I shook off the self-loathing as Shelton, the guy behind this corrupted operation, strode into the cage with his usual swagger. He flung my arm in the air and announced me as the winner in his deep, booming voice that reverberated through the barn. His woman attached herself to his side. She had no business being in here, but she had a habit of hovering. She licked her lips, her brown eyes roaming my abs as she straightened her spine and pushed out her double D’s. I couldn’t remember her fucking name, and I didn’t care to, even if she was the boss’ girl.

Only one girl flooded my mind, rushing blood straight to my cock, and she was stowed away on my boat, fucking safe from Zach. He was no doubt making a beeline for Portland right now, but we were miles from there in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of a secluded lake. Not many people frequented this area in the dead of winter, which made it the perfect place to engage in illegal fighting. Turned out it was also the perfect place to go off the grid, which I’d gotten fucking good at since I’d left Perrone’s estate in flames.

Jax appeared at my side and shoved clothing and a water bottle into my arms. As he took a long drag on his cigarette, I downed the lukewarm water in a single gulp.

“Alex okay?”

“Still sleeping like a baby,” he said, exhaling smoke through his nose.

“Thought you were quitting that shit.” I gestured at his cigarette with the empty bottle before dropping it in the duffle he’d set at my feet.

“I did, but then I started again.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’ll quit again tomorrow.”

With a shake of my head, I snickered. We’d had this conversation for days. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants over my red trunks and eyed the exit.

“So,” he said, drawing on the butt one last time before snuffing the end out between two fingers. “I only caught the last few minutes, but it looked like you were off your game. You still nailed it though. Congrats, man.” His words rose above the cacophony of voices, the exchange of money and drugs. This place was a fucking pit, and I hated every second of it.

Except for that moment when I choked the fuck out of the sucker in the cage with me. The release of endorphins made it easier to sleep at night. Sometimes, it even chased away the nightmares.

“Another night, another dime,” I said. Big fucking deal. I grabbed a towel from the duffle and wiped the sweat and blood from my face. Sliding my arms through the sleeves of a navy blue hoodie, I pushed my feet into a pair of sneakers. My gaze veered to the exit again.