by Chloe Walsh
Noah shrugged nonchalantly. "Pretty much."
"You're crazy," I mused as I studied the side of his face.
"And you're a huge fucking thorn in my side," he shot back, not taking his eyes off the road. "Because of your little tantrum with the paint I'm still without a ride."
Holding the wheel with one hand, Noah used his free on to pull a box of cigarettes and a lighter out of his pocket. "If I don't have a ride then I can't work," he continued as he sparked up and took a deep drag from his cigarette before exhaling slowly. "And If I can't work I can't keep the wolves from the door." He looked over at me, his brown eyes dark and meaningful. "Now can I?"
"You broke my windshield first…" I tried to argue, but Noah cut me off.
"What's worse, Thorn?" he asked in an eerily calm tone of voice. "Me accidently cracking the windshield of your mediocre Honda Civic, or you purposefully destroying the paintwork – and windshield – of my Lexus I.S 200?"
I opened my mouth to defend my car, but he had a point. Dammit. "Your sister started it…"
"I'm not Ellie," he all but roared before adding in a husky voice. "I'm worse."
"I'm beginning to gather that," I whispered before swallowing deeply. "If you need to use my car to get to work that's fine, but drop me home first. Please."
"No can do," Noah replied calmly. "I'm already running late. You chose to get in the car with me." He shrugged. "You're gonna have to suffer the consequences."
"What do you do?" I asked nervously. It didn't take a genius to know it wasn't good. We were in the middle of nowhere and he'd stolen my car. Oh sweet merciful Lord…
Noah gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, a vein in his neck throbbed, and when he spoke the fury in his voice was obvious. "I do what I'm told when I'm told, no questions asked." Turning his face to look at me, he stared straight into my eyes and for the second time he said, "Let's hope you can swim, Thorn."
We didn't speak again for the remainder of the drive.
I chose to keep my mouth shut and stop asking questions.
I had a feeling the less I knew the safer I would be.
But the minute Noah took a left and headed down a familiar dirt-road, my heart sank into my stomach. I suddenly knew exactly where we were going and that knowledge made me want to cry.
****
Noah
She was going to cry.
She was going to cry and I was going to kick myself in the balls for being the cause of those tears and for putting her in danger. Because she was in danger. And I was in danger of losing my goddamn mind if those hazel eyes welled up any more.
The image of Teagan sitting beside me in her drenched pajamas with her tiny sock covered feet planted firmly on the dashboard was almost too much. She sniffled and I thought I might lose it.
I dared a peek at her and could have fucking groaned when I saw how unbelievably vulnerable she looked. She hugged her knees as she stared straight ahead, her hazel eyes wide and fearful. Her blonde hair was soaking wet and draped around her shoulders like a golden curtain. When she started to shiver I felt like someone had physically sucker punched me in the gut.
I’d fucked up.
How had I ever thought it would be easy to borrow her car?
Nothing was easy when it came to her.
Jesus Christ…
****
Teagan
I was back at the Ring of Fire.
The huge walls of the quarry loomed above us as Noah drove further inside. It seemed different to the last time – quieter. There were maybe fifty or so people scattered around one lone bonfire.
Killing the engine of my car, Noah unbuckled his belt and sat quietly for a moment before turning to face me. "Don't talk to anyone out there," he said in a serious tone. "Keep your head down and do not leave my side, do you understand?"
"Noah, I'm sorry for wrecking your car, and for kicking you in the balls," I blurted out as I clutched the seat nervously and eyed a huge, beefy man in a wife-beater walking towards our car. My god, it was the month of December. Did he not feel the cold? "And for biting you and ruining your fight, but can we just…can you please take me home?" I could feel my body trembling. "Please don't make me get out of this car."
The brown in Noah's eyes noticeably softened. "Teagan," he said gently. "It's alright…"
"Seriously," I rambled on nervously, digging my nails into the fabric of my seat. "We need to get out of here, Noah. This place is…" I looked around and exhaled a sharp breath. "Treacherous."
Memories of being stamped on flooded me and I grimaced. "We shouldn’t be here, Noah."
"Messina."
The sound of Noah's name being called came moments before my car door was opened and I was staring into the face of a dark bearded man with arms the size of tree-trunks.
"You brought me a present, Messina?" he asked as his eyes dropped to my bare legs. "Fresh." He smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow-stained teeth. "And ripe."
"You couldn't handle her, Gonzalez," Noah replied, his tone a lazy drawl as he unbuckled my belt and dragged me onto his lap.
I went willingly, anything to get away from the creepy bearded guy with the greasy black hair and paunchy beer gut. "W-what are you doing…?"
Noah's hands were surprisingly gentle as he clenched my hips and touched his mouth to my throat. "Play along," he whispered, low enough so that I was the only one who could hear him. His lips touched the skin covering my pulse. "And I'll keep you safe."
I nodded, terrified, and clumsily wrapped my arms around Noah's neck.
Pulling back, Noah looked at me almost apologetically. "Don’t bite this time," he warned me in a gruff tone before covering my mouth with his
What the…
And then he was kissing me.
His lips were surprisingly tender against mine, guiding me deeper, taking me further…
The wolf whistles and suggestive comments coming from the men outside the car was drowned out by the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears, and when Noah slipped his tongue into my mouth and massaged my tongue with his, I forgot all about playing along. I crushed my body to his, pressing myself hard against the rising bulge beneath me.
His hands were clamped on my hips possessively as he thrust upwards and I pushed downwards. My body was aching, throbbing for something more, and I had no clue of what was happening.
The taste of him was heady, the feel of him was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. Noah was everywhere, dominating me, giving, tormenting, tasting, and taking. I completely submitted to his touch, my body trusting his completely.
As fast as it had started it ended and Noah pulled back, lips swollen and wet.
"She's mine," he said in a deathly calm tone as he dragged my hips forward. "And I don’t share."
The man who Noah had called Gonzalez held his hands up in retreat. "No problem, kid," he chuckled before hacking up a phlegm-ball and spitting it on the gravel. "Bitch is yours."
Everything happened so quickly after that that I kind of lost myself in the mayhem.
Noah and I got out of the car, he kissed me hard on the lips before taking my hand and half-dragging me off in the direction of the bonfire.
I went with him, because, well let's face it, it was either stick with him or take my chances with the fifty other horned up dudes around me and right about now I was all about sticking with the devil I knew.
I stood like the good little doormat I was supposed to be as Noah spoke to a few men around the bonfire. I kept my head down, I didn't speak to a soul and I never once let Noah out of my sight. I had no idea of what was happening – the atmosphere was incredibly frigid – or what Noah was doing with those shady looking men, but for the first time in my life I truly felt pathetic.
Here I was, scantily clad in pajamas and slipper-socks, staying like a dog for a boy whose sister had purposefully made my life a misery since the summer. And to top it all off I was soaked to the skin– courtesy of Mother Nature who had decided to turn in
to a moody rainy bitch.
When Noah reappeared at my side he gently took my elbow and led me back to the car. "I have something I need to wrap up," he said in a low voice. "Stay here and wait for me."
He opened the car door and waited for me to obediently climb in.
I didn't.
I'd reclaimed my lady balls and wasn't taking his shit.
"What the hell are you involved in?" I demanded. My mind was throwing all kinds of crazy theories about. "What's an eighteen-year-old guy doing hanging around with these kinds of people?"
"Get in the car and wait for me," Noah ordered fiercely. "And keep your goddamn voice down."
"No," I hissed as I held my palm out. It was pouring rain, but I refused to get in that car.
"Either get in with me and take me home right now, or give me my keys and I'll drive myself."
"Teagan," Noah warned. "I'm not asking you."
"I'm not sitting around here, Noah," I spat, glaring up at him. "I'm not staying here a second longer, so you if you're not gonna take me home then give me my goddamn car keys."
"Jesus fucking Christ, Teagan." Noah cursed and kicked the wheel of my car. "You're a fucking thorn in my side."
"That's ironic," I spat, shoving him hard in the chest. "Because you're the biggest prick I've ever met."
"Get. In. The. Car," he seethed, pressing his forehead to mine.
"Go. To. Hell," I shot back, staring up at him defiantly. "I'm out of here."
I really had no idea where I was going when I turned on my heels and marched off in the direction we'd come, but I knew it couldn't be as bad as where I'd been.
"I won't tell you again, Thorn," I heard Noah call after me.
"Fuck you." I flipped him the bird as I stalked down the dirt road. My emotions were everywhere. Why was I behaving like this?
Because of him, that's why. Ugh, because he made my blood boil.
"Argh," I roared and felt a little better.
A pair of strong arms clamped around me and lifted me off my feet. "I'll take you home soon, Teagan, I promise," he whispered in my ear. "But if either of us leave now they're gonna smell a rat."
I stiffened and Noah sighed heavily against my neck. "Just…listen to me," he muttered before turning our bodies around and walking back towards the bonfire.
"What are you doing with these people?" I asked him and my voice sounded young – young and terrified.
"I told you," he said in a gruff tone. "I do what I'm told."
"And tonight?" I asked him. "What have you been told to do tonight?"
"Tonight I fight." Noah looked me directly in the eyes when he spoke. "I didn't want you to have to watch – which was why I told you to wait in the car."
"Why?" I tried to shake off his hold. "I've seen you fight here before. Why is this different?"
"It just is," Noah snapped. "There's a lot at stake."
"So that's what this place is?" I asked him as I looked around nervously. "A fighting ring?"
Noah nodded stiffly, not meeting my eyes. "Amongst other things."
"And that building back there?" I pointed in the direction we'd come. The huge warehouse a half a mile back the dirt yard with trucks and bikes scattered around it hadn’t escaped my attention either. "Is that…" I paused and pinched the bridge of my nose, desperately trying to keep my nerve. "Is that a part of this?"
"Yes."
"You shouldn't have brought me here, Noah," I croaked out.
"You brought yourself here," he snarled, chest heaving. "I thought I could f…I didn't think…fuck."
"Messina," a man shouted. "You're up."
"It's gonna be okay," Noah whispered in my ear before he pressed a kiss to my cheek. "I promise."
I grabbed his wrist when he moved to walk away from me and held on. "Noah." I begged him with my eyes. "Don’t." God only knows why I was panicking like this, but I couldn’t help it. "Please."
He looked torn.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but dragged his hand through his hair and cursed instead. Finally Noah shook his head and pulled free from my grasp. "I have to," was all he said before walking away.
I stood, with my heart in my mouth, watching as Noah tugged off his t-shirt and dropped it on the hood of a car before balling his hands into fists and settling into his fighting stance.
The man – if he was even human – Noah was fighting was twice his width and a good two inches taller than him which made this man-beast at least 6'5". The crowd of people erupted into madness the second Noah punched the man-beast in the ribs and suddenly I couldn’t look at this anymore.
This was it – his job.
Noah hurt people for money.
This was sick.
This was so wrong.
Turning around, I waded through the mass, not stopping until I reached the car and collapsed into the passenger seat. I wasn't stupid, I knew what kind of trouble came with guys like him. It was in that moment I realized just how stupid men were. Testosterone filled idiots, fuelled by sex booze and the thrill of the chase.
I was out.
I'd rather enroll myself into a convent than have any part of this farce. I should have guessed he was into all things bad the second I set eyes on him. For god's sake, the very first time we met he'd just thrown a man through my windshield. And Friday night, when he pulled me out from under the crowd…god, he was vicious that night. He was eighteen and drove a top of the range Lexus. Who the hell owned a Lexus in high school?
Someone involved in illegal fighting drives a Lexus in high school…
Ugh. Screw this. Once Noah dropped me home I would keep my distance from him...
"Pretty little thing, aint you," a voice said from close by and my whole body stiffened. I couldn't move – I could barely breathe.
Getting a hold of myself I grabbed the door and tried to swing it shut, but a beefy hand stopped it halfway and pulled the door outwards. I let go from the sheer force of his strength and then I saw who owned the arm and my heart sank.
"I've seen you here before." Yellow Teeth grinned down at me. "Yeah, you're the bitch who's got JD's boy's head all fucked up." He tapped his finger against his temple. "That makes me curious."
Grabbing my arm he pulled me out of the car and slammed me against the car. "He aint brought no other bitch here before," he growled in my ear as he clutched my throat with his hand.
"I'm not his bitch, asshole," I hissed. Fear spiraled inside of me as I desperately looked around for anyone who could help me, but came up empty.
Yellow Teeth smirked cruelly and tightened his hold on my throat. "What makes you so special, blondie?"
"Get your hands off me," I spat as I tried to shove him away from me. "Or they'll have to surgically remove my shoe from your ass."
Yellow Teeth laughed loudly, peering down at me with dark eyes and a sickeningly crooked grin. "Maybe he likes 'em feisty."
I opened my mouth to answer him, but Yellow Teeth squeezed hard, cutting me off. "You a good fuck, huh?" He clutched my throat tighter. "Is your cunt as tight as your asshole?"
"Don't touch me," I choked out. A whimpering noise ripped from my throat when he pushed his hand inside my shorts and cupped me roughly.
Tears pooled in my eyes and he laughed cruelly. "That's it," he sneered, stroking me vulgarly.
I clamped my thighs together but the bastard shoved his knee between my legs and forced them open. "Messina's got himself some tight virgin pussy…"
"You need a hearing test, asshole?" I heard Noah snarl and I'd never felt so relieved to hear anyone's voice in my life. "I already told you she's mine."
Yellow Teeth stepped away from me and I sagged against the car in relief.
"I was only playing around, Messina," he chuckled but it was a nervous sound. "No harm done."
Noah walked right up to him, not stopping until his forehead connected with Yellow Teeth's nose.
Blood sprayed everywhere and I thought I would vomit.
"Touch her agai
n and I'll break more than your nose," Noah roared, chest heaving. "Comprende, asshole?"
Swinging around to where I was leaning against the car Noah walked right up to me. The gentleness in his touch as he cupped my face, his thumbs stroking my cheekbones as he checked me over was in direct conflict to his actions less than a minute before.
I didn’t think twice about clutching his shirt and pulling him closer to me. I breathed in slow and deep, finding sanctuary in his mere presence.
Then Noah did something I wasn’t expecting.
He cupped my face in his hands, let out a shivering sigh, and kissed my forehead.
It was such a tender, affectionate thing to do that it baffled my brain and accelerated my heart-rate.
I was petrified while Noah looked wholly enraged. He had my front pressed to his chest, his hand was stroking my lower back as he glowered over my head at Gonzalez and his cronies.
"Mine," he said coldly, swinging around to stare at the half-dozen or so men who were now surrounding us, flanking Yellow Teeth.
Thankfully nobody seemed to want to fight him and they gradually nodded and backed away from us.
Opening the car door, Noah helped me inside before walking around to the driver's side and climbing in.
Neither of us spoke as Noah drove out of the quarry and back onto the dirt-road. I didn’t know what to say. To be honest, I was kind of flummoxed.
Noah looked mutinous as he fiddled with the car radio, flicking through songs before finally settling on Bruce Springsteen's I'm on Fire.
"…I got a bad desire…Oh I'm on fire…"
"…Only you can cool my desire…Oh I'm fire…"
"So this is what you do," I choked out when I was finally able to speak again. "You fight for money. You're a fighter."
"I told you," he replied in a cold tone. "I do what I'm told – and I told you to stay."
I chose to ignore that sexist remark and asked, "Was that man your boss?"
Noah glanced at me. "Who, Gonzalez?"
I nodded.
"No," he replied quietly. "He's just the asshole who was in charge of the fight tonight."