"Don't ya wanna know where I hid yer brother's body?"

D'ren's inquiry held just a hint of a taunt in his half-Irish accent. He had not brought up the brother to Jacobs before. He wanted to hold onto it, use it at the last possible moment to humiliate him in front of an audience. That was D'ren specialty after all: spectacle.

The corrupt reverend's brother was five years his junior, and the two had never really gotten along as kids. But D'ren was banking on blood being thicker than the rope that reddened the pale scoundrel's neck. 

It was six weeks previous, just a few hours before his 8th match in the underground fight club. Finn Jacobs was an aide to D'ren's opponent, Delrick Smashhouse. Finn had been caught cheating, slipping drugs into Ol' Smashies drinks to make him move faster, punch stronger. D'ren and his friend Raylon had discovered this violation. Raylon caught the business end of a knife. D'ren made Finn pay for that in the alley that evening.

Then he made Smashie pay in the ring later that night.