Fight Like A Girl

by A. D. Herrick

  “Come on.” He urged glancing over his shoulder, past me toward the back of the gym.

  “Are they coming?” I panted too terrified to turn and look for myself.

  “No.”

  Taking a sharp turn Reject led me down alley after alley. I didn’t stop to look around. I couldn’t. I knew the moment I did fear would freeze me in place, making me a target. I put blind faith in the man that ran beside me. The buildings blurred into one as we passed.

  My ears strained against the sound of our footsteps for any sign of pursuit. The night was silent. Fear kept me from glancing over my shoulder. I didn’t know if we were followed and I didn’t want to.

  Reject stayed by my side, refusing to let me out of his sight. I knew I was holding him back. I knew he could easily outrun me, but he didn’t, instead, he ran just a few paces in front of me shouting out words of encouragement like we were working out at the gym instead of running for our lives.

  “Come on G, you got this. We’re almost there.” I had no idea where there was and I didn’t care. All I cared about was putting one foot in front of the other. Reject could be leading me right into the pits of hell and I wouldn’t have known the difference.

  “Just a little further, G. Just on the other side of the building on the right.” His voice never broke. I was panting like an overweight gorilla while he sounded like he was out for an evening stroll. I bit back a groan of pain as the stitch in my side threatened to drop me to my knees.

  Looking up ahead I could see the building he was talking about. It was the old family grocer back when we were kids. The once white brick building was covered in graffiti. The initials RD were tagged in black Old English script flanked by two massive bulldogs wearing spiked collars. A sense of hope blossomed in my chest. Reject was right, we were almost there.

  “Yeah, G, yeah.” Reject whooped tugging me down the dark alley beside the building. “Home free, baby. Just like I promised.” He gloated basing on the elation of our freedom.

  “I fucking owe you, Reject. I owe you.” I swore. Bending over, I rested my elbows on the tops of my thighs as I struggled to catch my breath.

  “You don’t owe me a thing, G. Chaos is family. He’s home, ya know? Any of us would do anything to protect what’s his. Family takes care of family.” He praised. The affection in his voice told me he meant every word. I felt my heart swell for the man beside me. I knew then that I was right to follow him.

  “All the same. I appreciate it.” Reject cuffed me on the shoulder in a display of affection.

  “Come on. Let’s get to the clubhouse so we can let them know what’s going on.” Rising back up, I gave him a nod of agreement.

  Reject pulled his phone out of his pocket, hitting a button and placing it to his ear. “Someone hit Destruction, I have G. I’m bringing her in. Let Chaos-” His words were halted. A spray of bullets lit up his body echoing off the narrow alley. I watched in frozen panic as his body jerked under the barrage of gunfire.

  I stood unable to move while my mind tried so desperately to process the scene before me. My body was in shock. Reject’s phone dropped to the ground shattering into a million pieces followed by his limp unmoving body.

  Shots continued to rain around me, kicking up bits of pavement as shards of brick rained down around me, propelling me into motion. If I stayed here I would die.

  My heart squeezed in my chest. Shock and fear were ice in my veins.

  I ran.

  My body moved on instinct, my legs eating up pavement, I didn’t look back. Fear and the desire to live pushed me forward. Ducking my head down, I avoided being hit as the sound of bullets ricochet throughout the narrow alleyway spraying me with chunks of brick and debris.

  I had no idea where I was going. The only goal we’d had was to get on Reckless Dogs turf. Now that I was here and it was no longer safe I was lost, not knowing where to turn. My heart broke for Reject. He had risked his life to save mine and now he was dead. I knew that if I allowed myself to be caught or worse yet, killed, his death would have been for nothing.

  With that thought in mind, I pushed myself harder, ignoring the protest of my limbs. I pushed past the sharp stabbing pain in my side.

  I ran for me.

  For Reject.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chaos

  The trip out to Devil’s Passing turned up nothing. Bullet waited for his contact to call back to no avail. I don’t know why he had called me out here. This entire trip was for nothing. All of this could have been handled over the phone. The trip had been a waste of time and I was tired of waiting.

  With each passing moment away from G I felt a sense of unease creeping down my spine. I shouldn’t have left her behind, but until I knew who was behind the hit I knew I couldn’t bring her with me. The situation was too unstable.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket filling me with trepidation. Tossing a wave in Bullet’s direction I pressed the button on the phone answering the call as I stepped out of the building into the cool dark night.

  “Shooting at Destruction. Reject took off with G, took her out the back to safety.” Shank’s shaky voice poured through the line turning my blood to ice.

  “Who was it, Shank?” I demanded. My skin blistered with blinding rage.

  “Club guys. Tattered cuts. Didn’t get a look at the patch.” His description gave nothing away and his voice was fading fast. I knew he didn’t have long.

  “Hang tight, Shank. I’m on my way.” Hitting the end button on the phone I felt the tight squeeze in my chest.

  “Bullet,” I bellowed out throwing the door to the club open. I didn’t flinch as it slammed against the wall causing the whole front of the building to shake.

  Bullet came running into the foyer followed by his crew. “What the fuck Chaos?” He demanded staring me down angrily.

  “Shooting at Destruction. I need all hands on deck. We’re looking at mass casualties.”

  “It’s not our fight, man.” I didn’t miss the subtle dip of his head or the way his eyes refused to meet mine.

  I knew right then, Devil’s Passing had something to do with what was going down tonight. I had carelessly taken the bait allowing Bullet to lure me away from G. I felt the rage burning deep within my soul.

  “Don’t worry about it, man. I’ll touch base with you later.” I held out my fist. Bullet smiled smugly, bumping his fist into mine. “Sorry, man.”

  “It’s good,” I promised with a tight smile.

  And it would be.

  This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. I knew he had something to do with it but before I could worry about Bullet and his crew I needed to find G. Then I would settle my debt with Devils Passing. Good things comes to those who wait, and all that shit. It wasn’t like I didn’t know where they lived.

  I ran out of the building punching in the number for Spike, Prez for Reckless Dogs.

  “Talk to me, man,” I demanded the moment he answered. I didn’t wait for him to speak as I slid behind the wheel of my black Nissan Titan.

  I was grateful I had chosen to bring the truck instead of riding my bike out to meet the Devil’s. My Bluetooth picked up the call the moment the engine turned over.

  “Reject called, he had G. They made it to our turf and then all hell broke loose.” I waited with baited breath for him to continue.

  “By the time we got out there she was gone. Reject was filled with holes. There was nothing we could do. Those fuckers got him when he was on the phone calling it in. She’s not here man.” I could hear the fear and anger mingling in his voice.

  “I’m sorry about Reject, he was good people.” I meant it too. I could honestly say Reject was one of the best dudes I ever knew. He was loyal to a fault. The fact that he risked his life to save my girl meant everything to me. He would be sorely missed.

  “Do you see any signs that she was hit? Any blood? Anything?”

  “There’s nothing man. No tire tracks, no blood. No clothing, nothing. I have my guys out searchin
g now. Where ever your girl is, she’s spooked.” I knew he was right. G had been through too much in less than twenty-four hours’ time. First her brother and now this. It was too much for a girl like her to take. It was too much for anyone.

  “Can you spare some guys to head out to Destruction? Shank called. He sounded like they’re in a pretty bad way.”

  “Already on it. I have Doc and a handful of others already headed out there. Do you have any idea who’s behind this?”

  I inhaled deeply letting out a long slow breath. As much as I wanted to tell him, I couldn’t. I had an idea, but it was only just. I needed more answers. I needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

  “Not yet, man. I have a few leads. I’m going to chase them down. But first I need to find G. I’ll burn this motherfucker to the ground if I don’t get my hands on her first.”

  I heard Spike let out a shaky breath. “We’ll get ears to the ground and get shit wrapped up here. We got you, Brother.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  Pressing the button on the steering wheel I hung up the phone.

  Shank said they were old cuts. The description didn’t match any of the MC’s in town, at least none of the ones I knew. The guys of Grim Howlers wore old cuts but they were all dead. The proof of that was in the landfill in the next town over. Spike’s men had seen to that earlier in the day.

  Punching the number on the phone I made one last call. It was a call I hated to make and regretted it the moment my finger released the button, but I had no other choice.

  “Hey, C. What brings you around ringing my phone so late at night?” My father’s voice resounded through the truck's speakers.

  “I need intel. I’m looking for a crew, a possible MC with ragged cuts.” I spoke briskly, keeping all emotion from my voice.

  “Sounds like every other shithole town MC. Why you wanna know?” His tone echoed on boredom, but I knew he was intrigued. There wasn’t anything Nathan Lopez didn’t have his hands or his nose in.

  “They shot up my club and went after my girl. You know anything about that? Any relation to the shit storm that happened at Marco’s this morning?” If I was a betting man, I would say whoever was after my girl was after her because of Marco or because of my father. Marco was dead, my father would follow if I found out he was the cause behind any of this. Nathan Lopez and his partner Drake ran one of the largest, oldest MC’s in the state. They were known for making enemies. Father or not, I would take him out if his actions affected my girl.

  “I can’t say for sure, but I heard whispers about a female fighter being offered up in trade on a deal when I was looking into the Marco situation.” I knew he was holding back, feeding me niblets, just enough to keep me on the line, testing out the waters to see how far I would bite.

  “G’s not a fighter, Pops.” I reminded him.

  “I’m not the one needing convincing. Look, let me make a quick call and I’ll see what I can find out.” He offered. I could hear his lips curl through the line. He was enjoying this. Relishing in the fact I needed him, knowing he had the information I needed to track down my girl.

  “Nah, Pops. It doesn’t work like that. You’re going to tell me everything you know. You’re not going to miss a beat either. Start talking or I’ll be headed to your place next.” I meant it and he knew it.

  “Look, I don’t want you going off half-cocked. I wanted to get all the info to you when I had something solid.”

  “Just give it to me Pops.”

  “Marco made a deal, a bad one. He offered up a female fighter to the Dark Crows in exchange for payment on goods. Only, in typical Marco fashion, he didn’t follow through.”

  “So how did the Devil’s get involved?” My father was a lot of things, a cheat, a thief, and an all-around bad guy. But the one thing that has always held true, he was the only person I knew who had his nose or hand in everything in one form or another. I also knew he would hold my secrets, taking them to the grave and always had my back whether I wanted him to or not.

  I don't know if he did it out of love or out of fear. It didn't matter. What mattered was despite how I felt about him, he always held the info I needed and would take every word I spoke to him to the grave.

  “Devils are tied to the Crows. Bullet’s brother is Hangman, The Crows VP. Whether they’re helping for cash or loyalty, I don’t know. I only know that they are working together on this one.”

  I inhaled sharply, my eyes narrowing on the road in front of me.

  “How does this tie in with G? How are the two related?”

  “G’s the fighter Marco offered up. Whether she’s a fighter or not, she’s the one he offered.”

  “Fuck,” I roared into the line beating my hand against the steering wheel furiously. My father said nothing. Instead, he waited patiently on the other line letting me get it all out.

  “How did you come across the intel?” I needed his source. Not that I didn’t trust him. I did. I just needed something to hold onto. Something told me it would come of use later on.

  “Drake has his hands in a lot of pots, one of them being the ring. When he first told me about picking up a female fighter from the Folds I shut him down. I warned him that nothing good would come of it. I swear I didn’t know it was G. You know that if she had even been a blip on the radar I would have let you know.” The mention of his lover's name left a sour taste in my mouth.

  It didn’t bother me that my Pops was a homosexual. What bothered me was the way he went about it. How he lied and cheated, putting my Mamá through hell, to cover up for his affair.

  No one could help who they loved. He had no right to hold on to that for so long. It took my Mamá busting him in the act while he thought she was away for him to finally come clean. That day, my Pops signed the gym over to me; leaving me everything he owned and moved out to be with Drake on the other end of the state. I was only eighteen.

  “I swear it, Chaz.”

  “I know, Pops.” I pinched the bridge of my nose with my index and forefinger fighting back a migraine.

  “So how did the Crows get in on the action?”

  “When Drake turned down the offer, he gave the Crows name up as a potential taker.”

  “Damn Pops, you old bastards are some meddling Nancy’s.”

  Pops laughed. “Hey, you love the fact that we sit around the sewing circle gossiping and you know it.” He had a point. I did love the fact he held a wealth of information.

  “Alright Pops. I’m going to handle some business. If you hear anything else about my girl give me a call.”

  “Chaz,”

  “Yeah, Pop.”

  “You find your girl and rain hell on their ass.”

  “You know I will,” I promised.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ginger

  The roar of the crowd was deafening. I staggered to my feet trying to remain upright. Clutching my eyes closed tight, I tried to will away the ringing in my ears. It had gotten progressively worse after each fight. One more blow to the head and I was sure it would be lights out for good.

  It didn’t matter how many fights I won. There was always another lined up. It felt never-ending. I wasn’t sure how much more punishment my body could take. I had nearly lost the last fight.

  I felt it.

  It was right there.

  I was a blink away from giving up.

  I don’t know what had changed. Like a grandmother suddenly able to lift a car off a small child, I had charged the girl. Swinging my fist wildly. I landed every blow to her small battered body and head. Her thin blond hair ran red as blood poured from her gaping wounds. I didn’t stop.

  It was me or her.

  There was no question.

  I would always choose me.

  It wasn’t until iron arms wrapped around my waist lifting me off the broken girl that I realized what I had done.

  I had taken a life.

  Stolen it.

  My heart ached with the memory.

  Her
blood was still on my hands. The remnants of it crusted under my fingernails. The memory forever seared into my brain. I didn’t even know her name.

  My stomach rolled in revolt. Lifting my bound hands to my swollen face I gingerly worried my fingers at my temples, trying to ease the throbbing behind my eyes to no avail. Shaking my head I tried to erase away the image of her still lifeless form.

  It was no use.

  I was a killer.

  A monster.

  I was no better than the men who held me captive.

  It was their fault I did it. It was their fault that girl was dead. It was all them. I wouldn’t have been here if it wasn’t for them. I would have never met that girl had I not been captured.

  I couldn't believe I was here. I wanted to kick myself in the ass. I would have too if I hadn't been in so much pain. There wasn't a spot on my body that didn't ache. It had been two days of constant battles. Two days of abuse at the hands of my captors. Two days since my freedom was stolen from me.

  I had almost got away. I was so close I could taste the freedom in the back of my throat. What I didn’t anticipate was how low they would go to catch me.

  I had escaped the hail of bullets. Ducking through a gap between the buildings I darted across to the next street over. Tossing a look over my shoulder I let out a breath of relief that no one was following me.

  I ran through the streets, ducking and dodging between buildings and around cars. All I needed was to get across Reckless Dogs turf and I would be home free.

  Rounding the last turn I shot a quick glance in either direction finding the roads empty. My heart soared with elation. I ran toward the old abandoned building Marco and I used to play in when we were kids.

  It was our secret hideaway when we needed to escape. The building wasn’t much, just a rundown shell that provided years of immunity from our father’s wrath.

  It was my only hope for survival.

  No one ever went out to the old building. It had been condemned long before I was born. No one knew the dilapidated infrastructure better than Marco and me. But Marco was dead now and I was on my own. The building would provide the perfect hiding place from any who dared to enter after me.