Imperfect Chaos

by York, Marie

  B’s eyes widened as she looked back at the paper. “They want you to pay them thirty thousand dollars! Can they do that?”

  “It appears so. It’s signed by their lawyers.” I swiped the paper out of her hand, not wanting to see it for a second longer.

  “Why?”

  “I don’t exactly have the best relationship with my parents. I wouldn’t even call what we have a relationship.”

  She took my hand back in hers and kissed my knuckles. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not. They’re a bunch of assholes, and once I pay off this debt, they’re out of my life for good.”

  “Is that what you really want? I mean.” She bit her lip, and a sadness crossed her eyes. “I liked my family. A lot. I didn’t just love them because they were blood and I had to. I genuinely liked them. But I haven’t spoken to them since I got married. I miss my dad and my brother. My mom died when I was younger, and it was always the three of us. I wish I didn’t cut them off. So, I just want to make sure you don’t make the same mistake as me.”

  “That’s the difference between me and you. I never liked my family.”

  She nodded in understanding, and I hooked my arm around her waist pulling her into me. As soon as her body pressed against mine, I felt a calm rush over me. “Looks like we’ll have to wait on the redecorating.”

  Her arms linked around my waist. “Who cares about the redecorating? I kind of like the apartment the way it is anyway. We’ll figure this out.”

  “I’ll figure it out,” I rebutted.

  Brooklyn stepped back, and looked straight into my eyes. “We’re a team. Equals. It’s the only way this will work. Whatever shit you’re going through, I’m going through it too, and vice versa. Deal?” She held her hand out like it was a business transaction, and I couldn’t help but to laugh.

  “Deal.” I took her hand and yanked her back into me.

  Chapter 36

  Nixon

  It was a week until my fight with Seth. The text messages hadn’t stopped and seemed to be coming more frequently. I tried to ignore them, but it still bothered the fuck out of me that he knew what Brooklyn was doing and wearing. If he wasn’t lurking in the shadows, then he had someone doing his dirty work for him. I just had to figure out who. Once I did, they were going to fucking wish they never crossed my path.

  I got in the ring with Kevin, and he held his hands out as I took one jab after the other to the pads. Mark stood outside the ropes, and did what he did best; kept quiet, because I knew exactly what I was doing. There was a time when I needed his direction. Needed him to be the coach that he was, but now I was my own coach. I knew my opponent better than he knew himself, and there was nothing a coach could tell me that I didn’t already know. But Mark had been with me from the very beginning, and I liked him being there. Not that I’d ever fucking admit to that.

  “You think you’re ready for the fight?” Kevin asked, as I landed a spinning back-kick.

  “I’m always ready.”

  “The King is pretty tough competition,” he said, and I threw a hammer fist, almost wishing I actually hit him instead of the pad. Was he fucking kidding me right now?

  “Not tough enough,” I growled.

  Kevin laughed. “I know. I just like to see you get pissed off.”

  “You’re an asshole,” I said and drilled my hand into the pad. When I pulled back, he took his hand out of the pad and shook it. “Too hard on you?” I asked.

  “No,” he stated, and slid the pad back on, holding it in the ready position.

  “Now that is too much pretty to be in a place like this,” Mark called out, and I stopped kicking the shit out of the pads.

  I turned and watched, as Brooklyn waved and made her way to the ropes. “Hey beautiful.” I leaned over to give her a kiss. She finally got rid of those damn baggy clothes and was wearing things that showed off her gorgeous curves. I was wondering if encouraging her do so was a good idea because every time she walked into a room dressed all sexy like that, I lost my concentration.

  “You almost ready to head to dinner? Or do you want me to hang out for a little bit?” she asked.

  “She can hang out in my office,” Mark teased, and I grabbed one of Kevin’s pads, and flung it at him.

  He ducked, then laughed as he jumped down from the ropes. “Just showing my manners,” he said. “Hit the showers, Vipe. Don’t leave this pretty lady waiting too long.”

  Kevin retrieved the pad I threw and headed off to the locker room. “Thanks, Kev,” I said as he passed. He held his hand up and kept walking.

  I jumped down and reached out to grab Brooklyn, but she swatted my hand away. “You’re all gross.”

  “You like me sweaty,” I replied with a wink. “How about I don’t shower, and I get you nice and sweaty with me.”

  “Tempting, but you promised me dinner. And I’m hungry. But I’ll have you for dessert.” She leaned over, keeping enough distance between the two of us so I wouldn’t get sweat on her pretty outfit. I reached my hand up her skirt, and she jumped away. “Later,” she said, shaking her finger at me.

  “I’m warning you. I’m going to want seconds.”

  “Don’t you always.”

  I scooped up my phone, and headed to the locker room. “I’ll be out soon. Do me a favor, and stay away from Mark,” I teased.

  I walked into the locker room, and Kevin had his back to me. My phone vibrated then, and I looked down at the text.

  A skirt for easy access. Don’t mind if I do.

  -S

  Anger reared its ugly head as I looked at the text, then at Kevin, who was sliding his phone into his backpack.

  I stormed over to him, grabbing his arm, and twisting it behind his back. “What the fuck, Viper?”

  “Give me your fucking phone. Now!”

  “What is your problem?”

  I shoved him away from me, and didn’t wait for him. I snatched his phone out of his bag, and went to his messages, and found a long list of messages to The King, detailing what Brooklyn was wearing and where she was.

  I didn’t even see red this time. All I saw was black and death. I didn’t really do friends other than Beckham, so I wouldn’t consider Kevin one, but I sure as hell wouldn’t expect him to stab me in the fucking back. We were on the same team. I even would say I liked him.

  “You’re a dead man,” I growled through clenched teeth as I punched him in the face.

  He spit blood onto the floor. “What the fuck, Vipe? I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” he stammered.

  I held the phone up and shoved it into his face. “Don’t play fucking stupid with me, shithead. The proof is right fucking here.” I pushed my hand and the phone into his face, knocking his head into the locker. “Did you not think I’d find out?”

  He didn’t say anything. Red marked his neck and cheeks, and I wanted nothing more than to add black and blues to it. I slammed his phone against the locker, shattering it to pieces.

  “I trusted you.” I moved closer to him until I was mere inches from his disgusting face. “Why the fuck would you do this to me?”

  I punched him in the gut and he bent over, hugging his stomach in pain. After a few moments, he straightened up, as if he somehow found a bout of confidence. “I’m moving to New Orleans. Seth said he’d train me. I’m no longer your gopher. You think you’re so fucking big. No one can take you down, but you just wait.”

  I kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall forward again. “You’re a real fucking moron, you know that?” I bent down to his level and grabbed his neck, turning him to look at me. “You just went from being one gopher to another. Seth is never going to train you. He was using you. Any idiot can figure that out.” I shoved him away from me not wanting to look at him for another second.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kevin spit back at me, with so much arrogance it made him look stupid.

  I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him up against the locker. Bl
ood dripped down his chin and I smiled at the sight. “Unfortunately for you, I do.”

  “Seth’s going to kick your ass, and then he’ll teach me, and I’ll be back for you,” he sputtered out, and I tightened my grip on his neck. He made the dumbass move of trying to pull my hands off of him. “You will never have what it takes. You can’t even get me off you.”

  He tried again, making rookie mistake after rookie mistake, and I laughed at his incompetence. I finally let him go. It was like fighting an injured puppy, pathetic and sad.

  “You’re already going soft,” Kevin muttered. “Who knew all it would take was some chick to spread her legs?”

  Without warning, I spun around, and knocked him out with one fucking punch. His body fell into a sloppy mess on the floor, and he began to snore. Yeah, he’d beat me one day all right. In his fucking dreams.

  I didn’t bother trying to get his ass up. Let Mark take the trash out.

  As I walked out of the locker room, I smiled to myself. Seth just lost his upper hand. There were no more games, just the fight. He had to rely on his skills in the cage, and I was positive when it came to skills, Seth ‘The King of Kings’ Kingston had nothing on me.

  Chapter 37

  Nixon

  I had waited three long months for this moment, and I was ready for it. Seth “The King of Kings’ Kingston was going down. And he was going down fucking hard.

  I stood on my side of the cage, sizing him up, and staring him down. Mark and Sal were talking nonsense in my ear, but I ignored pretty much everything they were saying. Instead, I focused on the text messages. On the box of fucking spiders and then that picture of Sassy. I let the anger reach a boiling point until I couldn’t control the rage for another second.

  It helped that Kevin stood with Seth like a fucking puppet, handing him water, and cheering him on. He might as well have had strings attached to him. Stupid fuck would never learn. Though, I was happy to see the bruising around his eyes still hadn’t completely faded.

  I centered my attention on the backstabbing prick now, letting the sight of him fuel the already burning inferno.

  The ref called us to the middle, and gave his speech, but it was all white noise as I stared into Seth’s beady eyes. “Let’s touch gloves, and let’s get ready,” the ref said, but neither Seth nor I moved.

  “Do you boys want a match tonight? I don’t have all day. Touch gloves, or there will be no fight.”

  Wanting to get to the part where I kicked the shit out of him, I held my gloves up and smiled. He didn’t just touch mine, he pushed into them, but I didn’t budge a fucking inch. He would have to do more than that if he wanted to intimidate me.

  I walked backward to my side, refusing to take my eyes off of him for a minute. He was as good as dead once that bell rang.

  Mark grabbed my shoulders and massaged them, giving me his usual pep talk, but everything was still white noise. I refused to lose focus. This was no longer just a fight. This was personal, and I was going to love every second of it.

  The bell rang, and I went right to the middle. Seth joined me and started bouncing around me, waiting to make his move. He was good on the defense, so I had to plan my attacks just right, or I would over exert myself too soon.

  He swung, and I blocked it. He swung again, leaving himself open, and I took him down. I pushed him against the cage, and he batted at my face, but I had too much fury inside me. There was no way in hell he was getting me off of him.

  “I see you brought your girlfriend with you,” he said, and I tried to ignore him. Brooklyn was safe. Beckham flew in for the match, and he was sitting with her right now. And though I would never admit it to anyone, I trusted Beckham with my life, and I knew no matter what, he’d keep B safe for me.

  “She’s fucking hot.”

  He managed to get out of my hold, and we were back on our feet. “Why don’t you shut the fuck up and fight?”

  He bounced around me like he was looking for his opening. I refused to make it that easy for him. I was sick of the standoff and went in, knocking him good with a right hook. He wiped at the blood on his lip and laughed. “That all you got, pretty boy?”

  “I’m just getting started,” I spit back, and lunged at him with another right hook. He blocked it and managed to take me down. He was on top of me and I hated being at the disadvantage. He locked his legs around my arm and started to put the pressure on it. Unfortunately for him, I could withstand a lot of pain.

  “I doubt your girl will want a loser, so I’m thinking of taking her to dinner after this. Tell me. Does she fuck on a first date?”

  My jaw clenched, and I shook with rage. If he thought egging me on was going to get me to lose my focus, he was fucking wrong. The only thing he was doing was fueling the desire to kick his fucking piece of shit ass.

  He applied even more pressure to my arm, but I centered the fury building up inside, and managed a blow to his side, knocking him off of me.

  We both scrambled back to our feet. “Is that all you got?” I growled.

  “Just beginning.”

  He landed a kick to my side, and I stumbled slightly. The pain shot through me, but I used it as fuel, and went back at him with even more force than he came at me. I Superman-ed his ass and he didn’t see it coming. I then went in to take him down.

  Seth sprawled, making it hard to get him in the position I wanted him in. We scrappled on the ground for a while, both winning and losing the upper hand, until the bell dinged, and we had to be torn off of each other.

  Mark and Sal were in my ear again, but I just let them talk. I kept my focus across the mat on Seth. He was laughing and drinking water out of the bottle Kevin handed to him. I was beginning to wonder if Kevin held Seth’s dick while he peed.

  The bell rang, and we went back in. The match felt like it was taking forever, each one of us landing a punch only for the other to land one right back. I was getting pissed that I hadn’t taken him out yet, but his defense was good. I just had to wait for my moment.

  “So tell me something,” Seth said as he got me into a choke hold. “Is she a screamer? I bet she is.”

  My reaction was to take big steadying breaths, but he was cutting off my air supply, and I knew that was his intention. I stepped to his opposite side and placed my foot behind his, kicking him and knocking him to the ground.

  I got him in move after move, but he kept getting out of them. Finally, we were both on our feet again, and I was done playing it safe. I was here to win, and that’s exactly what I was going to fucking do.

  I went in swinging for the fences. If I wasn’t going to win by tapping him out, then I sure as hell was going to kick his fucking ass with as many decisions in my favor.

  I nailed punch after punch, and blood spurted from his nose and his eyebrow. I took out all the anger and rage I had toward him. Nobody fucking talked about Brooklyn, especially not some piece of shit asshole.

  He put his gloves up trying to block me, but I was out of control, and my fists were out to get him. The ref came close, and I kept going. Seth managed to push me back and get me with a left hook right to the nose.

  Blood spurted out almost instantly, but I didn’t let it stop me. I kept going, determined to take the bastard down.

  The bell rang and again I had to be torn off of him. My leg shook as I was thrown into a chair. I wanted back in. I needed to finish him.

  Sal pressed ice to my neck, and Mark cleaned up my face. Apparently, I was bleeding from my eyebrow too. I pushed his hand away, not giving two shits about my cuts. “I want back in,” I growled.

  “Hang the fuck on,” Mark said, grabbing my chin and tilting my face toward him so he could finish.

  The bell rang and I jumped back in. My face was starting to ache, but I ignored the pulsing in my cheek and the throbbing in my eye.

  “I liked the videos Kevin sent me of your girl on the treadmill. I would shove my dick in those tits so fast.”

  All the aches and all the pain vanished. My fi
sts clenched at my sides. He wanted to play games? Then, the game was on, bitch. I snapped, going at him with everything that I had. I landed kick after kick, hook after hook. He stumbled backward and I kept going. Blood poured from his face, and I took pleasure in watching it stream down his chin.

  The crowd got louder, and I finally let their cheers in, as I swung an uppercut and contacted with his face. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the matt with a satisfying thud.

  I had won a dozen fights, but nothing compared to this victory.

  I was declared the winner, once Seth came to, and my eyes landed on Brooklyn. Once my hand was let go from being raised, I went right to her, taking her in my arms, and hugging the shit out of her.

  “You did it!” she cheered, and squeezed me just as hard. Despite the blood pouring down my face, she held me tight and I buried my head into the sweet smell of her hair. She stepped back and smiled. “I have something to tell you.”

  She looked happy, maybe too happy...

  I arched an eyebrow, or at least I thought I did, but the pain that exploded in my face from the slight movement, made me suspect the swelling didn’t give way to expressions. “What is it?” I asked.

  “I bet on you,” she said.

  “Bet on me? What are you talking about?”

  “Even with the money from the fight, you were still short on what you owed your parents. So, I took a loan from my boss, and I bet on you. Now you have enough to pay your parents back.”

  I shook my head, ignoring the throb in my temples. “B, I can’t take your money.”

  She rested her hand on my chest and met my eyes. “We’re a team remember. We’re in this together.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “Tell you what. You can buy me a towel with a chicken on it if it makes you feel better.”

  I laughed and bent down, pressing my lips against hers. “I had a different cock in mind that I want to give you.”

  She grabbed my cheeks and I winced. “Sorry,” she said, before pressing her lips to mine.