Page 71 of Slaughter
“Oh shit,” I vaguely heard Reaper shout as I charged through the crowd before grabbing Ghost by the back of his cut, ripping him off my brother. “Sandman, get off your ass and do your fucking job!”
Upon seeing me, Ghost’s eyes widened, right before I threw back my fist and hit the fucker square in his face.
“Kick his ass, DIG!” Stella shouted as I beat the crap out of Ghost.
“Digger!” Ghost yelled, trying to duck my punches. “We’re family!”
“Ain’t no blood of mine!” I growled, tackling the soon-to-be dead fucker to the ground.
Ghost twisted beneath me, trying to throw me off, but I had momentum and rage on my side. My fist connected with his jaw again, snapping his head to the side. Blood sprayed from his split lip, and I felt the satisfying crunch of cartilage under my knuckles.
“You don’t get to touch my brother!” I snarled, grabbing Ghost by his cut and slamming him back against the floor. “You don’t get to lay a fuckin’ hand on him!”
“He didn’t ask for permission!” Ghost roared back, finally getting his hands up to block my next punch.
“I don’t give a shit about your Golden Rule!” I threw another punch, catching him in the ribs. “That’s my brother! Myblood! You think I’m gonna stand here and watch you beat him to death?”
Ghost bucked hard, throwing me off balance, and we rolled across the floor in a tangle of limbs and fury. Brothers scattered out of our way as we crashed into a table, sending beer bottles flying. I heard Stella’s voice above the chaos, still cheering me on like we were at a damn football game.
“Get him, baby! Right hook! RIGHT HOOK!”
Ghost managed to get on top of me, his fist connecting with my cheekbone hard enough to make stars explode across my vision. But I’d been in enough fights to know how to take a hit. I grabbed his cut again and head-butted him, feeling his nose crunch against my forehead.
“ENOUGH!”
The roar came from Reaper, but neither Ghost nor I stopped. We were too far gone, too deep in the violence to hear reason. I felt hands grabbing at me. Multiple sets of hands trying to pull us apart. Sandman had finally gotten off his ass and was hauling Ghost backward while Reaper and Kansas grabbed me.
“Let me go!” I snarled, still trying to get at Ghost. “Let me fuckin’ go!”
“Stand down, Digger!” Reaper commanded, his voice like thunder. “That’s an order!”
I stopped struggling, but my chest was heaving, and my fists were still clenched. Ghost was being held back by Sandman and Montana, blood streaming from his nose, his eye already swelling shut.
“You done?” Reaper asked, his grip still tight on my shoulders.
“Depends,” I said, spitting blood onto the floor. “Is he done beatin’ on my brother?”
Reaper’s eyes narrowed. “Your brother broke the rules. He fucked Ghost’s sister. Shadow’s sister. He knew the consequences.”
“Yeah, well, I never said he was smart!” I shot back. “But it’s Slaughter, Reaper. You know my brother just doesn’t do shit willy-nilly. He plays by the rules. Always. That’s gotta count for somethin’, Reaper.”
“And you thought starting a fight with Ghost was the best way to sway my mind?”
I shrugged, wiping blood from my split lip. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“Jesus Christ,” Kansas muttered, running a hand over his face. “This is a fucking circus.”
“Where’s Chapman?” I asked, finally looking around the room. I spotted him on the floor near the wall, curled up andbarely moving. My stomach dropped. “Chap!” I shoved past Reaper and dropped to my knees beside my brother. His face was a mess. Swollen, bloody, barely recognizable. His breathing was shallow and ragged, and when I touched his shoulder, he flinched. “Hey, brother,” I said quietly, my voice rough. “It’s me. It’s Dig.”
Chapman’s good eye cracked open, focusing on me with difficulty. “Dig?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Stella’s here too. We came to rescue you.”
“No...” he rasped, spitting blood on the floor, “blowing shit up.”
“Don’t worry, bro. Left all my good toys at home,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You’re my brother. You think I’m gonna let them kill you over some bullshit rule?”
“This isn’t bullshit,” Ghost snarled from across the room, still being held back by Sandman. “He touched my sister! He should have—”
