flew open, and one of the bouncers shoved a pissed off Sloane inside.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.
“Aw, baby, don’t be like that,” I said, knowing it would piss her off even more.
“Oh, baby’s gonna be like that,” she snapped.
“Damn, you’re hot when you’re pissy.”
She huffed. “What the fuck do you want?”
“We’ve got some shit to talk about,” I said, and then the coordinator knocked on the door. “Fuck,” I cursed. “Gotta go. Stay put,” I demanded and locked the door on my way out. “Ignore her if she starts screaming,” I called out over my shoulder as I headed to the ring. With any luck, I wouldn’t be gone long.
Grant and Drew were waiting for me in my corner. I preferred to warm up for a match alone, which worked out well since I didn’t want them to know I sort of kidnapped Lorcan O’Shea’s daughter and was holding her against her will in my locker room.
Just like the last fight, my opponent was laid out in less than a minute, and it was starting to make me feel like the playground bully. I wasn’t there for easy wins or to manipulate my statistics. I wanted a good fight as much as I needed it. However, Luca assured me that everyone started out at the bottom of the roster and worked their way up. In other words, I had to earn my spot and fight to keep it. Even if I lost, I could still fight every other weekend, but I wouldn’t advance or make any money if I was bested.
After the ref raised my hand in the air and declared me the winner, I left as soon as I received the okay from the coordinator.
“You two can go ahead without me. I’ve got something to take care of,” I told Grant and Drew. I never hung around after a fight, but I needed to get back to Sloane as soon as possible.
When I returned to the locker room, Sloane was nowhere in sight. I knew she couldn’t have escaped, which meant she was hiding. After changing, I began to look for her. She was a feisty little thing, and I was enjoying every second of it.
“Sloane. Oh, Sweet Sloane,” I called. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
The locker room itself was relatively small, so there were only a handful of places she could be. After several minutes of searching, I found her tucked into one of the tall lockers with her head bent at an awkward angle.
“That was fun,” I said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in my voice. “What in the hell did you think hiding was going to accomplish?”
“I was hoping you’d think I’d gotten out and wouldn’t look for me. That way, I could leave without having to see, hear, or speak to you.”
“I wasn’t expecting such hostility from you. I think I’m hurt,” I said flatly. “My turn. Let’s go,” I said and reached for her arm.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
I smirked. “Yes, you are, darlin’. It’s just a matter of if you’re walking or if I’m carrying you.”
She dropped her chin to her chest and admitted, “I’m stuck.”
“You’re what?” I chuckled.
She huffed. “I’m stuck. Part of my dress is caught on one of the hooks or something.”
“Well, I’m waiting,” I taunted.
“Waiting for what?”
“For you to ask for my help.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes before she relented. “Will you help me get unstuck?”
“Say please.”
“Fuck right off. Please,” she snarked.
“You want help or not?”
She huffed and rolled her eyes to the sky. I could tell it was the absolute last thing she wanted to do and didn’t bother to hide how much I was enjoying her predicament. “Can you help me get unstuck?”
“I can, but will I?”
She sucked in a sharp breath at the indignance. Or so I thought until she opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs. “Declan! Help me!”
I slapped my hand over her mouth. “For fuck’s sake. I’ll get you out if you don’t scream again. Luca’s likely to come down here and kill us both,” I said seriously. Luca was cool with me and the MC, but I knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t tolerate personal bullshit in his club. And I also knew he was quick to pull the trigger because I’d seen him end a life without even looking in the poor fuck’s direction. “I’m serious as shit, Sloane. You gonna be quiet?”