Fight of Life (Perception Book 3)

by Shandi Boyes

  “Sure” I reply apprehensively, as Maggie starts to move near the back exit of the bar.

  “Now?” I question, pulling my eyebrows tightly together.

  Maggie nods her head as she continues swiftly moving towards the alleyway. I have to jog just to catch up with her. Maggie has never allowed any of us guys to step foot behind her bar before, so I am shocked she suddenly wants my help.

  When I enter the cold room, I note that it is half empty. It is lucky Ollie organises deliveries for Monday and Friday mornings or they may run out of their famous cold beers.

  “Which ones do you want…Maggie?” I question, trying to pry her attention away from something she is looking at outside.

  “Huh?” she answers confused, before she finally joins me inside the cold room.

  “Which cartons of beer do you need?” I question, while trying to work out why Maggie seems like such a scatter brain today.

  “Oh… ummm… that one” she responds hastily as she points to a sole carton of beer that is stacked by itself on a shelf. It looks like some foreign Chinese manufactured beer.

  “Just that one?” I question curiously.

  When I look over at Maggie, she is peering back outside at the carpark, before she turns back to face me and slowly starts nodding her head.

  “Alright” I reply as I swiftly collect the carton of beer she requested, before turning to walk out, only to be blocked from exiting the cold room by Maggie.

  “I didn’t need your help with the beer” Maggie says quietly as her eyes stare into mine.

  “I just needed to get you out of the bar before you saw them” she continues softly.

  “Saw who?” I question while taking in a large inhale of breath. I am pretty sure I already know who Maggie is talking about.

  “Lola” she whispers, causing my heart to drop into my stomach “and Callum” she continues.

  I abruptly dump the beer down onto a shelf, before sprinting out of the cold room, accidentally barging Maggie on the way past.

  My concerned gaze instantly darts around the half full carpark that Maggie was mere minutes ago staring at and I don’t notice Lola or Callum anywhere. I roughly run my hand over the top of my head as I turn back to face Maggie. My heart is racing so fast it feels like it is going to burst out of my chest cavity.

  “They just left” Maggie announces nervously.

  “Is she with Callum?” I question unbelievably. Lola couldn’t possibly be that stupid, could she?

  Maggie slightly shrugs her shoulders, but I can tell from the look on her face that she is lying.

  “They looked together” she eventually responds quietly. “I refused to serve them. I told him he was never allowed to step foot in my bar again” she continues quickly, while she moves over closer to me.

  “Fuck” I curse under my breath. Just the thought of Callum being anywhere near Lola makes me fucking furious.

  “Maybe they are just friends. Like Lola and you were friends” Maggie stumbles nervously.

  Friends, yep that was all Lola and I were. Friends that slept with each other. But I still can’t believe she would be stupid enough to take Callum back. He didn’t just hit her once, the second time he attacked her in broad daylight in the middle of the fucking day. How could she ever trust being alone with him if he can do something like that in public. I take in several long deep breaths to help calm down my frustration, before I lift my gaze back to Maggie’s concerned eyes.

  “Does Noah know?” I question. Lola’s stupid decisions don’t just affect me anymore. They also affect Noah, since he is dating her sister.

  “No, today was the first time I have seen them together. Do you think I should tell him?” Maggie responds concerned.

  Noah’s life is finally working out the way he had always hoped for, so I don’t want to burden him with this. But Lola is Emily’s sister and I think Noah would want to know what is going on so he can ensure Emily isn’t subjected to the toxic lifestyle of a person like Callum.

  “Just leave it with me and once I work out what is exactly going on with Lola and Callum, I will talk to him” I advise Maggie.

  Maggie looks at me with concern, before she nods her head.

  “Can I get that cold beer now?” I question while cocking my eyebrows into my hairline.

  I had only come to Mavericks to have a few quiet beers on a Sunday afternoon and instead I have to deal with a lot of shit that really shouldn’t be affecting my life anymore. If only I was the type of guy that could just wash my hands of people that did me wrong, but I am not like that. I cared for Lola and I still do. So even though she wants nothing to do with me, I will still look out for her when I think she is making fucked up lifestyle choices.

  “Yeah, sure Jacob” Maggie replies kindly, before spinning on her heels and walking out of the cold room.

  Two hour later, I am finally heading home. I hadn’t planned on staying at Mavericks so long but I got talking to Flynn and the time just flew by. Flynn is the lead singer of the band that plays at Mavericks on a Saturday night. His band is called ‘Wanting Wombats’ and they originate from Australia. He said they had all travelled over here nine months ago hoping to hit it big in the music industry. He didn’t even seem fazed when I said he might need to come up with a better band name as the one they currently have is fucking hideous. “It is what is it mate” he said in his deep Australian accent. I will have to try and organise a time to watch them play one Saturday night, when I am not fighting, as Flynn and the rest of his band mates seem like a good group of blokes.

  As I pull up to a red traffic light, a dark blue sedan pulls in next to me, revving his engine loudly. I peer over to the car, but the tint on the windows is too dark that I can’t see any of the occupants inside. I rev my engine back while nodding my head, accepting their challenge for a drag race. A few years ago I would often come down to Ravenshoe in the late hours of the night to compete in illegal street racing. I have always loved the thrill of pushing my car to its absolute limit.

  As soon as the light turns green, I slam my foot down on the accelerator before completing a quick shift change into second gear. The blue sedan and I stay neck in neck as we speed through the desolated and empty streets of Ravenshoe. As my taco hits seven thousand RPM’s, I promptly shift gears again and my car starts to surge forward. I glance over towards the blackened windows of my competitor and give them my victorious grin as my car starts to pull away from them. The feeling of victory is close within my grasp. Then suddenly my car shifts sideways, I flick my vision to the blue sedan and watch as their bulbar veers into the back quarter panel of my car. It hits with enough force that my tires lose traction from the road surface and my car starts spinning out of the control, before it commences rolling. I lift my arms above my head and place my open palms on the roof lining of my car, as it continues to cartwheel down the street. The sound of metal crunching against the tar road was unlike anything I have ever heard before. I don’t know how many times my car flipped before I spotted a telegraph pole in the corner of my eye. I brace myself for impact as the passenger side of my car hits the telegraph pole at a furious speed, immediately halting its cartwheeling action.

  “Holy shit” I whisper, as I pop open my eyes, surprised that I haven’t been seriously injured.

  The smell of gasoline is prominent, that I instantly attempt to open the driver’s side door before realising that it is jammed. I end up having to use my fists to smash through the glass of the driver’s side window, before I climb out of my car onto the empty street. The blue sedan I was just racing is nowhere in sight. When I look back at my car, I notice that only one panel of my car remains in its original condition. The rest is crumbled and destroyed. My car is a complete fucking write off.

  I quickly grab my cell phone out of my pocket and start scrolling through my contacts.

  “Hey Jacob” Noah greets into the phone.

  “Hey Noah, can I ask a favor?’ I question quickly.

  “Sure, what
’s up?” he immediately replies.

  “Can you come and pick me up? Oh and can you bring the car trailer with you?” I question.

  I am only six months into my two-year probation period and I don’t want to add any more time onto it for illegal street racing.

  Chapter 28

  Lola

  My heart is racing a million miles an hour as my nervous gaze quickly darts around the inside of Mavericks. I sigh in relief when I realise that Maggie isn’t serving behind the bar. I briskly make my way to the furthest table in the back corner of the room. I still can’t believe that out of all of the places in the world we could have met, Callum chooses Mavericks. Around ten minutes later, I notice Callum entering the large wooden doors. He looks so much like the old Callum that he used to be now that he is clean.

  When he had originally contacted me after the incident, I ignored all of his calls and text messages just like Jacob’s. But the difference between Jacob and Callum is that Callum didn’t give up easily. He continued to message and call every day and today I finally gave in and answered his call….

  “Please leave me alone” I pleaded into the phone.

  I was having a hard enough time the past few months trying to forget about Jacob, but every time Callum’s name was displayed on my phone screen, the image of a deflated and tormented Jacob sitting in the interrogation room at the police station was pushed to the forefront on my mind.

  “Please don’t hang up. I just want the chance to tell you how sorry I am for what I did” he begs sincerely.

  “Apology accepted, now leave me alone” I reply roughly.

  “I’m clean now Lola. I have been drug free for the past six months” he advises quickly.

  “That’s good Callum. I am glad” I reply honestly.

  I know the Callum that attacked me wasn’t the same Callum I had fallen in love with, but that doesn’t mean I was going to just let him back into my life since he has now decided to get clean.

  “I have to go” I advise quietly.

  “I need to talk to you about Jacob” He advises as I commenced lowering down my phone to hit the disconnect call button. The instant I heard Jacob’s name, I immediately lift the phone back towards my ear, as my heart rapidly commences beating.

  “What about Jacob?” I question panicked.

  “I don’t want to tell you over the phone. Meet me in person and I will tell you everything” he responds.

  “Just tell me now” I request firmly.

  “No, if you want to know you will have to meet with me” he responds.

  I take in several large inhales of breath while I try to calm down the erratic beating of my heart. I don’t think I can trust being alone with Callum, but I also want to know what is going on with Jacob.

  “I will meet with you somewhere public” I reply.

  “I won’t hurt you again Lola” he responds immediately.

  “In public or not at all Callum” I retort quickly.

  “Okay, I will text you the time and place later today” he replies before hanging up the phone.

  It was around an hour later that Callum texted me.

  Mavericks at 3pm.

  I originally went to text him back refusing to meet him there, before I suddenly remembered that Emily said Jacob was helping her move into her college dorm today, so he wouldn’t be anywhere near Mavericks or Ravenshoe.

  I’ll be there

  “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me” Callum states sincerely as he leans down and places a kiss on the side of my cheek.

  As he moves away I notice in the corner of my eye the furious glare of Maggie. I swallow harshly as she quickly makes her way towards Callum and I.

  “Get out of my bar now” she requests angrily, as her narrowed eyes stare directly at Callum.

  “And if I ever see you in my bar again I will have no hesitation in bringing out my bat or my gun” Maggie states firmly.

  Callum’s eyes slightly taper before they dart between Maggie and I. He seems slightly confused as to who Maggie is. It is only now that it suddenly dawns on me that Callum must have been doped out when he attacked me here, as he doesn’t appear to have a full recollection of the incident.

  “I’m sorry Maggie, we will leave now” I instantly advise as I start moving off my barstool.

  “You can stay” she advises as her gaze turns to look at me with concern “But he has five minutes to get the hell out of my bar” she states firmly before she turns and makes her way back to the bar.

  “What the fuck?” Callum questions, half confused and half angry.

  “Let’s just go and I will explain it to you later” I plead as I grab my purse off the table.

  Just as I am about to walk towards the double wooden doors, I spot Jacob walking in. He smiles brightly at Maggie as he strolls confidently to the bar. This is the first time I have laid my eyes on Jacob in six months and my heart instantly starts beating faster. I didn’t realise how much I had truly missed him until just now.

  “Are you coming?” questions Callum from halfway across the dance floor. I quickly nod my head as I follow Callum out into the carpark.

  “I will follow you to Daisy’s” I advise as I jump into my white jeep. Callum nods his head in understanding before he jumps into his dark blue sedan.

  Daisy’s is a local burger and fries joint that Callum and I use to frequent when we first started dating. It was still a public place but considering it is in the middle of lunch and dinner it shouldn’t be as overly populated with diners, so Callum and I will be able to talk without having too many spectators.

  The instant we sit down; Daisy the owner walks over towards us.

  “Oh my goodness, I haven’t seen you two in here together for months. How are my favourite couple going?” she questions friendly as she flips open her notepad to take down our order.

  “We are not together anymore” I instantly advise.

  “I’m sorry to hear that sweetheart” she replies promptly as her sympathetic eyes flick to Callum. Typical, everyone always assumes I am the reason why all of my relationships fail.

  “Why did you tell her that?” Callum asks the instant Daisy walks away from our table to gather our order of coffee and donuts.

  “Because we aren’t together anymore” I reply sarcastically, causing Callum to narrow his eyes as his nostrils flare with anger.

  “Enough stalling Callum. I only agreed to meet with you as you said you needed to tell me something about Jacob” I state firmly as Daisy fills our empty coffee cups with scorching hot black coffee.

  “How well do you really know Jacob?” Callum questions once Daisy is out of earshot.

  “About as well as I knew you” I reply, as I add cream and sugar to my coffee.

  “Enough with the attitude Lola, for fuck sake. I said I was sorry” he angrily retaliates.

  I roll my eyes at his anger. I guess he thinks that if you say you’re sorry it instantly takes back everything he did to me, but I am not that forgiving. Daisy serves us the donuts we ordered, but my stomach is now swirling with annoyance that I cannot even attempt to consume one of them.

  “I know Jacob” I eventually reply as my anger starts to reside.

  “So you know he is an illegal street fighter?” Callum questions, before he places a large chunk of sugar coated donut into his mouth.

  “What?” I question confused.

  “Yeah that is what I thought. You don’t really know him at all” states Callum sarcastically with a mouth full of donut.

  There is no way Jacob would compete in illegal fighting. The only time I have ever seen Jacob angry was the time he beat the living shit out of Callum. But he is too kind and gentle to ever participate in a sport like that.

  “You must be thinking of the wrong person” I reply. Callum instantly starts shaking his head while chuckling.

  “I knew you would say that” he remarks as he starts digging into his jeans pocket to pull out his phone.

  After he taps the screen a
few times he hands the phone over to me. There is no denying the guy standing in the middle of the ring is Jacob. I can easily recognise every inch of his muscular physic.

  “Press play” advises Callum as he shoves another chunk of donut into his mouth.

  I ended up watching the video three times, as it only goes for forty-five seconds. But in that short period of time, it clearly shows Jacob knocking out his opponent. When my gaze looks up from the screen of the phone to Callum, he looks over at me with his eyebrow cocked into his hairline.

  “You didn’t really know him at all, did you?” he states cockily, as I slowly start shaking my head.