Authors: Charlotte Sloan
They jumped up onto the side of the ring and tossed him a water bottle. He took sips of water as they clearly scolded him. Melissa tried to watch his face to see what he was feeling. She strained her eyes to see but the only thing she could see on his face was determination.
The bell rang, meaning the second round was starting and after he tossed the water bottle back over the cage wall he turned around, cutting off the two thugs. She watched as one pointed at him, but Thomas shrugged it off.
The next round wasn’t exactly the clearest victory. Thomas’ opponent clearly thought this was going to be an easy fight and came in soft. However, he turned the heat up in the second round. When the bell rang ending the round Melissa saw that Thomas was a bit shaken up. He was slated to drop in the third round and even if he didn’t mean to do it on purpose, he might drop. When he returned back to his corner, Melissa saw the sign though.
The two thugs whispered something to him and Melissa watched a fire light up behind his eyes. Thomas slid his mouth guard back into his mouth and turned to where Melissa was sitting. He pointed to his heart and Melissa knew that it was time to go.
This is where he took the win. She stood up and made her way towards the back of the auditorium where there were a few stands all paying out the bets. Melissa stood in line and looked up at the televisions that were broadcasting the fight.
The bell rang and Thomas fired out of his corner like a bullet. His fists landed in combination. The first broke the opponent’s block, the second caught him in the jaw sending his head snapping to the side. The third punch caught him just beneath the jaw and Melissa watched in what felt like slow motion.
The man’s head shot back and snapped. His entire body went still and his arms fell to his side. Then, like a tree that was cut down in the forest, his body fell backward. It bounced once and then fell still.
Melissa knew that only a second or two had passed, but in the moment it felt like years. As the man’s body went still on the mat it seemed like no one in the entire auditorium took a breath.
After that moment though the entire building erupted in applause and cheering. Thomas lifted his arms up and started screaming, running around the ring. The referee and a medic rushed into the ring to check the other man, but it didn’t even phase Thomas.
Melissa made it to the front of the line and pulled out her betting stub. She slid it across the counter and the woman behind the glass let out an audible gasp. The woman motioned for a man that was standing there who looked at the computer and laughed.
“It looks like your lucky day, would you like your winnings in cash or chips?” The man slid back a piece of paper with the number of her winnings and she laughed out loud as well. Sliding it back she answered.
“Cash please, I have someone I need to go see.” The man nodded and walked into the back room.
After a few minutes the man walked out with a tray of money. He counted it out in front of her and the a few people gathered around to see. It took about five minutes to count out the winnings, but once the man was done, a large crowd had gathered.
Including the two thugs that had been harassing Thomas. The man came out of the locked back room and presented her with the bag and key. He asked if she would want an escort as he looked out over the crowd, but Thomas rushed up.
“That won’t be necessary, I can handle it from here.” Thomas placed his hand on the small of her back and Melissa let him guide her out onto the strip and into their future.
THE END
Chapter 1
Kiley Bullens stumbled down the street. Her bare feet padded against the cracked sidewalk as dirt gathered between her toes. She giggled to herself as she stumbled into a nearby wall. The world around her kept spinning, blurring everything together. Kiley hadn’t been this intoxicated in a very long time. Recently, she had become best friends with the bottle. It was her escape, a means of making the world colorful again. It made the world beautiful. She looked up at the nighttime sky and smiled. In her drunken state, every star was a diamond.
She was then about to continue walking down the street when she collapsed. She tumbled to the ground and giggled as she sat there, hugging her knees. The alcohol gave her skin a bright red glow. Her bleach blonde hair was in a messy disarray. Her breath reeked of booze.
As she looked around, she hugged her knees tighter. She closed her eyes, forgetting all her miseries. Her conscious was clear now, free of responsibilities and expectations. Now she wasn’t the daughter of James Bullens, owner of Bullen Bullets, a company that specialized in military grade bullets for the special ops department. Now she was free.
And alcohol was her ticket to freedom. Parties, overflowing with alcohol turned into an escape from reality. Tonight, she had drunk herself into oblivion at the Marlin Mansion house party. It had been a decent party with decent booze. It had been enough for Kiley.
Now she was in her own little world, flying high. At the party, she had managed to get away from her bodyguards. As the daughter of Mr. Bullens, she was placed under protection at all times. She hated it. She felt trapped. She felt like a slave. She was constantly running away from them.
Right now these bodyguards were searching high and low for her. They searched while she sat down in the middle of the street all by herself. Had she been sober she would have been scared. The nearby street light was flickering ominously. Weird sounds surrounded her as she sat there, playing with the hem of her dress, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
Finally, after a moment, Kiley managed to get up. She walked down the street, walking further and further into dangerous territory. This part of town harbored gangs, violence, and crimes. It was no place for a sheltered rich girl. Yet, she walked down this street, unknowingly putting herself in danger. There was an idiotic smile on her face as she forgot everything. It felt good to forget.
As Kiley kept her head in the clouds, a group of men spotted her. They started to approach her, malicious intentions in their body language. They could easily see that this girl was drunk. They smirked at each other. A plan hatched between them as they threw up their hoods. They got into position.
As they got closer they noticed her expensive jewelry. A rich girl. Their smirks deepened. A rich girl could mean profit for them. Plus, rich girls like her needed to be taught a lesson.
They moved closer to her. At this point, all they needed to do was cross the street to get to her. Kiley was still oblivious to their presence. She, instead, focused on the pretty moon. She looked up at the nighttime sky, completely mesmerized by how big the moon was. In her drunken state, she felt like she could reach out and grab it.
The men watched her as she looked up at the sky. She was even more intoxicated than they thought. She would be an easy catch. They crossed the street. As their steps echoed against the building walls, Kiley looked up and spotted them. She smiled brightly, thinking them friends.
“H…Hey!” She hiccupped mid-word and chuckled at the men. The men grinned as they got closer to her, slowly enclosing her in a circle. Kiley didn’t feel threatened by them. She was still flying high.
They looked down at her. Eventually, the leader, a large man with a red hoodie spoke up, “why don’t you come with us?” His voice was deep. Kiley looked at him, unable to see his face. She scrunched her face confused. She didn’t know if she should trust these people.
“O…Okay!” She finally said. Her voice was cheery as she smiled brightly. She followed them into an alleyway. In her mind, this was normal.
While this was happening, Brad Breckinridge was walking home. He walked down the street before noticing the group of men. He saw them circle the girl and gritted his teeth. He knew what they were up to. His hands balled into fists.
There were five of them. They all looked big. From the look of her she was from the North Side. She was one of the rich girls. They would do bad things to her. Very bad.
Brad looked at them. Should he help her or continue on his way?
Chapter 2
Brad sighed as he rolled his shoulders. His body was sore from a recent fight. He moved his leg, bruised from the same fight. He touched his side, recently stitched from a stab wound. He didn’t know if he was capable of taking on five guys. He looked up and saw them bringing her into the alleyway. If he didn’t do something soon she would get hurt.
Suddenly, he heard her scream. Kiley screamed and tried to get away as one of the men fondled her breasts. She tried to hit him with her purse. Another man snatched it dumping its contents on the ground. A wad of cash fell out and he quickly pocketed it. He grinned to himself. This woman was turning out to be an even better catch than they had anticipated.
They continued to fondle her and toss her about. The men pushed her back and forth, violating her. While this happened Kiley sobered up quickly. She was no longer flying high. Instead, she was grounded in harsh reality. She screamed and tried to fight the men around her, but they overpowered her. She was helpless. She started to cry and call out for help, but it seemed like no one would help her.
She felt utterly abandoned in that moment. She felt like a fool for leaving the party without her bodyguards. If they were here, this wouldn’t be happening. As she thought about this, one of the men ripped her shirt open as another man tore her skirt. Another man was about to pull off her panties. This man, however, was suddenly tackled to the ground.
Kiley also fell. She hit her head hard and her world started to blur. Despite this, she lifted her head, trying to look around. She tried to understand what was going on around her. She felt sick. She closed her eyes. She wished everything would go away.
As Kiley laid on the ground, Brad threw punches left and right. Amazingly, he was able to hold his own despite his injuries. Soon enough, the men were running off, disappearing down the street. He breathed hard clutching his side. His stitches had ripped open during the fight and now he was bleeding. He cursed softly as he touched the wound. His hand was now covered in blood. He tried not to look at it.
He had to make sure the woman was okay. He looked down and saw her with her eyes closed in the middle of the alley. He feared the worst as he approached her. Was she dead? Had his efforts been for not? Slowly, he made his way to her. As he kneels down next to her, he gently brushed her hair away from her face.
He gasped, seeing her beautiful face. This was James Bullen’s daughter! His eyes went big as he gingerly touched her porcelain skin. He forced himself to look away before looking at her chest. He leaned in close to check her breathing.
Suddenly, Kiley opened up her eyes.
“What are you doing?”
Brad jumped out of his skin as he heard her voice next to his ear. He fell back. He groaned in pain as multiple wounds opened up again. He bit his lip, fighting through the pain before sitting up, looking at her.
She looked at him curiously. Her soft green eyes stared at him. They looked glossed over and confused.
“A…are you okay?” Brad asked her. She seemed to think about this but stayed quiet. Brad sighed before moving closer to her.
Slowly he helped her to her feet. She stood up, but she was unsteady. He looked at her, with concerned eyes. He could smell the alcohol on her breath. Suddenly, Kiley’s world went black.
Brad caught her before she collapsed. He sighed before picking her up. He held her bridal style. He would have to take her home. Brad grunted as he carried her. His wounds throbbed as he continued to bleed, but he ignored them. He wanted to make sure she was okay.
Soon they were at his apartment. It was run down, but it was a roof over his head. It was small and sparsely furnished. A strange scent suffocated the air. As Brad looked around he wondered when the girl’s home looked like. He pictured it luxurious and grand. Looking down at her, he knew their lives were radically different.
Sighing, he brought her to the bedroom and laid her down on his bed. He made sure she was still breathing before walking into the bathroom. He grabbed his first aid kit and tended to his wounds. He winched as he stitched his side. He couldn’t afford medical attention so he had learned quickly to become his own doctor.
When he was done he made his way back into the bedroom. He saw her dirty and tattered clothes and sighed. This girl was turning out to be more trouble than she was worth. He got up and searched through a drawer. He pulled out one of his better t-shirts and placed it on her body before giving her a quick wipe down with a washcloth. She seemed to be free of any major injuries. She had some cuts and bruises here and there but nothing serious. She had been lucky.
Tired, Brad eventually fell asleep with his head on the bed. His arms acted as a pillow. As he slept Kiley woke up. She was put off by the run down bedroom. She wrinkled her nose at the strange smell surrounding her. She was about to get up and run away but then she noticed him.
She looked at him with a confused expression. Who was he? She was about to wake him up when she noticed his scars. Brad was shirtless and Kiley could see the multiple scars decorating his body. His largest scar ran from his shoulder blade down to his hip. She wondered how he had gotten a scar that big.
In that moment she knew this man wasn’t anything like her. He was different than anyone she had ever met. They lived different lives. While she frolicked in the lap of luxury he struggled to survive. As Kiley looked down at his painful looking scars it felt like each scar told a story. She wondered what these stories were.
Mesmerized, she reached out, trying to touch them. Her fingertip slowly traced his largest scar. In that moment, she felt a connection to this man like she had never felt before.