by G. Bailey
“Izzy, don't worry; unbeatable, remember?” Tris whispers into my ear when I tense up, and I nod but don't take my eyes off the fight as they start to circle each other.
People scream 'King, King, King' as they cheer when Elliot swings his leg out so fast, I didn’t see it happening, and his opponent falls to the ground. Elliot straddles him quickly, using his weight to keep him down, and delivers punch after punch before I turn into Tris’ shoulder, not wanting to see any more.
The dark look on Elliot’s face as he finishes the fight is stuck in my mind, making me wonder why he is so haunted and how the fuck he learnt to fight like that. I rest my head on top of Tris’ shoulder as he hugs me, whispering that everything is okay. He might not be Blake or family, but he reminds me of Allie, and it’s comforting.
I look around the rest of the room as I wipe my tears, taking a much-needed deep breath. The sight of Elliot covered in blood keeps me frozen in fear, and I have to pull my gaze away from him. My jaw nearly drops when I see Blake with Luke and Sebastian. They all stand at the bar drinking beers and watching Elliot. I’m really stupid if I thought for a second Blake didn’t know about all of my brothers’ secrets. I feel a little betrayed, but I know it’s not his secret to share with me. I’m hoping he doesn’t see me as I tug on Tristan’s arm so we can leave.
Tris takes the hint, and we walk out, winding through dancing people as they practically have sex on the dance floor, the excitement from the fight shining in their blood-thirsty eyes. I turn my gaze to the floor as we come near the exit. Tris stops as a pair of shiny, posh shoes appear in front of us, making me slowly raise my eyes.
I look up into the gaze of an older man. He looks to be in his fifties, with short, grey hair, and he's wearing a black suit, which must be an expensive designer. He has a slightly grey beard, but what scares me are his eyes. They are dark, but even in the dim room, this man screams power.
“Tristan, my boy, are you leaving already?” he asks, drawing out the sentence in a strict tone and then turning his attention to me. The man looks me up and down in a way that makes my skin crawl before looking me in the eye as I try hard not to hide behind a very tense Tristan. I only then notice how tight Tris’ grip on my hip is as he stares anywhere but at this man, I look back to the man, who now just smiles.
“Now, who is this?” he asks in what I assume is meant to be a charming way, but it comes across as creepy. My old foster parents had enough creepy old men over that I knew when I needed to lock my door. This is the kind of guy I would sneak out and walk around the park all night to avoid.
“My date, I have things I want to do, and it will take all night.” Tristan winks as he looks down at me, and I blush a little.
Tris pulls me to him, running his fingers through my hair to turn my head, and kisses me, hard and fast before letting go. I feel his hands pull me against his chest, and I know he did that so he could hide my face from the stranger. The kiss was nice, I can admit that, but I feel sick. Blake will hate me for this, and oh god, I can’t lose him.
Tris feels tense as my body is pressed against his, and I’m a little worried why a big guy like Tris is acting scared of this man. My thoughts wander back to Blake and how to explain this to him later. I could tell him the truth, which is that I was so scared and out of my depth that I let Tris kiss me. Why couldn't my brothers just be honest with me?
“Well, what's her name?” the man says, clearly not letting Tris walk me out.
“It doesn't matter, I don’t remember. I’ve got to go as I'm getting bored,” Tristan says in a flippant tone, but his whole body suggests something entirely different.
There’s a silence for a while, and I imagine they are both just staring at each other in a battle of wills.
“Fine, see you around, pretty girl,” the old man says in a short, loud voice, and I shiver from the promise in it. Tris pulls me in front of his body with his arm around my waist, nearly making me trip as he moves us out of The Cage as fast as he can.
As soon as we are outside, Tris asks for my car key and where it is. I’m in shock mode and I let him take me to my car as he pulls me by my hand. I don’t notice how cold I am until Tris puts me into the car, even doing my seat belt up for me, and blasting the heater.
I keep running questions through my head again and again as Tris starts my car. The fighting, the money, and the secrets. Why didn't they tell me?
I guess it's not a great role model job to have, but I would have understood. It would have saved me from doing something stupid, like following them to their workplace to get images I'll never forget stuck in my head. Also, let’s not forget the kiss with another guy. I can’t believe it had to be Tris, of all people. Blake was already jealous when I spoke to him. God, this night couldn't get any worse.
I don’t notice how long we drive until Tris pulls up at my house and calls someone, while I sit in silence ignoring his conversation. Eventually, he finishes his call, and placing his hand on my shoulder to get my attention, he says gently, “My friend is coming to take me to my car. Look, are you okay?”
I nod in answer to him, so he continues.
“Well, I’m sorry about the kiss, but if I hadn't, that could have gone worse. That man is dangerous, I didn't want to bring attention to you. If it helps, you’re a fantastic kisser even in shock.” He grins at me, but I can see he is just trying to make light of the situation.
“It was nice, but I'm with someone. I guess I won't be when I tell them.” I sigh before adding, “Well, I don't know what to say about my brothers, but I’m coping.”
“Blake will punch me, but he won't leave you. He is crazy about you, and it's hardly like you had much choice. You were scared and in a bad place,” he sighs, giving me back my keys. “And, if he is idiot enough not to see that, I wouldn’t mind a repeat of that kiss.” He winks, and I laugh a little.
“How did you know?” I raise an eyebrow, playing with my one key and the beach ball key ring Blake bought for me at the beach when no one was looking. It was so sweet, and I love it.
“I’m observant.” He laughs slightly. “Can you do me a favour since I did you one?” I nod my head at him as I click my seatbelt undone to turn to face Tris in the dark car with just the outdoor lights from my house.
“Give your brothers a chance to explain. I know why your brothers fight, but you need to hear the reason from them. I will tell you that they all fight, and I’ve never seen anyone beat any of them. They’re that good.”
“I will.” I think about his words.
Light fills up the car as another car comes up the road, stopping just behind us with its bright headlights on so I can’t see what car it is.
Tris looks with a backward glance and says, “That’ll be my friend. Your brothers usually stay late for the girls and shit, so don’t wait up. Call me if you need me.” He hands me a card, which I’m sure has his number on it, from his back pocket. It makes me wonder how many girls Tris has given these cards to.
I can't see the driver as we get out of my car, and I lock it as Tris gets into the other car. I don’t recognise the car, but I wave as I look down at the simple, black card with a number written in silver in the middle, while standing under my front door light. I wonder why he would need cards like this, but I don’t think about it much before going into my room and falling straight on the bed.
15
Blake
The lights dim as I stand next to Seb at the bar of the underground cage fighting club. Ironically called The Cage, the screaming starts straight away as the people rush to the outside of the cage, getting as close as they can. I hate being here, but we always go together. It’s bad enough for them to fight, they need our support. I grit my teeth as Elliot walks in. As usual, he looks bored, but I know better, he doesn’t fucking want to do this.
Elliot stops in the centre of the huge fighting cage, a few steps away from his opponent for tonight. I glance at the huge man with a stupid amount of muscles and a shiny, bald head. Elliot is
at least a tiny bit taller than him, that gives him a little advantage, but, fuck, those punches are going to hurt.
"King, King, King," the crowd shouts and screams. The buzz is strong enough that you almost want to join the fight. I hear the name ‘Slash’ screamed by some girls near the front of the cage by the massive man. I grin when Elliot winks at them, and the massive man–who is apparently called Slash–says something to make Elliot laugh. Damn, Elliot is winding this fucker up. I don’t know why the people bother calling Slash’s name, they all know who’s going to win this, and the crowd wants one of the famous King Brothers to win this, too.
I'm not worried because they haven't lost since I’ve known them, yeah they’ve come close and passed out straight after, but their childhood trained them for this. Everything their messed up dad did to them, made them unbreakable. I’m so fucking glad Izzy’s mum was smart enough to keep her away from him.
"I heard you and Ivy broke up," Seb says, but his eyes, like mine, stay on Elliot in the cage as they circle each other.
"Yeah, I should have done it earlier," I say coldly. My grip on my beer tightens as Slash manages several hits to Elliot's face and stomach. Elliot groans, moving away quickly before landing a side kick to Slash’s side, followed by a punch. I fucking know Elliot is holding back now. Elliot likes to play with his opponent far more than any of the others do, even if Elliot could have ended the entire fight with that one punch if he wanted.
Not that it matters if he wanted to, The Cage or the boss wouldn't have it if he won quickly. Which I know for certain Elliot fucking could. He would have to make the fight last at least fifteen minutes, with a damn good ending. The man would be lucky if he could walk when Elliot was done with him. He would be lucky to escape with his life, but everyone knows the rules going into that cage. It’s a knockout to win, and no rules apply. A place like this doesn’t have a team of doctors around either.
"Shame, she was something else. Why did you end it? She was cool about other girls, right?" he grins at me before turning back to the cage.
"I don't want to be that guy, man. I shouldn't have been with her in the first place. I don't care about her," I say quietly to him, and I know I'm crossing dangerous ground here. Seb could guess about me and Izzy, and that can't happen yet.
"Right, don’t tell me you’re turning into a fucking girl, all of sudden, who wants to share his secrets or some shit," he says and takes a drink of his beer. “I wish he could just fucking end this shit,” Seb growls when Elliot takes a few hits to the ribs. The last one looked like enough to break a rib or two.
“Me, too, dude.” I pat his shoulder, knowing there isn’t a damn thing we can do about this shit.
Luke comes up next to me and leans against the bar on the other side, doing the buttons up on his shirt.
"Sorry, I got distracted," he says to me with a grin.
"Let me guess, it was the two girls in those black dresses I saw you with earlier? Are they twins?" I saw him chatting with them when we first arrived.
"Yeah, man. They were fucking amazing. Damn, they were the best lay I’ve had," he says, straightening out his spiked hair, which is messed up, and ordering a beer.
“Fuck, man, you’re starting to be worse than me.” Seb wraps an arm around Luke’s shoulders as he laughs.
I take a long drink of my beer, watching Elliot knock Slash to the ground and sit on him to hold him down while landing hard punches. Elliot is finally finishing this.
"Good for you." I grin with my mind thinking of Izzy suddenly, what will she think of all this when they finally tell her.
"Who you hooking up with? That blonde over there is looking at you." Luke nods to my right, and I don't even bother looking. It's pointless, there is only one blonde on my mind, and she had me from the first fucking kiss.
"Nah, not tonight," I mutter, looking back at the fight as Elliot lands a final punch, and I see Slash’s head bounce off the ground, covered in blood. At least he is still breathing. Elliot stands up, flinching a little in pain while spitting out a mouth full of blood.
The crowd goes wild, screaming, "King, King, King!" A lot of them are shouting Elliot's name as he walks out of the cage and doesn’t look back.
Surprisingly, Elliot's girlfriend, Lily, isn't here as she would usually wait for him after the fight to make sure he is all right. It always surprises me how honest Elliot is with her and that she always comes to his fights.
"Where's Lily?" I ask Luke, well, more shout as the cheers are loud with the music blasting.
"Don't know. She isn't around the house much anymore. Between you and me, I think they’re going to break up," he replies.
Seb, who must have been listening to the conversation, says, "They were having a big, fucking row yesterday. Fuck knows what it was about."
“Now who’s being the girl?” I laugh as Seb punches my shoulder.
"I'm going to check on him," I say, and they both nod at me, knowing if he needs a doctor that I'm the only one who he listens to. Not that it's easy to persuade him. Elliot can be a stubborn bastard at times.
I walk through the packed room, avoiding the half-clothed girls who try to stop me for a dance, and pass the second bar into the 'No Entry' door. The bodyguard, with a nasty-looking snake tattoo on his neck, nods at me before moving out of the way of the training room where I know Elliot will be.
The room is small with weights on the floor and mats around. It's used for fighting practice, or auditions for the fighters the boss wants to see before putting them into the ring. I take a guess that Elliot is in the shower in the back room. So I lean on the wall by the door I came in and wait.
About ten minutes later, Elliot walks out dressed in jeans and a loose-fitting black shirt. I’m glad to see he doesn’t have too much bruising to his face, only a cracked lip. It doesn’t look like it needs stitches.
"Are you all right, man?" I ask as he gets closer.
"Fine, maybe two broken ribs, but I'm going back home and I will sort them. No doctor," he says bluntly. We’ve known each other long enough that I can tell he is mostly telling me the truth. I decide to leave it as I think he will be all right. I'll remember to text Harley to keep an eye on his ribs. The fucker should be seeing a doctor.
"Where's Lily?" I ask, changing the subject. I know the last thing he wants to talk about after a fight is a fight.
"Fuck knows," he mutters, pushing his hair out of his eyes.
"What's going on with you two?" I frown at him when he glares at me a little before relaxing when he sees I’m not just being nosy, and he leans against the wall next to me.
"I think she wants us over. Honestly, I want the same, but she is acting weird. The last few times I’ve gone to her place at night, she’s never there," he grunts, staring at the floor like he wants it to open up and show him where Lily is hiding. Despite being quiet and seeming angry all the time, Elliot does care. I reckon more than most guys. He is just too fucked up from his past to know how to show it.
"You think she is with someone else?" I ask, but I'm angry. She shouldn't be screwing my friend around.
"Yeah, I do," he says angrily and punches the wall before dropping to the floor. I give him a minute while he breathes heavily, putting his head on his knees.
"Sorry, man. I know you love her." I sit next to him.
"Yeah, I think I do, but I'm not sure. Fuck, I’m only seventeen. What the hell do I know about love?" he says to the floor. I can see that, but I'm sure I’m falling for his sister, and I’m only a few months older. I can't tell him that, though. I hope Lily isn't cheating on him. It would be good for them to at least part as friends.
"Right, I'm off to home. Later," he says and struggles to stand, holding his ribs. Elliot waves me off when I offer a hand to help the stubborn bastard up.
"Want a lift? I'm done here," I ask, patting his shoulder. I'm hoping he says ‘yes’ as he isn't in a fit state to drive right now.
"No girl to fuck tonight?" he asks with a small grin.
/>
"Nah," I say, walking to open the door. The heat of the place hits me along with the loud music. It helps me to avoid eye contact with him because the fucker knows me better than anyone and is fucking good at spotting a lie.
"Who is she?" he asks, drawing me back to look at him.
"No one," I say way too quickly, and he smirks at me.
"Sure. Look, I'm glad you met someone who makes you look like that." He gestures to my face.
"Like what?" I ask confused.
"All happy and fucking rainbows and stuff," he laughs and then frowns, holding his ribs. “Fuck, don’t make me laugh.” He elbows me.
"Do I look that lovesick?" I ask, and I know I must. I can't help but think of Izzy and our moments together every five minutes, which makes me smile.
"That look. Lovesick puppy-eyes look." He smirks.
"Let's just go," I say and glare at him. He laughs, the fucker. I hope his damn ribs hurt from being a bastard.
"Let me meet the girl who's got your balls someday soon, man." He chuckles, still holding his side, and it's nice to hear him laugh, just not about this topic.
"Fuck off. You'll meet that girl who blows your mind, and I’ll be right there making jokes, too," I say and smirk at him as I know he will hate it.
"Who says I haven't already met her? We don’t all get happy endings."
I look at him and frown. Lily can't be who he’s talking about, so who is?
We weave through the crowd with a wave to Seb, who is dancing with some girl, and make it to the car park. A shadow of a man is leaning against my car, and I glance at Elliot who nods. I know we have each other's back, and Elliot will ring Harley's phone so he can hear the conversation.
"Boys, it’s nice to see you," the old man says in a quiet drawl.
He straightens up and walks over so I can see him and I realise it’s Arthur. The fucking owner of The Cage, and he is a complete asshole. The asshole has on a, most likely, thousand pound suit with not a hair out of place. It’s grey, going white at the sides, but kept short. His wrinkled face shows his age more than the cold look his dark eyes give.