Clutch (Custom Culture) (18 page)

Their attention no longer drawn to the ring, the spectators began to take notice of the three of us as if a spotlight had turned on above us.

Scotlyn took hold of my hand. She looked over at Cassie. “We should probably find the guys soon.”

“Agreed,” Cassie said. But, suddenly, we were like cornered prey in a den of predators, and with each cautious step we took, the predators moved closer. “All right,” Cassie said. “I’m officially calling this a mistake.” Then a side door opened on the opposite side of the gym and, aside from a few stragglers, the pack of hunters turned their attention back to the ring.

I stretched up on my toes in an attempt to peer over the sea of heads. One head stood above the rest. I took a sharp breath and dropped back to my heels. “I think Dray might be next in the ring. Clutch is one of the people who just came out of that side door. I can’t see Nix and Dray, but I’m sure they have to be nearby.”

Cassie took hold of Scotlyn’s arm. “I’ve changed my mind. I can’t watch this. I don’t know what I was thinking. Let’s get out of here.”

“You only have to ask me once. It’s probably best if we can scurry out of here without the guys seeing us.” Scotlyn squeezed my hand even tighter, and I took hold of Cassie’s hand. Scotlyn’s long silver blonde ponytail lit the way as she pulled us quickly through the mass of testosterone. Through the maze of men, we spotted a clear but narrow path to the door. The rumblings and voices grew louder and the spectators pressed closer to the center ring. In seconds, our escape route had filled with men. I pointed toward an opening, and Scotlyn dove through it. Our quick and slightly frantic rush seemed to be drawing attention toward us again.

Without warning, a man’s arm snaked around Cassie’s waist. She lost her grip on my hand, and I pounded my fists on the guy’s back. The stale smell of alcohol floated out of his mouth as he laughed at my futile attempt to harm him. Cassie grabbed his thick wrist and tried to pry his hands off of her.

Scotlyn pushed her face up into his. “Let her go, you creep.” When she was pissed, she had some solid tone behind her usually demure voice.

Unfortunately, Scotlyn’s scolding only served to draw more attention to us. Then moments later, the trip to Tank’s Gym grew from a bad decision to a colossal, irreparable mistake. It was hard to know exactly when the impact had occurred. It had all happened so incredibly fast. Dray had shot across the room almost as if he’d had the preternatural speed of a vampire. He was standing between Cassie and the guy who had grabbed her. The nauseating sound of a nose breaking snapped through the low roar of the crowd and the guy stumbled back, blood pouring from his face. In a blur of movement, two large guys with tight black t-shirts that read ‘security’ shoved into the center of the action and dragged Dray roughly to the backroom. In the chaos of it all, I’d lost sight of Nix and Clutch.

Cassie’s narrow shoulders shook with sobs. Scotlyn grabbed hold of each of our arms. “We’ve got to get out of here now.” We inched closer to the ring where it seemed we could find our surest way out. Cassie kept her face down, and Scotlyn forged ahead with steely determination. We emerged from the sea of bodies and ended up directly next to the ring.

We crept along its border. We were halfway down the ring and just twenty steps from the exit when an announcer came on the microphone. “We are looking for a match up in round three. A fighter has been disqualified for throwing a punch outside of the ring.”

Cassie’s face shot up. Her glasses were steamed from tears and the moist, hot air in the gym. She pulled them off. “Did they say he was disqualified?”

Scotlyn looked at me and then reluctantly turned to Cassie. “I’m pretty sure that’s what the announcer said.”

Cassie’s hand flew to her mouth. “Dray’s been anticipating and preparing for this match for weeks. He’s going to be so upset. I can’t leave until I know he’s all right.” Her voice trembled.

Simultaneously, we glanced in the direction that security had taken Dray. The path to the rear of the gym looked daunting.

Cassie took a deep breath. She wiped her glasses off on her shirt and placed them back on her face. This time Cassie took charge, and with elbows swinging and expressions that told people to get hell out of the way, we made the long trek to the backroom door.

Something told me that Dray was not going to be in the greatest of moods when he saw us, but Cassie knew him better than me and she headed toward him now with unflappable determination.

Cassie glanced fleetingly at us before opening the door. A cold, dark corridor wound around a corner. Light and voices streamed out into the otherwise unlit passage. We followed the sound of the deep voices and came to another metal door.

Cassie’s confidence seemed to shrink with each step we took. She pressed her hand against her stomach. “I feel sick.”

Scotlyn placed a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe they won’t suspend him for the whole night.”

Yellowish light seeped beneath the door making Cassie’s face look even paler. “I caused all of this.” She opened the door and three familiar faces popped up. They stared at the three of us as if we’d just emerged from a spaceship. I didn’t look directly at Clutch, but I could feel his gaze on the side of my face.

Dray shot Cassie a hard look. His jaw twitched as he spun around and paced toward the back wall lined with a row of dented lockers. He threw his fist into one, and the clang of metal echoed off the cement walls.

Cassie looked extra small in the vast room. She wrung her hands together with worry, and I walked over and put an arm around her shoulder.

Dray was the first one to find his tongue. “Have you three girls lost your mind coming down here? What the hell, Cass? Do you know how long I’ve been training for this fight?”

Cassie’s throat moved as she swallowed. Her eyes looked glassy with tears, but she held them back. “I- I didn’t tell you to hit the guy.” Her thin tone was nearly lost in the stark tile and cement room.

“I can’t fucking believe you girls came down here,” Dray growled. “Fucking stupid stunt.”

Cassie turned around and flew out of the room. Scotlyn followed her.

I looked at Dray. “She just wanted to see one of your fights, you ass—”

“Stay out of it, Taylor,” Clutch said tersely.

Up until that point, I’d made little eye contact with him, but I made plenty of it now. There was a tiny flicker of regret in his eyes but not nearly enough to wipe away his admonishment. “Go to hell, Clutch.”

“Taylor, dammit, come back here,” he yelled, as I slammed the door and raced out.

I plunged through the crowd, ignoring the creepy comments and gestures. Cassie and Scotlyn were already at the car as I shoved open the metal exit door and stumbled out onto the grimy sidewalk. We climbed inside.

Cassie covered her face and slumped down in the front seat as Scotlyn started the car. I glanced back. Nix and Clutch emerged from the gym and watched us pull away.

My stomach knotted up with pain as I thought back to the last few minutes. Clutch’s cold greeting for me only solidified my hunch that my parents had been telling the truth. He wasn’t going to give up his business for a silly, meaningless relationship with me. I felt hopeless and ridiculously delusional. For a brief amount of time, I thought I’d finally gotten him to take notice of me. For a brief amount of time, I’d convinced myself that Clutch wanted me as much as I wanted him.

Cassie sat up and pulled out her phone. She furiously typed out a text message and pressed send.

Scotlyn watched her and then looked up in the mirror at me. “Are you all right, Taylor?” I was glad they’d both missed my scolding.

“I’m just great.”

“Me too,” Cassie said sharply.

Scotlyn glanced over at her. “Did you send him a well-deserved, nasty message?”

Cassie shook her head. “Nope. I wasn’t texting him. I just sent a message to the man who offered me the internship overseas. I’ve accepted the position. Dray just made the decision really easy for me.”

“Are you sure you shouldn’t wait until you’re not angry at Dray?” Scotlyn asked. “It’s a big decision to make when you’re upset.”

Cassie didn’t answer her. She turned around and looked at me. “Taylor, you’re still young. You make sure that you pick the future you want. Don’t let any guy take control of your life. You too, Scottie. As awesome as Nix is, you’ve got to set your own future.” With that, she reached forward, turned up the music, and slumped back against the seat.

We drove back in silence with only the memory of the horrid night to fill our thoughts.

I leaned over and hugged them both as Scotlyn dropped me off at my street corner. The front room light was on, but my bedroom was dark, giving me hope that they had never checked on me. I stared at the quiet house for a minute and realized I wasn’t ready to go inside yet.

It felt as if I’d been knocked senseless like a fighter in the ring. My limbs felt rubbery and useless. I sat down on the curb in front of my house. Still being spring, the night time temperature was chilly enough to make me fold my arms around myself. Then I thought about being in Clutch’s arms. I’d been in pure bliss for a few days thinking maybe things were going to go the way I’d wanted. I’d wasted so much emotion and heartbreak on the man and all for nothing. Cassie had been right. I needed to take care of my own future, and I needed to stop wasting time pining over Clutch.

Car lights swung around the corner, and I figured Scotlyn had decided to make sure I’d gotten inside. I pushed to my feet and squinted into the light, but it wasn’t Scotlyn’s car. It was an old beat-up car that I’d never seen before. The car pulled over to the curb in front of my house. I turned to hurry inside.

I heard a window roll down. “Taylor,” a voice said.

I stopped and looked back. Gus’s face peered up at me as he leaned over the passenger seat. “I tried to call you.”

“I don’t have my phone.” My heart was still racing. “You scared me. What are you doing here?”

He looked up at me. “You look like you’ve had a bad night.”

“One of the worst.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m leaving in the morning.” He stared up at me. “You should come with me.”

Chapter 26

Clutch

Normally, I was one of those lucky people who enjoyed going to work since it was my own business and I was doing exactly what I loved to do. But I would have preferred to stay in bed today. After a quick and disappointing fight night, I’d driven Dray home. I’d gotten home and finished enough beer to knock out an elephant, or me, and then fallen into bed. I had hoped to drown out my own miserable thoughts with alcohol but realized there just wasn’t enough beer in the house for that. Especially when the scent of Taylor’s perfume still clung to my sheets and the pair of earrings she’d taken out still sat on my nightstand. I tried all night to call her, but she never answered.

The shop was empty as I arrived. I was just as glad not to see Jason. I had no idea how this was all going to end, but I knew that no matter what happened, I wasn’t giving Taylor up. Now I had to worry that she’d given up on me. She’d left so pissed, I wasn’t convinced that she’d ever talk to me again.

I filled the coffee pot and headed to my computer. There were orders waiting to be filled. Aimee’s dad had given the shop a big boost with leads. She’d moved back home, and Dustin had disappeared completely. I could only hope he was living in a refrigerator box somewhere in the city.

The back door opened and shut. “Scotlyn?” I needed to find out what’d happened after the girls left the fight. I only hoped she would tell me.

The footsteps were heavy, not Scotlyn’s. Jason burst into the office, and I sat forward.

“Where the hell is she?” His fists were curled tightly.

“Who?”

“Don’t fucking play games with me, Clutch. Where is Taylor?”

“I haven’t seen her since last night.” I pulled out my phone. “She was with Scotlyn and Cassie last night. I’m sure she stayed out on the boat.” I dialed Scotlyn’s number.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Scottie. Is Taylor with you?”

There was a pause. “No, I dropped her off on the corner of her street. She wouldn’t let me drop her in front of her house because she didn’t want her parents to see that she’d gone out. Do you mean she didn’t get home?” There was an edge of panic in her voice.

“I’m sure she just ended up at a friend’s,” I said calmly, even though I wasn’t. “See you in a few, and don’t worry.”

I hung up. “Maybe she spent the night with a friend. Did you call her school?”

Jason’s face was in its usual twisted state of rage, a look that he’d perfected lately but one that’d never suited him. “Of course we did. What do you think we are, idiots?”

I stood and he stepped back. “Yes, as a matter of fact that’s exactly what I think of you and your parents. And, once I find Taylor, which I will, she’s mine, and if you can’t handle that then we’ll talk about breaking up this business. While your expertise with cars is valuable to me, my business sense is of way more value to you. You’ll be shit out of luck without me, but I’ll do just fine.” I stormed past him and headed back out to my truck.

I’d marched out of the shop with all the confidence of a skilled tracker only to realize that I was completely unsure of where to start looking. I knew Taylor had a couple of friends she was close to, but they would be at school. I headed home. Barrett was closer in age and knew more of her friends.

***

Barrett was still fast asleep. The burns on his back were healing, but there was no way he could work. I kicked the side of his mattress, and he lifted his head and squinted into the daylight. “What the hell, Jimmy? What time is it?”

“It’s ten o’clock. Sorry to wake you so close to the crack of dawn, but Taylor’s missing.”

His head flopped back on the pillow. “I don’t think you need to worry. After all, it’s Taylor. It’s not like she hasn’t disappeared before.”

I yanked the sheets off of him and dropped them in a pile on the floor. “Get up. I need your help to find her. At the moment, she’s really pissed at me.” I walked out.

“So what? She’s always pissed at you,” Barrett called out. “Where the hell are my sheets?”

I checked my phone on the way to the coffee pot. There was a text from Scotlyn.

“Any word from Taylor?”

“Not yet.” I wrote. “I’ll let you know as soon as I hear from her.” There were no other messages or texts. I knew that Taylor’s parents had taken her phone once as a punishment, but this time I was pretty sure she was just making a point of not answering my texts.

I poured a cup of coffee. I heard Barrett walk into the kitchen and turned around. “Want a cup?”

The look on his face told me he hadn’t followed me into the kitchen for coffee. “What’s wrong?”

His phone sat perched on his palm. He glanced at it before looking at me again. “I know where Taylor is.”

“Where is she?”

“Alaska.”

I placed the cup down hard on the counter, and hot coffee splashed my hand. “What are you saying? She left with that stoner?”

“Gus just texted me. They landed in Alaska an hour ago. He said Taylor was upset, and he invited her to move up there.” Barrett’s face mirrored how I felt, as if someone had just handed me a lit stick of dynamite. “Sorry, Jimmy. She’s gone.”

My phone buzzed and I looked at it. “Fucking hell, Dray’s fight fiasco just started an avalanche of shit. Nix just texted me that Cassie’s leaving Dray for a photography internship.” I yanked out a chair and sat down. My limbs and head were suddenly filled with lead. “I’ve been a fool thinking Taylor and I were going to work all this out. She hopped on a plane with hardly a thought toward me.”

Barrett sat down across from me. “Really? That’s what you think? And I’m the idiot?”

I glared at him, but it didn’t serve its purpose. He continued.

“You have been the only guy in that girl’s whole damn world. There were plenty of guys after her in school, but she had this crazy notion that she was going to end up with you. I’ve never seen you happier, by the way, than these last few weeks. You’re not your usual asshole self.”

“Thanks.”

“Any time. You said she was pissed at you last night. Well, then flying off to Alaska sounds exactly like something Taylor would pull. Cute as she is, she never thinks things out— like her crush on you. She should have thought long and hard on that. Cause like I said— you’re kind of an asshole.”

I sat forward fast enough to make my brother flinch. But I wasn’t pissed at him. I was pissed at myself. The truth was, I’d thought of nothing else except Taylor since— since forever.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

“Are you going to tell Jason?” Barrett asked.

I shook my head. “First, I’m booking a flight to Alaska. Then I’ll let Jason know we found her, but that’s all I’m going to tell him.”

“Awesome.” Barrett slapped the table. “We’re going to go fetch Tater Tot.”

I looked questioningly up at him. “We?”

He stood up. “Uh, you may know just about everything, but you don’t know your way around Alaska, or where Gus lives— Juneau, not Anchorage. You probably won’t be able to book a direct flight this late.”

“Can we rent a car in Anchorage and drive to Juneau?”

“Not unless the car has a bow and stern. There are no roads to Juneau.” He turned to leave and then stopped. “Oh, and pack a coat. It’s cold as fuck up there.”