Flawed (Eternal Combat Book 0)

by Kitty Cox

  "My name is Destiny Pierce," her image said, and the crowd began to murmur.

  Dez couldn't look at herself. Those words still made her soul feel raw, and she didn't want to admit it. Instead, she watched the faces lit softly from the images flashing before them. Eyes were wide. Backs were straight. In a room filled with people who knew what to expect, they'd all just been caught by surprise. When Braden appeared, the women smiled. When Jeff showed his back, people gasped. When the rest of the team stood defiant, something changed. The crowd was no longer just watching the trailer; they were living it. Every person in the room understood. All of them were flawed. Everyone had felt that pain. Deviant Games was giving them a chance to make it into something to be proud of.

  This was her opus, her tribute to the shit she called life. She'd tried so hard to play by the rules and had failed, but the scraps had become something to be proud of. As she scanned the crowd, she could see it on their faces. By exposing her own vulnerabilities, she'd just made them all stronger. She'd just given permission for them all to admit their own issues and weaknesses. She'd just dared everyone to look down their noses at her – because she wasn't alone.

  And it was true. She wasn't alone. She would never be the sweet little girl who'd been tortured for daring to have an opinion, but the monster who'd climbed out of those ashes was stronger. Destiny was gone, but Dez wouldn't let them win. She might end up crying under a desk, but she wouldn't give up. She couldn't live without her games. They'd given her everything, from friends to the man of her dreams. The only way they could get her out of gaming was to kill her, and then she wouldn't care at all.

  As the box cover flashed on the screen, the audience screamed their approval. Somewhere in the middle, the first person surged to their feet, but more followed. In seconds, everyone was standing, clapping, and yelling for more. On the stage, Chance patted the air, begging them to let him speak.

  "For the record," he said, but the cheering nearly drowned him out. He lifted a hand, and this time, the crowd calmed enough to let him speak. "For the record, before anyone claims we're pulling up old history for our company's profit, I'd like to announce the co-owner of Deviant Games, and someone I'm very proud to call a partner. Destiny Pierce." He looked over all of them, right at her. "Yes. It's true. She really is back, and we're going to help her change our games for the better. So if you want to know if Deviant has anything else coming after this, the answer is yes. We have Destiny on our side. Thank you!"

  "Lame," Dez grumbled under her breath.

  Sam laughed, leaning close enough that she didn't need to yell. "But brilliant. Look at them, Dez. Not even Bioware got that kind of applause."

  Andy reached over and hugged Braden, setting off a chain reaction of hand clasping and back patting. Dez wasn't exempt, even if they didn't touch her. They also didn't truly avoid her, reaching around her to grab each other, and laughing when she just rolled her eyes. When the next display began, the entire group made their way back to the empty hall outside.

  "How was it?" Chance asked, jogging up.

  Amy lifted her thumb into the air, then clapped her hands together.

  Braden gestured to her. "Yep, about like that. Seriously, you couldn't hear?"

  Chance shrugged. "Stage amplifies everything, so I couldn't tell if that was a normal response or what."

  Sam thrust out her lower lip and nodded. "Definitely 'or what.' Yeah, nothing like the others got."

  "Did you see the standing ovation?" Dez asked.

  "No. Nothing but lights in my eyes." He paused as if finally hearing what she said. "Wait. We got a standing ovation?!"

  "Yep."

  "Just Flawed, or Silk too?"

  Andy scratched at his jaw. "Flawed definitely got it, but Silk wasn't hurting. Saw lots of excited faces. I could be a bit biased, but I'm thinking we got a real shot."

  "The crowd looked more interested in Silk than any of the big name games," Braden added. "Granted, sounds like we're gonna have to crank out a couple before the community believes we can do it."

  Chance was nodding, a smile slowly growing on his face. "Then December first, if Silk doesn't go bankrupt, we start planning our third game. We'll just line them up and keep cranking them out, and you – "he gestured to all of them," – are going to all become department heads. Let's go grab the stragglers and go party!"

  The group began heading back to their booth. They had to lock up the gear and pick up Mark and Tim. The convention hall would close in only a few more minutes, then everyone in that auditorium would likely head to the club next door. That was the last place Dez wanted to be, but she knew the rest were dying to celebrate.

  From the smile on Chance's face, he was too. No matter how much she'd rather head back to the hotel, she wouldn't ask him to. He deserved this. Chance had put everything into this dream, and tonight, it had finally paid off. Two million people wanted to test their game. Over a hundred thousand – probably more by now – had already purchased Silk. Tomorrow, the awards would be announced, but they all could feel it. Silk was going to become the most anticipated game of the year. So long as they didn't release a piece of crap, Deviant Games had just broken into a very select crowd of serious game development companies.

  She was thrilled, but the thought of mingling with so many others, where any stranger could be the person who'd left her scared and broken? That was pushing it. But if she didn't go, she never would. She couldn't live her entire life trying to hide from the world. If she wanted to go unnoticed, why had she just put her name out there? She'd just told everyone exactly where she was. It'd seemed like such a good idea at the time. Now, facing the reality of it, she had no idea what she'd been thinking.

  Somewhere at this convention was a man who'd felt justified in abusing her. He thought he had the right to force her out of games, but she'd basically just spit in his face. The Flawed trailer was nothing more than a massive virtual finger at everyone who'd tried to bring her down, but those men didn't play fair, and she wasn't sure she could live through it a second time. Her steps got slower as she tried to sort out her thoughts. Unfortunately, Chance noticed.

  "Dez?" He dropped back beside her and gestured for her to wait. When the rest were gone, he moved closer. "I promise we won't stay long. Just a couple of drinks, make sure the team's having fun, then we'll go back and watch a movie or something. Ok?"

  That sounded perfect, but she knew better. Chance wasn't the kind of guy to stay at home. He lived for the hunt. He loved to be the center of attention. If she tried to lock him away with guilt, it wouldn't take long before it turned into resentment. As much as she hated to face her own fears, she knew one thing was true: people only changed if they wanted to. There was no threat in the world that could convince her to stop gaming, just as nothing would make Chance enjoy hiding away from the world. Not even she could make him happy with that. Dez wasn't exactly a pro at the whole relationship thing, but she knew that men like Chance Hunter weren't meant to be isolated. It's what drew her to him in the first place. Besides, she'd be with her friends. Nothing would really happen. So she screwed up her face and shook her head.

  "I wanna see Braden and Jeff get drunk. I'm betting Brae hits on him at least once."

  "You want to go to the club?" A flare of hope flickered across his face.

  Dez just gestured to her clothes. "I dressed up for it, Dad. C'mon. I bet they don't even card me."

  "Say the word and we'll go back."

  "Promise." She reached up and hooked her finger in his. "And you're going to dance with Amy if nothing else. Probably a few more. But you will have fun." She lifted her other finger toward his face. "You hear me?"

  "Can do, kid." He leaned closer and threatened to bite it. "Maybe if I get you drunk enough, you'll strip naked and dance on a table for me... When we get back."

  "No dancing."

  "Maybe a little?" He tried to make a pouty face but couldn't do it around the grin.

  Dez just rolled her eyes. "Not without
a whole lot of pot."

  "I can do that." He tensed his finger against hers. "If you can do this for me, Sugar, I can do anything you want."

  And that's why she would keep trying. Each step forward finally meant something – for her, for Chance, for all of them. She was the Queen of the Flawed and had just crowned herself in front of everyone at F5. Now, she had to live up to it. That meant no more hiding. She was scared to death, but deep down, that feeling had a name: determination. She was Destiny Pierce. She could do this.

  Chapter 27

  Inside the club was packed. In a cluster, they pushed through the mass, heading for the far side. Flashes of light flickered in her eyes, rotating through all the colors she could imagine, and smoke wafted up toward the ceiling. The bass pounded, forcing her heart to match it, and everywhere were smiles.

  Chance and Braden tried to act as a buffer for her, but it was impossible. The strangest part was that Dez didn't really care. None of these people even noticed her brushing past them. They weren't really touching her. She was touching them, and that made it all ok. That made it more like a dream, and less like the reality she'd spent her life trying to forget. This was the life she'd been meant to have, back when she was young and full of promise.

  She'd been wrong about one thing, though. They had carded her. The girl at the door hadn't bothered to read her name, but she'd seen the date and stamped Dez's hand the same way she'd done Chance's, making him raise an eyebrow and her skin crawl. Dez just shrugged, showed Chance her ID, then tucked it back into her pocket. Yep, she really could drink legally. In the frenzy of getting the Silk demo done, none of the team had noticed her birthday had come and gone, and she was perfectly ok with that.

  But here she was, in the middle of the kind of life she should be living, surrounded by the only people she thought of as friends. They didn't even make it to the bar before a cute blonde was making eyes at Chance, and Dez pointed her out. Braden laughed, knowing exactly how that would end up, then took over. Jeff fell in on the other side, the two guys wedging their way up to the lacquered counter to claim a pair of chairs. With Braden's musclebound charm, it didn't take long before the guy on the other side left too, creating the perfect little spot to watch the fun.

  "Whatcha having?" Braden asked, leaning over so Dez could hear.

  "Something girly," she yelled back.

  Jeff's face lit up. "Appletini!"

  Braden snapped and pointed at Jeff, then yelled the order to the bartender. The man shot him a confused look, but mixed the drink, along with a tumbler of amber liquid and something disgustingly green. The latter got slid down to Jeff.

  "What the hell?" Dez asked, looking at it.

  "Grasshopper."

  He held it up, offering her the straw, and Dez couldn't help herself. This was her first real party, and she was going to enjoy it. Feeling brave, she sucked, then gasped when the taste of mint chocolate hit her mouth.

  "That's so good!"

  Braden just reached over her shoulder and plucked it from Jeff's hands, then dropped it before Dez. "Then he can drink the appletini."

  "I'm fine with that, too," Jeff assured them, gesturing for Dez to sip it first.

  She obeyed, wrinkled her nose, then reached for the green one. "Chocolate is better than all," she told him, making her choice.

  After that, the guys kept her glass full. They also had a little too much fun laughing at the rest of the team. Tim made a production of shaking his, well, everything on the dance floor. Sam was bobbing alongside him. Those two were definitely getting close, which wasn't a bad thing. They worked together well, understood each other, and made a pretty cute couple. Tim didn't care about the scar on Sam's face, and she thought his extra size made him more like a teddy bear.

  Amy, on the other hand, looked like she belonged here. She was also on the prowl. Dez watched, finding that clubbing made a pretty good spectator sport, then realized where the girl was headed. Her target was hard to miss, and it looked like half the women in the club had already set their eyes on him. Naturally, Chance was enjoying it. From the brunette grinding her body against him to the blonde sucking on his neck, he was completely in his element.

  "How?" Jeff asked, gesturing right at Chance. "That shit never happens to me."

  Braden tapped his shoulder. "Hit the gym more, bro, and it might. Chicks love the muscles."

  "So why aren't you out there?" Jeff was smirking like he'd just thrown down the gauntlet.

  Braden's cheeks began to darken, but he shrugged. "Chance may get all the babes, but I'm the one hanging out with the hotties."

  "He's trying to hit on you, Dez," Jeff teased.

  She just shrugged and took another sip of her freakishly green drink. "Nope. Pretty sure he's flirting with you."

  "Uh." Jeff's head snapped up. "Dude, I'm just a dork."

  Braden looked over and made a point of checking out Jeff. "No complaints from me." Then he turned to the bar. "Need another!"

  Dez's eyes were on Jeff, waiting for him to take offense. What she saw was the exact opposite. A wistful smile played on his lips as he ducked his head, giggling. He tried to scrub it off his face with one hand, but that only made the guy laugh harder. When he saw Dez looking, it stopped – cold.

  "Sorry."

  "You cool with that, or do I need to be like a boss or something?" she asked.

  He shrugged, then grabbed his drink for something to keep his hands busy. "I dunno. Trying to figure that out, but never..." He chuckled again, but this time his face was turning truly red. "Never mind."

  "Chicks don't hand out compliments," Braden said from the other side. "Not really. I mean, we have nice arms, pretty eyes, or a great ass. But just to say we're nice to look at? Nah. They bitch about guys drooling over unrealistic bodies, then expect us to have them, ya know?"

  "Wait." Her head whipped from one side to the other, trying to keep track of the conversation. "You mean you're just trying to make Jeff feel good?"

  Braden turned, letting her neck have a bit of a rest. "Kinda. I'm being honest but said it because no one else will. Not like I'm gonna start grabbing his ass or anything."

  "My ass?" Jeff squeaked.

  "Yeah. It's pretty nice. Small, sexy, and you always wear jeans that show it off. Don't think I didn't notice."

  "Brae," Dez hissed.

  Jeff just held up a hand. "What else?"

  Braden laughed. "Well, let's just say that the tattoo down your back isn't hurting any. Scars are pretty hot, and on a body as long and lean as yours?" He lifted his glass and downed the rest of it. "I'm gonna fuckin' regret this in the morning."

  "And I'm not gonna remind you," Jeff promised. "Next round's on me."

  "Doesn't bother you?" Dez asked.

  Jeff tried to do the shy shrug one more time. "I asked. He answered." Then he paused. "Nah, fuck that. No. I think that's the first time anyone's told me I'm not just some scrawny looking fuck, ok? I don't care who it is. It's just nice."

  "Yeah?" Braden asked. "Well, lemme tell ya Chance's secret. He convinces every woman out there that she's hot. He means it, too. That's how you get them in your bed, bro. You don't need any fancy bullshit. Just be honest. Tell her she's great and mean it. Doesn't matter if it's just her smile. That smile makes her eyes light up, and that makes them gorgeous, which lets you see how sweet she is, and that shows off the true beauty." Braden pointed at the dance floor. "Dozens of them, man, just waiting to meet the man who made Silk."

  "Maybe later," Jeff said, waving it off.

  Braden pointed again. "It's a no until you try. Then you at least have a 50-50 shot, man."

  "Nah."

  "Go." Braden grabbed his drink. "Get shot down once, and I'm buying for the rest of the night. Get shot down five times, and I'll shave before sucking you off."

  Dez roared a laugh. "You wouldn't!"

  "Fuck yeah, I would." Braden grinned at Jeff. "Don't try, and I'm taking you back to my room. The choice is yours, bro."

  "Fine!" Jeff
huffed, trying hard to sound offended and failing. "Once."

  He took a deep breath, then marched toward a girl leaning at the rail, most likely watching her friends dance. Braden just chuckled as he leaned closer. Side by side, the pair watched their friend psych himself up, then lean beside her, looking twice as confident as he ever had before.

  "You're kinda sweet," Dez told Braden.

  "Usually. Just know he took a hit as hard as you did tonight when the crowd saw his scar." He shrugged, then pointed over to Chance. "How are you gonna take it when those two end up in bed?"

  "They won't." Dez wasn't sure why she was so positive, but she knew it wouldn't happen.

  Braden made a noise that sounded like he disagreed. "And if it does? How you gonna keep that from chasing off our best PR person?"

  "That," Dez told him, "is why it won't happen. Chance wouldn't risk Silk."

  Naturally, that's when Chance moved closer. Grabbing Amy's waist, he curled around her, sliding their bodies so close together. The girl tossed her head back and laughed, placing both palms on his chest. Even Dez could see that they looked good together. They looked like a couple, like they were meant to be. Oddly, she didn't care. That they were so comfortable was a good thing. She knew it wouldn't happen.

  And if it did?

  It wasn't like she had any room to be jealous. Her entire relationship was based on distance. Whether that was the inch of dead air between her body and Chance's every night or hiding behind the anonymity of a screen name, she was always going to be on the outside. That's what she'd wanted, right? She wanted the world to forget she existed. She wanted to disappear.

  Except she didn't. Not now, not anymore. Dez reached behind her for her drink and used the straw to stir it. For the first time in her life, she wasn't sure she wanted to avoid the world. Her counselor said she had to try to get better. She had to take risks. She had to fail before she could figure out how to do it right. She had to trust her friends.

  That had always been the problem. After she'd been abducted, she had no friends. No one knew how to treat her. Hell, she hadn't known how to treat herself, but this was different. The Flawed team didn't give a shit. They liked her. They laughed, joked, and got pissed at her. They weren't patronizing. They honestly included her. She was a part of the team. No. She was the Queen of the Flawed, and that meant she belonged, even if she couldn't get it right.