by G. Bailey
“Watch yourself around that Tristan, sis, and where are you going?” Sebastian says, getting up to get my toast out for me.
“Wow, it's like an interrogation in here; and just to the beach as it's a nice day.” I roll my eyes at them all as they stare me down.
“Cool, well, I have no plans, so I'm coming. Blake, want to come to the beach?” Sebastian asks, looking at Blake, who nods.
“Luke?” he asks, and Luke shakes his head, not taking his eyes off his phone.
“I know you won’t come, as Allie is there,” Sebastian states to Elliot, who just glares at him, not replying.
“Hold on, what's up with Allie?” I ask, but no one even glances my way as Sebastian pushes my plate of, now buttered, toast in front of me. “Oh and, no, you’re not coming,” I say loudly, eating the toast. Harley walks past me and pats me on the shoulder in what I’m guessing is sympathy.
They ignore me completely and start talking about taking Harley's SUV. They agree to pick Blake up in half an hour so he can get changed before heading to Allie’s. Blake winks at me before leaving.
Sebastian just ruffles my hair saying, “It’s the first time at the beach with my sister, you better tell your friends.” Not waiting for my pissed off reply, Sebastian runs up the stairs.
“Well, sis, I have some stuff to be doing with Elliot at the gym, so we will see you later. Have fun!” Luke says happily before they both walk off with a wave from Elliot.
I feel like banging my head against the counter in annoyance at my interfering brothers, but I have a feeling that would hurt so I text Allie instead.
Me: Sorry in advance, but Seb and Blake are coming with us to the beach. Hope you still love me. X
Allie texts back right away.
Allie: No problem, hot guys, beach and lack of clothing. I'm good ;) see you in a bit x
I laugh and agree; Blake in just swim shorts, yum. I know there’s no way Sebastian would let him go if he knew of my plans to watch Blake the entire time, hiding my drool of course.
A lot of arguments later, we get to the beach. I take a deep breath, smelling the fresh, open air while enjoying the breath-taking view. We all set up our towels quickly. I'm wearing a white bikini that's very sexy. I can't help but giggle as I remember Blake’s shocked face as he saw me wearing it, or Sebastian’s when he hit Blake on the head and told him to stop looking at me. Tristan smartly just glanced and looked away, but I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t swoon a little when Blake took off his shirt. Tris was just as stunning when he took his off, too, but I didn’t stare too long at him. He has nothing on Blake anyway, not in my eyes.
I lean over to see Blake lying next to me and Allie on the other side, Sebastian and Tris are swimming. The water is way too cold for me, but the weather is great for lying in the sun, playing with the warm sand in my hands.
“So, Blake, how did you meet my brothers?” I ask and lean back on my arms.
“Our mums were friends before their mother left, and then we grew up together. We have known each other since we were babies, but mainly, we knew each other from school. They kind of adopted me.” He winks.
“Cool, do you live with your mum and dad now?” I ask, as I don't really know much about him, and I want to know—I need to know—everything.
“My dad passed away when I was three, a car accident. So it's just me and my mum.”
He lowers his voice, so only I can hear, and whispers, “Come to my house this weekend. You can meet her.”
“I'm sorry about your dad,” I say, nodding to him as an answer to his question. "Does she work?” I ask, wondering if she looks like Blake or did he get his good looks from his dad.
"She’s a nurse, and my mum loves her job. She works a lot of hours, has since my dad passed. I think she needs to keep busy with work for a distraction, but she says looking after me is her full-time job," he says with a grin.
"Yeah, I bet that’s hard work, looking after you. I’m sure going to work is her break," I joke, and he laughs with me.
“Maybe it is. I'm going for a swim, you coming?” He stands up and stretches. I can’t help but admire how his body is, the tight muscles on his back and his striking tattoos. He has a cross on the middle of his left leg and has the words ‘life forevermore’ written down it. I want to ask about that, but it’s not the right time. My eyes drift to the dip above his shorts, where a little hair shows, and then up to his flat stomach. Blake looks back at me and smirks as he knows what I'm thinking about, but when his eyes darken, I’m sure he is thinking of somewhere we could sneak off to.
I clear my throat and squeak out, “Erm, no.” I’m sure my face is all sorts of red now. Hell, I’d be surprised if my entire body isn’t blushing.
He laughs and runs off toward the sea, with my eyes following him.
“Girl, you have it bad, but it looks like he is just as bad off as you.” Allie laughs.
I roll onto my side to see her. “Maybe, maybe not.” I wink, and we giggle. I watch the boys throwing water at each other from the corner of my eye.
“Sebastian said something about Elliot and you today, do you know him?” I ask as I watch Blake push Sebastian into the water while Tristan laughs.
“What did he say?” she narrows her eyes, looking angry. I almost regret asking.
I'm curious, so I say, “Just that Elliot wouldn't want to come today because you’re here.”
“Makes sense, we have hated each other since first school, the little shit stole my pens all the time.” She seems lost in a bad thought.
I laugh. “You hate each over some pens? Or is there more?” I raise my eyebrows as Allie rolls her eyes at me.
“There is a lot more. He lived to hassle me throughout school and scared half the boys in the class by saying bad things about me. I had to date outside the school because of him.”
“That doesn't sound like Elliot, he's so, well, quiet. The most I’ve seen him talk is to Blake,” I say and lie back down on my stomach, still looking over at her. I’m a little surprised to see a shadow of pain cross her face before she seems to mentally shake it off.
“Trust me, he isn't quiet around me, and he drives me mad. So now we avoid each other as much as possible.” She clears her throat and looks away from me. I wonder what exactly happened between them.
“Isn't it hard? I mean, being friends with his girlfriend and now friends with me?” I worry a little, not wanting to lose this friendship any time soon.
“Well, not really. Lily doesn't ever talk about him, it's weird. I wouldn't think they were dating unless I'd seen it. She is always staying over at my house. The spare room might as well be hers. I don’t get it as she could stay with Elliot.”
She laughs and then continues, “As for you, my lucky BFF, I don't care who you’re related to. You’re awesome on your own. Who else will I talk to about my sex life, or lack of?” she says.
I giggle. “I'm glad; you remind me of my friend, Tilly. She decided I was her friend from the moment we met in high school on the first day. You would love her, too, and her three brothers.”
“She sounds cool, where does she live now? And yes, yes I would.” She winks.
“In France, but we email, and she says her family is moving back in a year. Her parents were like parents to me after my mum died, but they couldn’t adopt me. She hopes they will move near me.”
I scream as cold, wet hands pick me up and throw me over a shoulder I recognise as Blake’s. He runs, holding me, into the water while I struggle to get away.
“Don't you fucking dare put me in that water, Blake! Blake! No, no, no!” I half-shout and laugh. I can hear the dickhead laughing away at me.
I scream as the cold water hits me and climb down Blake, so I'm straddling his hips.
For a moment, we both just look at each other before he lets go and laughs. I swim back up near him and jump up, splashing him with water. Sebastian helps by getting him with the water from behind as we all laugh.
We spend the whole day swimming, eati
ng, and laughing. And it’s perfect.
14
Izzy
I smile at myself in the mirror, remembering the fun we had at the beach today; even if I couldn’t kiss the man I can’t stop thinking about because my family was there. I sigh as I change into black-leather leggings and a black, tube-top with a strapless bra built-in. I bounce down the stairs in a happy, contented mood for dinner, smiling at the feel of my long hair flowing around my shoulders. I find all the boys in the lounge whispering, which stops when I walk in. I raise my eyebrows at their strange behaviour, but, hey, I’m seriously not letting anything get to me today.
I look around at their faces, which are varied between worry and stress, before smiling. “I was going to cook meatballs, and I wondered if anyone wanted any?” It's one of the few things I know how to cook, and it’s easy.
“No, we are all going out and will be back late. Make sure you lock the doors,” Harley says in a bored tone before coming over and patting my shoulder.
“Where are you all going? Maybe I can come?” I ask as they walk out of the living room with me following them.
“No, not today, it's work,” Luke says over his shoulder, sliding on a blue jacket.
“Seriously, you need to shut up,” Sebastian whispers harshly to Luke and hits him on the back of the head.
“All right, have a good night. I’ll cook and leave it in the fridge for you later,” I say in my fake bored tone, trying to match Harley’s. Everyone leaves but Elliot, who stares at me for a second before grabbing his keys and coat then leaving, too.
I go to the kitchen and the minute I hear the garage door is being opened, I leave. I grab my car keys and phone, sneaking out the door. After shutting the door quietly and locking it, I remember I parked my car in front of the house. I stick to the shadows as I unlock my car, and I’m so thankful I parked it outside the house and not in the garage yesterday. I’m lucky they are taking the SUV because it’s easier to follow, and I watch as they leave. I don’t put my car lights on, and I keep them off as I leave the driveway, slowing down enough to switch my lights on and still see them when I’m far enough away from them.
I follow them down the roads. Thankfully, a car overtakes me at one point, hiding me further. It’s around half an hour before they turn onto an empty road filled with more of those huge trees, and I can’t make out much more. I wait five minutes before going down the road.
I'm wondering what work they could be doing in the middle of nowhere. I reason with myself that I need to know who I’m living with. Yes, they seem like good guys, and we are related, but who knows? I’m suddenly aware that it seems bad, like horror movie bad. Who has work in the middle of nowhere and a very expensive lifestyle?
I’m starting to wonder if Harley even has a gym like he told me he has, it’s not like I’ve actually gone to see it.
I finally get to the end of the road, and there are lots of cars parked in a scary-looking car lot. There are several street lights in the middle of the car park and a massive warehouse at the back. It looks old and abandoned, but the cars around here look expensive, like mine. There are only a few lights coming from the entrance of the warehouse, but I see shadows of people walking that way.
I park my car. I can't see the boys’ car around as I walk up to the warehouse. I’m glad I grabbed my leather jacket out of the back seat before I got out of the car because it’s colder out tonight. There is only the sound of my boots on the gravel as I walk up to the warehouse with my arms crossed for comfort. As I get closer, I see a big door with two men standing, one on each side. They are both wearing all black and look like they are high on steroids with their bulging muscles. The one on the left has shaved, brown hair and is looking at me like I’m his next meal. I start to walk away, but then I think of all the secrets, and this is my one chance.
I walk up to him, thinking how stupid this is of me, but before I can say anything, a massive arm goes around my waist and pulls me to the side of a chest covered in leather. I’m frightened before I look up in confusion at Tristan’s face, and he grins at me. Tris’ black hair is gelled to the side, and he is wearing black trousers, a black shirt, and has a leather jacket on. It’s weird, I’ve never seen him in anything less than casual, and it makes him look older than usual.
“There you are, baby, I thought you'd wait,” he says before sliding a hand behind my neck into my hair, moving my face to the side so it’s hidden. He starts gently kissing my neck and whispering into my ear, so only I can hear.
“You shouldn't be here, but pretend to be with me. I will keep you safe, for Allie’s sake.” I worry a little as he pulls away, but I hide it quickly and put on a blank face. My thoughts going straight to Blake and how he won’t like this at all, but what choice do I have?
“Sorry, baby,” I say loudly in a girly voice and try to keep my sarcasm down.
Tris nods at the man who is still looking like he is undressing me, but he nods back in respect to Tris. Tris glares at the man when he looks back at me and, surprisingly, a little fear shows in the man’s eyes. We walk past him through the big door and down some stairs. At the bottom, there is another massive door. Tris opens it, and noise rings out as we step inside. The heat surrounds me as the door slams shut behind us, but I can just about hear it over the noise of the music and people.
I'm in shock I didn’t hear the place from outside. It's a massive room full of people, and most of them are hardly wearing any clothes. It’s a night club, but then I see a massive cage in the middle, so I’m not sure what to call it. It's clearly a fighting cage with a cushioned floor in the middle, and it has a curved top joining the walls of the cage together. It’s slightly down in the ground from where we are on the dance floors–so people can look down, I’m guessing. It’s empty at the moment, so I look away, seeing that there are three all-glass bars on each wall filled with people sitting at them.
There are so many people dancing to the loud music on the dance floors in front of them, I can’t see much else as the lights are focused on the dance floors and bars. I can just about see in front of me as we walk through the sweaty people. The room is dark, so I can’t make out many of the people in here. But they look around my age, and there are too many people around to see much else. The smell of body sweat and alcohol is overwhelming as Tris pulls me through a crowded dance floor.
Tris keeps an arm around my waist as he guides me to the back, behind the cage and through one of the doors. It opens to a long corridor with curtains pulled across bays. I can hear the moans of random people as we walk until we find an empty one. I try not to think about what people are doing behind them as Tris pulls me in then shuts the curtain. I sit on the sofa in the small room and put my hands on my face.
“What the fuck are you doing here? Do you know how dangerous this place is?” Tris demands angrily as he starts pacing in front of me.
“Sorry. I just followed my brothers, I had no idea what they were doing. They keep lying to me, and I needed to know. Damn, I'm sorry. Thanks for, well, you know,” I say way too quickly and look up at his worried face as he rubs his hands over his cheeks.
He groans. “They didn't tell you what they do, did they?”
“No, and I'm too curious for my own good by the looks of it.” I stand suddenly, not wanting to be on that sofa because god knows what’s been done on it.
“Like a damn cat,” he mutters quietly.
“How is this place possible? Don’t the police stop it?” I ask as Tris leans against the wall. The place can’t be legal, but there is no way the police wouldn’t have found out about it by now.
“Money, and lots of it. Most of the local police are in one of these rooms, while their wives are at home,” Tris says, looking away. I try not to think about the implications of what he is suggesting, but it’s hard not to.
A loud, beeping-horn starts off in the background, and I can hear people walking down the corridor with loud cheers. I hear the name ‘King’ repeated a lot, and the thought of wh
y they could be calling my last name makes me worry.
“The fight is starting. Elliot is fighting tonight,” Tris says, confirming my fears and pulling back the curtain to look out before closing it as he turns to me.
“Your brothers are unbeatable and earn a hell of a lot of money doing this. Want to see?” he asks gently.
I must look a mess as I take in what he just said. I want to deny it, but I believe him. It makes a hell of a lot of sense. The noise of the cheering is crazy now, and my brothers’ name is echoed in the noise.
“Let’s go,” I say confidently.
“Fine, but you have to act like you’re mine; you don't want to walk around here without me. Allie will kill me if anything happens to you.” He slips his jacket off, chucking it onto the sofa, and rolls his sleeves up as he talks. I glance at his arms, showing his tattoos, which stop at both of his wrists. I look up at the ceiling wondering how on earth I’m going to tell Blake about this before looking at Tris, who’s waiting for me.
“All right, but make sure my brothers don't see me, please? They would go postal.” Tris flinches a little at the mention of how much my brothers would hate to see me here and would likely punch Tris first and ask questions later.
“Yeah, let's go, and then I'm taking you home,” he says, sighing a little in annoyance.
Tris puts his hand around my waist again as we walk out, and the first thing I notice is that nearly everyone has stopped dancing. My gaze finds everyone around the cage with their hands holding the big bars. Most are girls at the front, wearing next to nothing and bouncing up and down, screaming. The rest of the people are captivated, watching the inside of the cage as the loud music beats around the dark room. The main lights light up the cage, and the small lights of the bars are all you can see.
My heart stops as I see Elliot fighting with a man who is as huge as he is. Elliot is only wearing shorts, showing me his back and the huge angel wings tattoo covering it. I want to cry when Elliot gets punched in the face before the huge man punches his ribs, making him gasp.