Fight Like A Girl

by A. D. Herrick

  Chaos’s hand cupped my cheek, drawing my face up to his. I could smell the soft scent of cinnamon on his breath as it washed across my face. His lips brushed over mine in a whisper of a kiss. “You’re not a monster. You are far too precious to ever become one. Let me shoulder that burden for you. Let me carry the weight of your heart. Let me be the monster and serve out justice.” His lips skimmed across mine, sending a rash of chills along my flesh in anticipation.

  “You’ll never be a monster to me. You’re my hero. My heart. My everything.” With the final word, I pressed my lips against his sealing my promise with a kiss.

  Chaos’s responded to my kiss. His thick fingers digging into my side, grasping for purchase as his lips slanted over mine. I bit back a yelp of pain, allowing myself to enjoy the feel of his lips against mine, our breaths intermingled. The world stood still as we took out time exploring one another. For the first time in forever, I felt as though I could breathe easy.

  I had been so terrified he would turn me away. So afraid he would see me as damaged goods. A monster. A used up husk of my former self.

  His kiss told me everything I needed to know, that despite it all, he still wanted me, desired me, loved me. The pain in my chest faded as he continued to pepper my face with light kisses. He kissed away my tears, my heartache, and my fears. He made me feel whole, loved, cherished. With each press of his lips, I felt the pieces of my fractured soul stitched back together, made anew.

  “You’re beautiful.” He sighed into my hair as he tucked his face into the gentle slope of my neck. His breath tickled along the delicate skin as he inhaled my scent, moaning as went.

  “You smell like heaven.” He murmured.

  “What does heaven smell like?” I asked, intrigued by his assessment.

  “You.” The single word held so much conviction.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes,” He said without hesitation.

  “Well, I happen to think you smell like heaven. My own personal heaven.” Snuggling further into his side as I made a big show of inhaling his scent. The rich dark heady scent of musk and cinnamon reached my senses followed by the hint of spice, he smelled most definitely of heaven.

  Chaos chuckled lightly. The soft rise and fall of his chest wafting more of his scent in my direction. “So what does Heaven smell like?”

  “You.” I deadpanned.

  “Wise ass.” He quipped pulling a smile to my lips.

  “Hey, I learned from the best.”

  “Yeah, you did.” He laughed gently tugging a strand of my hair.

  “No, Chaz, you’re not arrogant at all.” I teased. The teasing banter we shared warmed my heart making the remained of my task harder to do.

  I wanted to stay in this moment, luxuriating in the feel of his arms around mine. I didn’t want to tell him everything. I didn’t want to relive it all over again. But I knew. I knew if I didn't say something now then it would be that much worse if he found out from someone else.

  I knew I needed to tell him everything I knew. If I didn’t tell him now then there would be no way for me to calm him down if he found out from someone else. Drake had given me tonight. He had given me this one opportunity to tell him everything. After tonight there would be no more hiding. After tonight all truths would be revealed. I prayed for just a few more minutes. Just a little more time. But time was not a luxury I could afford.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chaos

  I was seething with madness. Blinded by rage. I couldn't sit still. I couldn't just lay here. I needed to do something, anything. I needed to move. My body craved action. Leaping from the bed I stormed from the room leaving G behind in a crumbling mess of tears.

  I knew it was wrong to leave her that way. I knew she needed me. She needed my comfort and reassurance that we were okay, that I still loved her regardless of what happened, regardless of what she told me. But I couldn't give her the comfort and support she needed not because it wasn’t true but because I couldn’t just lay there while Shank was still alive, while he was still breathing air into his lungs. I did still love her. I would never hold anything that happened against her. But I couldn't stay in that room. I couldn't bear to hear another word. Rage like I had never felt before consumed me.

  Storming out of the house I jumped into my truck. I needed to get out of there.

  I needed.

  Fuck.

  I don’t know what I needed.

  I was going to kill that mother fucker. That was the only thing I was sure of. I would hunt him down to the end of the earth if need be. That was the only true fact I could hold on to.

  He had taken my girl, forced her to fight, and forced her to kill. And when she lost, he sold her. He stole her innocence and he sold it to the highest bidder. That worthless piece of shit was going to pay. He was going to get exactly what was coming to him.

  The tires spun as I floored it down the driveway. White smoke billowed angrily around the bed of the truck filling the night sky. The wheels screeched filling the air with the smell of burnt rubber as I tore off down the road.

  G assured me that the man who paid for her never touched her. She wouldn't give me his name and that only enraged me more.

  Punching the steering wheel I replayed her confessions. My stomach drawn into tight knots with each word that spilled from her lips

  She said he bought her for a week. That he paid Shank for exclusivity but never touched her. Who the fuck would do that? Who would buy my girl? Who would fucking sell a person? A human?

  The sound of my phone ringing echoed through the cab of the truck. Stabbing the button on the steering wheel I silenced the noise.

  “Speak.”

  “Eyes on Shank. He’s at Destruction.”

  “I’m on my way. Keep me posted.” Punching the button on the phone I ended the call. My foot weighed down on the accelerator, burying the needle in the red. It was a two-hour drive. I needed to get to Destruction before Shank got away.

  I knew that little fucker would turn up sooner or later. He expected me to bring G back to the gym. He thought I was stupid enough to repeat the same mistake again. He had another thing coming.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Ginger

  My greatest fear had come to life.

  My heart ached in my chest. Gut-wrenching sobs escaped my lips as my entire world shattered around me. I would take Shank’s brutal punishment any day compared to the way I felt as I watched Chaos storm out of the house.

  Mamá’s arms banded around me holding me back from following Chaos out the door. “Shh Hija. I need you to calm down.” She gently stroked my hair as she held up my limp frame with one arm. Rivulets of tears poured down my cheeks and my heart ached inside my chest. The sound of his tires squealing filled the silence of the night sending a new wave of pain through me.

  “Mamá, we can’t let him leave,” I begged, struggling to get away.

  “Hija, I need you to calm down.”

  “But Mamá,” I cried unable to tear my gaze away from the living room door.

  “Come eat.” She urged leading me toward the kitchen.

  “I’m not hungry.” I protested digging my heels into the thick padded carpet.

  “I didn’t ask, Hija,” Mamá growled out in annoyance tightening her hold on me.

  “How can you expect me to eat when Chaz is out there doing God knows what? Going God knows where?” I screamed in frustration.

  “How do you expect to get better if you don’t eat? How do you expect to defend yourself if Shank comes looking for you and you can’t even hold yourself up? Tell me, Hija? Tell me where that girl is, the one who said she could defend herself? Tell me where that confident woman is.” She demanded. Her sharp words stung, hitting their mark.

  “I just want him to come back, Mamá. That’s all I want.”

  “Yes, Hija. I want that, too. But what we want and what we are given are two different things. He won’t be gone long. He’ll be back. You must let him do this
. The only person who can stop him is himself. He won’t rest until that bastardo is dead. That’s the truth.” Relenting I gave in. There was nothing more I could do. Mamá was right.

  “I don’t like it.” I huffed out in defeat, folding my arms across my chest like a petulant child.

  “Neither do I. But you know what else I don’t like? Knowing my future nietos mother isn’t taking care of herself. Knowing she isn’t eating.” With a glare in my direction, she promptly sat me at the table along with a large bowl of soup and a glass of ice water.

  I tried to ignore her comment about future grandchildren but I couldn’t. The thought nagged at the back of my mind. What if after everything I told him, he didn’t want me? What if his love for me wasn’t enough? A new wave of tears washed down my face at the thought.

  “Hija, dry your tears. They never solve anything.” Mamá coaxes as she wiped away the evidence of my heartache with a napkin.

  I remained silent, unable to put what I felt into words.

  “Now eat. Doc says you can’t have solid food for the next day or two so I suggest you fill up on soup. He also left some cream to help with the bruising. After you eat we will put some on you and give you your night time medicine to help you sleep.”

  I took my scolding, allowing Mamá to feed and doctor me. I knew she was hurting just as much as I was. I knew her heart ached at the sudden departure of Chaos. It didn’t make my own heart hurt any less but I could make it easier on her by allowing her to care for me, helping to ease her troubled mind.

  Mamá shook several pills into her hand, armed with a fresh glass of water she handed both items to me. With a weak smile, I threw back the pills, hoping they would act swiftly. Sleep would be my only release, carrying me away from the nightmare that had become my life.

  “You get some rest and I’ll sit right here.” She urged tucking me into bed.

  I didn’t have the energy to protest. The events of the day wore heavily on me. Hell the events of the past few weeks. My eyes closed with ease as my body sank into the mattress. Sleep came much faster than I anticipated, sweeping me under swiftly.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Chaos

  Destruction looked exactly how I had left it. The block building stood tall surrounded by old abandoned shops. Looking up at the place I once called home I no longer felt a sense of pride or accomplishment. It was there, once upon a time, back in the early days when I first created the safe haven for those trapped in the Folds.

  All I saw now was the death and destruction brought on by one of our own, by someone who had sworn to uphold the promise of the Folds, keeping all outside disputes from within the walls of the gym.

  I never wanted this life for myself. I never wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps. But I was bound to the Folds, bound by the people around me. Their innocence called to me, begging me to give them a sliver of peace, a moment in time where they didn’t have to constantly look over their shoulders.

  I had failed them.

  Not intentionally, but by design.

  I’d had one request.

  One request that would free me from this place.

  One request that would allow me to give G and Mamá the life they deserved.

  It wasn’t money I was after. I had more money than I knew what to do with. Destruction didn’t make me a rich man, but being an executioner for the local MCs was a lucrative business. What I needed was for someone to take the reins. I needed someone I could trust that would uphold the rules of Destruction, maintaining its legacy.

  I’d found that person. I found him in the least likely place. He only had one request. I hated to admit he was right. It wasn’t because I was opposed to being wrong. It was because if he was right then everything that had happened was my fault. The weight of the guilt wore heavy on my shoulders.

  “He’s in there.” Spike nodded toward the building, urging me to enter.

  “Once it’s done, it’s done.”

  “It’s done.”

  I walked toward the front of the building leaving Spike to cover the front doors. Shank wasn’t getting out of here alive. Not this time.

  A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I crossed the threshold. So many fond memories were created within these four walls. This was where it all started. The gym had been my father’s baby. He nurtured it into what it had become today. When I was eighteen he left it to me with the promise to maintain the integrity of the building. Though the name of the gym had changed, the culture had remained the same.

  It was in this building I fell in love with the beautiful brunette. It was where I planned our future and where I dared to dream of a better life. It was in this building that my world was shattered, where the woman I intended to spend the rest of my life with was taken. It was within these walls that the culprit stood, awaiting his sentencing.

  The main lights of the gym were shut off, leaving only the emergency lights to guide the way. The soft red light cast an ominous glow about the scattered gym equipment.

  “So glad you could make it.” Shank’s boisterous voice echoed off the hollow walls.

  “There’s no place I’d rather be,” I replied as my eyes scanned the room. Shank was hiding, but by the volume of his voice, I knew he couldn’t have been far.

  “You know, I’d come here expecting to find G all alone, locked away in the tower like Rapunzel. Imagine my surprise when I found she wasn’t here. Where did you hide that tiny little morsel? I never got to sink my dick into her slick folds.” I knew what he was doing and it was working. His digs hit straight to the marrow, making me see red.

  “Is that what you do now? Kidnap innocent girls and sell them off to this highest bidder?” I growled out angrily.

  Shank laughed. “Don’t be silly. Of course not. The guy I sold her to could barely rub two nickels together. I gave her to him for spite.”

  “Why, Shank? That’s what I need to know. Why?” Honestly, I didn’t care why. I only wanted to keep him talking. I needed his voice to help me sniff him out.

  “Honestly, Chaos, it was nothing personal. Marco owed me. Hell, he owed everyone. I was simply the one that got to her first.” His reasoning was a poor excuse but what did I expect. Shank had shown his true colors. It was hard to expect any more of him.

  “So is that what you do now? Kidnap your friends and sell them off like a piece of meat?” Taking small steps I anchored myself along the wall, using the dark shadows to hide me from his prying eyes.

  “Like I said, it wasn’t personal. If I didn’t get her the Hounds would have. Believe me; you should be happy it was me. They don’t treat their property so well.” He sniffed haughtily.

  “So selling off her virtue was an act of kindness on your part, right?” I bit back.

  Edging myself along the wall I listened for the sound of shuffling feet. I knew he was wearing down. Shank had never been good at the whole cat and mouse game. He was far too impatient. I knew he was itching to move, eager to get the show on the road.

  “Well, when you put it that way.” He spat back.

  “How else would you put it?” I yelled back turning my head so the sound projected over my shoulder, unwilling to give away my position.

  “I was doing her a favor. It wasn’t like she was planning to give it up to you anytime soon. Hell, we all saw it. She walked around here with her nose in the air acting all high and mighty. She’s a bitch, Chaos. A snooty bitch. Why you can’t see it is beyond me.” I had him, crouched behind the heavyweight bag, Shank rocked back and forth on his heels, his hands clasped behind his back.

  Reaching behind me I pulled my sig from the waistband of my jeans.

  “What she is, is mine.” I spun on his raising the barrel of my gun to his chest. “You know the rule. Nobody touches what’s mine.”

  Before he could reply a shot rang out. Shank’s body dropped to the ground. Ducking behind the bag I held my gun to my chest as I searched around the room for any sign of the shooter.

  The loud clic
k of the overhead lights echoed through the gym. The bright fluorescence flickered to life. Their low hums filling the silence.

  “I couldn’t let him do it. I couldn’t let him get away with taking another life.” A familiar voice rang out from across the room.

  My eyes adjusted to the bright lights as Rabbit stepped out of the opened doorway of the gym, a Remington 700 slung over his shoulder.

  “He took her. He took all of them. That’s the truth behind why we came.” Rabbit’s voice shook, his eyes stayed glued to Shank’s slackened body as he spoke, almost as though he was afraid Shank’s corpse would suddenly come to life.

  “At first we didn’t know it was him. I mean we had a faint idea, but we weren’t one hundred percent sure. But we followed the rumors anyways. When we heard about your gym we were hoping you could give us answers. In a way you did. Marco was his business partner. When you said his name it was like it all clicked into place.” I stood by silently allowing him to get it all out, afraid that if I interrupted he would close down and I would never know the truth.

  “Trucker set up a meeting with Marco under the guise of buying some product. We were hoping for an in, we didn’t care what kind. But once we were there Marco kept talking about this girl he had for sale, his sister. We played it up, acting like we were interested, hoping he would give us the details, anything to help us find the girl, to find my little sister.” The strap of the gun slid down his shoulder but Rabbit was too involved in his memory to notice. The scenes for the night flashed across his face, the pain and the horror evident in his features.

  “The girl had already gone upstairs, not wanting to bother her I’d gone out back to take a piss. That’s when all hell broke loose. I could hear them screaming over the music that poured from the house.” Tears streamed down his face as he continued, his body caving in on itself.

  “Shank and the Hounds had come in, armed with machetes. They were just hacking away at the bodies. There were so many of them. They didn’t even have a chance to fight back. Marco stood there like a zombie watching everything go down. I hid from view, watching from a crack in the curtains as my family was slaughtered like a fucking coward.” His voice dropped lower and he slunk to the ground. The memories much too fresh, too painful to take standing up.