Page 67 of Nightmare’s Playground

I shrugged my cut off my shoulders and set it on the table between us.

“You want my patch, it’s yours.”

Denali’s eyes flared. He couldn’t believe I was willing to give it all up for his sister, but for me it was an easy choice.

“I owe this club everything.” My voice came out rough. “Memo got me out of prison. Pee Wee vouched for me. You gave me a roof over my head and a job.” I tapped the prospect patch. “But if it comes down to the club or her, it’s her. It’s always gonna be her.”

Ruthless set his beer down on the bar, his face much more serious than I’d ever seen it. “Put your fucking cut back on,” he said, spearing his brother with a look. “Nobody’s taking it from you.”

“Speak for your fucking self,” Denali grunted. “There’s a debt that has to be paid.”

I blew out a breath.

I knew what that meant. If I wanted to stay, I had to take my licks. Those were the rules.

I blew out a breath knowing what I had to do. I wouldn’t be the wedge that came between her and her brothers or her and the club, so I’d take my licks like a man.

Picking the cut up off the bar, I slid it back on my shoulders, then squared up and waited.

Ruthless came at me first.

Without a word, he walked up to me, smiled, then buried his fist in my gut so hard the air in lungs whooshed out onto the floor.

“Fuck,” I wheezed, doubling over.

“Congrats,” he added as he clapped me on the shoulder and walked back to his beer.

Up next was Pee Wee, and he didn’t take it easy on me.

My brother-in-law, the man who’d stood up for me when Denali had every reason to tell him to go to hell, stopped in front of me with a frown on his face.

He wasn’t angry. He was disappointed, which was worse.

“Shoulda come to me first,” he rumbled.

“Yeah.”

Then he hit me square in the mouth, sending me reeling backwards onto my ass.

“Fuck!” I swiped at the blood with the back of my hand.

Getting back to my feet, I readied myself as they came at me one by one.

Klutch. Beast. Yukon. Crazy. Undertaker.

I took every hit, and I didn’t fight back.

By the time Denali stepped up to finish what he’d started, my left eye was swollen shut, and my right wasn’t far behind.

And my ribs, I was pretty sure those were busted, too.

Nodding his head, Denali reared back and hit me one last time.

That was all it took.

I was down for the count.

I didn’t know how long I’d been out, but it was long enough that someone had stitched up my lip because I could feel the stitches.