Another One Bites the Dust (16 page)

“Oh, my God.  You boys wouldn’t know how to satisfy me if I drew you a goddamned map.”  I goaded them.

I wanted their attention away from my brother who was trying his damnedest to get up.  He had blood running down the right side of his face, but I couldn’t tell if the cut was bad since his helmet only showed so much of his face.  The two boy’s I’d taken down earlier were slowly getting back online.  The one I’d gotten in the butt was up to his hands and knees, trying to push himself up.  Knee boy was sitting on his butt, his knee up to his chest.

“Look who we have here.  Who’s the old bitch?”  Number 66 asked.

I knew it was my mother before I even turned my head.  I should have known better.  I got my bravery from my mother.  Except it only came out when it wanted to, and usually in the worst situations, kinda like now.  Since the attack, my bravery has eluded me, but I felt a kind of elation that I was able to stand up to these boys who were easily twice my size.  Bennett was shooting daggers at my mother and me.

“Get the fuck out of here!”  Bennett yelled.

“Uh, oh.  Someone’s in trouble.  Why don’t you two ladies run along.  We’re a little busy here.”  Number 66 said before turning his back on us to face Bennett.

“What are you doing here?”  I hissed at my mother.

“Get over it.  What’re we going to do?”  She asked worriedly.

“I have no fucking clue.”  I said defeat in my voice.

The boys were huge, and there was no way my mother and I could take them on, even if Bennett was able to help.  Number 66 chose that moment in time to kick Bennett in the face, and I completely lost it.  Sprinting the ten yards that were separating us, I jumped on his back and latched my fingernails into his face.  He tried to shake me off, but I stuck like a leech.  My fingers were digging into something disgustingly squishy, and I prayed I wasn’t blinding him.  That would just be so gross.

I heard my mom yell from behind me, and I was pulled off the back I was attached to by my hair, and fell hard to the ground.  My mom tried to help, but like me, she was small and would never do much damage.  I could see Bennett taking out one of the other players, but it wasn’t enough.  They were going to hurt us, and badly.

A foot found a home in the softness of my belly, and I groaned and curled in on myself, covering my head with my arms.  My mind went somewhere after that.  To the same place I went the night of my attack.  I wasn’t sure if I continued to be kicked or not, because I was in my happy place.  The place where I wasn’t scared or hurt.

An enraged bellow came from above, and I looked up intime to see my daddy take the boy that kicked me out at the knees.  He didn’t stop there though; he hit the boy so hard in the stomach that he doubled over and heaved into the grass.  Bennett had butt boy down on the ground pounding his fist into the kid’s ribs.  As reality came crashing back, I noticed Max was involved with the remaining three, and they weren’t fairing any better.  I couldn’t decide who I wanted to look at, my dad, Bennett, or Max.  My head kept whipping back and forth like a fricking cartoon character.

My mom dropped down to her knees and pulled me bodily into her arms.  “Oh God, thank God.”  She repeated over and over again.

“Freeze!”  A newcomer bellowed a few feet away from us.

The boys were dropped to the ground carelessly, and my father, Max, and Bennett all stood there chests heaving.  Bennett was no longer wearing his helmet, and I could see the cut was much worse than I’d originally thought.  Max took a step in my direction, and was stopped short by the cop that was pointing what I assumed was a Taser in our directions.

“Do not fucking move.”  The cop said.

“Fuck off.  She’s hurt.  That thing won’t stop me either.”  He said facing the cop in a relaxed stance.

I was worried Max’s attitude was going to get him shot with this Taser by Mr. Jumpy Cop, and I prayed he kept his mouth shut.

“Can you tell me why you all are beating up players?”  The cop asked.

“Cool it, kid.  This is Max.”  A man dressed in all black said.  He was wearing a facemask, so I couldn’t tell whom it was.

“Luke.”  Max said before dropping down on the opposite side of my mom. 

He cupped my face in his good hand, and checked my eyes.  “You okay?”

I nodded, choked up.  I was so fucking scared.  I’d taken for granted the feeling of safeness with Alpha around, but the first time I was put into a situation like the attack, I froze.  Then that thought brought up another one.

“Where’s Alpha?”  I said startled.

I tried to get to my knees, but my ribs protested.  Max helped me to my feet by hauling me up under the armpits, and then put his arm around my waist for support.  I looked frantically all around and panic started riding up in my throat.

“I totally forgot all about him, what if he’s out there somewhere hurt?”  I said horror evident in my voice.

“We’ll find him, honey.  Don’t worry.  He probably just can’t get to us since he’s behind that fence.”  Max soothed.

“I’m a bad doggy mommy; I mean who leaves their dog behind?”  I asked nearly in tears.

“One who was worried about her brother?  Don’t think that I’m going to let you off the hook for this either.”  He growled.

“Alright.  Mr. Alvarez, we’re going to need you all to come make statements at the station.  What the hell is wrong with him?  Why’s he bleeding from the ass?”  Luke asked with repulsion in his voice.

“That would be my big sister.  She shoved the yard marker up his ass.”  Bennett supplied helpfully.

“I didn’t shove it up his ass!”  I said voice only a tiny bit shrill.  “I shoved it through his ass.” 

“Uh, baby?  That doesn’t sound any better.”  My dad explained.

I stomped my foot in annoyance.  “It’s only though the meat.  I didn’t go anywhere near his butthole.”
My dad, Bennett, Max, Luke, the young cop, and my mom were all shaking with laughter by the time I dug the hole the rest of the way.

I shut up after that.  The boys that could walk were led away in handcuffs.  I watched in derision as the one who’d called my mother an ‘old bitch’ continued to spout off his mouth.  The young cop had just gotten the cuffs on him when the boy with the knee reached for the officer’s gun.

He didn’t get far though because he suddenly found himself contending with a ninety pound dog in his face, barking and snarling.  All he needed was some foam around the mouth and he’d look like he had rabies.  The boy threw himself backwards, but Alpha just followed him down to the ground, still growling.

“Get him away from me!”  The boy-man squealed.

I didn’t feel the need to get him off of him.  I was sick and tired of it. 

Max watched with a bored expression on his face, but finally sighed and turned to me.  “Payton.”

“Heel.”  I said in a quiet voice.

Alpha immediately quieted and returned to my side to lean into me.  He threw me off balance, and a shaft of pain barreled through me, but I gritted my teeth and bared it because I didn’t want to let on that I was more hurt than I looked.

“Let’s get this shit over with.”  My dad said as he walked up to my mom who was still on her knees.

He helped her up tenderly, and threw his arm around her shoulder guiding her along.  Bennett followed, and Max, Alpha and I took up the rear.

“Meet you there, son.”  Dad said as he helped my mom into their car.

I nodded, and continued to walk with Max in silence except for Alpha’s claws clicking against the concrete.

Max stopped me as we got to the passenger door of his truck.  “How bad are you hurt?”

“Not that bad, I’m going to be sore for a while though.”  I grimaced.

He nodded, but I knew it wouldn’t be the end of it.  He helped me into the car, as well as Alpha, before getting in on his side.  Paper crinkling distracted him, and he lifted his butt up from the seat and withdrew a yellow note.

“What’s that?”  I asked curiously.

“No clue.”  He said as he opened it.

As he read the note, his face tightened in an unreadable mask.  “What?”

“Nothing.”  He said as he folded the note carefully, and then stuck it down into the little holder on the door.

“Max…”  I started to say.

“Don’t.  Not yet.”  He snapped.

I shut my mouth.  He’s never yelled at me before.  Hell, I’ve never even seen him anything but slightly upset.  Seeing this side of him scared the crap out of me.  He was shut off.  No emotions.  He didn’t even look furious anymore.  Just blank.

“I love you.”  I whispered to him into the darkness.

I didn’t get a reply back.

Chapter 10

I don’t need anger management classes.  You need “Shut the fuck up” classes.

-E-card

Max

“Take it easy, man.  You’re gonna rebreak it.”  James said panting beside me.

I ignored him.  It’d been two weeks since the fight at the football game, and I still didn’t know what the hell to do.  I knew Payton thought I was mad at her, but I just couldn’t figure out what to do.

James blocked my right hook, and countered with his own.  He landed it solidly on the base of my ribcage, and I went with the punch, using the momentum to kick out with my right leg.  I made contact with the pad that covered his left forearm, and stopped as he went down.

“Jesus.  This is only sparring, douche bag.”  James grumbled while shaking out his hand.  “If I’d known you came in kill mode, I would have found myself something else to do.”

I didn’t take his complaining seriously, though.  We both had those days where nothing worked except going at it one on one in the gym.  Beating the shit out of each other until one of us went down.  Most of the time it was me, but today I had a feeling it would be him.  We were evenly matched in the strength department, but where I excelled in speed, he excelled in strategy.  He could tell what I was about to do before I even did it.  It’d been nearly two years since we’d gone at it like this, but today we would be remedying that.

“Just stay away from my face.  I don’t want Janie crying when she sees me.”  James demanded.

I nodded in agreement.  Couldn’t have the kids crying.  Check.  “Got it.  Keep those knees away from my junk.  No slips like last time.”

We both knew he didn’t slip, but all’s fair in war and war.  You do what you have to do to survive.  Take every low blow you can think of.  Kick them while they’re down.  Unfair in your book means survival in mine.

I faked a jab with my right before following through with a hooking left.  My fist glanced off the side of his jaw because he anticipated the move.  What he didn’t anticipate was me sweeping his knees out from under him.  I wanted him on the floor though.  I was a grappler.  I did my best work on the ground.

“What’s your next move?”  James asked slightly winded.

I tried to get him into an arm bar, but he countered, and I found myself nearly in one of my own.  I didn’t pretend to misunderstand what he was talking about.  The reason we were here in the first place was that my anger was getting the better of me.  Ember told me I needed to stop being such an “ass muncher” (her words, not mine) and sent me here.  James arrived a few minutes later with the directive to get my shit straightened or Ember and Payton were leaving for the weekend.

That sure as fuck wasn’t going to happen with the newest threat.  “I called Layne, but he’s got nothing.  They thought she was dead.  They’re investigating, but can’t do much from the other side of the world.”

I was at a total loss.  How do you find a ghost?  The law enforcement connections I had showed that she was never even alive, which isn’t surprising for a CIA spook.  The only thing I was able to do was put a man on her.  Payton knew that something was up, yet I didn’t want to alarm her.  This was bad.  Someone trained in practically everything was gunning for her.

The note I’d sat on after the football game confirmed my suspicions after the fire.

After the body was found in Payton’s bedroom, burned beyond recognition, we knew that there was an extra person.  Someone wouldn’t be able to bar the damn door shut from the outside while burning to death on the inside.  ‘Bitch’ had been keyed into the paint of the hood on Payton’s car.  Keying of the car had ‘woman’ written all over it. 

Men didn’t bother with stupid shit like that.  We leaned towards taking a 4X4 to it instead.  Men also leaned to plain fighting.  If we were pissed about something, we just had it out.  James and I have had more than a few rows.  We were pissed, we fought, we resolved it, and we had a beer.  That simple.

“I told you not the face, fucker!”  James yelled as he took a cheap shot at my dick.

I jumped back, and laughed.  “I was aiming for your ribs.  Who the hell told you to duck?”

“So, when are you going to tell her?”  James asked.

He connected with my jaw, and I saw stars for a few seconds.  Shaking my head, I countered with a knee to his thigh.  He went down like a heap of dead weight, but quickly recovered, rolled, and swept my feet out from under me.  “I’m not telling her anything until I can make confirmation.”

The doors slammed open, and we both stopped.  We were both locked in a leg bar, watching as Payton marched into the room, a yellow envelope in her hands.  She walked right up to me and kicked me with her little elf feet right in the ribs.  She packed a surprising amount of power into her kick, and I reluctantly let go of James’ leg before grabbing her around the waist, taking her down to the floor in milliseconds.

“What the fuck?”  I growled from above her.

Her hair was wild.  Her eyes were sparking with anger, and I went through the mental lists of things I’d done that morning to see if I could remember doing anything she’d told me to do that I didn’t.

“I didn’t mean to leave my chocolate milk cup on your computer.  Did Alpha spill it again?”  I asked worriedly.

He’d done that just last week.  I’d finished half the cup before leaving it beside the computer while I was reading the paper online.  I’d forgotten about it, and Alpha had spilled it in his quest to get the Pop-Tart crusts I’d left on the plate right beside the cup.  It’d spilled into the keyboard, and she’d had to get a new one.  It wasn’t as if I hadn’t paid for it.