“C’mon now.” Shaking his head, Shelton stepped between Rafe and Zach. “Let’s just call this a settled matter and get on with it, hmm?” He gestured to his men, and they let Rafe go.

Rafe stepped back, cracking the tension from his neck. He was the picture of cooperation, but I knew him too well. He could strike at any moment whether it was smart or not. I forced my feet to stay put. Intruding into this meeting was not smart.

“I’ll give you the day, my man.” Shelton slapped Rafe on the back. “But bring the girl here tonight. I’ll make sure she’s treated well and kept safe,” he said, throwing my brother a pointed look.

“No fucking way,” Rafe shouted. He lurched forward, and the other guys were on him again.

“Look,” Shelton said, holding his arms out at his sides. “It’s one fight, and if this feud between the two of you is any fucking indication, it’s going to be a helluva match. You both want a shot at each other, and you both want the girl. Sounds like a win-win to me.”

I couldn’t listen to anymore. As his words sank in, nausea burned in my throat. I pushed away from the barn and dry-heaved into the brush.

We couldn’t go through this again. We might not be trapped in a tunnel this time, but that man in there, imposing his will onto Rafe and me, left my stomach in knots. That fight loomed like a death sentence, especially considering how they were discussing it in a barn, most likely miles from civilization.

This fight would transcend dangerous. It might even be deadly.

And I was the prize.

10. Double Fuck - Rafe

10. DOUBLE FUCK - RAFE

“Alex stays with me,” I said, my voice deathly low and brooking no argument. I would take on every fucking asshole in this barn, leave bloody corpses in my wake before I’d hand over Alex.

Shelton’s spine stiffened, and he retreated a negligible inch. Barely noticeable—that sign of concession—but I recognized it for what it was. My rage had festered into an entity, and any fool within a few hundred feet of me could see that. Shelton was no fool.

“Alright,” he said. “The girl stays put, but I want her present at the match. Dress her up in something sexy. The crowd will love it.”

I bit back a growl, my gaze veering to Zach. For an insane moment, I almost expected him to give a shit. This was Alex. His sister.

The girl he liked to fuck.

But he couldn’t give two fucks whether or not she was dragged into this mess, so long as it benefited him. He didn’t wear smug well.