Steel Crew : Books 1-3 (Steel World Box Set Book 7)

by Mj Fields

“Fuck yes.” Justice laughs.

  Inside the bathroom, I look in the mirror, begging my eyes not to shed a tear, pleading with my heart to stop hurting, and praying he messages me back and tells me something different.

  But tears fall, my heart hurts, and … he doesn’t.

  When the bathroom door is opened, I quickly turn on the faucet and begin splashing my face.

  “Give me a minute,” I say, hoping my voice sounds normal and not pathetic.

  When I look up, Kiki and Brisa are standing behind me.

  “You’re gonna say you’re driving the girls.” Kiki steps forward and wipes under my eyes. “Because I’m going to be by your side—”

  “No way, Kiki. It’s—”

  “Don’t wanna hear it.” She pulls me into a hug.

  “You can’t. You and Tris time, remeb—.” My voice breaks.

  “She’s not gonna rush the stage. I’m sure we’ll have our own little corner. Plus, this way, you can get White Claw wasted, and she can drive home.” Brisa hugs me, too.

  “Brand will kill you and me.” I sniff.

  “He’ll understand.”

  I pull back. “Then tell him before we go.”

  She scowls at me as she wipes the rest of my tears. “I will … on the way.”

  “Justice is gonna be fine, Truth.” Brisa rubs my back.

  “She knows,” Kiki says and pouts out her bottom lip. She gives me one of those looks, one that says, I see what you’re going through, and I’m here.

  “Oh my God, you’re in love.” Brisa claps.

  I shake my head.

  “Oh, Truth.” Brisa hugs me. “Be happy. Now you know what it feels like. And trust me; you’ll get over it, just like I did with Ranger.”

  Kiki covers her mouth so she doesn’t laugh, and I smile for the first time since the text.

  She steps back and grabs my face. “Fuck. Them.”

  I sigh and say it back, “Fuck. Them.”

  Stepping out of my vehicle, Kiki’s phone rings, again.

  “You’ve reached Katherine Falcon, who loves her hot, sexy, and supportive as fuck husband as much as she loves and supports him, or he gets no fucks for the imminent future. Press one if you’re done acting like my father, and press two if you’re calling to tell me to have a good night and that you love me more than anything in this world. Beep.”

  “I’m not fucking around, Katherine.”

  She hangs up.

  “Seems to be handling it well,” Brisa jokes as we walk toward the boys.

  “Oh, hell no,” Max says as soon as he sees her.

  Her phone rings, and she stops, holds up her finger to Max for him to stop, and answers her phone. “Again, you’ve reached Katherine Steel.” She pauses then adds, “Falcon, who is on her last nerve, and all you fuckers”—she points toward the boys—“are to shut it down. I’m eighteen, a senior in high school who, up until ten damn phone calls ago, was sure she wasn’t gonna miss a thing, that just like Miley fucking Cyrus, I could indeed have the best of both worlds, but now she’s going on pissed off, and the entire night with my crew is going to be wasted because my mood fucking sucks. And let me tell you, if I see a wrecking ball in this place, I’m gonna ride that bitch just to show all you overprotective men-children, who think they need to take care of me and the baby growing in my belly, who I love more than any of you, that I’m still me!”

  She gasps at whatever Brand says in response. “Did you seriously just threaten to call my father?” She looks at all of us. “Airplane mode. Now.” She gasps again then her bottom lip pops out. “Well, I didn’t know you were coming home early.” She makes a nasty face. “You know what you can do, Brand? You can go—”

  I snatch the phone out of her hand and hold it up to my ear as he goes on and on about what he’s not going to do to her tonight, and it involves chocolate and strawberries.

  “Brand … Brand … BRAND!”

  “Who the hell is this?”

  “It’s Truth.”

  “Hey, Truth, how are you?” he asks, trying to sound calm.

  “I’m—”

  “Wanna give the phone back to my fucking wife!”

  I hold it out to her.

  She shakes her head. “He’s all yours.”

  “Did she just say—”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m an hour from home, Truth, and since you’re my favorite and I know you and I are real close, do me a favor and text me the address, will ya?”

  “Um—”

  “Truth, I will buy you any car you want. I’ll buy you a fucking pony, a house, a—”

  “Um—”

  “Truth, I’m trying to be real calm here, but she has that thing with her heart.”

  “Oh, man,” I whisper.

  “Yeah,” he says. “Easy enough to forget when it’s not your responsibility and fucking honor to protect.”

  I turn my back to them and whisper, “I’ll try, but you can’t show up here, looking all you. That would be bad, and this thing probably isn’t on the up and up, so you don’t need to be involved.”

  “Okay, I get it. Just send me the address so I know where she is if she needs me.”

  “Fair enough,” I whisper. “Don’t make me regret it.”

  “Remember, anything you want is yours.”

  “Not necessary.”

  “I love you the most, Truth. Like seriously probably more than my wife right now.”

  “Love you back. Bye.”

  I hear Kiki clear her throat behind me and turn to find her glowering.

  “What did he promise you? A car, a horse, a house, a million dollars?”

  “Just the first three.” I shrug.

  “Should have held out for the million.” She shakes her head.

  “He’s worried about your heart, Kiki, and here I was, not even thinking about—”

  “Gotta take care of yours, too.”

  I shrug.

  “You’re gonna give him the address, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t know? Maybe you should? You know, avoid missing out on all those things he said he was not going to do to you.”

  “He what?” She tries not to laugh.

  “Yeah, he thought I was you until I yelled his name, but the strawberry and chocolate thing sounded pretty freaking epic.” I laugh, handing her the phone. “Just call him. He knows he can’t show up here.”

  She takes the phone and hugs me tight. “You are the best, Truth. Like seriously, whoever wins you over is going to be the luckiest, most loved, and most sexually satisfied man on the planet.”

  “What?” I laugh.

  “I can’t wait to tell Brand your idea about the strawberries and chocolate, you sexy little minx.”

  When I see Tobias walk past us, I know damn well why she said that. And when Downward Dee walks past me, following him in her stripper attire, I want to puke.

  She steps back. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” I shrug. “Fuck them, right?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Idiom

  Fighting an uphill battle.

  Truth

  I think I can, I think I can, I think….

  Guilt consumes me that I’ve allowed myself to think of my bullshit for even a second, that Justice is in this because of me, even though he seems to be on top of the world.

  I don’t leave Justice’s side as he warms up and as he shadow boxes with Patrick, who’s wearing coach type punching mitts and talking shit to him to get him riled up. I stand as close to him as I can without getting hit.

  Justice is smiling the whole time. He seems to be loving this; happier than I’ve ever seen him. A teeny, tiny part of me wishes Dad was here to see him.

  “Look at my feet, T. Am I doing it right?” he jokes.

  “Floating like a butterfly.” I smile.

  “You ready to sting like a bee?” Patrick asks.

  He reaches over the mitt and taps Patrick on the side of the head. “After this fight, we’re gonna have a dan
ce off, T, me, and you, and I’m gonna kick your ass.”

  “How about we save that for when my boot comes off?”

  “Hell no.” He throws a few punches. “If I’m gonna kick your ass, you gotta leave that thing on.”

  Patrick is working him good. He watched Tobias’s fight last week, so he knows some of his moves. But what he doesn’t know is I have a deal, and Tobias isn’t going to mess with his face.

  “Patrick, move to body shots,” I tell him.

  “You sure, T? He was all about the—”

  “Justice needs to tire him out and avoid as many punches as he can. Tobias doesn’t wanna be in that ring any longer than he has to be. He’s out to bring him down with one punch. The face isn’t the only place he can do that. He needs to protect his ribs and his stomach.”

  “He hits my stomach, he’ll break a hand, T.” Justice winks.

  “Get your fucking head in the game! I’m not playin’ around. I know what I’m talking about, okay?”

  Silence.

  Then Justice laughs. “All right then. Head in the game.”

  When the music starts and I see flickering lights in the hall, I want to grab Justice and run.

  I grab his face and pull it down so he’s looking at just me. “Let’s leave.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s gonna be fun.”

  “No, no, it won’t. Let’s leave.”

  “Let’s go, bro!” Patrick yells over the music.

  “Justice, please.”

  He grabs my hands and gives them a squeeze. “I’ve got this.”

  “I have a pain in my chest, and my belly's in knots, Justice, please.”

  “Three rounds, T, and then we’re heading back to grill steaks, drink a few beers.”

  “Justi—”

  “Don’t lose faith in me, T. I’m telling you, I got this, and you telling me I don’t isn’t cool right now.”

  Backpedaling, I shake my head. “I just think Dad should be here.”

  “Not thinking that’s a good idea.” He laughs.

  “Justice.”

  “T,” he sighs out.

  “Fuck him up.” I nod.

  He smiles. “Where do you want me to land the first punch?”

  “In his chest.” I smile, hoping he thinks I’m excited, hoping me freaking out doesn’t kill his confidence.

  “Then the next?” he asks.

  When the music stops, we hear the announcer shout, “At six-foot-one, weighing in at two hundred and one pounds … Easton the Experience!”

  “You kick his ass. Three rounds, max.”

  He nods. “Three and done.”

  “At six-foot-two, weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds, Your Man Of Steel … Justice!”

  I follow him out and start to climb up ringside, but Justice shakes his head then nods toward the roped-off area.

  “But—”

  “Three and done, T, three and done.”

  “Come on, Truth.” Patrick takes my hand.

  “I don’t care what he says. Between rounds, I’m going up there.”

  “He’s not gonna need us up there, but he does need us here, cheering him on.” He holds the velvet rope up, and I slide under.

  Kiki, Brisa, and Tris are sitting on the crushed velvet couch. I nod and grab the velvet rope; Patrick on one side of me, Max and Amias on the other.

  Inside the ring, just like last time, the lights distract me. It’s hard to see Justice’s face, to gauge his thoughts, his feelings. They now stand toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring; Justice in black, Tobias in white. I quickly size up their bodies. Justice is taller but not much, and he’s heavier, but I worry that may hinder him and not help.

  When I see them tap fists then head to their corners, I scream, “Go, Justice!”

  He smirks as he bounces on his toes, and when the bell rings, my ears ring and I stop breathing.

  “Fuck yes, JT!” Patrick yells as he hits Tobias in the chest and Tobias falls back but comes back quickly and swings to get him in the ribs. Justice blocks him and jabs him in the nose.

  “Get it, man!” Max yells.

  Tobias comes back with a left to Justice’s ribs, and again, he blocks it, but in doing so, he doesn’t see the right coming, and Tobias doesn’t see the uppercut that knocks him back several steps.

  Tobias looks toward me as he spits blood onto the mat, and I close my eyes.

  I hear three punches land, and I open my eyes to see he and Justice hooked up while Tobias lands jab after jab to Justice’s ribs.

  “Feet! Feet!” I scream.

  Justice steps to the side and sweeps Tobias’s feet. While he’s going down, he upper cuts him again.

  Tobias regains his footing, and I immediately kick myself for having told him he needed to work on that, because apparently, he listened.

  They dance around each other, sizing each other up as they may have at the beginning had Justice not been delivering the first hit for me. Then Justice reaches out and strikes him. His head snaps back, and I see blood drip from his nose.

  Tobias crouches down in a move I haven’t seen and kicks him in the chest. Justice stumbles back, hits the ropes, and bounces back off them, coming at Tobias with a left. Tobias crouches again, this time sweeping Justice’s legs out from under him. Leaving his side open, Tobias goes down and delivers three quick but intense jabs to his ribs as Justice nails him in the side of the face, stunning him as he quickly gets up. Tobias jumps up, as well.

  They both crouch, striking at one another with their feet when the bell rings.

  “Got a feeling he’s playing with JT,” Patrick sighs as he lifts the rope and I duck under.

  Once on the ring outside his corner, Justice nods his head back. “He’s alone up here, Truth.”

  “His own choice.”

  “Wanna do the same.”

  “Justice …” I shake my head.

  “If I was on stage with you, would you be concentrating like you do up there alone?”

  “Not the same.”

  “Exactly the same. Love you, T. If I need you, you’ll know it.” He lifts his chin. “Go. See you in two rounds.”

  I start to hop down when I feel hands grip my hips. “Easy, Miss Steel. Wouldn’t want you to mess up that ankle any worse than it already is.”

  “Reeves, hands off.”

  He sets me down, and I look up to see what death glare Justice is giving him, but he’s not even paying attention. For that, I’m grateful.

  I hurry to the rope, and Patrick holds it up. I slide under and see that Kai and Miles are in our section.

  “Don’t you two have the other side of the ring?”

  “Only had time to set up one section; last minute switch and all.” Harrison smiles at me. “Safe to say, we’re all on the same team here.”

  “Your loyalty lies with Tobias,” I remind him.

  “Actually, my loyalty lies with entertainment. So far, this is quite boring.” He purses his lips.

  “Why the hell do you do that?”

  “Do what, Miss Steel?”

  I purse my lips.

  He smiles, bites his lower lip, and scrunches up his nose, eyes fully amused, and then he laughs. “If not, my lower lip would wear a constant bite mark.” He leans in. “It’s the only way to stop myself from saying what I’d really like to. From previous experience, doing so gets me into a bit of trouble.”

  “Fair enough.” I shrug then look toward the ring. Justice looks content as he keeps bouncing and stretching so his body stays warm and loose.

  I dare a glance at Tobias, who is looking right at us.

  I quickly look away.

  “Has he been toying with you, Miss Steel?” Harrison asks.

  “What? No.”

  “Has he painted himself the hero and I the villain?”

  “You do a good job of that all by yourself.” I laugh.

  He nods and smiles. “When you’re bred for a role, there’s really no sense in trying to change that.”


  I ignore him, and then the bell rings.

  “Oh, look, he brought his pre-fight fun along. I wonder if that means he’ll be entertaining her this evening, as well.”

  I watch as Downward Dee holds up the number two in her red leather bikini as she walks around the ring.

  When she gets to Tobias, she kisses him—hard, too—and he doesn’t pull away.

  “I guess that answers my question.” Harrison chuckles. “Chin up, Miss Steel. It’s a game he plays.”

  “I couldn’t care less what he does,” I huff.

  “I’m not sure you’re living up to your namesake, now are you?”

  Again, I ignore him.

  “Don’t let him do to you what he did to Gabrielle. Don’t let him string you along, playing savior, only to then make you feel like you’re nothing.”

  “I’m trying to watch a fight.”

  “And I’m trying very hard to save you from the slippery slope I see you going down. Gabrielle was a good girl, like you once, then he fucked her head up. I won’t lie and say I tried to save her, but I will say she was my favorite pastime … until he kept needling her and needling her. And now she’s convinced I’m the problem.”

  “And you’re not?” I huff.

  He looks at me, face no longer pinched, and says, “My problem is I’ve never been with someone who didn’t want something from me. You yourself admitted that to me a week ago. My problem is I’ve had women at my disposal and none I’ve woken up thinking about. My problem is I’m not sure how to change it.” He reaches up and pushes my hair back, putting it behind my ear. “My problem is you.”

  I look away from him and to the ring as Justice begins his assault.

  “Not looking to be anyone’s problem,” I say over the crowd.

  “Believe it or not, neither am I.” He laughs.

  “Not.”

  “Flowers one day; introducing myself to your family the next. Getting my ego not just bruised but busted all to hell, and here I am, willing to share my secrets and wanting to beg you for more. And here you are, looking at the most toxic human being like he’s the second coming. Three months, Truth, and I won’t have the kid who kicked my ass in ninth grade making me look like a pussy for his own gain, who manipulates every female he knows I’m interested in to think I’m a horrible human being because I come from money.”