by Strauss, Lee
Zoe and Mary sat in the front row. I smiled encouragingly at both of them. It was good to know that at least two people in the crowd were rooting for me.
The caricature of the fight broadcaster’s face filled the screen. He gave a rousing pep-rally speech for the spectators who were live at one of the two rings and to the thousands who joined from the “comfort and safety of their own homes.”
My opponent’s image jumped off the screen
“—and from the mid-west at a hundred and eight-three pounds, he’s a lover and a fighter…Romeo…”
I’m a lover not a fighter. My eyes caught Zoe’s. We both remembered when I’d said that. I’d been explaining why I found it hard to take up my dad’s cause.
Now I was a fighter and not a lover.
Sometimes life really bites.
“From Eastern USA,” the commenter shouted, “at a hundred and seventy-one pounds, we have Jude!”
This time I held my head high and punched at the air, stirring up a roar from my own crowd, whether they’d bet on me or not.
Probably not. Romeo had almost half a foot on me and even though I’d gained a couple of pounds, he still outweighed me by twelve.
David and Goliath in the virtual ring. Did this David have a chance?
We danced around each other. If I was going to go down, I didn’t want to do in the first three minutes of the match.
And I wasn’t going down.
Romeo smacked a fist in his hand then waved me over, taunting me. I kept light on my feet, knees bent, fists and forearms in front of my neck and face like a shield.
I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Explosions: bam, bam, bam, bam. The rhythm picked up when Romeo swung. I ducked and blocked, getting a punch to his gut.
I almost cried out. It was like slamming my knuckles into a cement wall. Romeo broke into a smile. He was missing a tooth, a hopeful sign. The guy wasn’t invincible. Anything could happen.
He right-hooked my jaw and I stumbled back, the world dizzy. Jabez had two heads. They both screamed, “Left side!”
Right. His left, my right. Romeo’s weakness.
I stormed at the virtual mass of muscle and bones, jabbing his gut, right, left, right, right, right. His left arm lowered to protect his spleen.
Romeo roared and attacked. My face was his punching bag. It was like I was outside of myself, watching someone beat the tar out of me. I hit the mat, and my ears, though ringing, distinguished the gasp and hush that followed. The virtual referee started counting, like he was calling out in a barrel, “One, two, three…”
The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. My eyes grew thick and swollen. I cracked one open, and Zoe’s blurry image filled my line of vision. Zoe. What was she doing here?
“—five, six, seven…”
Then I remembered. I was fighting. For our lives. I had to win, I couldn’t’ quit. I pushed up from the floor. The crowd noise grew, urging me on.
“—eight, nine…”
I was on my feet. Romeo’s back was turned to me, already doing his victory dance. He caught sight of me in his peripheral, but not before I got in one strong kick to his neck.
Romeo collapsed like a rag doll. The referee started counting again. This time he got to ten.
The ref declared me as the winner! I made one victory lap around the ring and then everything went black. When I came to, I was flat on my back. The unpleasant sensation of smelling salts filled my nose. Someone splashed water on my face.
“Sorry, man.” Jabez’s voice. “I meant to give you a drink.” He slipped the straw between my lips. “That was amazing, man! You beat that SOB!”
I did. I won. I let my head rest back on the mat, completely exhausted. The only thing I wanted…
…was Zoe. Where was she?
I turned my head and like magic, I saw her face, deep lines of concern etched around her gorgeous blue eyes.
“You’re so beautiful.” I murmured. I sounded drunk. I’d been hit hard.
“Shh,” she said, her face close to mine. Even with my beat-up nose, I could smell her shampoo, the scent of her skin. My defenses were definitely down. All I wanted in my depleted state was to pull her into my arms and fall asleep.
She stroked my cheek and tears ran down her face. “You did it,” she said. “You won.” Her lips trembled, and I reached up to stroke them.
“We should get him cleaned up.” Mary’s voice. I focused in on her face and registered something other than joy that I’d won on her expression. Her eyes darted to Zoe with disapproval, and I had a sinking feeling we’d just given ourselves away.
Fred helped me to the showers. Everything after that was a blur until I was dressed and resting on the couch. There was a mini celebration going on around me.
Jabez handed me a bottle of beer. “You deserve this, man.”
“Where’d you get booze?”
“Hey, when you have a winner in the house, it’s amazing what you can get.”
Thankfully, Zoe kept her distance, resuming her role of dutiful cousin, pouring out the Vanderveen charm on Jabez and Fred. Mary’s eyes narrowed as she watched her.
Time for some damage control.
“Mary?” I called her over. She sat on the coffee table and faced me.
“Thanks for all you’ve done for us. For me.” I reached for her hand with my bruised fingers. She didn’t pull away.
“It benefits us all,” she said. Her eyes warmed up a little.
“I still want you to know how much I appreciate what you guys have done for me. What you’ve done.”
The smile I’d hoped for appeared on her lips. She bent over and kissed me gently on my bruised cheek.
I gazed at her appreciatively, and then caught Zoe staring. Her expression was grim. I thought maybe I’d just screwed things up instead of making them better, but then the doorbell rang. There was nothing I could’ve done that would turn things upside down faster than what was waiting on the other side of the door.
Chapter 30
We all stared toward the door. Who could be calling at this time of night? The police? Had they discovered the fight club?
The bell chimed again.
“Is someone going to get that?” Zoe said.
Jabez moved to the door, motioning for Fred to follow. His voice echoed through the foyer, “We’re not buying.”
“We’re not selling anything.” My spine tingled. I recognized the voice. My eyes darted to Zoe. Her eyes popped wide. She knew it, too.
“We’re looking for Zoe Vanderveen and Noah Brody,” the voice continued.
My heart thudded against my ribcage. Zoe covered her mouth with her hand. Mary’s eyes never left the doorway, but her mouth was pulled into a deep frown.
“You and the rest of the country,” Jabez said. “Can’t help you.”
“We’re friends of theirs. I know they’re here.”
Jabez chuckled low, the way he did when he didn’t actually think what you said was funny. “Get lost.”
I thought we were home free until Zoe jumped to her feet. If my head hadn’t felt full of cotton and my body not a stiff and painful mess, I would’ve been able to stop her.
She’d disappeared from view but I heard her clearly. “Taylor? What are you doing here?”
Jabez and Fred entered the room, leaving her at the door. Jabez raised an eyebrow at me. “Friends of yours?”
I shook my head slowly. Taylor Blake? How’d he find us? And who were the “friends” Jabez’d referred to?
I tried to sit up, but my body revolted. A groan escaped from my lips.
Zoe’s voice echoed toward us. “You need to go.”
Taylor Blake was still the stubborn jerk he was before. He traipsed into the room with his sister Hannah and his lovesick puppy Rebecca in tow.
He took in the room until his eyes settled on my bruised face. “So, someone finally did what I could only dream of.”
“Why are you here?” I asked. And how did you find us?
“That’s not important right now,” he said, taking a seat in one of the empty chairs like he owned the place. “What’s important is that I am here.”
“What’s going on?” Mary asked. She stared at me. “Who are these people?”
“They’re from the last place we stayed at,” Zoe said, her eyes never leaving Taylor’s face. My stomach pinched at the way she seemed to be admiring him.
“Yes,” Taylor said. “We’re old friends. Aren’t we Zoe Vanderveen?”
“What? Wait?” Jabez said, his face incredulous. “You’re the president’s granddaughter?”
“Oh my God.” Mary’s hand went to her throat. “I thought you looked like her.” Then her gaze bore into me. “You’re the Noah Brody? From the blog?”
Taylor broke out in hysterical laughter. “You didn’t know? Amazing.”
I sent him a withering glare. If I hadn’t just been busted up in a fight, I would’ve been all over him, knocking his lights out.
Now Zoe and I were exposed. We were in more danger than ever.
Hannah and Rebecca stood silently against the wall. Hannah’s expression was dark and sorrowful. Rebecca retained her haughtiness while somehow looking like a scared rabbit. Zoe’s gaze had settled on them, too, and a new scowl covered her face.
“So, you’re here.” I tried to ignore the shock and awe that had over taken the room. “What do you want?” Reward money?
“For now, just a place to stay. It’s cold out there.”
“I can believe we’ve been harboring fugitives,” Mary said.
“It’s not like that.” I beseeched her with my eyes. “Our lives are in danger.”
“And now our lives are!”
True.
“Do you want me to throw them out?” Jabez said, waving at Taylor.
Mary shook her head. “They’d just go to the police. We’re stuck with them for now.”
Taylor made tsking sounds. “That’s not very hospitable.”
Lucky for us, Mary and Jabez were dodging the law for some reason, too.
“How did you find us?” Zoe asked.
“Your gun, sweetheart,” Taylor began. “Remember that time in the barn? You had your gun under your pillow. I slipped a tracker on it when we—” Taylor’s face broke into a smarmy grin. “—were otherwise engaged.”
I stared at Zoe with disbelief. They were together more than once?
Her eyes met mine and she shook her head. In denial or remorse, I couldn’t tell. Fact was he’d had access to her gun.
Somehow Taylor had taken charge of the room and I hated him for it.
“I think I should make proper introductions,” he said. “I’m Taylor Blake, that’s my sister Hannah and our friend Rebecca. We traveled here from Utah. And that’s Zoe Vanderveen and Noah Brody.” Taylor laughed. “By your facial expressions it’s clear you didn’t know you had one point five mil under your noses.”
“What do you want?” I’d managed to sit up somewhat during his speech. “Are you going to turn us in for the money?”
“Come on, Noah. What do you take me for? If I was going to do that, I would’ve done it already.”
“What then?”
“All in good time, my friend. Now why don’t you introduce us to our hosts?”
Mary crossed her arms and spoke up with attitude. “I’m Mary, and that’s my brother Jabez.”
Taylor nodded until his eyes landed on Fred. His eyebrows jumped. “A humanoid?”
Rebecca gasped. “We have to leave, Taylor. This is a den of iniquity!”
“A what?” Mary laughed harshly. “You are free to leave. Please, do.”
Taylor shrugged. “I’m sure it’s harmless.”
He removed his jacket, and my heart sunk. He was serious about staying. The girls remained huddled together against the wall. Taylor motioned to them to sit on the rug. They complied without question.
Rebecca hadn’t changed a bit, her face still a smug expression of self-righteousness. Hannah was a different story. Her light had gone out with Simon’s death. Obviously their relationship was real and not simply arranged. She wore her sorrow thickly, like an extra coat.
Taylor held out his left palm exposing a silver ring.
“A ComRing!” I shouted at him. “You idiot, you’re going to lead them right to us!”
Taylor scoffed. “Chill out. It’s turned off, okay.” Then he smirked. “Besides, they’re not looking for me.”
Chapter 31
ZOE
I felt ill.
First, watching Noah get beat to a pulp, even if he did win. And just when I thought he’d bought our ticket to freedom, Taylor Blake showed up.
Why?
And now Noah believed there was more going on between Taylor and me than there was. I didn’t kiss Taylor in the barn.
But at the time, I’d wanted to. I was an awful person.
Taylor was here again, in the same room as Jabez and Mary. And now they knew the truth about us.
Why wouldn’t Jabez and Mary turn us in for cash like that? They didn’t owe us anything and I was pretty sure they didn’t even really like us. At least Mary didn’t like me. I was her ticket to a warm million in her pocket.
It was all just too much. I had to sit down. All the chairs were taken so I sat on the rug against the couch by Noah’s feet and rested my chin between my knees.
I scanned the room and it seemed that everyone was staring at me. No matter who I looked at, they were examining me. The crazy president’s granddaughter.
Except for Fred. Fred stood in the corner and held his gaze steady at some invisible point in front of him. Did he have a pause button or something that Jabez had pushed?
It was late and I wondered where everyone was going to sleep. There were more beds in the factory dorm, but that room wasn’t heated.
Mary took the lead and instructed Jabez, Fred and Taylor to move beds into her room and Jabez’s.
Jabez squawked. “I’m not sharing my room.”
Mary gave him a stern look. “It’s only temporary. I don’t like sharing my room either, but we can’t let them freeze.”
By the time the guys were done—Fred and Taylor doing the heavy lifting and Jabez with his broken arm, giving orders—a set of bunks were set up in each room. Noah and Taylor moved in with Jabez. Hannah and Rebecca moved in with me and Mary.
And here I’d thought I’d gotten away from the righteous sisters for good.
They both adorned the same long braids down their backs as before and wore worn-looking winter coats. Both had grim expressions on their faces. Mary made them take the top bunks.
“Hannah needs a bottom bunk,” Rebecca said.
Mary crawled under her blanket. “Too bad.”
Hannah’s eyes finally lifted from the floor. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
She didn’t look fine. In fact she looked ill. Likely, still mourning Simon’s death.
“I’ll take the top bunk,” I offered, motioning to Hannah to take my bed.
I climbed up and burrowed under the blankets with my clothes on. Even though this room had heat, it was still cold. Frost crept up the outside of the window, testifying to the dropping temperatures.
“Why did you guys come here?” I hoped one of the girls would be more honest than Taylor. Even if he was on the hunt for me, for the reward, why would he drag the girls along?
“We didn’t really have a choice,” Rebecca said, climbing to the top bunk opposite me. I knew she’d be the spokesperson.
“Why? What happened on the commune?”
“You mean, since it was destroyed because we were gracious enough to house you?” Rebecca’s dark eyes narrowed to slits. She glanced down at Mary, who lay in the bunk under me. “I’d be careful if I were you. If you like this place and want to keep it.”
“What happened at your commune?” Mary asked.
“The authorities stormed it, guns blazing. Hannah’s fiancé was killed.”
Mary’s head peeked out, her ey
es searching for me. “Is this true?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
“You knew this and came here anyway?”
“It wasn’t my decision. You and Noah made the deal. You needed a fighter, remember?”
“Jude and I made the deal.”
“Look, we’ll leave as soon as Noah is fit to move. One more day, tops, then we’ll be out of your hair forever.”
“Just make sure you take your commune friends with you.”
They weren’t my friends, but I let Mary have the last word.
As tired as I was, I couldn’t sleep. The sounds of deep breathing came from the other three. Listening to them actually sleeping just made me more aggravated that I wasn’t. My clothes felt twisted and uncomfortable so I took them off, having warmed up my bed with body heat. When sleep still evaded me, I got up for something to drink, grabbing Mary’s housecoat that hung on the back of the door.
I startled when I saw Fred sitting in the chair in the dark. I moved as quietly as possible to the kitchen and tried to find a glass and fill it by the light coming from the open fridge.
I heard a noise and jumped when I saw Taylor Blake’s form fill the doorway.
“You can’t sleep either?” he said.
I shook my head. I closed the fridge door and turned on the small light over the stove.
Taylor crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. He wore jeans and a loose t-shirt, a really good look for him, I had to admit. That and the messy bed head.
I swallowed and tightened the belt on the housecoat.
“Why did you come?” I asked. “Really?”
His eyes locked with mine. “For you.”
“For the money, you mean.”
“No, I mean for you. I seriously couldn’t get you out of my mind, Zoe.”
I felt my face flush with this declaration. I ran a hand through my short hair, wishing it were long again, so I could hide behind it.
