between her bra
and her jeans. With his free hand, he toyed with a playing card. Roxy was
dozing off against him, and as always he found that damn near irresistible. He
nuzzled her hair, inhaling her smoky
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