Fight It Out Series Box Set

by T M Kelly

  One of my dad’s men leaped forward and surprised me by wrapping his arm around my neck. He was grabbing me from the front, which meant I had a better advantage. I dropped my head to make it more difficult to choke me and managed to grab his arm to pull it away. It was funny because he seemed surprised by my move. “You’re an idiot for trying to take me down in that position. Didn’t anyone tell you that’s a rookie move?”

  “We’ll see about rookie.” Then he dropped his gun and attempted to push forward. I think he thought he could grab my neck again. The man was obviously a complete moron.

  I punched his jaw, causing him to take a few steps back. He gave me the perfect distance needed to position myself for a high kick. Hitting him above his knee would not take this asshole down. I needed to give this move everything I had in me. Well, not everything. There were several other men that needed to drop to the floor soon. Before the asshole had a chance to register what was happening, I stepped my foot back and spun and threw the perfect high kick against the side of his face. He fell to the floor and was out cold.

  I didn’t have time to take a breath because I noticed Tyler struggling next to me. I wrapped my arms around the guy’s throat and didn’t hesitate. The moment I was in position for the rear-naked choke, Tyler was able to squeeze out of the hold. Within seconds, the asshole dropped to the floor.

  When we all discussed coming to this place, one thing we agreed on was: no one dies.

  Tyler slapped my hand. “I would fight in a ring with you anytime.”

  “Except I’m a girl.”

  “They need to fix those rules.”

  I patted my hand against his cheek and turned to go help Brooks who was currently grappling with asshole number three. As I took one step forward, just past Brooks, I noticed my long-lost sister step around the doorframe.

  Grace had this shit-eating grin. “Hey, sis.”

  Her voice sounded so full of hate. I felt confused by her emotions. When she left all those years ago, she seemed okay. I thought we both got along. “I’m surprised to see you here?”

  “Why? He’s my dad.”

  “You disappeared. No note, no nothing.”

  “Did you miss me?”

  I glanced over to where Jackson was straddling asshole number four and punching him non-stop. “Jackson, he’s out.” My brother lifted his hands up and looked over at me. I repeated my words. “He’s out. You’re good.”

  “What a nice sister you are to your twin.” Grace stepped forward, causing me to go into position. I lifted my hands, prepared to fight. This was not in the plans. I never wanted to hurt my sister, but if I had to, I would. “Glad I prepared for this fight.” She stepped one leg back and lifted her arms with fists clenched. “You ready, Charlotte?”

  Something was wrong. My alarm bells were flashing danger. “What are you not telling me, Grace?” We were in this situation for a reason, but why?

  “Telling you?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.” I noticed how she slowly moved her head in Mason’s direction. “What are we not sharing, big bro?” Mason was pinned down by Brooks and unable to speak. He ground out a laugh, and Brooks pushed his arm harder against his throat.

  My mind replayed the day I left home. “I will make my own millions. I don’t need your help.” My father’s last words shook me. “We’ll see about that.” I hadn’t known what to make of his anger or what he had in store for me. What I did know at that moment: he hated me. Now, as the room was full of fighters pushing to win that imaginary belt, I knew some of my siblings felt the same way.

  Then I remembered that surprise visit a few months ago. Dear old Dad didn’t make sense at the time, but things were starting to click into place. “After raising you and paying for everything. It’s time to pay me back.” If I was his daughter, then of course he pays for everything.

  My sister lunged forward and surprised me by tugging my head back. “You don’t get it do you?” Grace raked her nails along my scalp and tightened her hold on my hair.

  “No, I really don’t.”

  Jackson jumped forward. “Charlie.”

  “The twin here to save the day?” Grace said sarcastically. “Don’t you get tired of rescuing people?”

  Jackson must have had a hold on her; I couldn’t see because of the position of my head. Grace made a sound like the air was knocked out of her lungs. “It’s my job. Oh, and I love my job.” Grace’s voice squeaked, and my head lulled forward, free from her grasp. “That may be hard to comprehend, sis. You know, working for a crook and all.”

  Grace didn’t say anything. When I turned around, it was obvious why. Jackson had performed a perfect knockout on our sister. I placed my hands over his. “Hey, it’s okay. Just let go.” The moment he lifted his hands, her body fell to the floor. “Something’s wrong.”

  “You think,” Jackson said and turned to watch everyone else fighting.

  “No, not that. Jacks, there’s something Dad is not telling us. Something Grace and Mason know.”

  “Like?”

  “I don’t have a damn clue,” I said and grabbed his hand. “Did Dad ever demand money from you?”

  “He did pay me a surprise visit once.”

  “And you’re telling me this now?”

  “He said something about money I owed him. It seemed weird, especially because I don’t have much to give.”

  “And?”

  “Well, somehow he found a way to take a portion of my check every two weeks.”

  I rubbed my hands over my forehead, feeling the effects of a headache surfacing. “Jackson, did you give him consent to remove money from your bank account?”

  “No,” he said and placed his hands into his pants pockets.

  “Um, you do realize what he’s doing is illegal, right?”

  “I don’t know how to stop him, C.”

  “Have you talked to Kennedy and Ethan lately?” They were our other siblings. Ethan had always tried to stay on the good side of his father but secretly hated him. Kennedy just wanted everyone happy; she never fought with anyone.

  “No, it’s been several months.”

  Just as I was about to say something, a body landed against my back and plowed me forward. “Can’t keep me down for long, Charlotte.”

  “Guess we just need to hit a little harder next time.” I bent my body forward and touched my hands to the floor. Grace’s body lifted up and then I fell to the side, causing her body to hit the floor with a loud thud. “Who taught you mixed martial arts?”

  “Does it matter?” I could hear Grace struggle below me.

  “They forgot to share some key moves.”

  “And I bet you’re just dying to show me.”

  Instead of answering, I maneuvered my body so I was facing my sister. Then I managed to lean my body up and straddle her to start laying one punch after another on her face. I didn’t care where I was hitting; all I knew was it felt good to release this anger.

  My hands were lifted up and someone wrapped tightly around me. “Sunshine, you won.” It was Brooks whispering next to my ear.

  “No, Brooks, I think I lost.”

  30

  Julian was leaning against the wall by the front entrance to the bar. His eyes were swollen, and there were several cuts on his face. Lying next to him was the oversized man who tried to intimidate us earlier. The asshole obviously had not learned enough mixed martial arts moves because Julian dominated that fight.

  When the guy dropped to the floor, we all finally had a chance to breathe. There were bodies scattered throughout the large space and none of them moving. “We need to get out of here before the cops come.” I had my arm wrapped around Brooks’s waist. “But—”

  “You want to know why?” I spun around to come face-to-face with my father.

  “Well hello there, Daddy.” I enunciated the word Daddy a little too much. “You sure you feel safe standing there?”

  “Do you really think I would come back here without backup?”

&
nbsp; His words sent alarm bells off, and I quickly glanced around. I didn’t know if I had any more juice in me to fight a few more rounds. Then I thought about the guns and stepped closer to the large front window. My instincts told me one of the rooftops more than likely had a sniper positioned. This was way deeper then we all expected.

  I turned to ask my father a few more questions and lost my voice. It was hard to comprehend the sight before me. My friends and brother were being held at gunpoint with hands covering their mouths. I scanned the row two more times thinking my eyes had deceived me. “Where’s Brooks?”

  “Give me what I want, and I will give you what you want.” My father stepped closer to me. The smell of his aftershave was causing me to gag. “Let’s stop with these silly games, Charlotte.”

  “You started it.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, darling. Your mom started it.”

  “Don’t bring her into this.” My voice had risen a few decibels.

  “Now you care?”

  I loved my mom. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You left.” I heard Grace say from across the room. She was struggling to stand up. “You never looked back.”

  “We talk frequently.”

  “Do you?” Grace said and took a few steps forward. “She mentioned how much she misses you.”

  This conversation was going nowhere. Obviously she kept our talks private because why else would they be saying these weird things? “You know what,” I said and turned my hand in a circle around the room, “you’re stalling for a reason.” I took the few steps that separated Grace and me. “Where the fuck is my boyfriend?” I surprised my sister by grabbing her hair and tugging her body forward.

  “Watch it, Charlie. You may not want to do that.”

  I struggled to hold in a laugh. “And why’s that?”

  He held up a tablet that showed Brooks tied down and his face covered. “You could end all this with just a click of a few numbers.”

  Lily was struggling against the asshole’s hold and somehow won. She pulled down the guy’s hand. “Don’t you dare, C. Brooks can take care of himself.”

  My eyes wandered to Julian and Tyler. I had to know what they thought. Julian was holding the arm of another asshole and surprised us all by flipping the guy over his back. He quickly bent down and pushed his arm over the guy’s throat. Julian never looked over at me, but he did find a way to speak. “Charlie, what did Brooks tell you when you both were together in the United Kingdom?” I stood there confused. What did he tell me? More importantly, how did Julian know all that we discussed? He was struggling to keep his grip on the guy’s throat. “Think about it. You were in this very same situation, and you almost gave up your account number then.”

  I looked over at my dad’s tablet where I could see Brooks struggling to free himself. The memory plowed into my head, and I stumbled back.

  I could hear Grace laughing.

  Dad was standing calmly with a grin plastered on his face.

  What was all this? Why did my family want to inflict harm on me?

  I looked over at my dad. “What’s the deep dark secret?”

  “I have no idea what you mean?” Dad said and placed the device on the table that showed Brooks struggling. “Just give me what I want and this all goes away.”

  “But it’s not yours to take.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Charlotte.”

  Tyler was next to free himself from the grip of his capture. “Brooks teaches you to what, C?”

  I played the question over in my mind and realized what they were both saying. “Never tap out.” I could hear Brooks’s voice when he yelled those two words as I almost entered my bank account number on my father’s computer back in the U.K.

  Dad laughed. “Then Brooks dies. Simple as that.”

  There was a gasp that sounded off beside me. Grace. When I looked over, she had this look of fear etched on every corner of her face. My sister was strong up until the mention of killing someone. Her reaction made me realize she was not here by choice.

  I loosened my grip on my sister and pulled her ear close. “What am I missing? Tell me why. I’ll protect you.”

  “Nobody can, Charlie.”

  “I can.”

  A lone tear slid down her cheek. “I fucked up. I’m so sorry.”

  I felt relief wash over my body. Her words were like a breath of fresh air. “Don’t worry. Let’s fix this together.”

  “I don’t know if we can. I let myself go too deep.” Grace threw her hands over her face and went silent.

  One by one, the men holding my friends and Jackson were being put into submission. We were about to outnumber my father. I glanced at Grace. “Are there more watching us?”

  “Don’t you dare, Grace,” my father ground out, “or you will live to regret your decision.”

  Grace gave the tiniest nod. It was almost hard to recognize the moment she responded, but I knew. “Well, Dad, looks like your perfectly placed world is starting to crumble down around you.” I watched as Tyler ran toward the kitchen, most likely to find his brother. Before I said another word, there was movement on the tablet. Tyler was in full fight mode as he worked to rescue my boyfriend, his brother.

  “Do you really think it is that easy to take me down, Charlotte?”

  “No, but I think we will win the fight.”

  A figure was shoved through the door to the right of me. The person’s frame was small and easily recognizable. “Mom.” Her head was covered, but when she lifted her chin up, I heard a small whimper. “It’s okay, Mom.”

  “Don’t give promises you can’t keep, Charlotte.” Dad lifted his phone to his ear. “You know what to do.”

  Who was he ordering and what was he implying? There was so much happening I struggled with focusing on the correct thing. Then Grace screamed at the top of her lungs. My head whipped around just in time to see a red light pointed directly in the center of my mom’s chest. Grace threw her body forward in the path of the red light. Before I could register what was about to go down, there were two shots that rang off. It was like my body was set on slow motion. I was unable to move. Instead, I had to stand and watch as a bullet entered in the center of my sister’s back causing her to drop to the floor. For a brief moment, I thought she managed to save my mom, but then Mom fell slowly beside my sister.

  “No,” I yelled. “No, no, no.” My body finally moved forward. My body switched to fast-forward when I ran over to my mom and sister and fell down to the floor in between them. “Grace, why did you do that? Oh God, why?”

  “Charlie.” My sister struggled with getting my name out. She surprised me by saying my name and avoiding Charlotte. “I never…wanted…this.” She coughed and reached for my hand. “Dad made me.” I watched as her body jolted forward and then she fell back.

  “Made you what? No. Grace.” I lifted her up into my arms and pulled her close to my chest. As I rocked back and forth, I repeated the words “I forgive you” over and over. My mind was struggling to focus. When I heard a small cough from behind me, I carefully placed Grace back down on the floor and turned. “Mom, I’m so sorry. You have to hold on.”

  “Oh my precious girl,” my mom said and lightly patted my cheek. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  I could see a blood stain on her shirt just below her left breast that was increasing in size. Without thinking, I placed my hands over the wound, hoping to control the bleeding. She was trying to keep her head up to talk to me, but it was obviously a struggle with how her head lolled up and down. “Mom,” I said and carefully pushed her head down. “Rest, the ambulance will be here soon.” That was when I finally took the time to look around. “Where’s the ambulance? Did you call for help?” Right at that moment, I heard sirens off in the distance. Thank goodness, we had help on the way. I pulled the wig off and leaned my body forward to rest my head on Mom’s chest. She slowly ran her hand down the length of my hair over and over. I was holding Grace’
s hand and sobbing into my mom’s chest. “I don’t understand. Why did Dad do this?”

  My mom stopped stroking my hair. “Because he could never forgive me.”

  31

  “Charlie, baby,” Brooks whispered beside my ear. “Let’s get your mom to the hospital.”

  “But what about Grace?” I said and struggled to stand.

  “Let’s all go to the hospital. Okay, sunshine?”

  I was unable to focus. There were sounds around me, but everything felt muffled. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that my father ordered to have my mother killed. How did he sleep at night? His one demand caused my sister to get caught in the cross-fire.

  Warm arms wrapped around my waist, and a familiar voice whispered in my ear. It was Jackson. “Come on C, Mom needs us.”

  “Jacks, I don’t understand.”

  “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

  I knew he couldn’t guarantee we would ever find out the answers. “Dad. Where is he?”

  Lily stepped directly in front of me. “He got away.”

  “I’m sorry, did I hear you right? Dad escaped?”

  “We’ll find him,” Lily said and placed her palm over my cheek. “Julian and Tyler are looking for him now.”

  I fumbled for my phone and noticed it was not in my back pocket. “We need to call him. Bring him back here.” Brooks wrapped his arm around my waist. “No, you don’t understand. Call them.” I was pleading and no one was listening. “Give me a fucking phone. I can at least save Julian and Tyler from getting killed.”

  “Charlie, they’re okay,” Lily said and stepped back.

  “You don’t know that,” I yelled a little too loudly.

  Brooks handed his phone to me. “She’s right, C.” I looked down at his phone where both Tyler and Julian were standing together in a shared video call. “They’re helping the police find him.” He tugged me toward the door. “Let’s get you to the hospital. Your mom wants you to ride with her in the ambulance.”

  Somehow my voice just disappeared. All I did was nod. When I left the house years ago, it was because of my father and his demands. I loved my family. Mom and I talked, sometimes twice a week, on the phone. Before everything happened in the U.K., Mom seemed normal. She never once mentioned any issues with Dad.