by London Casey
I went back inside to get my stuff and leave. I actually had been dumb enough to have some extra clothes with me. Some soap. A small bottle of cologne. Like I was going to make sure I smelled the right way for Penny. It was only because of how intriguing she was to me. The way she just took action. The honesty on the outside and the hidden pain on the inside. She was beautiful without trying and goddamn, her body was good. Just… good. She had curves where my hands wanted curves to be. She wasn’t a twig. She was a real woman.
I tossed my bag over my shoulder and looked in the mirror.
My face really was roughed up.
Too many fights too soon.
Don’t get me wrong, the cash was fucking amazing. The more I fought, the more I was due for a loss. So that helped the betting and helped my pockets get more and more full. In my life, there was no due for a loss kind of thing. Would Marcos kill me? I don’t know. Killing me would take away a valuable fighter. But he’d be pissed. I guess it would depend on how bad I’d be beaten. Was it a lucky punch? Or was it a full beat down?
I had seen guys get killed in the circle and outside the circle. I had seen guys get smacked around, lose, and then were dragged out by their hair and shot to death.
What a life, right?
These guys betting on the fights thought that it was awesome. They thought we were all so free. To a point, I understood it. I didn’t give a shit about a mortgage or retirement or how much vacation time I had earned for the year. I didn’t have to worry about my kid getting bullied or my daughter needing braces. I didn’t have a beef with the neighbor over a fence or his dog shitting in my yard.
But that didn’t make me free.
The building was finally quiet. I walked to the door again and stood there. There were only a few cars left. All of them I recognized, except one. It was a small blue car. Kind of girly, if that made sense.
Something didn’t feel right.
It wasn’t my business to investigate though. I was best off to just go. Go back to my apartment and have a drink. Let the night wear off and start tomorrow fresh. Take a break from the fights to keep the heat off myself and off Marcos.
Then I remembered my orders for the night. I had to give Timmy five rounds. Because Marcos was up to something.
“What the hell…”
I looked over my shoulder.
It wasn’t my business. I needed to leave and then tomorrow I’d collect my earnings. Maybe grab a flight to an island for a weekend or two. Find some women to toss around in my bed and pretend that life was just perfectly fine.
That plan sounded great.
Before I could step out of the building, I heard an echoed scream…
I dropped my bag and started to run. It was only one scream, so I had to guess where I thought it was coming from. That took me to the second floor of the building. There used to be administrative offices there, all the doors open except one.
That gave it away.
I ran down the hall and stopped at the shut door.
Then I heard Seth’s voice.
“Now, we can do this the hard way,” he said. “I don’t want you tied and gagged. What fun is that? My dick isn’t going to suck itself, right? You help me and I help you. That’s how this relationship works.”
I put my hand to the door.
I hesitated.
This was where Seth and I were very different. Yeah, we had been street kids, growing up together, struggling, surviving. But where I had muscle and no fear of death, Seth loved the game of it all. He told me it was the only way that he kept sane. Knowing that he was going to die someday, but in the meantime, why not just live out life like a giant game? That didn’t mean pretending certain spots on the ground were lava. It meant living like the world was for the taking.
“I’m going to trust you one more time,” Seth said. “Got that?”
There was silence.
This was what Marcos needed me to drag the fight out for. So Seth could take this person. It was obviously a woman if Seth was looking for some action from her.
I waited again and then heard Seth say, “Now, let’s try it again. Do you know who I am?”
“No,” the voice said.
It hit me like a boulder to my gut.
Before I could process anything, my hand went to the doorknob and I opened the door.
Seth stood with his hands at his pants, unzipping his fly. He had a bottle of whiskey in his other hand. Sitting in front of him, hands behind the chair, fastened tight, was Penny.
“What the fuck is this?” I asked.
“Noah, my brother,” Seth said. He took his hands from his pants. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard a scream. I…”
“Little side work for me,” Seth said. He grinned and then took a drink from the bottle.
“What the…”
“I’ll be right back,” Seth said to Penny.
She looked at me, eyes wide. I saw her lips quivering with fear. Her eyes were captivating, calling to me.
She mouthed to me - Help me…
Seth and I left the office. He pulled the door shut.
“It’s all good,” Seth said. “This bitch has it coming.”
“What is this?” I asked. “Is this Marcos…”
Seth touched my shoulder. “Look, I know it’s hard for you to see this side of me. I get it. But this is important. For both of us. Okay? You beat people up and I help shake people down. That’s what keeps Marcos happy. So let me do my thing here.”
“A woman though?”
“Hey, it is what it is.”
“And you’re drinking?” I asked. “Seth, you’re fucking drunk.”
“Yeah. I know. It’s not always easy to do this stuff.”
“What’s her deal though?”
“Business,” Seth said. He took another drink. “Just… bad business.”
“Getting your dick sucked is business? Or is that bad business?”
Seth laughed. “Hey, no shame in getting a little extra out of this. Marcos is going to end up killing her anyway.”
Killing Penny? Why?
I should have just let it all go, but the question burned in me. I wanted to know what she did. Part of me also wanted to protect her.
“So you kidnapped her?”
“I guess you could say that,” Seth said.
“And you’re questioning her?”
“Marcos wanted me to make sure she was alone. He wants her tomorrow sometime. He got a call about something going on somewhere else.”
“So you were going to…”
“Have fun. Marcos wants her roughed up. So she’s broken when he gets to her.”
“You have to know why, right?”
“She knows things, Noah. She’s beautiful though, huh? I mean… I never fool around with someone before I hand them off. But this one…”
I made fists. I saw red. I was a second away from attacking Seth.
But I couldn’t give myself away.
“Okay,” I said. “Good for you.”
“Hey,” Seth said. “She looks familiar though.”
Then it hit me. Seth had met her the first night she came into the bathroom after a fight. He had held the door for her.
“Does she?” I asked.
Seth opened the door so I could see her again.
I looked Penny dead in the eyes. I shook my head. “No, man, I’ve never seen her before. Maybe she was around another fight?”
“Maybe,” Seth said. Then he pointed at Penny. “I’ll be back in a second.”
He shut the door.
“Hey,” I said. “What do you need out of her?”
“Whatever she’s willing to tell.”
“You’re going to hit her?”
“Sure.”
“Let me do it,” I said.
“What?”
“You heard me. It’s my turn for this shit, Seth. I can’t fight forever. Look at me, man. You’re getting kickbacks from Marcos for this shit.”
> “Oh, man,” Seth said. He jammed the bottle to my chest. “Yes. Do it. Do it, Noah. Man…”
Seth was getting drunker by the second.
“Good,” I said. “I could blow off some steam.”
I pushed the bottle away. I took a step and Seth grabbed my arm.
“What about… what about your old man?” he asked.
I sucked in a breath and grinned. “Hey… like father, like son.”
Chapter 9
(Penny)
Noah had sort of saved me.
That guy - Seth - had taken me… well, dragged me… up a set of steps and put me in a chair. He took the blindfold off me. He jammed a cloth in my mouth and started talking about me knowing too much.
I instantly knew it was about my story and my work. Someone read something and put it all on me. The only person who I had seen repeatedly was Noah though.
Did he figure me out? Did he give me up?
That didn’t make sense.
Seth then took the cloth out of my mouth and I screamed. What the hell else was I supposed to do? This was the most serious trouble I’d ever been in. I had been threatened, hit, chased, all of that. But never taken. I should have listened to the note left on my car to leave. That had been right after that first night with Noah. But I kind of liked hanging out with him.
Well, I liked having sex with him.
Seth jammed the cloth back in my mouth and kept talking.
He wanted me to suck his dick. That’s where my night was going.
When he took the cloth out of my mouth a second time, I didn’t scream. That decision paid off because then Noah appeared out of nowhere.
He and Seth were friends?
They left the room and I started to scan my surroundings. I realized I was in the same damn building as the fight. That meant Seth threw me in the back of the car and drove around the parking lot. To confuse me.
The door opened once and both Noah and Seth stared me down.
The second time the door opened it was just Noah.
“You sure?” Seth asked.
“Yeah,” Noah said. “She’s all mine. I’m tired of fighting… I just don’t want to hurt people anymore.”
Noah shut the door and locked it.
There was a knock. “I’ll be right out here if you need anything. Save some of her for me.”
I stared up at Noah as he rushed to the chair. He leaned over and put his mouth to my ear. “Who the hell are you?”
“You know who I am,” I whispered. “I have no idea what’s happening.”
“Why the fuck does someone want you?”
“Help me,” I pleaded.
Noah stood and stepped back.
There was another knock. “What are you doing to her, man?”
“Just looking at her,” Noah said. “She’s really pretty. It’s going to be sad to see her bleeding.”
“Fucking right,” Seth said. “Do it, man.”
“You think you can fuck with us?” Noah asked me.
“I have no…”
Noah put a finger to his lips. He mouthed to me, Play along…
“Answer me, bitch,” he growled.
“Fuck you,” I said. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What the fuck are you trying to prove here?”
“Nothing,” I said. “You can't get anything out of me.”
Noah leaned down again. “Seth is drunk. We have to confuse him. Stay with me here.”
There was a pounding on the door. “Come on, Noah! Make something happen.”
“Take it easy,” Noah yelled. “I’m having fun here. She’s starting to cry.”
“Fucking sweet.”
I tried to sniffle and drum up some tears. I shrugged my shoulders.
How the fuck was I supposed to get out of this?
I wanted to trust Noah, but who the hell was he really? He was friends with Seth. He was part of whatever or whoever that wanted me kidnapped. He was a wicked sexy fighter with a really good dick.
That’s all I knew.
“I think I want to fuck her,” Noah yelled.
“Do it, man,” Seth said.
“Not here.”
“Oh, no, man… I have an idea.”
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“Seth…”
A thundering boom sounded. Pieces of the door exploded. Then it repeated over and over. Seth then kicked the door open he just shot four times.
“Jesus Christ!” Noah yelled. He grabbed Seth’s wrist and took the gun from his hand. He threw it across the room. “You almost shot me, man.”
“Ah, no chance,” Seth said.
He stumbled around, drunk. He had a hand between his legs and had his pants undone.
“What are you doing?” Noah asked.
“Let’s get her together. You and me, man.”
“No,” Noah said. He grabbed Seth by the shirt. “Let me. It’s my turn. I want to take her back to my place for some fun. Okay? You’re too drunk to drive her. You can’t keep her here. Let me take her. Marcos is going to be pissed you were drinking like this.”
Seth got close to Noah. “She’s fucking trouble. I can’t even tell you, Noah. And you’re like my brother. She’s so bad. I want to hurt her.”
I watched as Seth slid by Noah and then swung at me. I felt the air of his fist breeze by my face. I let out a scream as Seth stumbled into a wall. I saw the rage spread across Noah’s face.
“No,” Noah said. He pulled Seth from the wall. He threw him across the room to the other wall. “You’re not hitting her.”
Seth took out a cell phone. “Marcos wants proof, Noah. Okay? That’s why I’m drinking… he wants to see her tied up and bleeding. Because he won’t be back tonight. Get it?”
I shook my head. “Please. No. I don’t know anything.”
“Shut her up!” Seth growled.
Noah faced me. “Yeah, I’ll shut her up.”
He leaned on me and put his hand to my throat. But he didn’t squeeze.
His lips grazed my ear. And even being kidnapped, it turned me on.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he whispered. “Let me figure this out.”
“Hit me,” I said back.
Noah pulled away. “There. She’s quiet.”
“You gotta do it,” Seth said. “Marcos wants proof, man.”
Seth was drunk, so chances were he’d either hit me too hard or not enough.
I looked right at Noah and nodded. “Do it. Hit me. You fucking pussy.”
“What did you…”
“Fucking hit me,” I said.
“Oh, man,” Seth said. “You better give it to her good now.”
Noah looked at me.
I knew what had to be done here. It was our only chance of getting out of this alive and together. At least, for the moment. Then I’d have a lot of questions to answer.
“Do it,” I said.
Noah brought his hand back…
Chapter 10
(Noah)
I held my hand in the air. This was what my old man used to do everyday. Lift his hand in the air and do whatever he wanted. If you were in his path, you were getting it. He wasn’t the kind of guy who was afraid of men. No, he just wanted to hurt everyone. It took a bullet to stop him.
But that had nothing to do with me in that moment with Penny.
I tried to think of the best place to do this… where I could get blood but not actually hurt her. That wasn’t going to be possible though.
Seth was in the corner of the office, hands on his knees, the bottle in his hand. His head bobbed all over, like he was going to get sick. I had no clue what he was thinking getting himself into this kind of mess.
Just like when we were younger. With Aiden. Christ… what we did…
The memory caught me out of nowhere. I hadn’t thought about that shit in a long time.
Penny sat in the chair, chin out, ready to take a punch.
Who in the hell was this woman
?
I stepped to the right and grabbed for Seth. “Hey. Give me that bottle. I’m going to smash it across her face.”
“Yeah,” Seth said. “That’s good.”
I took the bottle and lifted it in the air. Seth had his head between his legs again. I stood with the bottle of booze and knew there was one chance at this. I gently put the bottle on the desk. I put my hand to Seth’s neck and squeezed so I’d have a tight grip. I rocked him left to right and then slammed him against the wall.
He fell to the floor, out cold. He was face down, so if he threw up, he’d be okay.
I turned and grabbed the bottle.
“What are you doing?” Penny asked.
I swung the bottle and smashed it off the table. I took a shard of glass and cut my arm.
“Noah!” Penny yelled.
I stuck two fingers into the cut and twisted. I then put my two fingers to the corner of Penny’s mouth and swiped down.
“There,” I said. “You look like you were hit.”
“Holy shit,” Penny said.
I put a little more blood on her face. Then I searched for Seth’s cell and pointed it at Penny. I opened the camera and told her to turn her head and look terrified. She played it off great and the lack of light in the room helped to cover up anything that looked strange. The picture was good enough as far as I was concerned.
I sent it to Marcos, satisfying his sick need of seeing a woman bleeding.
I put the phone in Seth’s hand.
When I freed Penny, she lunged at me, throwing her arms around me. I picked her up and hugged her back, then I remembered what had just happened. I forcefully put my hands to her hips and put her on her feet. I pushed her away and shook my head.
“Who the hell are you?” I asked.
“Do you really want to have that conversation here? Now?”
I curled my lip. “No.”
“Good.”
I moved toward the door and Penny grabbed my hand to hold it. I wanted to shake her away, but I didn’t. I held her hand and led the way down the hall, out of the building, and to both our vehicles.
I told her to follow me to my apartment.
The ride was quiet as I sat there on my own, thinking about what I had done for her. I had knocked out my best friend to save her ass. Yet I had no clue why. I must have looked in the rearview mirror ten times. Each time I did it, I saw her looking at me and just felt something. Not lust or any of that bullshit. It was more than that. She knew something that I needed to know.