Ruxs and Green were already in motion, taking off like two bats out of hell. Tech was right behind them and he could hear the heavy steps of Syn and Day on his heels.
“Hey, what’s going on?” The captain frowned from the entrance to his office, looking confused at all his officers scattering like rats.
“The Marine’s in the ring with God,” someone yelled.
“Oh hell,” the captain said and joined in the crowd.
Tech’s heart was beating frantically, taking the stairs two at a time, all of them sounding like a cattle stampede. It was no secret around the precinct who their new addition was, a lot of them having seen the footage of him at the fast food robbery, so the thought of him going head to head with the baddest cop in Atlanta, that was something to run and see.
When Tech came through the swinging doors, the first thing he saw was the goddamn crowd. Everyone was down there, even a couple of the officers from booking. What the hell? Then he noticed all the cell phones that were pointed in the direction of the ring, recording. The noise was crazy like they were watching two heavyweight champions. His breath stopped when he saw God shove Steele into the ropes and hammer away at his ribs. Steele tucked his elbows in tight, a look of determination and pain etched on his sweaty face.
“Get outta there, Marine!” a deep voice shouted. “Get off the ropes.”
Tech watched Steele wrap God up in a bear hug to halt his punches. God stumbled back, pushing Steele off him, but to his surprise, Steele came at God with a combination that would’ve made Ali proud.
“Yeah!” The crowd cheered when God stumbled back into the buckle, his big biceps flexing as he tried to defend against Steele’s hits.
Tech swallowed hard. He was amazed and extremely turned on by how fast Steele moved. God swung a quick left hook, the crowd erupting again when Steele ducked and returned the same level of punishment on God’s ribs. Steele jumped back, meeting God in the center of the ring. Tech didn’t know what round this was, but both of them looked like they’d had the workout of their lives. He’d seen God not even break a sweat in the ring, but large droplets poured off his chest and shoulders while he brought his hands up, squaring off with Steele again.
“Come on, Cash! Show him who’s boss.”
Tech craned his neck and could see Day was standing beside the ring, yelling louder than anyone else. Of course, he thought, not sure whether knowing his fiancé was watching gave God a boost of confidence or a need to show off, but God gave Steele a come-hither sign, telling him he was ready for more.
Steele brought his arms back up and Tech’s mouth watered, taking in Steele’s strong upper body, his broad shoulders and ripped back. His pecs were thick and dripping sweat profusely, making the large tattoo there glisten in the dim lighting. The huge bald eagle clutching the world in his sharp talons with USMC beneath it, done masterfully. But the best part was Steele’s knuckleduster piercing the image, the words Death Before Dishonor wrapped around the blade. Tech’s skin heated and he eased back into the corner to silently keep watching and also hide his reaction.
God and Steele traded punches back and forth, so evenly matched it was impossible to see who was winning. Cheers and spurring were yelled for both of them and Tech couldn’t help but feel special that the man up there, showing just how dangerous he really was, only had the hots for him. For a geek. The women watching were no doubt praying that Steele might be the one and only man on God’s team that wasn’t bi or gay. All he could do was smirk. Tech was the only one in this state who knew what Steele tasted like, felt like, sounded like when he was turned on because he was the one to do it.
“You’ve got to be shittin’ me,” the captain hissed, coming through the doors.
Tech shrunk back further into the corner at seeing the captain’s anger that all of his officers were down there acting like crazed wrestling fans instead of doing their jobs. The strong man shouldered through the crowd, pushing and barking at people to get back to work. Tech laughed when he saw the older officer jump up onto the ring and climb inside. He motioned for the manager to blow the whistle. Despite the captain standing there, everyone continued to clap and cheer, calling out to God and Steele for such an amazing display of skill.
“Get back to work!” the captain bellowed. “Where the hell do you think you are, Caesar’s Palace? Move it! Now! What do you think the chief would say if he walked into the precinct right now?”