Dog paused. “Wait a second, these people aren’t dead already?”
“I’ve got a deal with the fucking devil and I can’t kill them, not yet. It is all about timing.”
“Why the hell not?
Preacher gritted his teeth. “Do you want to be on my list? I’ve got no problem putting you there.”
“You really are in an awfully shitty mood.”
“Yeah, well, you haven’t been me for the last twenty-four hours. Believe me, if you had, you’d be wanting to fight as well.”
“You do know none of these fights are guaranteed. You could die out there. I can’t stop that.”
“I’m not wanting to party, if that’s what you’re getting at. I want to fight. This isn’t for show. I’ve got to do something, and seeing as my hands are tied right now, this is all I’ve got.”
“Wait. All of this because of the love of a woman?”
“Yeah, speaking of the love of a woman, Robin has her memories back. I’m thinking Sunday, two o’clock for the dinner I promised you. Don’t worry, the other guy claiming to love her is already there. Welcome to my fucked-up life.”
Dog stared at him and suddenly started to smile. “Your life is sounding crazier than I ever imagined. Count me in. I love family drama as much as the next dick. I’ve got to see what all of this is about. If you die today, I will hunt and kill Reaper for you in your place, just so you know.”
“Why?” Preacher asked.
“It’s what friends are for and last time I checked, I’m not in love with this woman who seems to have everyone’s dicks locked up so fucking tight. You know, it’s easier to fuck whores. They know the score. There’s no attachment. They’re there for one simple purpose in life and that’s to take dick however we choose.”
“Said like a man who hasn’t found the right woman. Believe me, when you do, you’ll be surprised at the lengths you’d go to just to be with them.”
“I’m not the one on a suicide mission because of a woman. I’m very much sane, which is a nice feeling. It’s nice not being the crazy one for a change. How about that?”
He didn’t wait around to see what else Dog had to say. He walked right into the thick of the ring and the crowd was told there would be a change of plans.
Preacher watched and waited as he saw his opponent hesitate. He wanted the prick to hesitate, to be nervous. They all should be nervous around him. He was a fucking killer. For too long, he’d been holding back, and he was no longer going to be on a leash. They would get the real monster tonight.
The bell rang and he didn’t bother to do the whole circle and foreplay some fighters seemed desperate to act out. He was more interested in killing.
He slammed his fists against the guy’s stomach, charging at him, pushing him to the edge of the circle, and hitting his face. He took one to the face himself but Preacher didn’t stop. In the back of his mind, all he saw was Reaper. The way he stood holding Bethany as if it made him better because the bastard was able to have a kid with her, and then he heard the distinctive sound of Robin’s screams. Her cries and begging for him to stop her from losing their baby, but he couldn’t help nor could he stop what happened. She lost the baby in his arms, and he had to deal with the anger, the hatred, the loathing all over again. Where Reaper had succeeded, he’d failed big time. Now he had to deal with the consequences of that, and it angered him, frustrated him.
Within a matter of minutes, his opponent was dead. A snap of the neck ended it, and the crowd roared for more. It hadn’t helped him with his thirst, his bloodlust. No, this was just the start.
Preacher wasn’t done and out came the next man. This one was more energetic and he got several punches in. The blows fell off him because they didn’t hurt. It was impossible to hurt him as the pain he already felt was indescribable.
Robin had told him the truth. Expressed her concern about her own feelings. She’d been open and honest with him, which was all he’d asked, but knowing she had feelings for the sick bastard, it … angered him. How could she ever fall for that monster?
He wanted to scream at her.
You’re calling him sick?
What about you?
Didn’t she put up with you because of what you did?
I was drunk.
Yeah, and you liked knowing you knocked her up. Stop being all self-righteous. You’re not the victim here.
His opponent became nothing but a bloody mess as he kept punching his face until nothing was visible and he was dead. Robin, in all things, was the victim and he had to remember that. There was nothing about this that he could blame her for, not really.
Dog organized the next man and of course, it all started again. Preacher was a pro at this kind of fighting. He knew what his body could take and how much strength he needed to land the right punch to get the job done. With each blow, he forced down his opponents, relishing the crunch and destruction of bone. The body was a frail thing. The right knuckle in the right place and it was all over.
And you’re going to ignore it all over again, aren’t you?
Yes, it was a big, fat mistake fucking Robin, or should I say, date rape? You didn’t give her the pills but you certainly didn’t care afterward. You were pissed, but as you started to see her blossom with your kid, you wanted her to be pregnant. You want to own her, to possess her, to keep her as your own. You love that Bishop couldn’t touch her heart.
Deep down, you’re as big a monster as Reaper, only he got there first.
No matter what you do, she will always be bound to Reaper.
After the third man died, the fighting was over.
Dog came into the ring and he signaled the end and for people to pay up.
Preacher wasn’t ready to stop fighting but he knew he had to hold back now. His need to spill blood was so strong. He waited as people paid their dues and left the building. One look at Dog, and he wanted to hurt him.
“I’m guessing no one has ever been stupid enough to take you on,” Dog said.
“I suggest you get ready.”
Dog smiled. “What makes you think I ever need to get ready for a blood bath? I’m always prepared.”
He started out by sparring with Dog. The other man was fast and surprisingly agile. He didn’t know why he was shocked. There was no extra information on who Dog was. Just the rumors of what he’d been born into believing. He wasn’t a real person, he was a monster, and other such shit. Thinking about it now, Dog had a bad life.
Hitting him only created a little bit of pleasure. There was no lasting relief. Being hit back, there was the kicker he wanted. The adrenaline. The pain. The need to feel something because if he didn’t, he was going home, fucking Robin until she was knocked up with his kid, and killing Bishop and Reaper. It was the least he could do after everything they’d put him through.
Robin pregnant.
Robin with Reaper’s baby.
Robin having feelings for Reaper.
It was fucking wrong.
All of a sudden, he was locked down on the ground. Dog was over him, keeping him in place.
“Get the fuck off me.”
“Not until you calm the fuck down. I mean it, Preach. Calm the fuck down. Everyone has gone home and I don’t want to kill you. You’re not dead and I get it, you fight like a fucking beast, a monster. You’re an animal and I recognize it.” Dog still didn’t let him go. “This isn’t worth dying over.”