by G. Bailey
"Dad, no offence but I don’t think I will listen to you,” I reply, lowering my hand and setting a glare on my father. He seems a little surprised.
“What else is going to happen, is that he won't be fighting for you anymore, not if you want to see me. I know everything that has been going on, how could you?" I say taking a huge risk. My dad sighs loudly before righting his tie. He smirks at me in a cold matter that I don't like. It’s like this is all a game to him. I have a feeling he plays games like this all the time and he likes it.
"My silly little girl. At least you know the truth about my business. It’s been annoying seeing you so naive.” He shakes his head with a small creepy laugh.
“Unfortunately for you, I will just have him killed, if you disobey me," he says, deadly serious as he watches me.
"You won't kill him, that's crazy," I harshly whisper to him shaking my head.
"You have no idea how much I hate the King family. Did you know what their father did?” Dad leans back in his chair, taking a sip of his drink before he continues talking to me.
“I will do worse than just kill him and I can make him suffer, he’ll wish he never even heard your name,” he says, the sick part is that he says it normally. Like we could be talking about what to get from the shop for dinner.
“Elliot looks the most like his father, did you know that? His deadbeat father only did one thing right and that was teaching those boys how to fight. That’s the only reason I didn’t kill them, it’s more fun to own them. To make them fight for me, kill for me. They all have done things in my cage that would break most boys.” He chuckles, like it’s a good memory, while I feel sick.
“The King boys have been a nuisance recently, first with that Izzy. Their father was smart to hide her from me. I remember her mother, a really pretty woman but stupid. She never understood who she was fucking. Now the King boy’s mother, Linda, was a smart woman but didn’t want children. I have no idea how he convinced her to have four!” he laughs.
“You could have killed Izzy, are you mad?” I ask and he continues with only a slight pause at my question.
“The boys showed me another side to them with that Izzy nonsense, they are smarter than I gave them credit for, but I won’t make that mistake again. All that bother with my niece was just for fun but they even managed to get out of that, " he tuts his tongue while I clench my fists.
"Niece?” I ask.
“Oh right. I had a sister. She was a little crazy, eventually killed herself after having a child. Your cousin went to school with you, I didn’t know about her until she found me. Her name was Elena Michaels or something like that.” He says and I have a flashback of seeing him with her. Elena was crazy about Sebastian and ended up in a mental hospital a few months ago when she attacked Maisy. I didn’t think I could be more shocked but I am.
“Do you know how fucking crazy you sound?" I shout and a few head turn my way as I stand up.
“Sit down, you’re making a scene. I am not crazy; you should learn to respect your father. I brought you up better than this.” He says in a clipped tone.
“Leave me and Elliot the fuck alone, dad, I can’t believe what you have done. You’re a good actor, I'll give you that.” I say to him over the table.
“You have no idea, my little girl.” He replies.
“Elliot isn’t a bad guy and I need you to leave him alone.”
I tell him, lowering my tone a little as I feel tears coming to my eyes. I can't stand the thought of anyone touching him, hurting him. God, I really like him enough to stop anyone.
Dad laughs, his head falling back with it. I watch in a little bit of a shocked daze as he stands up and walks over to me on the other side of the table. He grabs my both my wrists painfully, making me look at him. I notice people are staring but he doesn't care as he leans down to whisper in my ear.
"Stay away from Mr. King or I will kill him myself, trust me I would enjoy a chance. Losing one brother wouldn’t be a total loss on my business but it would be a shame. I will be watching, I’m always watching you, my sweet little girl," he warns with a glint in his eyes before letting go. He takes a wad of cash out his wallet and drops it on the table before grabbing my wrists again and pulling me outside. I follow in shock before pulling away outside.
"No, you can't do this, dad," I start backing away.
"Oh, Alexandria, we have a lot to discuss. Your brother won't be taking over my work because he doesn't have what it takes.” He smiles.
“After tonight, I can see you are far more interesting than I thought you were. I have a feeling you would do anything to protect the Kings." He sneers the last part, sounding more like the man I've been told about. A car pulls up behind me and I turn to see Tristan getting out his car.
"Tris," I say with a confused look as he walks up to me. His every step is filled with anger.
"Allie, we are leaving," he says as he puts his arm around my shoulder.
"Don't forget. I will be watching," Is all I hear my dad say as he gets in his car, not once looking at me. I want to text Elliot but what if my dad’s warning is true. Can I risk him? No, I can't because it hurts my chest to even think of him hurt.
"What the hell were you thinking?” Tris says as we watch my dad’s car drive off. We both get into his car without me replying to him, I don’t think I know what to say anyway.
“Blake called to tell me where you had gone, before you ask. Dad is dangerous, Allie, and even more so right now," Tris’s hands tighten on the steering wheel, so much his knuckles go white.
"I wanted him to leave Elliot alone, but I think I made it worse. Dad said he would kill him if I," I crack a little on the end of my sentence and not able to say anything else.
"Al, you know I love you right?” Tris says gently as he starts his car.
“To keep you safe, I would do anything but if you love Elliot you need to do the same." He says plainly.
"What can I do?" I ask.
"Stay away from him," Tris says his voice full of pity, so much that I can't even talk to him. I look out the window as we drive home. I can’t say out loud that Tris Is right, I’m sure he is. I’ve wanted Elliot King since I was young girl. Since I started liking boys. I wanted Elliot, even when he was mean to me when he made my life a living hell at school. I liked the attention he gave me. My heart stings when I look at my phone, knowing that I can't reply to Elliot's text and I can't see him. Tris is right, I'm not sure if I love him but I care enough to stay away. I send a message to Maisy.
Me: I can't help with the wedding anymore. I will send everything I've done to Izzy so she can take over. I am sorry Maisybear x
She doesn't reply for a while. Tris drives me back to our old home. Memories flood me over my dad and mum. They were always arguing, she always was telling him to give up his job. I never understood why she hated his work. I do now.
"Why do we even come back here?" I ask Tris.
"I have an apartment in town. I didn't tell you, because well, I couldn't explain why. Let's get you some stuff and I can take you to mine. I have a spare room and no roommate yet," he says with a tight smile to me.
"How long?" I ask knowing he knows I'm talking about the apartment.
"Since I turned eighteen, I only used this house to bring girls back or when I knew he was in the country. I didn’t want you alone with him," he says with a glance at me before getting out the car. Tris always had to deal with dad ignoring him when we were younger. He always made it clear he didn’t like Tris but I never understood why he stayed when we got older. We both have quite a bit of money in the banks from our grandparents, who passed away not long after I was born. Enough to easily live on without a job and we both got it all when we turned sixteen. I try not to touch mine unless I have to for general things. A lot is in shares and I live off what I get back from those. My university course was paid off by my dad. I think it was a way of making sure I did the course when I didn’t want to. In my life, I tell everyone what I want and I do what
I want but not now. I never knew how controlled I have been until tonight. I know my dad has been controlling me for a while. I’m his silly little girl.
"Tris, this…this isn't fair," I say with a sob when I'm out of the car, I go to stand next to him in front of our old home.
"It has never been, but we have each other. You’re my family Allie, and I won’t let him hurt my sister. I am sorry about Elliot, but there will be other guys," he says as he wraps a massive arm around my shoulder, giving me a side hug before opening the door. I pack the rest of my clothes and things from my old home. I know I won’t be coming back here again. Dad can make me lose the man I want, but he won't have the family he clearly wants.
Chapter Thirteen
Elliot
"Shot, shot, shot," is all I can hear, as we all take another shot at the bar of the strip club. It's Sebastian's stag night and we are all hammered. Surprisingly, Sebastian didn't want to come, in case Maisy didn't like it. We all ended up dragging him here, anyway. Blake wasn't keen either but he told me that Izzy knows. He said she is cool with it as long as he doesn't have a lap dance. Not that I think he is stupid enough to try that with all her brothers. I laugh a little at how much my little sister can get angry, when she is mad and how scared Blake can be of her.
"Dude, that one wants you," Daniel says to my ear. Daniel is one of our friends from school. We like him but he spends too much time drinking, partying and fucking anything that moves. I look over to where he is nodding to. There’s a girl with long brown hair, a tight purple dress, who is dancing with some hot friends. Honestly, it's been a week since I last spoke to Allie. She sent me a text, one text telling me she doesn’t want to see me. I sent her twelve back asking why the fuck not and tried calling her. I told Harley after he saw me throw my phone at a wall when Luke called me, just because of that fucking ringtone that reminds me of her. I have another new phone now and it still pays that ringtone. The staff at Apple said they changed it but it went straight back to that ringtone a few hours later.
Izzy has taken over Allie’s side of the wedding plans and won't tell me why. She just gave me a sympathetic look and helped me sort the rest of the details out.
"Let's go," Daniel says standing and expecting me to follow. I look over at Blake and Sebastian, who are still drinking and laughing at something. Luke is off in one of the back rooms, doing god knows what with a stripper. Harley is at the bar, ignoring us and the women dancing around him. I follow Daniel over to the girls.
"Can we buy you two a drink?" Daniel asks with a smile at them, while the girl with the brown hair just smiles at me as she answers,
"No, we have one but thanks. My name is Cindy and this is Layla," she nods at the blonde, that’s moved closer to Daniel. I doubt they are their real names by the way they are dressed, I wouldn't be surprised if they work here. Cindy moves closer to me and runs her hand up my arm asking,
"What's your name, sexy man?" She winks but it doesn’t work on her, in fact, it just makes her fake lashes look like they are about to fall off. I’m really not drunk enough or in the fucking mood for this. I don’t know why I came over.
"Elliot," I say curtly and she moves closer. I can't get thoughts about an annoying blonde, who never shuts up, out of my head.
"Nice to meet you, Elliot. Want to dance?" She asks fluttering her fake eyelashes at me. I hesitate for a second. I don’t know why I'm thinking about saying yes, dancing with this random girl and then no doubt taking her home tonight. The thought isn’t anything I want; one look at the girl tells me what I need to know.
"No," I reply and walk away.
I leave Daniel with them and join Sebastian and Blake.
"Dude, how did you know?" Blake asks handing Sebastian a twenty.
"I'm smart," Sebastian laughs taking the money.
"What bet did you win?" I ask, knowing my brother and best friend.
"That you wouldn’t talk to that girl for more than five minutes and you wouldn’t dance with her. Blake said ten and he was sure you give her a dance," he says, and Blake shakes his head.
“Fuckers,” I mutter and take a shot off the bar in front of them.
I scowl at them, while both take a shot.
"Allie?" Blake asks with a smirk.
"Shut the fuck up," I say and smirk at them both.
"Bro, talking from two guys who met the right girls. Don't give up," Sebastian says his eyes are hazy and I wonder how much more he going to drink before I'm carrying him out.
"Would any of you boys like a dance?" A busty girl says, pushing her chest out as she leans over the table getting empty drink glasses.
"Nah, you’re wasting your time here but another round of drinks would be good," Blake laughs.
"Man I’m screwed," I say as she walks away. The fact I wasn’t even slightly interested in her, says it all. Allie has me under her fucking spell.
"Yeah you are," Blake agrees while Sebastian types away on his phone.
"Can't stay away?" I ask him.
"Just warning her how I’m going to be inside her soon, making her scream my name," Sebastian says serious and then grins while I snort in laughter with Blake.
"I'm going to chat with Harley. I'm sure Blake needs all the tips you can give him." I laugh when Blake shouts,
"Fuck you,"
“You do realise he would be using those skills on our sister,” Seb says and I choke out,
“Fuck that was a bad idea, forget it, brother.”
I hear Blake's laughter all the way across the bar as I walk to take a seat next to Harley, who is drinking his beer.
"You alright?" I ask because he has been quiet tonight. I mean he isn’t a chatty fucker usually but this is worse than normal.
"My younger brother is getting married before me. It's weird," he looks at me before drinking again.
“It is,” I say,
“You are two minutes older than him,” Harley laughs and I chuckle out,
“Two minutes might as well be two years with me and Seb,” I say and he nods with a chuckle.
"You are coming with me to the fight tomorrow?" I ask, not wanting to bring it up but I know I should. None of us goes to the Cage fights alone. A few times, we get families of the men we fight, trying to get revenge. It doesn’t work, because there is always more than one of us. They would have to have a death wish. Recently Luke slept with someone’s girlfriend; he didn’t know that her boyfriend’s brother had just been knocked out by Seb. The bastard brought eight of his friends and tried to take on me and Elliot. They all paid for that mistake, it’s happened over the years but rumours are a good thing. Most people are too shit scared to try it. Arthur, Allie's dad, helps in a way. People bet a lot of money on us winning and trick new people into losing their money betting on someone else. That offers a certain amount of protection, the gangs that run the cage under Arthur, won’t lose out on their money.
"Yeah. I’m fucking pissed that he is demanding that you fight again. You did the last one.”
“I’m sure he making some money from it,” I say dryly. My ribs are still yellow from the last fight.
“You are sure that Arthur isn't onto you and Allie?" Harley asks.
"Nothing is going on with me and Allie," I say.
Harley raises an eyebrow before coughing, hiding a laugh I expect.
"There was something starting with us. She turned me down and won't speak to me," I say and hating to admit it out loud. Allie didn't even bother replying to me, which isn't like her. I went and watched her teach her dance class on Sunday, she didn’t even look at me and left through another door before I could speak to her.
If only I could forget the thought of her sweet tasting lips, her smooth cream skin and the way she made me want to fuck her all night, every night of the week until she could never forget me.
"Hmm," Harley says before going quiet.
"You’re not going to tell me not to give up like everyone else?" I inquire.
"I think you’re a King and when we f
ind the girl we want, we don't give up." Harley pats me on the back. I grab a drink of the bartender while Harley pushes his black hair into a tighter knot at the back of his head. We are dressed all the same tonight, in shirts Blake made that say ‘Sebastian's stag do’. My top is fucking pink because Blake is an asshole.
"Dude, I love this place," Luke says sitting in the seat next to me, running his hand through his messy brown hair.
"You have red lipstick on your neck," I say with a smirk at my little brother.
"Huh? Thanks that must have been…," Luke stops talking, clearly not remembering her name as he wipes off the lipstick. I shake my head at him; he is getting as bad as Sebastian was.
We order more drinks and I end up carrying a singing Sebastian out of the strip club a little later with the rest of the group following. I manage to get him to the door before he laughs, standing straighter and walking off down the street.
"Sebastian, get your fucking ass back here," Blake shouts my thoughts. We all follow as Sebastian starts running and fuck, I didn't drink enough for this shit.
"Wait, stop," I shout as he goes around a building corner. I move faster and with a smirk as I see Sebastian passed out on a bench on the other side of the road.
"Look, what I found," Luke says showing us a tube of red lipstick and handcuffs.
"Where the hell did you find that?" I ask confused at the sight.
"Oh, the stripper, Crystal or something," he laughs as we walk over to stand over Sebastian who is clearly out of it.
"Right, you get his top off El, and I will draw. Blake, you sort the handcuffs and Daniel takes pictures," Luke says chucking them at Blake who grins.
"He is going to kill us," Harley says as he comes across the road. I watch in amusement as he takes his phone out. I get Seb's shirt off and chuck it on the metal bench, he is completely asleep.
"Get going with the lipstick," I say to Luke who nods.