by G. Bailey
“Always,” Elliot tells me, and that’s all I need to hear as I stand up. I’ve spent months working out for this, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I can do this, I’ve done it my whole life, but I’ve never fought more than three men at a time. I remember when I fought three when I turned eighteen, I just barely made it out of that fight, then, but I’m a different man, now. Years of fighting have made me tough, and I’ve never been in shape like I am today. I’ve spent weeks training for this moment, to get to where I need to be.
"I wish you would let me do this," Elliot comments, and I shake my head.
"No, this is my fight. Let me protect you now," I comment, and he pulls me into a hug. Elliot never hugs me, so I pat his back.
"Fucking beat those fuckers, and we can walk out of here. Then, you can get your girl," he says as he lets go, and I nod. Elliot walks out first, and then I follow, after pausing for a moment to collect my thoughts. I have to blank my mind for this fight, focus on nothing other than winning like I do every time. The screaming is blasting my ears from the number of people here, and the heat of the Cage is the hardest thing to block out. There are far more spectators than there usually are for a fight, and Arthur looks happy as he stands outside the door to the cage. I don’t look at him as I size up my opponents in the cage, instead. There are five of them, three of them are massive, just like I expected, and I would reckon they are brothers with their similar looks and evil smirks. The next two are a little confusing to why they are here. One looks like an almost nerdy guy, with a thin frame. I bet he moves fast. The last guy is blond, with a pretty face that is not going to look good with bruises. I don’t take any of their looks for face value, they must have some hidden qualities or tricks to why they are here. Arthur wouldn’t let them in the fight if there wasn’t a reason.
"Fight well," Arthur says when I get to him and stop.
"When I win this, I don’t want to see your fucking face again," I spit out at him, and he snickers.
"I have a gift for you . . . if you win this,” he says, smoothing down his suit.
“Why the fuck would you give me anything, Arthur?” I ask him, wondering what the fuck he is going on about. I don’t need him messing with me just before a fight.
“I stand to make millions if you win. The number of bets against you are through the roof, but then . . .” He leans closer, “They don’t know you like I do. They don’t know you have a pretty baby and girl at home to win for,” he whispers the end part, and I barely catch his words.
“Don’t fucking talk about them, Arthur,” I tell him, stepping closer and resisting the urge to slam him into that cage and beat the shit out of him.
“Don’t let me down, Harley, like every single one of your deadbeat family has. I don’t want anything to do with all of you anymore, and the money from this fight means I won’t have to," Arthur says and steps away.
"What is the gift? Why the fuck would I want anything from you?" I ask him, and he laughs as he walks off into the crowd. Fucking Arthur, messing with my head before a fight. I walk into the cage, shutting the door behind me and hearing the crowd scream my name as I stand in front of the guys, who no doubt are being paid a fortune to win this fight. Or, Arthur has something on them. Either way, I have to look out for my family and myself, now.
"Pretty boy, why are you here?" I ask as the overhead speakers start counting down.
"You’ll see. You can’t always win," he laughs, and they all look at each other. I crack my knuckles as I wait for the countdown to hit one. I think they expected me to run at them, and it seems to confuse them when I don’t move.
"Come on, then," I say as I wave my hand at them, and they look between each other before one of the big guys runs forward, with the pretty guy following. I catch the man in a headlock, surprised how stupid he was to lower his head, and then lift my knee, slamming it into his chest. I spin away from the guy as he falls to his knees, and the blond man comes toward me. I have to give it to him, he is a good fighter, but it only takes me a few moments to punch him in the face as hard as I can, and he is out cold. The blood from his broken nose squirts all over my face.
"Is that the best you have?" I laugh out at them. The two guys grin at me together, this time getting several hits on my body before I manage to spin away from them both. The thin guy takes me by surprise when he slams a punch into my stomach and then jumps over me. The shock of the thin man attacking is all the other two need as they grab both my arms. The thin man walks in front of me and smirks.
“I trained for years to kill you. I doubt you remember my brother, he is in a coma because of you,” the thin man says, all the nervous acting he was doing before is gone. He lifts his hand and punches me, punch after punch until I can’t hold my head up. I don’t remember his brother, I don’t remember any of the men I fight. I had to put every man I fought in the back of my mind and forget it ever happened.
“HARLEY FIGHT FOR ME!” I hear Tilly's voice shout through the haze. I lift my head, my eyes locking on her as she hangs onto the bars of the Cage. What the fuck is she doing here?
“Tilly,” I whisper, and then, the man punches me once more. The thoughts of Tilly run through my head as I roar and push the men holding me away with all my strength. The man in front looks shocked, but he tries to punch me again, which is a big mistake for him as I catch his hand and crush it in my own. I use my other hand to lift the thin man close to my face as he screams for me to let go of his hand.
“I’m sorry about your brother and this,” I tell him, and his eyes widen, just before I let go of his hand and punch him hard in the face. I’m not shocked when he falls to the ground as I let him go and turn to face the two large guys waiting for me.
“I haven’t got all the time in the world . . .” I laugh, waiting for them to run at me as the screaming of the crowd of people gets louder. I wipe the blood off my lip as I smile at them. They look at each other and then somehow seem to decide that running at me together is the best way. It’s a bad move on their part. I grab the one who gets to me first, punching his head and roundhouse kicking him in the side. He falls into the other guy, and they both fall to the ground. I jump on him as he flies over his friend, and I start punching his face. He is out cold in two minutes. The other guy gives me a panicked look when I pull his friend's unconscious body off him.
“Don’t,” the man says holding up his hands as he backs away. The sight of all the unconscious men at my feet has freaked him out, and he isn’t going to try and attack me, now.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” I say and slam my fist into his face, and he stumbles backwards. I grab his head, slamming it into the bars of the cage and kicking his legs as he falls to the ground.
“THE KINGS HAVE WON!” cheers a voice over the speakers, and the crowd screams. My eyes meet Tilly’s, just as Luke gets to her side and gives me a nod. He will keep her safe in here. I walk out of the cage, where Arthur is waiting. He offers me a towel, and I just look at him.
“Don’t you like seeing me covered in blood? It’s how you make your money,” I laugh, and he narrows his eyes at me. I wipe some of the blood off my face and slap his face, leaving blood all over him.
“Take it, and get out,” he says, pulling out a note from his pocket and giving it to me.
“Gladly,” I take the note, walking away from the bastard and towards the changing rooms. When the changing room doors are closed behind me, I rest my head on them. I fucking won.
Chapter 22
Tilly
“Here let me,” I mutter as Harley tries to push the ice away that I’m holding on his lip. He smiles at me before gently kissing me, and I sigh. Ever since he walked out of the Cage with Em at his side, he hasn’t said he is in any pain at all when I know he must be. I waited as he came back and showered the blood off and got dressed. I offered him painkillers, but he refused to have any.
“It doesn’t hurt,” he says, and I give him a disbelieving glare. Harley’s one eye is swollen, nearly s
hut, and there are a range of bruises already showing all over his face. I don’t believe him for a second.
“You know how awesome you are? Allie says ‘awesome’ a lot and–” he sways a little in the seat.
“You fought five guys, today, there’s no way you’re not in pain, and yes, Allie says ‘awesome’ a lot,” I tell him and give him a worried look. What if he has a concussion or something?
“It's the painkillers I crushed into his drink,” Luke says, sitting on the sofa with my baby girl in his arms, and I give him a wide-eyed look, “What? I knew the stubborn fucker wouldn’t have them,” he shrugs.
“Language,” Harley says with a dopey smile as he leans back on the sofa. I watch as he slowly falls asleep, and I move him, so he is lying down on the sofa. I pull one of the blankets over him as Izzy comes into the room.
“It was a good idea, he needs to rest,” I comment, stroking Harley's hair off his face and watching him for a second as Luke doesn’t say a word.
“Any news on Maisy?” I ask.
“Is he alright?” Izzy asks, and I nod. “Oh . . . no news. They are letting the labour go naturally, and she is close, apparently,” she says and goes to sit next to Luke.
“Let me hold baby girl,” Izzy says, and Luke shakes his head.
“Nope, I got her to sleep after she woke up, so I’m holding her,” he says, and I smile at him. “A name yet?” Luke asks, and I shake my head.
“I have some time to decide,” I mutter, and Izzy laughs.
“Come on, you must have some idea for a name,” she tells me.
“Okay, there was this one name- “I get cut off when Izzy’s phone starts buzzing, and she answers the call.
“Oh my god, congratulations Seb, that’s amazing. Yes, I will tell them. Love you bro, and I will be at the hospital in the morning. Jake is fine, I promise. Bye,” Izzy says all this so quickly that neither Luke nor I can say a word until she puts the phone down.
“A girl, she’s perfect, and Maisy is doing well. They decided to call her Isabelle,” Izzy says, and there are grins from all of us as we look at each other.
“It’s Blake, he is at the hospital as he drove Seb and Elliot,” Izzy says when her phone starts buzzing again, and she walks out of the room as she answers him.
“Here, pass her to me. I’m taking her back to bed, and I will check Jake before I go to sleep, myself,” I say to Luke who offers me my baby girl, and I hold her close to my chest. I look down at her, seeing how her curly, red hair is growing already, and loving the little snores she makes as she sleeps. Harley makes a small, groaning noise, and I look over at him. I hate seeing him like this, in so much pain, but I’m happy it’s over. This is the first and only time I will have to see him suffer like this.
“I’m watching him for the night,” Luke tells me, seeing where I’m staring. I look over at the youngest King brother. The tattoos he has lining his arms, the scruffy hair, and slight beard make him look older than all his brothers. I would say he is the playful one out of them all, but there are still those shadows in his eyes. The same shadows they all have, but Harley has them the worst from what I know. His shadows are the most difficult to erase.
“I’m still going to check he is okay in a few hours, you don’t have to stay up all night,” I reply to Luke. I know I won’t be able to sleep well, tonight knowing Harley isn’t completely okay.
“He’s my brother, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him, and that includes watching movies on my phone down here until he wakes up in the morning,” he says.
“He feels the same about you and all your brothers. I know because I’ve always been protective of my brothers, too,” I say and mentally chuckle to myself about all the times I’ve helped them get out of trouble. There’s something about having close siblings, it has a way of making you feel loved and knowing you have someone protecting your back.
“It’s what Kings do, apparently Foxes are just the same,” he says, and I wink at him.
“You have that right.”
“Can I ask you something?” Luke asks, nervously moving on the sofa. I’ve never seen him nervous before.
“Sure,” I say, sitting on the edge of the sofa and moving my baby onto my shoulder. I pat her back gently as she stirs a little. I’m lucky she loves her sleep and is happy whenever someone is holding her.
“Okay, so there’s this girl . . .,” he starts off, “that sounded more rehearsed than I wanted it to.”
“I’m listening,” I say with a little chuckle, and he groans.
“She is complicated as fuck, messes with my head, but I can’t stop thinking about her. We had a one-night stand and afterwards, she just . . . .”
“Just?”
“I don’t know. Let’s just say I know she is hiding something from me, but I don’t know what it is. I can’t figure her out, but no other girl compares to her. Nothing compares to her,” Luke says, and I nod, looking at Harley.
“Then don’t give up, no matter how messed-up things are; how hard they get, you fight. That’s what your brother taught me, and it’s what he would tell you if you asked him. If you can’t stop thinking about her, there’s a reason for that,” I say, knowing that there’s a reason I can’t stop thinking about Harley.
“Thanks. Just, part of me wants to give up on her sometimes, but then even thinking of doing that . . . yeah, I can’t,” Luke says and looks down at his hands.
“Then, she is worth it,” I say gently, and he smiles up at me.
“Thanks, Till’s,” Luke smiles, looking down at his phone as he slips it in his hand.
“No problem, night, Luke,” I reply.
“Night,” he waves a hand and pulls his phone out of his pocket. I gently shut the door behind me as I leave the room and go upstairs. When I get to my room, I put my baby in her cot and kiss her head. I check on Jake before getting into bed, and close my eyes, letting the small sound of my baby’s little snores lure me to sleep.
“Tilly,” I hear whispered gently, and I blink my eyes open to see Harley lying next to me on the bed, our faces inches apart. Harley doesn’t look any better this morning, his eye is still swollen shut, and his face is a muted colour of bruises. His lip has a long cut on the left side, but the swelling has gone down a little.
“Harley?” I ask in a little bit of a daze.
“Shh, baby girl is still sleeping,” Harley says, putting his finger to my lips. I look over my shoulder to see it’s still dark outside, and I can see my baby sleeping in her cot.
“How are you feeling?” I ask Harley quietly, placing my hand on his chest.
“Better, although I’m not accepting drinks from Luke. I should have known he would do that,” he says, and I smile.
“I kind of like that he did, you needed your rest,” I say, and he grins.
“Any news on Maisy and Isabelle?” I ask him, and he pulls his phone out of his jean pocket. I wait as he unlocks it and then shows me photos of Maisy and Sebastian holding a little baby with black hair. I look closer and see she looks just like Maisy and Jake. Jake and Isabelle have the same black hair. Above the photo is a message saying ‘she has my green eyes,’ and I know she is going to be the image of her brother.
“They look so happy,” I say as I hand him his phone back, and he puts it in his jeans.
“They do,” he says. I pause when he leans closer, so our mouths are inches away from each other, and he reaches over, tucking some of my hair behind my ear.
“Tilly, I want a date on Friday. Five days away. I’ve been planning it for a while,” he says, and I love that he has been planning a date for us. For the future we can now have.
“We go on dates already,” I whisper back, and he chuckles.
“Nothing like this one. This one is the start of us, Tilly. You’d best be ready,” he teases me.
“So should you Mr. King,” I whisper back and brush my lips against his, he responds by kissing me again harder, an almost desperate kiss as he rolls himself over me. The sou
nd of the baby crying only moments later makes us break apart.
“Friday, Tilly,” Harley says and gets off me, standing up and walking over to my baby. He picks her up, and she instantly stops crying.
“I can sort her, you only just had that fight, and I know you must be sore,” I comment, but he kisses her forehead and rests her in his arms.
“Let me, please. Everyone in this room is what I survived for,” he tells me, and I nod, emotion filling me, “I’m going to feed her some milk, while you wake up.”
“Trust me, every part of me is awake,” I mutter, and he grins at me before walking out.
Chapter 23
Harley
“What did you say?” I repeat to the doctor, trying to sit up, but Elliot puts a hand on my chest, making me lie back down. The strong smell of medicine and the ticking of the heart monitor are annoying me as I try to process what he is telling me. Every part of my body hurts as I try to sit up, my voice croaky from my dry throat.
“You just woke from a coma, a three-day fucking coma. Please rest,” Elliot begs me, and I look at my fourteen-year-old brother and nod. I dread to know what our father has been putting him through in the last few days, but the bruises on his face tell me enough. I hate being away from them, not there to take the hits and divert my father’s attention.
“You cannot have children, Mr. King. The operation we had to do . . .,” he keeps talking, but I don’t hear anything else he says. I knew it was bad when the man I was fighting pulled that knife out and stabbed me, right under my cock. I knew when I punched him, and he passed out, that my brothers would get me to the hospital, that the damage would be severe. But, I never expected this.
“Mr. King, are you listening to me?” the doctor asks, and I ignore him as the door opens. Luke and Sebastian walk in, bruises on their faces, and I know that I might never be able to have children, but my brothers need my protection now. There are worse things that can happen in life, and I could always adopt a child that has shitty parents like mine one day.