“Sebastian!” I growled, swirling around on him.
Araya put her hand on my arm.
“It’s okay, Ryland,” she said, smiling at Sebastian. “He’s got a point, but unfortunately, I’m not very good at cards.”
“Just my luck.” Sebastian looked at me. “Better hurry. That chick doesn’t seem like the kind that likes to wait around for anyone. Even someone as pretty as you.”
“He’s right,” Araya said. “About Nina, I mean.”
“No, Red, I’m right about it all,” he said in a way that made me glare at him.
I pointed at Sebastian and snapped. “Don’t do that!”
“Do what?”
I didn’t bother to answer as we walked out of the kitchen. I watched Araya most of the way as we neared the foyer. The backs of my fingers brushed against hers as we walked. Startled, she looked down at our hands and then up at me. I stared back until we cleared the entryway and with my hand on her back, we walked into the room.
Her aunt scrutinized us closely as we walked into the room. After a few seconds, her lips twisted into a tight smile. Seeing her now, she no longer seemed nice enough.
***
“What are you doing, little brother?”
Sebastian called to me as I walked past the kitchen to my room. I stopped and ran a hand down my face.
“Not you too.” I leaned into the doorframe and glared at him. “Why does everyone think I’m going to ruin her?”
Sebastian lifted his eyebrows and took a bite of whatever was in his bowl.
“All I wanted to know is what you’re doing right now.”
I wanted to call bullshit, but Sebastian wasn’t the type to get into my business. His attention span didn’t last longer than his next drinking binge or fight.
“Oh.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I have to run an errand and then I’m probably going to stay in and go to bed early.”
He frowned. “I was wondering how bad you had it.”
“Had what?”
“Had it for this girl.”
“I don’t have anything.”
“Prove it. Truth or dare?”
I rolled my eyes. “That only works on the girls you’re trying to sleep with.”
He laughed. “Every time. It’s not any worse than your, I dare you,” he said dramatically, and we both laughed this time.
In high school, Sebastian and I thought we were pretty slick to come up with the clever pick-up lines that coincided with our last name. It worked liked a charm. Then and now.
“Old habits die hard, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Anyway…” he said, un-straddling the chair and going to the sink to rinse his bowl. “Come watch me fight tonight. You haven’t been to one in a while.”
And for good reason. I couldn’t watch Sebastian get beat on night after night. He’d taken up fighting when he turned sixteen. He was good. Really good, actually, but then he started drinking and gambling and he became sloppy.
It got rough and he pushed Careless and me away as he spiraled into a dark abyss. I didn’t like seeing the person I’d looked up to for most of my life fade away.
“Maybe next time.”
I ignored the flash of emotion in his eyes.
“Suit yourself. Enjoy your night of lusting away.”
I rolled my eyes and wished him luck. My errand took me an hour and then I was home. Back in my room, I went straight to my laptop and turned it on. Sitting down, I pulled up the web and typed in Darcey Bussel and searched everything I could about her before I pulled up another page and typed in a different name.
My phone went off some time later and I jumped. I’d fallen asleep on my laptop. I stretched my cramped neck, rubbing it with my hand, and grimaced.
Picking up my phone, I frowned at the unrecognized number but pushed the answer button anyway.
“Hello?” I pulled the phone back as the caller screamed into the phone over the music blaring in the background.
I partially paid attention to what he was saying as I cleared my search screen of the random letters I’d typed in during my nap.
And then he had my attention.
“Is he okay? How bad is he?” I asked, getting up from my chair and grabbing my jacket. “No, I’m on my way.” I slipped my arms inside my jacket and grabbed my keys from the desk, hitting the end button.
When I arrived at The Underground, the place was still littered with the regular adrenaline junkies. This place was a poorly done attempt at a rip-off of Fight Club, filled with a bunch of guys always trying to prove something to someone.
Smoke, blood, and sweat assaulted my nose the second I stepped into the rusty old shed. The smell was overpowering and I felt suffocated by the muggy aroma.
I shifted through the bodies of busted-up guys until I found the small office in the back. I slipped inside and immediately saw Sebastian sleeping it off on the couch.
Dropping down next to him, I took in his busted face. His right eye was swollen shut; his bottom lip was split open and twice the size of the top. There was a horizontal gash across his cheek and it was crusted over with dried blood. He was definitely going to need stitches.
His arm was around his ribs and I was afraid to think about the injuries I couldn’t see. We’d be making a trip to the hospital tonight.
“I told him not to fight. He could barely stand on his own two feet. He was so wasted,” Stitch said, coming into the room from the back.
He ran The Underground, and he was probably the closest thing to a friend Sebastian had besides me. He got his name from having more stitches than any of the other strays -what they called random fighters- that fought in this place.
“Was he on anything?”
Drugs weren’t normally Sebastian’s thing, but he was drowning.
“Not that I know of, but Craze was selling earlier tonight.”
I tossed that idea quickly. Sebastian hated Craze.
“Craze is here?”
He nodded and pointed toward Sebastian. “Who do you think did that?”
“What? Craze did this?”
“Yep. That douche was on some super speed tonight and it didn’t help that Sebastian was drunk off his ass. It wasn’t a fair fight and Craze took advantage of that.”
“Has he woken up since he got knocked out?”
“Once. Mumbling some shit about being a disappointment. I don’t know. His lip was pretty busted up and he was slurring.”
“Sebastian, wake up.” I nudged him lightly, still not sure if anything was broken. “Let’s go. I’m going to take you home.”
Sebastian grumbled and rolled over, groaning in pain. I grabbed his arm and pulled him up. He protested at first but allowed me to drape his arm over my shoulders.
“Thanks for the call, man,” I said to Stitch.
“Of course. Craze is a dick.”
I lifted Sebastian off the couch and he leaned his weight into me.
“Yeah he is. Thanks again.”
Before I could pull Sebastian through the door, some stray nearly fell through. Dried blood stained his dirty shirt and splattered his neck and face. Sweat drenched his hair and pooled at the ends, falling onto his forehead.
“Stitch, boys in blue alerted, they’re sending out a few squads now. You have about twenty minutes,” he slurred and turned out before anyone could respond.
“Fuck!” Stitch cursed and flew around the room in a blaze of organized panic.
He picked up a couple of bags of weed off his desk and shoved them into his pocket. Grabbing a fistful of papers, he threw them into the trash before picking up the bottle of vodka on the desk and bringing it to his lips. Throwing his head back, he swallowed hard and fast. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and then poured the rest into the trash, tossing the empty bottle in too. He lit a match that he took from his pocket and flicked it into the can and it was immediately engulfed in flames.
He looked up at me. “You better get him out of here before shit goes down.”
&
nbsp; I nodded and dragged Sebastian with me through the doors. No one else seemed to be in a state of alarm as they crowded the pathways, waiting for the next fight. We’d almost reached the door before someone whistled behind us and a chorus of chuckles followed.
“Aw, did little brother have to come save the day?” Craze mocked behind us.
Craze’s little sidekicks snickered with laughter. I wanted to keep going, but Sebastian stopped us.
“Let it go, Sebastian,” I warned.
“Do you know who you’re talking to?”
“Yes, damn it.”
“Then turn around, little brother.”
I sighed and turned us around. Craze stood in the front with a flock of minions in a V behind him. He was a short, thin guy. His dark greasy hair was slicked back and sweat moistened his skin. His tank top was dirt-stained, almost brown. His pants were ripped and just as dirty. He spit dark slimy gunk and you could see the spots where he was missing teeth.
“You win one fight and you think you got the right to run your mouth?”
“One fight? I believe I’ve won two now. I’ve had the immense pleasure of kicking both of the famous Dare brothers’ asses.”
“That’s a pretty fancy word there, Craze,” Sebastian drawled. “You sure you’re using it right?”
There was a quick moment of doubt on Craze’s face before it was gone.
“Why don’t you get wasted some more and then come back and let me kick your ass again.”
“Because that’s the only way you can kick my ass.”
“Your brother wasn’t wasted when I kicked his ass.”
“He was seventeen and way out of his league. Keep talking. You’re only making this worse on yourself.”
He realized what he said and glared back at us.
“You should keep your washed-up, rich ass on your side of town, Dare! I don’t want to have to make you my bitch again.”
“So much hostility for such a small guy, don’t you think, Sebastian?”
“He’s got to make up for the things he lacks in other places.”
“I’ll show you a small dick,” he said, grabbing himself and thrusting his hips toward us.
“It’s funny how that’s the first thing that comes to your mind, but we’ll pass. Watch your mouth, Craze. That shit you’re on won’t last forever.”
“Let’s go, Ryland. He isn’t worth it.”
“Run away like a little bitch. I’ll fuck you up anywhere, anytime, rich boys.”
“Whatever you say, Craze.”
He hollered more empty threats as we turned to walk out, but we didn’t make it far before the doors burst in and a team of police officers swarmed the place.
A roar of chaos finally broke out as everyone scrambled to break free. Sebastian and I weren’t that lucky as two cops grabbed us. I was thrown over one of the side tables, and the officer pulled my hands tightly behind my back and pushed my face into the surface so hard I felt the skin above my eye burst open.
“Twenty minutes, my ass. Impressive response time, officers,” Sebastian said as they threw him down on the table across from me.
His face twisted in pain and they showed him no mercy.
“My brother’s been beaten up pretty badly,” I said, lifting my head.
The officer slammed it back down. “Don’t move!” he ordered.
“He’s probably got a broken rib. You’re not making it any easier, damn it.”
“I said don’t move and keep your mouth shut!”
They hauled us out of the shed and threw me against one of the cop cars. They placed us in separate cars and drove me back to the station. It took three hours before I was finally released, and I wasn’t even sure why they released me, but I didn’t stick around long enough to ask anything except where my brother was.
They informed me they’d taken him to the hospital and I could pick him up there. It took me twenty minutes to get to the damn hospital and another ten minutes for the staff to find him.
When I finally walked into the room, he was handcuffed to the bed and passed out. His face was bandaged up and he had a wrap around his ribs. He seemed to be completely out of it.
“Can we at least get the handcuffs off him?” I yelled to anyone who bothered to listen.
At the sound of my voice, he stirred and opened one eye. “Ryland?”
I sat in the chair across from his bed. “Who else would be here to pick up your sorry ass? Thanks a lot by the way. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my night.”
“You haven’t lived if you haven’t been arrested at least once.”
“I’d rather not live my life by your mottos, thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” He grimaced and held on to his ribs as he turned. “How long have I been here?”
“Well, let’s see. I was in jail for three hours while you were here getting taken care of and enjoying a warm bed.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I had to get ten stitches.”
“It does. I hope it hurt too.”
“Like a bitch.”
“Good,” I grumbled and slouched into my chair.
I pushed my hands into my pockets and lifted my shoulders.
“How long do you have to stay here?”
“I don’t know. Until the drugs wear off I guess. How’d you get out?”
“Who knows? They just told me I could go home. I didn’t stop to ask why.”
“Do you think?”
“I don’t want to think,” I said, dropping my head back so I could stare up at the ceiling. “I just want to forget this night ever happened.”
“I’m sorry, Ryland,” he said sincerely.
“What are brothers for, right?” I lifted my head and looked at him. “What the hell were you thinking, Sebastian?” I said, disrupting the silence.
“We were so close.” He groaned.
I ignored him. “Why would you get into the pit wasted and risk getting yourself messed up like this?”
“What are you talking about? This look is fucking sexy as shit, little brother,” he said, gesturing to his injuries.
“I’m serious, Sebastian. You need to find a better outlet for whatever it is you’re trying to express.”
“Listen, don’t lecture me, okay?” He sat up on his elbows. His words came out breathless as he applied pressure to his ribs. “I’m a grown man, Ryland. I can do whatever the hell I please with my life.”
“Even if that means killing yourself?”
“Especially if it means killing myself. I’m not giving you shit about what you’re doing with that blind girl, so spare me.”
“I’m not doing anything with Araya. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“Don’t you get it, Ryland? We self-destruct taking down everyone around us with us. That’s why everyone thinks you’re going to ruin her, because that’s what this family does. We ruin people.”
I didn’t respond. He got what he wanted and that was for me to shut up and let it go. If I let him continue to talk, I’d actually listen to what he was saying and then I’d have to admit that maybe he was right, and I hated when Sebastian was right.
An hour later we were on our way home.
“Be honest with me, Sebastian,” I said, breaking the fifteen minutes of silence. “Were you on anything tonight?”
He looked over at me and frowned. “You mean like drugs?”
“No, I mean like a freaking trampoline! Yes, I mean like drugs!”
He stared at me for a long time before looking away and answering.
“No, Ryland. I just had way too much to drink. Speaking of…”
He pulled a beer bottle from his jacket and twisted off the lid, taking a drink. Looking over at me, he offered me the bottle. I rolled my eyes at him.
“More for me, then,” he said, swinging the bottle all around.
“I’ve been meaning to ask… Is this your new thing? Drinking until you can’t stand on your own two feet and then getting into the pit to get your ass
beat? You’re lucky it was just Craze, Sebastian. What happens when it’s someone else who’d like to see you breathing a lot less? You make more enemies than you do friends. Don’t make me do something neither of us will like, Sebastian.”
He stared out the window, not saying anything.
When we finally pulled into the driveway, I sat there staring at the lights that still lit part of the house. It wasn’t unusual for J.D. to be up this late, but it was unusual for all the lights to be on.
“He’s up,” Sebastian said.
I glared through the windshield and opened the door without responding. I wasn’t in the mood to put up with this shit.
Sebastian limped behind me as we made our way into the house. I didn’t see J.D. anywhere and I thought maybe if we were quiet enough, I wouldn’t have to.
“Get in here now,” J.D. said from the other room.
“Damn it.”
“How about you meet us halfway?” Sebastian mouthed off. “I’m in the between stages of still being drunk and becoming hung over. I got my ass kicked and arrested all in one night, all of which I’m going to go out on a limb and say you know about.”
“Why do you feel the need to piss me off every chance you get?” J.D. asked, appearing in the hallway with a drink in his hand.
“I don’t know. Probably for the same reason you do it. How about we skip calling the kettle black tonight? I have a bottle of pain pills calling my name.”
Sebastian turned on his heel, but J.D. stopped him.
“You’re no longer welcome in this house after today, do you hear me?”
“Was I ever welcomed?” He walked off, slapping me on the shoulder as he passed.
J.D. continued, unfazed by the fact that he just kicked Sebastian out.
“I love being called in the middle of the night to hear that my sons have been arrested for being caught in some shithole. Do you know how this looks?”
“You act like we’re royalty. Nobody cares whether or not I was in jail tonight.”
“You’re going to be running a multimillion-dollar company, Ryland. Of course people care! Don’t be stupid.”
I wasn’t in the mood to correct him about the first part of his statement and I definitely wasn’t in the mood to stand here and let him call me names.
“I’m going to bed,” I said through my teeth.
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