Steel Hearts - Patchwork Princess Ch. 01

Authors note: Hello, everyone. I started this story thinking to include it in the Halloween contest, but as usual, my inability to keep my stories succinct meant it became too big and long-winded to manage. To try and keep it manageable for me, I needed to split it into parts. I hope you enjoy the next instalment from the Steel Heart Brotherhood. As always, if you enjoy it, please comment and vote. If you hate it, please do neither, ~ellie.

Steel Hearts: Patchwork Princess

Part 1.

"Alright, what's going on?" Teddy grumbled as he entered the small house in the inner-city suburb.

"Dean's lost his shit, and there's no talking him down," Medusa snarked with a twisted grin.

"Why would you want to?" Scott growled. "If he didn't do it, I would have. The fucking arse wipe deserves a beat down," he spat.

"Kris, fill me in," Teddy ordered the quiet guy who sat behind his computer screen as usual.

"Eric, that big guy who used to run with the Sons of Odin was dating Nicky and when she tried to break up with him, let's not poke the bear with details and just say he physically tried to make her change her mind," he looked meaningfully at the brooding Dean. "So, Dean has challenged him to the cage tonight even though it happened over a month ago. We only just found out, and well, you know he won't back down now," Kris shrugged and went back to his screen.

"Okay, and what do we have on Eric?" Teddy said, not disagreeing with what Dean had decided to do. Had it been Grace, he wasn't sure he wouldn't have done the same thing. This was the risk when you had loved ones and why Saxon looked for men with no ties like his brothers. Still, that was a moot point now with the inclusion of both Grace and Daisy into their inner circle.

"Here's what I've got," Kris said and cast his screen to the larger one that hung on the wall and doubled as a television for sporting events. "A grainy image of a cage fight came up, and the hulking Eric seemed unstoppable in his destruction of his opponent. My guess would be cocaine or some other superman drug to keep him upright despite the beating his opponent was dishing out."

"So, the fight is going to be about endurance, wearing him down and attacking his senses or taking out one of those swinging gorilla arms," Scott said to the murmured agreement of those around him.

"Yeah, your reflexes are good, so duck and weave. The club is pretty tight on drug use, so if he hits it before the match, it won't be much, or they won't let him in the cage to start the fight. As the fight goes on, he'll get sloppy, and you should be able to take him out or at least one of his arms," Teddy nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"Clear it with Steele. We aren't supposed to fight in the cages," Dean grumbled. Of course, he'd fight anyway, but he'd prefer not to lose his place in the brotherhood.

"You're not supposed to fight without good reason, you have that, and I will be there to back your challenge," Teddy said. He might also see if Sax or Beau wanted to come and stand with them. They used to enjoy the cage when they were younger men. "I'll clear it, but it's unnecessary in this case. How's Nicky doing?"

"Fine, I think. I heard about it through the grapevine, not from Nick or her friends, so she and I will have words about it after the fight," Dean growled.

"She's coming to watch the fight?" Teddy was surprised. The girls had made it out of the life they had been born into after the underworld wars. So why would they come to the fight club?

"She doesn't know I'm fighting or why. I just hinted that she might want to see what's happening there tonight. She can't handle not knowing shit when she has a clue like that. Trust me. She will be there with her curious cat best buddy, Holly, holding her hand," Dean smirked. "They won't be able to help themselves."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You told me they were out and living a different life now," Teddy questioned with a frown. "You sure you want to drag them into a place like that again?" The fact that he could see Holly again tonight made his crumbling resolve to leave her alone to live her life disintegrate entirely. The death of his last girlfriend at the hands of Eli and his family brought back all the helplessness he had felt when he lost Holly so long ago.

"Too late now. They know and will be coming whether the dick brain over there changes his mind or not," Medusa almost cackled. "Don't worry, boss, it will be my pleasure to keep an eye on them for you," she waggled her eyebrows up and down.

"Jesus," Teddy shook his head. The woman was certifiable, but she was also brilliant, a fighter who never gave up and loyal beyond measure to him and the brotherhood that had accepted her and her brand of madness without question.

"Alright, what time's the fight? I need to make a few calls. Then we'll hit the Doss House and see Sax," Teddy announced.

"Can't you do that?" Dean asked, his eyes showing the strain of his reckless challenge.

"I could, but you will also need a decent lunch, so you don't need to eat before the fight, so get your shit together, man. You have the challenge to win," Teddy said, knowing that Dean would win but that it would cost him to get that win. The guy didn't know the meaning of giving up or backing down.

Teddy walked away from his friends as he dialled a number and held the phone to his ear. He would ensure Mitch was there when he returned to the Doss house. The older guy was his touchstone when feeling confused or out of sorts about a situation. He had a way of putting things back into perspective for him. He thought he needed that talk before seeing his first love tonight. If he was honest, the only woman he had loved completely.

They'd been teenagers, and all of their firsts had happened together the year before the underworld imploded into a war that no one had seen coming. At least no one from their poor inner-city suburb. The wealthy, influential families went to war, and those on the edges of that life paid the price. His family had paid the price with their lives, and he had been taken away from everything he knew and loved, including Holly, to be put into the foster system. By the time he had returned for Holly, the grandmother who raised her had sent her away to school and never told him where until she had claimed that Holly had died in some form of vengeance against her family.

The men and woman in the room watched him as he turned to look at them while he listened to the voice message on Mitch's phone. Just as he was part of Saxon's six, these were his six. These were his ride-or-die crew, hand-picked and recruited just as he had been. Of course, not all of Saxon's six had a six of their own, but Mitch and Ian did, and when war loomed again as a result of Daisy's kidnapping, Teddy had been grateful he had his crew as he went to fight alongside Ian and Jack who stood in Mitch's place during the battles that ensued. At the time, his six had shown impressive skills that the generals had not ignored in their reports.

These were his six, and if they needed him to back this fight, he would ensure that if, as they expected, drugs or other enhancers were used, the officials would move on to Eric and his crew. He knew Saxon would also back his team. He wasn't even concerned about it. The rule about cage fighting was more to stop every wise guy trying to get a reputation for himself by challenging one of the brothers. This fight was for a legitimate reason, and no one would blame Dean for wanting to hit the guy who beat his sister.

*****

Holly watched as Dean reached his opponent in one long step and, grabbing his shoulder, spun him to face him. As expected, the Viking, as Holly had dubbed the other man, came around swinging wildly. Dean quickly ducked the blow meant for his face and drove a hard right into the Viking's soft stomach. She heard the impact and the loud exhale, but the big guy barely bent over. Dean slammed his left into the same spot, and the Viking doubled over this time. Dropping to his knee, Dean rocked back and snapped a short kick into the Viking's face. When the big guy stood up, Dean came out of his crouch into a jump kick. He caught the big guy in the side of the head and sent him sprawling down onto the mat in the centre of the cage.

The Viking leapt up as if he had simply tripped. Dean jumped back, narrowly dodging another wild swing, reacting more by instinct than seeing it coming. Unfortunately, the swing was so absurd that the big guy threw himself off balance, and he staggered past Dean, who hit him in the back with his elbow sending him face-first to the mat again.

"Still think you can take what you want without consequences?" Dean snarled, and Holly turned to look at Nicky. She spun back to the cage and looked at Dean's opponent properly for the first time.

"Your sister hits harder than you, kid," Eric laughed.

"You'd know, wouldn't you?" Dean spat. "Seeing as you prefer to fight girls," Dean snapped off three quick jabs, each striking home in the middle of Eric's face. He then jumped back, avoiding a spinning kick that could have knocked him senseless if it connected. "Guess what, asshole? Unlike my sister, I hit back."

"Oh, fuck Nicky! What does Dean think he's doing?" Holly gasped. "He's going to get himself killed!" The two women watched in horror as Dean taunted the Viking, Eric, Nicky's ex-boyfriend! Then, Eric rolled over and sprang to his feet as if launched from a trampoline. His nose was bleeding, and he was breathing like a snorting buffalo, but his eyes were bright, and he was smiling through the blood in his teeth.

"That's why you're here? Did your sister tell you I hit her?" Eric growled. "It's bullshit, man. She's a liar. I never laid a finger on the frigid bitch!" Enraged, Dean sent a wide punch to his face enjoying the sight of his head swivelling on his neck as he staggered backward.

"Nicky told me nothing! I'm here because I hate guys like you!" Dean punctuated each word with a slap to the asshole's face that left his palm stinging, Eric's face rocked side to side, but he stood where he was and took the hits. Once again, Eric swung wildly, his focus worsening as the match continued.

Dean dodged to his right and was caught off guard when Eric stopped his wild swing and came around with his other arm, catching him in the side of the face with a sharp left hook. A flash went off behind his eyes, and as he rocked to the side, Eric threw another punch. Dean saw it coming but was off balance and could only manage to whip his head to the side. Instead of catching his face, Eric's huge fist caught the side of his head and spun him to the floor. He somehow got his hands down, stopping the face plant he was sure was coming, but before he could get up, Eric caught him in the side with his booted foot.

Dean grunted in pain but, using the impact of the kick to help him, rolled over twice before coming back up to his knees. Eric had stepped forward and, this time kicked at his head. Dean caught his foot in his hands and deflected it to the side. He was holding onto Eric's foot, causing him to try to balance on one foot. Dean kicked out, the steel-toed tip of his boot landing a hard blow on Eric's soft upper thigh. He cried out in pain and made the mistake of leaning forward, trying to grab him. Dean threw a quick kick into his stomach, then one into his face. He was still holding Eric's foot, and surging to his feet, he shoved against it, sending Eric flying several feet and crashing into the edge of the cage, making the metal bars ring loudly. Coming to his feet, Dean crossed the distance between them quickly and, when Eric swung, stepped into it. He blocked it with his left arm and slammed his right elbow into the side of Eric's head.

"You like hitting women, you fucking coward?" he hissed, "What does she weigh? Fifty fucking kilos?" Eric bucked and punched Dean in the stomach, pushing him back, and when Dean was off-balance, he caught him with an uppercut.

"Fifty-five," Nicky corrected automatically under her breath, making Holly turn an incredulous look on her. But then Nicky gasped at what happened next, and her eyes were drawn back to the cage.

Dean heard a crunch and his nose filled with blood as he staggered backward. It was only then that he had a moment of clarity. He cursed and spat blood on the floor of the cage. Eric was fuelled by ice or cocaine or something like it tonight! He came for Dean again as if he'd barely been hit and threw a quick right-left. Both connected, snapping Dean's head from side to side. He felt his legs starting to give and let his weight go. Landing on one knee, he extended his other leg and spun in a circle sweeping Eric's feet out from under him.

Eric hit the floor hard, his head thumping off the wood. As Dean rose slowly to his feet, Eric again popped straight up, but this time, once he was on his feet, he shook his head like a wounded dog and almost lost his balance. Dean stood before him, breathing hard through his mouth because his nose was clogged with blood.

"What's the matter bitch? Not used to a fair fight?" Dean goaded. "Come on, pretend I'm half your size and have tits, then hit me!" Eric said nothing but growled and threw a punch that Dean easily avoided by whipping his head to the side. "Try again," Dean spat blood at Eric's feet.

Eric swung with his left, and Dean ducked and almost dove away from the wild swing. This time, however, he saw Eric's feint, and when his right arm came around, he grabbed his wrist and arm under his. Their arms locked at the elbows and bracing his feet, and Dean used the power in his hips and shoulders to wrench upwards. There was a loud crack, and Eric screamed in agony when his arm snapped backward.

Dean turned to the side, swung his leg up, and slammed his knee into Eric's stomach. He bent over, wrapped his arm around his neck, held him in a headlock, and began repeatedly driving his knee into Eric's ribs. He was in total control now and prepared to strike the damaged Viking again, but several burly bikers entered the ring to stop the match

"You fucking little bitch!" Dean yelled and threw his knee up again, catching Eric in the face. Finally, the big guy stood up as his friends grabbed him and walked him from the cage. It took all of Dean's willpower to stay on his feet and shrug off the men who had come to help him from the cage. "Yeah, run away like the little bitch you are," he snarled at the barely conscious Eric.

"We need to go and make sure he is alright," Nicky said, panic entering her voice as she looked at her lifelong friend. "Holly, I know I promised we'd just look and go, but I can just leave him like that when he did this because of me."

"Oh, God! Fine, let's go. I think they took him this way," she wrapped her hand in Nicky's and pulled her along behind her as she tried to keep the door. She thought they went through in sight. "How did I let you convince me to come with you?" Holly shrieked as two burly men wearing their cuts suddenly stood between her and her destination. She turned to glower at her friend rather than stare directly at their broad muscled chests.

"You are here because you are my best friend, and if my little brother dies tonight, you will bear witness to the fact that he is a bigger idiot than either of us previously thought. Then you will talk me down from the hysteria already building in my chest," Nicky said, sounding as if the hysteria had kicked in long before. "I can't believe he did this for me!"

"How did he find out in the first place? You wouldn't let me tell anyone, not even Ness and Carter at first." Holly asked, turning her back to the men who seemed determined to move into their personal space. Hadn't the Covid epidemic taught them anything? Not that a crowded underground fight club would care more about those rules than they did about the law. She nudged Nicky to head in a different direction, trying to skirt around the men.

"I don't know. Dean only said that there would be a fight we would want to see, and we had to be here. He never said he was the one who was fighting!" Nicky cringed at something she could see over Holly's shoulder as she spoke. "Okay, don't panic, but I think a blast from the past just spotted us," Nicky said in a low voice.

"A who from what?" Holly gasped and then squealed as she felt a large hand grab her shoulder.

"Hey, Nicky," a deep voice said. "We need you and Holly to come with us. Dean's okay, but he's worried about you being out here with Eric's friends still around."

"Oh, okay," Holly said and squeezed Nicky's hand gathering herself and trying to place the man who held her immobile as fear made her recognition slower than it might have been. "Hey, Scotty. I barely recognised you. I suppose it's been a while since I last saw you," she said with a surprisingly steady voice, then looked at the second man. "Oh, and shit, sorry, Teddy, you've changed even more than Scotty." Holly felt like she would die if his dark eyes didn't release her from their penetrating gaze. Her stomach rolled and made her feel queasy as she looked at the older but still familiar face of the first boy she had ever loved.

"Hey, Holly. Nicky," Scotty said with a chuckle as Teddy nodded and silently watched them both. "Come on. We'll take you to see Dean. He said you'd be worried about him after the fight," Scotty said. He placed a hand on the small of Nicky's back to lead her forward as Teddy hovered close to Holly.

"After, before, during the fight," Nicky agreed and turned to look over her shoulder to ensure Holly followed them with Teddy at her side.

Holly sighed inwardly. After all, she and Nicky had done to distance themselves from the world of Motorcycle Clubs, drugs, fights, and gambling, here they were again. Dragged back into the insanity by someone they loved.

Aside from the broken nose and the black eyes that were developing rapidly, Dean seemed to be relatively unscathed compared to the beating he had given in the cage. His ribs were strapped, but they didn't seem to bother him as the medic stepped away from him and made room for his sister to hug him fiercely.

"Not so rough," Dean winced and admonished her.

"Why did you do that?" Nicky scolded her brother.

"Better question," he held up a finger. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to hear it from one of the guys?"

"Because I knew this would be the reaction and since when do you wear colours?" she asked, trying to tone down the accusation in her voice while men from the club surrounded them. She knew you didn't get to fight in this club without belonging to one of the local MCs or by their invitation, which was rare.

"Nick, maybe we should do this tomorrow in the light of day once we've had the time to calm down and not say anything we will regret," Holly suggested. "I'm exhausted, and we have a big day at work tomorrow. So, let's not get into this here, right now," she all but pleaded.

"Fine, you go. I'll catch a ride with Dean. He's done for the night anyway," Nicky scowled at her twin brother. She may only be older than him by a matter of minutes, but she was still the oldest and had no problem pulling the big sister card. "Don't worry. I won't let my mouth get too far ahead of my brain."

"Nicky, I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay here," Holly said cautiously.

"You're right," Dean said. "I'll take her home where she can scold me in private," he winked at Holly and gave her a lop-sided smile. "It's good to see you, Hols," he added.

"I'll take Holly home," Teddy rumbled. It was the first thing she had heard him say, making her blink in shock. But, of course, his voice wasn't always that deep, was it?

"There's no need. I drove tonight because Nicky was too nervous," Holly said. "I'll be fine. I'll walk out with those two." She indicated Nicky and her brother. Teddy grunted, and Holly couldn't tell if it was in agreement or dismissal of her words. About thirty minutes later, she started leaving the group and headed to her car. She found out that he chose to dismiss her words as Teddy silently followed her and watched as she got into her car and locked the doors. Only then did he move away, knowing she was on her way home. Her phone came to life when she had been on the road for less than ten minutes. Then, using her hands-free, she answered it.