by G. Bailey
“I’m guessing the good looks are a help,” Glen says, and Elliot chuckles. “Gotta be going, man, see you around, yeah?” Glen asks.
“Yeah, man,” Elliot says. Glen winks at me before he goes, making me laugh.
Elliot’s phone starts ringing with that milkshake song, causing a few people to look in our direction as he answers it.
“Hey, what’s up?” he answers loudly over the music. “Yeah, I'll be there,” he says. I give him a questioning look as he puts the phone down.
“We’ve got to get back. That was Harley. Someone has broken into my club and smashed the place up,” Elliot says with a look; a look that makes me feel sorry for whoever it is.
“Do you have cameras?” I ask. As we walk out, Elliot holds me close to his side.
“They aren’t on yet. I have insurance, but this will put the opening back more,” he replies once we get outside. The cold air hits my legs in the short dress, making me shiver.
“I really wanted to take you home, tonight,” Elliot whispers to me when we get to his car. I kiss him gently and move away.
“We haven’t had three dates yet; it’s a rule of mine,” I say, not really serious because if Elliot took me home to his, there is no way I could tell him no.
“Three dates, then. This is number one.”
“Okay,” I say.
He leans in to whisper, “Doesn’t mean I can’t tease the fuck out of you until you beg me to take you to bed. And, trust me, you will beg, angel.”
Elliot opens the car door for me as he moves away, and I exhale a deep breath. Elliot King is good, but I won’t be the one begging. The car ride home is filled with so much sexual tension that I don’t even look Elliot’s way. Bringing up the three date rule isn’t a good idea right now.
63
Elliot
"Little man, I have no idea what I'm doing here," I say, holding back the urge to swear.
I glance down at my nephew as I try, and fail, at unbuttoning some kind of baby grow he is wearing after he spit out his milk from his bottle all over it a minute ago. So far, babysitting has been going well. Sebastian and Maisy left for their night out, and I'm staying over so they can stay out as long as they want. I settled in, watching some baby-channel shit Maisy said he loves, and he’s been fine, but Jake then looked at me with a grin before throwing up on me. I have literally been with the kid half an hour and he has managed to find a way to be sick on me.
I fumble with the buttons and finally get it off. I pick him up and look around his wardrobe until I find what looks like a baby grow and put it on him. Thank god it’s eight and his bed time now. I just wish I didn’t smell like sick. Jake grins up at me while he chews his fist; I swear the little man is laughing at me. The nursery is all blue with white clouds and is filled with toys.
I sit in the rocking chair in the nursery, rocking Jake in my arms. I have to admit, it is sweet to see him snuggle up to my chest and watch as he gently falls asleep. I'm not sure if singing ‘Rocking All over the World’ is an okay baby song, but it's all I know. I don’t think I want my own children. I never really thought about it. I could imagine having a child with Allie, but I want to see the world first. We never went on holidays when we were younger, and with everything that’s happening now, I can’t just leave. When we can finally walk away from The Cage, I want to take Allie everywhere with me, if she wants to come.
Jake snores lightly as he sleeps with his messy, black hair flowing all over his head. He looks so much like Sebastian in his face and green eyes. Maisy has said before that he has her dad’s hair; Maisy’s isn’t as curly as Jake’s. Maisy sent everyone a video of him trying to crawl today. I don’t know if it is impressive for his age, but I still think he is cool. I've been lucky that Jake has just watched TV with me tonight and not played up. Just last week, Seb sent me a picture of Jake in the kitchen, with his face and body covered in flour. Seb said he only went to the loo and came back to find him like that.
The funny thing is, the door must have been left open because the house is filled with baby locks. It’s scary to think that he could have opened it himself. The kid is smart.
I place Jake into his crib and grab the baby monitor, turning it on as I go downstairs for some food. Half way down, I remember the sick on my shirt and run back upstairs to borrow a shirt off Seb.
I open the fridge eventually. I don’t know how anyone can open these stupid baby locks; it takes me a few minutes to even open the toilet in this place. I can't help but laugh as there's a big chocolate cake in the middle with a note on it saying, ‘Sebastian's cake! Don't fucking touch it! I don’t care that you’re my twin!’
I know for certain that's not Sebastian's cake, and its Maisy’s, which Allie made her earlier this week. They both have been having a hard time with Jake teething, and Allie fixes things with cake. That’s my girl.
I cut myself a slice before putting the rest back and calling an order for a pizza. Being the dick that I am, I take a picture of my cake slice and send it to Sebastian with a wink face.
I laugh to myself before running my finger over Allie’s face on my phone, debating if I should call her or text her. It doesn't fucking matter because I can't keep my thoughts off of her. The need to fuck her and claim her as mine is driving me mad. Taking her to that dance was a bad idea. I seriously underestimated how sexy she is when she dances. Her little body pressed against mine was torture; I was hard as a rock all night.
Screw it, I'm being the needy one and a fucking girl, but it doesn’t stop me from sending her a text.
Me: Hey, I have to admit something... I'm eating your cake now and it almost tastes as nice as your mouth x
I send it then grimace to myself, thinking I should have said something romantic and all lovey-dovey, but fuck, I'm not like that, and I don't even know how to be. My phone beeps and I open it quicker than I ever have.
Allie: Cheeky ;) I will admit something too. I want to see you again and have that second date. X
My heart beats faster as I reply.
Me: I want to see you more. I’m taking you out tomorrow, be ready at eight. X
I send the text, knowing that I will take her to this little Mexican place I found when I went a town over for a business meeting with a supplier. It's really nice with lanterns and all low lights. We went with Izzy once. I shake my thoughts, wishing Allie was here tonight to help with babysitting. My pizza arrives an hour later, but still no reply from Allie. I want to text her again, but I know I can't push her to want me.
64
Allie
"I can do this," I mumble to myself, looking in my full-length mirror. I'm wearing a simple, black dress that falls to my knees with a sweetheart neckline. My hair is up in a tight bun, and I'm wearing a little makeup, as my dad doesn't like it when I wear too much. My phone buzzes with a reply from Elliot, I smile when I see he has asked me out, but I decide it's best to reply later, after dealing with my dad.
"Yes, you can, bestie," Izzy comments next to me, putting her hand on my shoulder. The doorbell goes, and I smile at Izzy.
"I will see you later."
"Be careful," she whispers, giving me a hug.
I walk out, waving at Blake in the kitchen, and answer the door to my dad. I can't help but try to see something different as I look at him. He always wears grey suits with black ties. Everything looks neat and like he just walked out of a store. His dark-brown hair is going grey at the roots, but it kind of suits him. There isn’t anything odd about him, nothing that would make me think he is a bad person. The kind of person who kills people, owns an illegal fighting club, and is, in general, a bad guy.
"Hello, my Alexandria," my dad says with a loving smile. I smile back, like I always do, but for the first time, it feels forced.
"Hey, Dad, let's go," I say, having to keep up a fake smile and shutting the door behind me. Dad doesn't say anything as I get into his car, and we drive to the same restaurant in town that we always go to.
"How's univers
ity going for you?" he asks as we drive.
"All good. I'm enjoying my business course," I say, but I don’t mean it. I don’t know why I let my dad talk me into that course. The only thing I’ve ever loved doing was dancing, but he convinced me it wasn’t a good choice for a future job. I glance at my dad’s face as he drives. He looks so much like the nice, kind dad I’ve always known, it's confusing.
"I'm very proud of you, Alexandria," he says, smiling at me. I can’t reply when my throat feels tight. I have to remember what he is doing to Elliot and his brothers. What he has always done.
We don’t talk as he parks outside the posh restaurant. It is a white building, and you have to go up a lift to the top floor. The top floor has all glass windows instead of walls, and the chef is cooking in a large, open kitchen in the middle of the room. We are seated at a glass table by one of the windows; the view is really nice, looking over the town. You can see all the lights and distant mountains of the Lake District in the background. As usual, my dad orders for me, but I don't mind as its chicken pasta and a nice, white wine.
"So, tell me, what have you been up to?" Dad asks, sipping his brandy from a tumbler.
I’ve always wondered why he only stays at home a few nights a week when he comes back home from working away. I now know he must have been staying at a hotel or somewhere to keep up with his work at The Cage. All the lies are adding up, and I wonder why he bothered keeping up with it all. I decide to mention Elliot straight away because I hate lying. I know part of me wants him to admit it to me, but I know he won’t. I know he has been lying to me for years, but even looking at him now, I only see the dad I’ve known. Not the monster I’ve been told he is.
"Dad, I've been getting close to Elliot King. Do you remember him from school?" I ask, taking note of how tense Dad gets. He puts his drink down before weaving his fingers together in front of him.
"Ah, yes, Mr. King. I do remember. I don't like this new person in your life. Does your brother know about this?" he asks. I don’t like his tone. A tone I’ve never heard him use with me. It is dark and spoken like a true threat.
"No, not until recently, but I like him. I like him a lot. He is a good man and–" I say, and my dad slams his hand on the glass table, making me jump.
"You won't see him anymore, Alexandria," Dad says each word slowly, his eyes drilling into mine. I move back in my seat a little as I see his cold face. I try to hold in the gasp by covering my mouth with my one hand. It’s true; I can see it, what everyone is telling me about my dad. It’s all true.
"Dad, no offence, but I don’t think I will listen to you,” I reply, lowering my hand and setting a glare on my father. He seems a little surprised. “You know what else is going to happen? He won't be fighting for you anymore, not if you want to see me. I know everything that has been going on. How could you?" I say, taking a huge risk.
My dad sighs loudly before righting his tie. He smirks at me in a cold manner that I don't like. It’s like this is all a game to him. I have a feeling he plays games like this all the time, and he likes it.
"My silly, little girl. At least you know the truth about my business. It’s been annoying seeing you so naive.” He shakes his head with a small, creepy laugh. “Unfortunately for you, I will just have him killed if you disobey me," he says, deadly serious as he watches me.
"You won't kill him, that's crazy," I harshly whisper to him, shaking my head.
"You have no idea how much I hate the King family. Do you know what their father did?” Dad leans back in his chair, taking a sip of his drink before he continues talking to me. “I will do worse than just kill him. I can make him suffer, he’ll wish he never even heard your name,” he says. The sick part is that he says it normally. Like we could be talking about what to get from the shop for dinner.
“Elliot looks the most like his father, did you know that? His deadbeat father only did one thing right, and that was teaching those boys how to fight. That’s the only reason I didn’t kill them; it’s more fun to own them. To make them fight for me, kill for me. They all have done things in my cage that would break most boys.” He chuckles, like it’s a good memory, while I feel sick.
“The King boys have been a nuisance recently, first with that Izzy. Their father was smart to hide her from me. I remember her mother, a really pretty woman but stupid. She never understood who she was fucking. Now the King boys’ mother, Linda, was a smart woman but didn’t want children. I have no idea how he convinced her to have four!” He laughs.
“You could have killed Izzy, are you mad?” I ask, and he continues with only a slight pause at my question.
“The boys showed me another side to them with that Izzy nonsense. They are smarter than I gave them credit for, but I won’t make that mistake again. All that bother with my niece was just for fun, but they even managed to get out of that." He clucks his tongue, while I clench my fists.
"Niece?” I ask.
“Oh, right. I had a sister. She was a little crazy, eventually killed herself after having a child. Your cousin went to school with you. I didn’t know about her until she found me. Her name was Elena Michaels, or something like that,” he says, and I have a flashback of seeing him with her. Elena was crazy about Sebastian and ended up in a mental hospital a few months ago when she attacked Maisy. I didn’t think I could be more shocked, but I am.
“Do you know how fucking crazy you sound?" I shout, and a few heads turn my way as I stand up.
“Sit down, you’re making a scene. I am not crazy. You should learn to respect your father. I brought you up better than this,” he says in a clipped tone.
“Leave me and Elliot the fuck alone, Dad. I can’t believe what you have done. You’re a good actor, I'll give you that,” I say to him over the table.
“You have no idea, my little girl,” he replies.
“Elliot isn’t a bad guy, and I need you to leave him alone,” I tell him, lowering my tone a little as I feel tears coming to my eyes. I can't stand the thought of anyone touching him, hurting him. God, I really like him enough to stop anyone.
Dad laughs, his head falling back with it. I watch in a little bit of a shocked daze as he stands up and walks over to me on the other side of the table. He grabs both of my wrists painfully, making me look at him. I notice people are staring, but he doesn't care as he leans down to whisper into my ear.
"Stay away from Mr. King, or I will kill him myself. Trust me, I would enjoy the chance. Losing one brother wouldn’t be a total loss on my business, but it would be a shame. I will be watching, I’m always watching you, my sweet, little girl," he warns with a glint in his eyes before letting go. He takes a wad of cash out his wallet and drops it onto the table before grabbing my wrists again and pulling me outside. I follow in shock before pulling away outside.
"No, you can't do this, Dad." I start backing away.
"Oh, Alexandria, we have a lot to discuss. Your brother won't be taking over my work because he doesn't have what it takes.” He smiles. “After tonight, I can see you are far more interesting than I thought you were. I have a feeling you would do anything to protect the Kings." He sneers the last part, sounding more like the man I've been told about. A car pulls up behind me, and I turn to see Tristan getting out of his car.
"Tris," I say with a confused look as he walks up to me. His every step is filled with anger.
"Allie, we are leaving," he says as he puts his arm around my shoulder.
"Don't forget. I will be watching," is all I hear my dad say as he gets into his car, not once looking at me.
I want to text Elliot, but what if my dad’s warning is true. Can I risk him? No, I can't, because it hurts my chest to even think of him hurt.
"What the hell were you thinking?” Tris says as we watch our dad’s car drive off. We both get into his car, without me replying to him. I don’t think I know what to say anyway.
“Blake called to tell me where you had gone, before you ask. Dad is dangerous, Allie, and even more so right now
." Tris’ hands tighten on the steering wheel, so much so that his knuckles turn white.
"I wanted him to leave Elliot alone, but I think I made it worse. Dad said he would kill him if I–" I crack a little on the end of my sentence and am not able to say anything else.
"Al, you know I love you, right?” Tris says gently as he starts his car. “To keep you safe, I would do anything, but if you love Elliot, you need to do the same," he says plainly.
"What can I do?" I ask.
"Stay away from him," Tris says, his voice full of pity, so much so that I can't even talk to him.
I look out the window as we drive home. I can’t say out loud that Tris Is right, even when I’m sure he is. I’ve wanted Elliot King since I was a young girl. Since I started liking boys. I wanted Elliot even when he was mean to me when he made my life a living hell at school. I liked the attention he gave me. My heart stings when I look at my phone, knowing I can't reply to Elliot's text and I can't see him. Tris is right, I'm not sure if I love him, but I care enough to stay away. I send a message to Maisy.
Me: I can't help with the wedding anymore. I will send everything I've done to Izzy so she can take over. I am sorry Maisybear x
She doesn't reply for a while. Tris drives me back to our old home. Memories of my dad and mum flood me. They were always arguing, she was always telling him to give up his job. I never understood why she hated his work. I do now.
"Why do we even come back here?" I ask Tris.
"I have an apartment in town. I didn't tell you because, well, I couldn't explain why. Let's get you some stuff, and I can take you to mine. I have a spare room and no roommate yet," he says with a tight smile to me.
"How long?" I ask, knowing he knows I'm talking about the apartment.
"Since I turned eighteen, I only used this house to bring girls back to or when I knew he was in the country. I didn’t want you alone with him," he says with a glance at me before getting out of the car.