Dare (Fighting Fate Book 6)

by Maree Green

  Without waiting to hear them go, I grabbed my jacket off the chair and stalked out the back, heading to the man cave—the only place that had any chance of giving me any kind of peace right now.

  Before the door closed behind me, I heard Micah murmur to Mom, and then he was following me out. I wanted to tell him to leave me the fuck alone, but I knew it would be a waste of breath. Unlocking the weight clamps, I added an extra weight to each end of the bar, and dropped down onto the bench. Lying back, I positioned myself underneath it and gripped the bar tight.

  Micah appeared above me, ready to spot me regardless of the shit that just went down. Lifting the bar, I brought it down to my chest and heaved it back up again. Then I repeated it, over and over again. When my set was done, I grunted as I pushed it back up, straining at the extra weight until it was settled back into the rack.

  Taking a few deep breaths, I dropped my arms above my head, trying to think around the burn.

  “You’re right, you know,” Micah said quietly. “If it was Kaeli or Kara, those two would’ve been flipping the fuck out.”

  I narrowed my eyes as I watched him from my upside-down position. Out of the four of my brothers, Micah was the one most like me. We both liked order and structure, and the others liked to wing it with almost everything they did. But it still surprised me that he was being the voice of reason. Micah didn’t usually do heart to heart.

  “Look, man,” he said, dropping down onto the other bench across from me. “You know I don’t have that much experience with the whole relationship thing, but I’ve got eyes, little brother. I know how important it is to stick with your rules and routines and structured days. Trust me. But, from what I can see, when people find someone they like—like you obviously do with Jess—I think it’s kind of like a trust fall. You just need to let it happen and trust that everything will be where it needs to be for life to keep going smoothly. There are only so many things you can control in life, Eli. The rest you need to just let happen.”

  I frowned, watching Micah press his lips together with contemplation, wondering if I was in an alternate dimension or something, because, out of all the attempted slap-in-the-face talks I’d been given, this one made the most sense to me. I didn’t know how that was possible, but it did. Maybe I was just ready to hear it now.

  “Anyway,” he said, standing so he could resume his spot behind me again, “it’s like you said. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. You deserve to have someone like Jess there with you while you finish it.”

  Gripping the bar again, I tried to prepare myself for the lift, but exhaustion was quickly working its way through my body. I was tired. Bone tired. And at this point in time, I had no more fight left in me. The only thing I knew right now was that I needed Jess to be all right. Because if she wasn’t, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

  Chapter 39

  Jess

  Applying the last of my lipstick, I smacked my lips together and stepped back from the mirror. Scrutinizing myself from head to toe, I scrunched my hair a little more and smiled. If this wasn’t someone’s definition of sexy, then I didn’t know what was. Because I thought I looked damn fine.

  Sweeping out of the bathroom, I grabbed my purse and started down the stairs. “I’m ready!”

  Emmy’s voice sang out from the kitchen. “It’s about time! Do you want another vodka before we go?” As I reached the bottom step, I looked up at Emmy and struck a pose. Wiggling her eyebrow, she whistled. “Hot damn, girlfriend.”

  “I know, right?” I said, strutting forward. “And that’s a yes to the vodka. Apparently, Amber and Amy are coming here first.”

  She beamed. “Awesome. We’ll try to get a couple more drinks in before we go, then.”

  Sliding onto the stool at the counter, I took the drink Emmy held out to me and nodded. When Emmy had told me Aiden and the guys were playing a secret concert tonight, I was all for going to watch. So were Amber and Amy. It had been a long time since we’d seen them play—especially at The Underground. That was the only place that was willing to give the guys a chance when they were first starting out.

  Holding up my glass, I winked. “To good music, hot guys, and great sex for those who are lucky enough.”

  She smirked as I took a sip. We both knew she was the only one of us getting sex tonight. It was sad, but it was true. I was so over men at the moment, I wasn’t even going to bother looking for a hookup. Although, if I wanted to be spiteful, it would’ve been a great way to show Eli what he was missing out on.

  As a series of knocks and scratches erupted on the door, followed by the sounds of howling bitches, I laughed. And the trouble had arrived. Getting my catwalk groove on, I sashayed to the door and threw it open with a flourish.

  Amber’s gaze traveled down my low-cut blouse, over my skinny jeans, and ended on my rocking pumps. “Oh, yeah,” she said, grinning. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  Of course, she outdid me in every way when it came to attire. She always did. With her long pink hair set in perfect barrel waves, her flawless pinup girl makeup, and her overflowing bosom, she was definite eye candy. But it was her attitude that was the real attraction. And for guys, it either drew them right in, or they ran for the hills. It was a real make-’em-or-break-’em moment for them when they met Amber.

  Giving her a quick hug, I turned to Amy. “Hey, Mama Bear. Look at you!”

  She beamed as she came to give me a hug. “I’m so excited. I haven’t been out with you girls for so long.”

  “Girlfriend, you haven’t been out with us the way you’re going to be out with us, ever. The last time we were together like this, you weren’t even drinking age.”

  She withered playfully. “Be kind to me.”

  Pulling her inside, I closed the door and looked her over. Like me, she was wearing a gorgeous pair of skinny jeans, but her heels were way more killer than mine. “Damn. Are they Louboutins? They’re amazing.”

  She blushed. “Yeah, Daniel bought them for me when Mae turned one. I told him Mae was the one he was supposed to buy gifts for, but he said I deserved a gift every year for bringing her into the world.”

  I tossed my head back to gaze at the ceiling. “Oh my God, shut up. That’s just too freaking cute. Why can’t I get me one of those?”

  Emmy giggled from the kitchen. “That’s something Aiden would do. Hi, Amy.”

  I mock glared at her. “You shut up too.”

  “Don’t worry, chicky,” Amber said, squeezing me to her side. “Our day will come. Our guys are probably drunk and lost right now. They’ll be here when they’re bald and overweight.”

  I groaned. “I hate you all.”

  As Emmy came around the corner and pressed my glass into my hand, she grinned. “What was the toast again?”

  Giving her a bland look, I quirked an eyebrow. “To any guy who says I deserve the world, then has the balls to give it to me—or at least try. That’s the damned toast, Emmy.”

  “Hear, hear,” Amber said, clanking her bottle against my glass.

  Amy held her bottle in the air. “I’ll drink to that. We all deserve the world.”

  “And a bathroom,” Amber said, tossing her drink back. “I need to pee.”

  Watching her dash through the living room, I shook my head. This was exactly what I needed. I didn’t need to sulk or rage or punch holes in walls. I just needed my bitches. Knowing they understood and were there for me when I needed them, was all it took. Well, that and some serious flirting, because that was a no-brainer where we were heading. I hoped the guys who belonged to my posse of bitches got that, because if they didn’t, shit was about to go down.

  “Daniel’s back,” Amy said, tucking her cell back into her bag. At my confused frown, she smirked. “He’s our chauffeur tonight. And my baby daddy. He’s got the baby seat strapped into the Escalade.” She giggled.

  “The Escalade?” I said, tilting my head to the side incredulously. “As in, Josh’s Escalade?”

 
“Uh-huh,” she said, a broad grin spreading over her lips.

  “Oh my God.” Seriously, the Escalade was a beast. It was freaking bullet proof, heat proof, paparazzi proof, and fan proof. It was damn amazing. “I love that thing.”

  “What are you confessing your love for now?” Amber asked, straightening her pencil skirt as she shuffled back into the room.

  “The Escalade.”

  Tossing her bottle in the trash, she nodded eagerly. “Oh, yeah. I legitimately hate car sex, but I’d so do someone in that thing.”

  Amy rolled her eyes. “I’d laugh if I thought you were joking.”

  Amber shrugged. “Don’t worry. You know the chances of that happening are slim to none tonight. I never get lucky when the bodyguards are around.”

  By bodyguards, she meant the band. They were incredibly protective of us girls, and had been since junior high. It was mostly nice, but it could also be a pain in the ass.

  Tipping my drink back, I deposited the empty glass onto the table and rubbed my lips together. “Let’s go do it, then.”

  Sliding the strap of my purse over my head, I positioned it diagonally across my chest and led the way out the door. As much as this night had kind of been about distracting myself from idiotic men, I really was looking forward to letting my hair down and having some fun with the girls. Like Amy said, it was long overdue.

  As Emmy fell into step beside me, and we started moving down the path toward where Daniel was waiting in the Escalade, we linked arms and grinned. “Is Aiden worried?”

  Emmy’s soft chuckle told me all I needed to know, but she nodded anyway. “I think he’s still trying to get over our antics at Josh’s party.”

  I pressed my lips together, trying to repress my smile. Josh’s party had been over two months ago now, but I was sure Emmy still had alcohol in her blood from the large amount of champagne she drank that night. Shit, we all probably did. It had been a seriously crazy night.

  Stepping around a potted plant, I glanced farther up the path, feeling my smile slowly fall as my gaze settled in on the figure ahead. “Crap,” I muttered.

  Emmy mumbled something similar, but she kept us moving forward just the same.

  Noah exhaled heavily as we approached, his arms crossing over his chest as he slowly shook his head. “You have no sense of self-preservation, do you?” he said dryly.

  Stopping a few feet away from him, I gave him an insolent shrug, but Amber stepped beside me and slung an arm over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, hot cop. We’ve got her back. Besides,” she said, pointing behind him, “we’ve got special ops baby daddy right there and bodyguards at the other end.”

  Noah glanced over his shoulder at the Escalade pulling up to the curb before his eyes narrowed back on me. “Please tell me you’re not going to The Underground.”

  “You bet your ass we are,” Amber said, placing a hand on her jutted hip.

  Noah took a tiny step back, turning his body to the side a fraction as he ran his hand over his hair. “Awesome,” he said, sarcasm rife as he met my gaze again. “Well, have fun, because that’s where my brothers are.”

  My shoulders slumped as his words slowly sank in. Eli was at The freaking Underground. Dropping my head back to stare up at the sky, I groaned. Awesome definitely wasn’t the word I would’ve used.

  Chapter 40

  Eli

  Nursing a rum in my hand, I gazed around at the Friday night crowd with limited interest. Beside me, Isaac looked as though he was doing the same. If I was in a better mood, I might’ve felt a little bad for dragging him here to The Underground with me, but at the moment, I felt as though the world owed me.

  “I thought it would’ve been busier,” Isaac said, disappointment creasing his face.

  I had to agree with him there. I knew the band that was scheduled to play were practically nobodies, but The Underground was known for putting on some good up-and-coming artists. The members of Fighting Fate were testament to that.

  “If the band sucks, at least you have a chance of picking up,” I said, trying to stir him into a better mood.

  He raised one eyebrow at me. “Have you looked at the girls here, dude? I think you’re forgetting that I’m twenty-eight.”

  I glanced around the room again, this time focusing more on the women. He did have a point. All the girls seemed like they were barely twenty-one. But I also knew who I was talking to. Shooting him a withering look, I shook my head. “Coming from the guy who recently hooked up with the twenty-two-year-old.”

  He smirked a little, but his expression quickly turned pensive. “Amber’s different, though. She doesn’t see age like most girls do.”

  I studied him for a little while, trying to work out the odd crease to his brow. “You don’t like her, do you?” I asked, finding myself suddenly surprised. If he did, this was not something I’d been expecting.

  Waving me off, he huffed. “Not like that, Bro. I like her more than I’ve liked any other chick, but I’m not dumb enough to think it’s love. She’s a cool chick. She’s confident in herself and her sexuality. You don’t see that too much in girls her age. But we both know the times we’ve hooked up were just a bit of fun.”

  I nodded. I wasn’t sure why the thought of Isaac being with Amber weirded me out, but it did. Maybe it was because Noah was with Kaeli, and I already had it bad for one of her friends. It would be super fucking strange for Isaac to want to hook up with another one for life as well. It would be way too cozy for comfort.

  “Shit,” Isaac said, glancing toward the doors.

  Following his gaze, I found Noah striding in. As much as I loved all my brothers, after the last few weeks, he wasn’t at the top of my list of people I would’ve liked to see right now. “Great.”

  Watching him pause his steps to look around, I sighed when his gaze found us and he started moving our way. But any thought of irritation flew out the window when I caught sight of Jess walking in not long after that. Isaac cursed, but I didn’t hear exactly what he had to say, because I was too busy frantically searching for a solution to the imminent problem that was bound to come from her presence.

  Noah sighed when he reached us. “I was going to warn you that the girls were coming, but I guess I’m too late.”

  Isaac groaned. “Why the hell are they here? I thought Jess was supposed to be laying low.”

  “Yeah,” Noah said, rolling his eyes. “She doesn’t listen real good.”

  “Amber should know better,” Isaac grunted.

  If I wasn’t so focused on what Jess was doing, I would’ve questioned his belief in Amber’s maturity. She may have been less timid and more eager to try new things than other girls her age, but she loved to live in the moment. Danger didn’t impact her the way it did most girls. She took it more like a challenge. And as much as I respected her for that attitude most of the time, there were times it was just outright stupid.

  “What do you want to do, man?” Isaac said, concern creasing his brow.

  Watching Jess laughing as she and the girls made their way to the bar, I sighed. “I don’t know. Let me just finish this drink and I’ll decide.”

  Forcing myself to focus on the movement on the stage instead of what was happening at the bar, I watched the band members taking their place in the darkened stage area. I wondered why the lights weren’t on yet. It looked as though someone wasn’t doing their job properly.

  The sound of drums clanging as the drummer settled into his seat, and guitars strumming as both players tested their equipment, echoed across the room. I could just make out the silhouette of the lead singer as he moved to the microphone center stage, the lights growing a little, but nowhere near enough for me to even see the dude’s face.

  “Good evening, friends,” the singer said, confidence oozing in his tone. “It’s been a few years since we’ve played here at The Underground, but we wanted to come back to say thank you. You guys took a chance on us when no one else would.”

  I frowned. “Who is this again?
”

  Isaac shrugged. “I don’t know. Some band called The Fighters or something.”

  The drummer smacked his sticks together, counting them in, and then they started. As soon as the intro finished, the lights blared, and chaos hit. Girls screamed and guys hollered, and almost everyone rushed toward the stage.

  Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “Of course. Now it all makes sense.” Turning my attention to Noah, I narrowed my eyes. “How did you not know about this?”

  Irritation spread across his face. “I have no fucking idea. But I haven’t exactly had much time to talk to Kaeli today, so I’m not surprised.”

  Glancing back to the bar, I watched the girls collect their drinks and head toward the stage, giggling and dancing as they went. As much as I tried not to watch Jess, I just couldn’t help myself. Knowing she was free for anyone to have caused an irrational sense of tension to swell inside me. But knowing it was my choice for it to be that way filled me with so many conflicting emotions, I had no chance of working out what the hell was going on.

  But as the girls settled in, and guys from every dark fucking corner of the club started descending on them, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to stand here and watch.

  Turning away from them, I closed my eyes and tried to breathe through the absurdity that was my mind, and form the words I needed. Meeting Noah’s concerned gaze, I clenched my jaw. “I need to go. Before I do something stupid.”

  Relief flashed in his eyes a fraction before he gave me one swift nod. “It’s all good. We’ve got you, Bro.”

  Finishing the last of my drink, I dropped my glass on the table and started for the door, both Noah and Isaac not far behind me. I knew all my brothers disagreed with my choices when it came to Jess, but it was times like these that reminded me of the tight family unit we were. It didn’t matter how stupid any of us were, we were there for each other when it was needed most.

  Weaving through the crowd, I stepped to the exit and sighed. As much as I wanted to be able to keep on going without a backward glance, I couldn’t do it. With my hands on the door, already pushing them open, I turned and glanced back to where the girls had been. The last thing I saw before I stepped through, was Jess’s heated gaze, watching me as I went.