Free Her Irish Surrender by Kit Morgan

paper?  Did ye know yer folks spent everything they had on getting a mail order bride? And what do ye do? Ye throw her back!”
    “Shut up, Finn.”
    “Shut up, Finn? Why should I? Not only do ye make it clear ye don’t want the girl, but when a fine upstanding citizen such as meself offers to take her off yer hands, ye get that fierce look in yer eye.”
    “What fierce look?” Lorcan growled.
    “The one ye have right now! McPhee!”
    “Don’t call McPhee over here, you fool,” Lorcan hissed.
    Too late, Mr. McPhee came running, his hands full of money, a pencil in his mouth. He removed it and stuck it behind an ear. “Ah, there ye are lad! Glad to see ye decided to turn up. Over half this crowd is here to see you, ye know!”
    “Me? How could they be here to see me? I didn’t say I was fighting tonight.”
    “No, but Finn here did.” Mr. McPhee laughed. “I’ll go tell them yer here.”
      Finn began to back away as Lorcan seethed. “Tell who? Just what is going on?” he asked as he grabbed Finn by the shirt collar.
    “D idn’t Finn explain things to ye, lad? There are agents from Stump Town here to watch ye tonight! It’s brought folks from all over!” He held up his two fists full of money. “I’ve never had it so grand!”
    He hurried off before Lorcan could say another word. Not that he could, his lips were pressed together so hard he had to suck air through his nose as his eyes narrowed on Finn.
    “Now, Lorcan, save it for the ring.”
    “There is no ring here, there never was, and there never will be. This isn’t fighting, this is hoping you don’t get killed.” He gave Finn a shake. “Don’t you understand? I’m not going to do this anymore, I can’t.”
    Finn’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, you can’t? You aren’t …” he gulped, … afraid are you?”
    Lorcan opened his mouth to comment when a huge group of men squeezed their way through the crowd, grabbed Lorcan with a cheer, and started to drag him off.  There had to be at least ten of them, some he recognized, others he didn’t. He yelled at them to let him go but was ignored. Others around them cheered, and money appeared out of each and every pocket. He caught a glimpse of McPhee and his elated expression, and then Finn’s terrified one.  This was his doing, and he knew well the licking he was going to give him, if he ever got his hands on him that is.  Right now there were too many hands on his own body to do much of anything, despite his struggles.  It then began to occur him, he might be forced to fight. He knew well that in some cases when large sums of money were involved, a fighter was no longer a man with a talent and a skill. He became a highly prized possession, and Lorcan wanted nothing to do with any of that.    Sometimes though, a man was given no choice. What had Finn gotten him into?
    He was slammed into a corner and forced to a chair.  Hands were everywhere, pulling at his clothes and yanking his boots off. “Stop!” he yelled again. But to no avail, they ignored him.  He gave several men a good blow, and saw the teeth fly from the mouth of one, when a large fellow, larger than Lorcan at any rate, shoved his way through the mass.
    “You!” the brute yelled over the din of the crowd as he pointed to him. “You’re next.”
    “What’s the meaning of this? I didn’t agree to fight!”
    The giant got in his face as Lorcan’s wrists and hands were grabbed. “No man says no, to Mr. Brennan.”
    “Brennan ?” Lorcan barked. “I don’t know any Brennan!”
    The brute smiled. “No, but he knows you.” He looked to the men holding Lorcan’s arms. “Bring him.”
    They shoved, pulled and yanked Lorcan along, and when they reached the “ring” which tonight consisted of nothing more than a huge group of men circled around four-by-eight foot sheets of wood, he knew he was in for it. The thin wall wasn’t even nailed together, the men were the only thing holding it in place. Half a