by G. Bailey
"Izzy do you know how to get to the Cage?" I ask her randomly, and she gives me a shocked look.
"Yes, but I can’t take you there. Not after what I told you. Arthur is dangerous," she tells me.
“I know, just some part of me wants to be there for him. He said he wouldn’t take me there, but if you told me the way . . .”
“I agree with Harley here. The Cage is dangerous, Tilly,” she tells me, and I sigh. I knew her answer before she said it. I look back over at the café, seeing a wave of blonde hair on a tall guy. He is standing with sunglasses on, his arms crossed as he watches me from the other side of the line of plants in the middle of the shopping centre. I know it’s him, as he looks my way, and fear fills every part of me. I zone out, not listening to Izzy talk on as I stop walking to just stare at Daniel through the plants. At least, I think it's him. Even thinking his name scares me. A couple of people pass in front of the plants, and then, he is gone, making me snap out of it, and I step backwards.
"Tilly?" Izzy shakes my arm. "You’re shaking, what did you see?" Izzy asks looking around, and I shake my head.
"Daniel was here, I’m sure of it," I mutter, and Izzy wraps an arm around me.
"I doubt he was, you must have just been seeing things," she says, and I shake my head. Knowing she might be right, but I can’t shake the feeling that it was him here.
“Tristan, don’t think you can just walk away from me!” I hear a woman shout, and it gets our attention as a woman runs past us and grabs onto the arm of a man. The man turns, looking down at her. He has a nasty-looking scar running down one side of his face, and messy, black hair that needs a cut. He has a leather jacket on, pierced eyebrows, and his lip has a ring in it. The woman also has black hair, which is shoulder-length, with a thin waist, and she is very beautiful.
“You don’t get it, Tria, this, me, isn’t anything to do with you,” Tristan says, and she lets go of his arm.
“That’s Allie’s brother and the nurse that was looking after him,” Izzy whispers to me.
“So, when you’re getting drunk in a bar at ten in the morning, I’m meant to walk past?” Tria asks.
“Yes. What’s so wrong with that?” Tristan replies.
“Tristan, everything is wrong with that,” she says, and he laughs.
“Leave me alone, Tria. Face the fact that you can’t fix me and move on. I don’t want to be fixed,” he says and storms off, disappearing into the crowd. Tria stands watching him before turning and walking away.
“I’m guessing that Tris got a lot closer to his nurse than he told Allie.”
“Are you going to say something?”
“No. Allie told me that Tristan has given up on life. He doesn’t care about anything anymore, but what I just saw–”
“Is a man that cares about someone, I agree,” I say, there was no missing the way he looked at her, despite what he said.
“Let’s hope Tria doesn’t give up.”
“I don’t think she will, she didn’t seem to be giving up on Tristan at all,” I comment, and Izzy smiles, hooking her arm in mine.
“Should we tell Harley about how you might have seen Daniel?”
“No, not with the fight so close, and I bet it’s not even him. I just didn’t sleep much last night; in fact for weeks. It’s just stress messing with my head,” I reassure her as I can’t be sure it was him.
Chapter 20
Tilly
"You're kissing me, then leaving," I mutter as Harley kisses me gently and steps back. I don’t want to make him feel guilty, but as my hands tighten on his shirt, I know I don’t want to let go. I don’t want him to stop kissing me.
"You know I have to do this. I will be back for you later. Look after our girl," he tells me, and I shake my head as I force myself to let go. I hear Luke open the front door and walk out, and for some reason that makes this all real to me. I’ve tried my best to get my head off maybe seeing Daniel on the same day that Harley is going to walk into this fight.
"You can’t promise me that, it’s impossible for you to promise me anything right now," I say, and he sighs.
"Tilly."
"Just come back because . . .," I go to say words I’ve only thought, but they get stuck in my throat, just as Sebastian and Elliot come into the room.
"Have a good girl’s night," Sebastian says to me, referring to Maisy, Allie, Izzy, and Emilia who are waiting for me in the lounge. They have already said their goodbyes to Harley and the others. The guys decided they all need to be at the Cage tonight. Except for Blake, who had to deal with Tristan tonight and didn’t want to upset Allie with how Tristan is at the moment. Izzy told Blake to just try and help, and he has been, but it is, apparently, far more complicated than we knew.
"I will," I reply, faking a smile and they all walk out, knowing they all said their goodbyes already. Harley stops at the door and looks at me.
"I feel the same if that’s anything. I have to say it before I leave," he tells me, and I smile.
"Me, too," I sigh out, watching as his eyes light up, but then he nods, leaving and shutting the door behind him. I go back into the lounge, where the girls are sitting across the sofas and eating various foods. Emilia has a gap next to her, and I go and sit down. Jake and my baby girl are sleeping upstairs in the cots we have, and Maisy has a baby monitor in her hand. It was so cute to see Jake come over and try to give baby girl one of his toys, and then he stayed next to her until she fell asleep.
"How long until your baby girl comes?" Emilia asks Maisy as Izzy puts in the DVD we have chosen for tonight. I don’t know the movie, but it’s something about bridesmaids.
"I’m due in for a section tomorrow," she says, and I can’t believe how excited she must be. It’s awesome that our babies are going to be so close in age. That they will grow up together and go to the same schools around here. Hopefully, they will be friends.
"Are you nervous?" Allie asks gently.
"Nope. I’ve done this once before, and yeah, I can’t think about being nervous right now," she says, and we all settle down to watch the movie. The movie is funny and opens with a bad sex scene.
So it has us all laughing within moments when Allie says, “That is not how Elliot–”
“Allie, don’t,” Izzy says, putting her hands on her ears. I sit eating popcorn and drinking some Coke as we watch the rest of the movie. My mind running over and over what Harley is about to do, and I know I can’t stop him. I can’t even be there for him.
"Guys," Maisy says, and Izzy pauses the movie.
"Yeah, you okay?" Izzy asks, and we go silent.
"My waters just went, and I need a section. I can’t have this baby naturally after what happened with Jake–” Maisy says in a nervous tone, and we all quickly get up. Someone turns the lights on as I help Maisy up, and Allie is on her other side. Maisy’s leggings are soaked, and so is the sofa.
“Any contractions?” Allie asks Maisy, who shakes her head.
“Only one little one, nothing serious and nothing like how quick they came on last time,” she says, holding her side.
"In my car, and you call Seb," Allie tells Izzy, who nods. She rings his phone several times as we get Maisy into the car.
“Is he coming?” Maisy asks as Allie as she goes to shut the door.
“He will be there,” I tell her gently, and she nods.
"He isn’t answering, I bet he can’t hear it over the music of the Cage," Izzy says once Allie shuts the door. There is only one thing we can do, and that’s one of us needs to get to the Cage.
"Okay, I will drive there. Does anyone have the directions?" I ask, and they all look at each other.
“I will drive Maisy to the hospital, and you get Seb there now. No matter what," Allie says, and we all nod at her as she goes and gets into the car.
We watch her drive off before Emilia says, "I know how to get there but can’t drive as I’ve had a drink."
"Then I will drive. Izzy will stay and look after the kids," I say, and I
zzy nods her agreement. I know she doesn’t want to go near the Cage, and I don’t blame her. I look down at my leggings, and long, red top and have no idea what the dress code is for the Cage. I look at Emilia in her black hoodie and black jeans, knowing that it can’t be too dressy.
"I need to grab my jacket," I say and go into the house, pulling on my leather jacket and getting my keys. Izzy walks past me, still trying to call one of the guys, and I hope she gets through to one of them in time. She stops and grabs my arm to stop me from walking away.
“I will keep ringing, but Harley won’t be happy to see you there. And, be careful,” Izzy tells me and lets go. I don’t have to say anything to her as I turn and walk towards the car.
"How do you know how to get there?" I ask Emilia as she gets into Harley’s spare Range Rover. The car is perfect and new, making me think it isn’t a spare like Harley said it was when he let me borrow it. Or, he replaced it with a better car.
"My dad, he works there and so does the rest of my family. It’s a long story, but I’ve always known about The Cage," she says quietly.
“What do they do there?” I ask.
“Jobs for Arthur mainly, and even I work for him from time to time.”
“What do you do for Arthur?” I ask her, hoping it’s nothing to do with the brothers because I would never be able to forgive her if it was.
“Dancing, I pole dance for his clients sometimes. My mother does it, too, and it’s something I don’t have much of a choice in,” she tells me, her hands tightening on her seats.
"Do the brothers know that?" I ask, wondering if they know Emilia is close to The Cage.
"No . . . Well, Luke does, but I would like it if you didn't say anything to the others," she tells me.
"I’m your friend, I’m not saying a word," I comment, and she smiles at me. I pull the car out of their long drive and listen to Emilia’s directions to the Cage. I’m surprised that it isn’t that far away from town and in the middle of a deserted road. The empty road pulls out into a packed carpark and a massive warehouse at the back of it.
"This doesn’t look like the Cage," I say, commenting on how I expected it to be different.
"Make no mistake Tilly, this place is as rough as it looks, and I need to be honest with you, you need to be quiet in there and let me speak," she tells me. I watch in shock as she pulls her hoodie off, revealing the tattoos lining her arms and the small tank top she has on that shows off her flat stomach. She pulls her hair down and runs her fingers through it.
“I can’t go in there looking like I want to. Not worth the hassle Arthur or my family would give me if a client saw me. They expect me to be their wet dream and pay thousands for a dance,” she says, and her words are bitter.
“Do you ever sleep with them?” I ask her gently, and she shakes her head.
“Arthur sells the fact I’m a virgin to them, and I’m not to be touched. I know he will eventually sell me off to someone, but I plan to escape this hellhole of a town before that happens.”
“Virgin?”
“That’s what he thinks. There was this one night, with a guy who was amazing. But, this is who I am. My family needs me, and whatever I feel can’t get in the way of that,” she tells me and then, gets out of the car. I follow her out and lock the car before walking up the path in the middle that leads to the doors of the warehouse.
"Sis," one of the massive bouncers at the door says when he sees Emilia. The bouncer has a bald head, tanned skin similar to Emilia’s, and dark hair. The other bouncer doesn’t say a word as he continues to stare at me in the carpark.
"Hey, bro, I came to see the fight. Finally, there’s a chance one of the famous King brothers is going to die, huh?" Emilia says, and I glare at her. What the hell?
"Damn straight, I’ve seen the people the boss chose for Harley. Wants him dead, alright." Her brother says, and I hold the urge to hit one of them as they both laugh.
"Anyway, my friend here hasn’t seen a fight before, and if she is going to see any, it’s got to be tonight," Emilia says, hooking her arm through mine as the guy looks me up and down.
"Best show her what it’s like then and maybe bring her downstairs after if she needs some work." Her brother laughs and opens the door. I don’t want to know what kind of work her brother just offered me, and I have no intention of ever finding out. I just need to find Harley. Emilia leads me in, and we walk down the steps to the entrance.
Once the door shuts, she whispers to me. "You have to act a certain way here or you don’t make it. My brothers aren’t like that behind closed doors, but here, it’s different. If people aren’t scared of you, then you shouldn’t be here, or you will be dead." I don’t get a chance to respond to her as she pushes the doors open to a massive room. The room is loud, the music blasting my ears, and the heat of the place makes you feel like you're being swallowed whole. There’s a massive cage in the middle with bright lights shining on it, it has bars around the side and doors leading off to god know what on the sides. I’m shocked at the number of people that are here. I didn’t expect to see so many of them. Most women are wearing clothes that do little to hide their bodies, and the men are in tight suits. I don’t know why I stop in my tracks as I take everything in, the smells of sweat and sweet perfumes fill my nose, and they make me want to run out the door.
"Come on!" Emilia shouts at me, just as I spot Harley. Every part of me freezes when I see him, my mouth goes dry, and fear fills me. He is in the cage, blood pouring down his face, two men are unconscious at his feet, and he is facing three other guys. Two of them are massive, and the other looks like he shouldn’t be in the fight at all. There are hundreds of people around the cage, most shouting ‘King’, but some are shouting other words I don’t recognise. The noise is just that loud in here, but I can’t move as I stare at Harley. I don’t think I will ever forget seeing him this way, the way he looks is dangerous, but I know straight away that this is not who he is. Harley is the man who feeds my daughter when she wakes up at night, who brings me coffee in the morning. The man who cuts roses from plants in his garden and puts them in my bedroom window. The man I find asleep in his study, with a new book in his hands. That’s my Harley, and this is the man he has been forced to be for too long.
"I see Sebastian at the bar,” she shouts at me and tries to pull my arm, just as Harley rushes at two of the guys.
"Go, then," I say, unhooking my arm from hers and ignoring her when she tells me to come back. I push through the people and duck under others that are jumping up and down. It doesn’t take me long to get to the front of the crowd, with my body pushed against the Cage wall. Harley is struggling to fight the guys as two of the huge ones hold him down, and the other hits his side. I feel sick as I see the almost defeated look he is wearing; this fight isn’t fair. He can’t die like this, not after everything this hellhole has taken from him.
"HARLEY, FIGHT FOR ME!"I scream, just as his bright-green eyes find mine.
Chapter 21
Harley
“What happened this time?” I ask Elliot as I wait for the nurse to stitch up the cut on his back. Our father called to tell me Elliot was here, but I don’t know why he bothered to tell me as he doesn’t usually give a fuck about the marks he has done. The cut on his back is thicker than the other one next to it, and the wad of cash sticking out the nurse’s pocket makes me realize my father has already paid her off. The more I look at her, the more I realise that she is one of the girls that hang around my father and Arthur a lot.
“I wouldn’t fuck Hazel,” he says quietly, and I tighten my fists. The nurse gives me a worried look, and I force myself to calm down.
“I’m going to deal with her,” I tell Elliot and wait for the nurse to finish up before leaving the hospital with Elliot.
“Don’t bother. The girl is a fucking idiot,” Elliot comments, and I shake my head as I open the car door for him.
“She needs to leave. I’ve had enough of our father using her to fuck with me, and
now you. We deal with enough shit from him.”
“She won’t leave, she has no family to go to. Let’s just go somewhere else, Harley. I don’t want to go back there tonight,” he tells me, and I look over at him. What little light there was in his eyes just seems to be disappearing by the day. By everything our father does, and I don’t want Elliot to lose himself. Not when he is so young.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Don’t know,” he mutters, and I rest my hand on his shoulder.
“I do, let’s get your brothers and go for a drink in the next town,” I say, knowing I need to get him away from here.
“Sounds good,” Elliot says, and some light comes back into his eyes.
"You ready for this?" Elliot asks me as I finish tying my knuckles up with tape and I look over at him as the memory washes away. Elliot looks far better than he did back then when everything was forced or taken from him. He finally has his girl, the one he always wanted, and he has everything to live for. I look down at the tape as I tie it. It’s red, and it reminds me of Tilly’s red hair. It makes me want to finish this quicker. Win this last fight and then get the hell out of here and to my girl.
"Yes. Just . . . if I don’t make it out of this, protect Tilly and her baby for me?" I ask him, knowing he is the only one out of my brothers who is being realistic. Luke and Sebastian can’t think of anything other than me walking out of here. But, Elliot isn’t like that. He knows how you have to fight for everything, and how I will be lucky to make it out of this fight in one piece. We always took the harder fights, the ones we knew would be hard to beat, but Luke and Sebastian don’t know that. And, they never will.
“Always,” Elliot tells me, and that’s all I need to hear as I stand up. I’ve spent months working out for this, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I can do this, I’ve done it my whole life, but I’ve never fought more than three men at a time. I remember when I fought three when I turned eighteen, I just barely made it out of that fight, then, but I’m a different man, now. Years of fighting have made me tough, and I’ve never been in shape like I am today. I’ve spent weeks training for this moment, to get to where I need to be.