by Kali Brixton
“You do realize no one’s going to call you down for using foul language, right, Lia?” I smirk, earning me a dirty look that’s not as scary as she wants it to be. “And you probably know way more about how to incapacitate someone than I do, miss nurse-in-training.”
“Who among us knows how to handle knives better than you? And where to stash them to avoid detection?” Eden adds, a grin spreading across her face.
My balisong Osiris didn’t share its name with the god of the underworld for nothing. It’s always on my person and ready for a taste of the action. It’s the same hunger I saw in Eden when I first showed her a few tricks.
“You see? This isn’t just about dancing or money. It’s about giving others freedom…and some battle armor to protect it.” She raises a valid point. They all do.
I think back to the times I got in trouble for wielding a weapon against an aggressive “patron” and how Eden had ultimately paid the price for my actions. I can’t stomach having any more blood on my hands of innocent people paying for my reactions and choices, but I also know what this means for my future.
A deep breath raggedly leaves my chest as I glance at each one of them before I nail the coffin shut. “We would require them to know how to defend themselves before they ever step foot on that stage.” Eden’s smirk goes deeper. “And I mean the full gamut. How to take down an assailant by themselves, how to handle weapons—or how to turn something into one, where all the pressure points and places to make someone bleed out in under four minutes are,” I say pointedly to Lia, whose smile blooms brightly, before turning to Addy. “I won’t negotiate on that. Safety and anonymity are the two key priorities. We can’t help them if we can’t keep them safe.” Us included.
“Is that a ‘yes’?” Eden asks hopefully as the other two try to gauge my intentions.
A heavy weight takes hold as the invisible shackles find their home on my wrists once again. The Devil’s Playground was a prison for me. Always having to hide behind a mask, always having to watch what information I let slip to others, always having to guard this secret from my family, the very reason I walked into that club and danced in the first place. I fucking hated every square inch of that pile of bricks and lies.
Now, I’m willingly putting them back on—once again, for family.
I look around at the two girls I’ve grown to love over the last few months and the one I’ve called my sister for years. Can I say no to them? Yes. Will they understand? I believe wholeheartedly they would. Can I sacrifice my own happiness for the happiness of those I care about and live with that decision? Three women stand before me, waiting for an answer. Three girls who’ve had the deck stacked against them for so long are only asking for my support and my loyalty. Beneath the facades and the makeup, the masks and the wigs, I see the answer as clear as day in my chosen sisters.
Family comes first.
Always.
Swallowing the thick lump in my throat, I ignore the feeling of dread washing over me and pray to God I’m not making a huge mistake. “If you can guarantee all that,” I sigh, even though I feel the tightness of those chains once more, “I’m in.”
And with that declaration, I wave my proverbial pen, dipped in my blood, and sign away my freedom once more.
Everleigh
January, Sophomore Year
“All right, ladies. Time to pick your poison.” I motion to the men of various ages and skill sets behind me. Eden and Addison scan the room, looking for any newcomers to my bi-weekly session with Dad and the guys in his department. Now that they’ve become proficient in their own rights at self-defense, I always let them choose their victims—ahem, training partners for the sessions before singling out my own.
Dad brought a few other guys in today that we rarely spar with to keep us on our toes, so it promises to be a vigorous workout.
Always assume you know nothing about your opponent’s fighting style, Kher Bear. Because when it’s for real, chances are you won’t.
“So, what're their stories, morning glory?” Eden drawls as she and Addy eye up the men for a whole different reason than what brought us here today.
I smile at her candor. Given what she’s been through, getting to choose the man you fight—or fuck, if that look in her eyes is any indication—is a gift. “Well, you already know the deal with those two twits,” I joke, pointing to my brother Kieran and his best friend Luca, who are chatting up the new guys.
Thankfully, my best friend since childhood Lia is busy studying for a quiz and couldn’t join us today; otherwise, one look at her brother and she would’ve bolted for the door. They haven’t spoken since her dad kicked her out of their home and lives last year for divorcing her dickface ex-husband, so the tension is palpable when she hears Luca’s name.
“The tall blonde one over there is taken,” I say, pointing to Decker, “But Hastings in the blue shirt and Phillips in the black are both single and ready to mingle.” My eyebrows waggle as the girls size them up.
“I call dibs on the big guy,” Eden comments, her eyes shamelessly dragging up and down Phillips’s bulky frame. “He looks like he might be fun to break in.” Addy and I chuckle, knowing Eden is calculating how many rounds he might be able to handle in her bedroom, not in the ring.
“Fine by me. If that bulge in the front of Hastings’s pants isn’t a cup, I’ve found my after-training treat,” Addy coos as she winks, her inner-vixen shining through.
“You ladies ready to go?” Luca asks as he and my brother, who’s apparently in a foul-as-fuck mood, approach. Well, hello to you too, Sunshine.
I ignore the prickles on my arms that his voice always brings to the surface. “We were born ready.”
“Hold on. What’s the deal with that red-headed fox over there?” Eden teases as she waves at my dad.
I shake my head at her silliness as I finish wrapping my hands. “Happily married, I’m afraid.”
“Damn. The good ones always are,” Addy sighs, adding a wave of her own. My dad smiles back at them and returns their gestures, unaware of our conversation. “Kids?”
“A daughter who’s the apple of his eye,” I beam, then point to my moody brother, “And a disappointment.”
The girls and Luca burst into laughter as Kieran scowls. “Quit fucking around, Ev.”
Eden and Addy raise their eyebrows at him as Luca clears his throat. “Ladies, why don’t you two come with me and I’ll introduce you to the new guys?”
They hesitate before I nod toward my dad and the guys. Sidling up to my brother, who’s now taping his fists up like a fiend, I assume the caring sister persona—or at least my version of it. “That’s what you’ve been doing all evening, K,” I point out, which earns me a deep scowl. “You actually gonna show up to spar or just keep moping around?”
Without looking up from his handiwork, he scoffs. “I’m not moping.”
“That pout says otherwise. What crawled up your ass and died, hateful?”
He looks at my now crossed arms and realizes he isn’t going to walk away from this conversation until I get a satisfactory answer. He stretches as his eyes bounce around the room, avoiding my stare. “Just got some…things on my mind.”
“What? Did you finally impregnate some dimwit with your spawn?” I chuckle until I realize he’s gone deadly silent and frozen in place. “Jesus, Joseph, and Mary! You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“The tests were negative.”
My jaw drops at his admission. “Tests? As in, plural tests…or plural girls?” The sincere question is met with incredulity. “What? I never know with you.”
“Go ahead and say it.”
“Say what?” I ask, knowing full well what he means, but needing to hear the words fall from his big mouth.
“Say ‘I told you so.’ I know you’re dying to.”
Yes. Yes, I am. “I believe those negative tests said it eloquently enough, Kieran. Who—”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he cuts me off, his stance stiff ev
en after stretching.
That tone of voice, though. “Why do you sound so disappointed?”
“Disappointed? I was scared shitless,” he mutters angrily. “What if it would’ve gone the other way?”
I pause a moment to imagine my brother, the man who’s destined to be an eternal bachelor, as a father. It paints more of a Jackson Pollock rendition than a mental picture. “Then, you’d be asking for a minivan instead of that Charger you want for your graduation present.” A huge grin spreads across my face. “I’d still be the favorite child, though.”
“Not funny, Ev,” he smarts, clearly off-kilter with this conversation, which is completely unlike Kieran.
“You are aware that pregnancy can happen when you’re having sex, right?”
“I’m not an idiot.”
“You sure about that?” I laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “Why do you think I raze you and Luca all the time?”
“Because you’re a ballbuster who gets your jollies from it?”
That’s…not entirely untrue. “You’re one to talk. As I recall from twenty years of experience, you’re the one who’s obsessed with giving me shit.” When he doesn’t reply, I place a hand on his broad shoulder, sensing his need for some encouragement. “Regardless, if those tests would have been positive, you would've done the right thing. You’re a Greene. We follow through on our commitments. It’s in our blood.”
He sips his bottle of water, lost in his own thoughts. “I’m not ready to be a dad.”
And the world breathes a collective sigh. “I don’t think the world’s ready for the fruit of your loins to be unleashed from Hell yet, either. Although, if you want to lessen the likelihood of it happening, don’t you think it might be a good idea to tone down your…activity level a tad bit?”
“Just gotta be more careful with who I choose to exercise with, I guess.”
Not the approach I was thinking of, dear brother. “Doesn’t it ever get old, flitting from girl to girl?” I scrunch my nose. All except Lia, I may be way more old-fashioned than the people in my life, but I love the idea of having a meaningful relationship with someone that lasts past a few bump-and-grind sessions.
“Variety is the spice of life,” he muses.
Why do I feel this overwhelming need to pick up a can of disinfectant on the way home? “Keep telling yourself that. Instead of putting notches on your bedposts, you’ll be building extra shelves on the spice rack to house all those little varieties. Why don’t you go ask Dorian how it feels to part with half his paycheck in child support payments,” I point out as he grimaces. “Condoms are cheaper than childcare. Just sayin’.”
Stealing a glance at Dorian Fredericks, a decent guy who made some poor choices in his younger days and ended up with not one, but two baby mamas from Hades, he shudders. “I used protection.”
“Things happen, though, K. Let’s take a step back from that part for a moment. Was this someone you’d actually want to have in your life forever?”
“Not…really. She’s just a random hookup from a few weeks ago. Larrah will murder me if she finds out.”
“Who’s Larrah?”
“A girl I started talking to after Jeanine and I hooked up.” In Kieran-speak, that means they’ve slept together at least twice, possibly a third time.
“Then, maybe instead of going for quantity, why don’t you try to have a relationship with someone? Get to know more about her than her bra size and what style underwear she leaves on your bedroom floor.”
“Ha. Ha.” He flexes his fingers, making sure the tape isn’t too tight with a few last-minute adjustments. “I’m enjoying my college years, not picking out who I want to be the mother of the children—not that I want them.”
He may change his mind on that last part one day. “What’s so wrong with wanting to be with just one person?”
His green eyes, so much like mine, bulge. “You know how fucking boring that would be? Shackled to the same person all the time.”
Yeah, like you’d be a real treat to deal with for life. I shrug. “It’s not being shackled if you willingly tether yourself to someone.”
He smirks. “That’s sweet, Ev. Been reading your big book of fairy tales again?”
Asshole. I return his with one of my own. “Why would I need to? I’m living one.”
“How do you figure?” His dark brows scrunch as he bounces in place to loosen up.
“Easy,” I explain. “My daddy’s a king who dotes on his queen and his pride and joy.” My sugary-sweet voice drips with faux humility as I point to the officers in Dad’s department and my friends. “My kingdom has devoted knights to watch my back, and the fair maidens in the village are loyal companions. And to complete the set, it even has a village idiot,”—I chuck my head sideways at Luca, then give him a pointed look—“Or two.”
He sticks his tongue out at me and gives me a playful shove.
“Y’all done chatting like old women over here?” A voice deflates our little Come to Jesus moment.
“What’s the matter, Decker?” Kieran calls out, passing by him on the way to Dad. “Pissed you missed out on the tea party?”
“Nope. My grandma made me attend those things with her bridge club all the time growing up,” Decker shouts at him over his shoulder as he turns to face me, offering a broad smile. “How’s it goin’, Ev?”
“Ready to crush my opponent,” I reply, punching my mitts together. “You?”
“Depends on who I get paired with,” he quips as he shrugs, that same easy smile still in place. “School going well?”
A puff of air leaves my mouth. “My earth science class is already kicking my ass, but it’s only one semester.” He laughs and nods in understanding. “How’s Lindsey doing?”
“We’re not together anymore.”
Wincing, I offer my apologies.
“It’s okay. We decided that it wasn’t working, so we agreed to be friends.” He looks toward my dad, who’s got his shoulder around my brother, play-punching him in the ribs, then back to me, taking a long, appreciative glance. “I guess you’ve got all the guys lining up to ask you out.”
I blush at his insinuation. “Not exactly…” Between Kieran and Luca scaring off their friends who’ve hit on me and RISE taking up my evenings, my time and options were becoming more and more limited outside of a random hookup. Given that I didn’t want my first time to be with some rando who chatted me up at the club, that left very few options on the table worth considering.
He tucks his hands into his pockets, almost looking like a teenage boy than a grown man who’s now a rookie cop. “You think you might want to—”
“Evergreen, your dad wants to speak with you.”
My attention narrows onto the stupidly handsome guy walking up to us, confidence in every step he takes. “Luca, for the millionth time…”
“I know, I know.” He holds up his hands. “Your dad’s waiting on you.”
I smile at Decker, remembering that I forgot to ask him to be my partner. “Think you’d be up for sparring?”
“Sure,” he replies in a smooth tone, returning my smile. “Think you can keep—”
“She’s already been paired with me.”
I give him a side glance, but Luca’s intense hazel eyes are trained on Decker. “Says who?”
“Says your dad,” he returns, never breaking his stare-down with my now-reassigned sparring partner.
“Whatever,” I huff. “Talk later, Decker?”
He nods as I take off to see what my dad wants, the giggles of the girls filling my ears as they get in position with their partners for tonight—and maybe a few more nights outside of the gym if they get their way.
Crap. My empty-feeling right hand alerts me to the fact that I left my water bottle where Kieran and I had our little heart-to-heart. I make a swift about-face and jog back, only to catch something I wasn’t meant to hear.
“…your job, stay away from her.” Luca’s voice is low and steady, a sharp warning in his
words.
Decker nods and passes by me, not sparing me a glance.
I scrunch my brows at Luca, whose sheepish expression tells me he didn’t intend on me hearing that conversation. “What the hell was that?”
“Just trying to help the guy keep his job.” He brushes by me, his normally intoxicating scent souring within my nostrils, which are no doubt flaring at the moment.
How fucking dare he?
“Kher Bear, let’s go!” Dad calls from the center of the gym.
Grabbing my water bottle, my grip on it tightens as I make my way to the sparring area. “You wanted to see me, Dad?”
He gives me an odd look. “Luca told me you wanted to spar with him tonight. I figured you would’ve wanted to give Decker a run for his money since he’s new.”
Why would Luca do something like that? Looking past my dad’s shoulder, I see my brother and Luca’s heads close together, Luca speaking in hushed tones while my brother gives Decker the stink eye, then nods as he makes his way to Decker to spar.
Anger boils in my gut at those nosy jackasses and their constant interference in my life. This is the last straw.
My features smooth out, as to not give Dad any inkling that something’s amiss. “Nah, it’s been a while since I’ve mopped the floor with Luca. Figured he might need a reminder.”
Dad’s deep laugh echoes throughout as he taps his gloves to mine. “Give ‘em hell, love.”
Don’t you worry, Dad. I plan on it.
Luca sidles up and gets into position. “You ready?”
“Sure, partner.” We tap gloves and circle each other. He moves to strike which I block, then follow up with a blow of my own. “After all, I did request you.”
He pales at my confession, knowing he’s caught, and now realizes that the fire in my eyes isn’t just for show. I’m incensed, and he’s going to pay for it.
Let’s see if you can keep your balls intact after this session, Mr. Giordano.
“By the way… You, Kieran, and I are going to have a little chat before we leave this evening.”
He gravely nods his head, knowing I mean business and that he’s going to regret lying to me and Dad.