by P. A. Jones
“Excuse me, please,” I asked in as polite a manner I could given the situation.
“Yes?” His voice sounded so deep that even my heartfelt the rhythm behind it..
“Can you please stop that fight?” I sighed, my mind drowning in sorrow for that poor soul; I was definitely feeling the guilt for his beating, “He’ll kill him like that.”
His eyes widened. He looked at Chase. Chase was still punching that poor fellow.
“Sorry, it’s none of my business.” He said it plainly and walked away from me to grab a table far away from the counter.
“Coward,” I muttered. Stunned, I watched him walk away, turning his back on the fight. Why I don’t know, but I’d had high hopes from him.
“That’s enough, Chase. Throw him out of the club.” My dad’s authoritative voice popped out of the corner.
Chase turned back to look at my dad and then dragged the man with a single hand and walked out of the club. I couldn’t stop myself; I ran towards the man and checked his heartbeat and fortunately it was beating.
“At least he is not dead. I’ll call paramedics.” Carrie said.
“Damn, if only I could have solved the issue easily and Chase hadn’t heard him.”
“It’s not your fault, Nikki. Being a club owner’s daughter and having bodyguards around can’t be easy, and these things aren’t completely your fault completely.” She touched my shoulder.
“And if that coward had helped this poor soul, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad.” I looked back at the mystery man sitting on the far corner table, quietly sipping a beer.
“You can’t blame him. Nobody would get into trouble with Chase. Look at the beast. I fear someday his muscles will tear down the XXL shirt he is wearing and he would find no shirt to wear, ever,” Carrie said.
“He is a beast.” Chase was always like this, hot-headed, quick to throw a punch. He was cruel enough to beat anyone. I sometime wonder if he had killed anybody yet.
“Let’s go. We’ve a movie to catch,” Carrie said.
“No, Carrie, I just can’t watch anything after this whole scene. I blame myself for coming here today. If I hadn’t come here for some money, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place.” My mind was full of sorrow, but my eyes kept going back to the mystery man. A hint of hatred fluttered through my mind. He was a fighter, for sure; a normal man wouldn’t have a scar on his jaw. But then why didn’t he help that man or me, at least?
“Take this; it will calm you down a bit.” Carrie handed me a drink. A Lemon Martini, my favorite.
I took a sip and looked back at the mystery man again. He was definitely rugged eye candy for sure; still, I was angry with him for refusing to help the cute guy, no matter how handsome he was.
“I just called the nearby hospital and they’ll help him.”
“I wish I could kick Chase’s ass myself,” I responded, with hatred.
Carrie squeezed my arm.“No you are not quite ready for that yet,” She said as she giggled.
Chapter 2
Nikki
“If you don’t do this I’ll not give you a single penny for to go shopping,” my dad said as his face turned iron stubborn. My dad was known as Iron Man for his conviction in the business circles, so I knew he was telling the truth and it wasn’t just a shallow warning. Because of my own stubborn attitude, I’d lost access to Stephen and shopping was the only thing that comforted my heart after I couldn't see Stephen anymore. I’d had to give in to his demands.
“But Dad, why Chase? He is too unpredictable. Scary, even pathetic,” I said, looking in his eyes with hope.
My dad had asked me to visit a club of his, Club Satan, and pick something up for him. The thing was a mystery because in spite of asking him three times, he still hadn't told me what the thing was, nor was I allowed to open it. Actually he could easily get whatever he wanted to pick up brought to him with ease; he could just ask any of his associates and they would grab it for him. But no, he wanted me to do it. Sometimes he just felt like showing me that he was the head of the family.
“I’m not listening to you, young lady. You are twenty-one now, and you should know that I’m doing this for your own protection,” he groaned.
“I’ll take Carrie with me, then.” I had no choice but to listen to him. I could easily read irritation on his face and it was better for me to obey him for the time being. It’s just a couple of hours and then I’ll just go shopping.
“Don’t you have any other friend to go out with? It’s always that girl.” He frowned.
“Now don’t start on that, please. I’m agreeing to do your job, so please let me go with her.” I shifted my feet in the thick carpet; his office was decorated with thick carpet and traditional, luxurious furniture. We lived in a mansion—well, a three-story house with twenty-two rooms. Who in the world wouldn’t call it a mansion?
He looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Okay,” came after a long pause.
I looked at him to check if he meant something else, but his expression hadn’t changed. He was in his early fifties, but he looked like at least ten years younger. If it wasn’t for the bit of gray in his hair, he would have looked younger than that, even, but I liked those shades. They gave him an authoritative look. He always wore a gray jacket and black trousers in the office which complemented his good looks. He still looked handsome and any girl could fall for him, but it would be of no use. For him, the focus was always business, even above his own daughter.
Thinking about the relationship we shared, it had been always a strange one. He never really cared what I did with my life. I think for him taking care means giving money and he was good at it. So for me, he was a cool dad—always giving me what I wanted. I really only hated him for one thing:; he kept me away from Stephen.
“Thanks, Dad. I’ll call Carrie and then go with Chase,” I replied calmly and went back to my room.
I called Carrie from my new iPhone the moment I entered my room.
Without letting her say a word, I blurted, “Can you please come over now? We have to go to a club and then do some shopping.”
“Umm, I don’t know.” She paused.”“I was planning to meet Jerry.” Jerry was her boyfriend for the last year-and-a-half.
“Please? If you don’t come I’ll have to go with Chase alone and you know how creepy he is,” I pleaded.
She paused for a while. “Okay, let me talk with Jerry and make up some thing and then I’ll come over.”
“Okay. Come fast.” I exhaled. I was breathless with anxiety at just with the idea of going alone with Chase.
***
“Nikki, let’s go.” Carrie started shouting as soon as she was out of the elevator. My room was on the third floor and I had a separate elevator and entrance for myself and my friends, which opened opposite to my room. She ran in a rush; she was wearing a blue sundress which hugged every curve of her body. She looked very sexy, and I wondered what she was anticipating during our outing.
“You look hot,” I sighed. Next to her, I looked average.
“It’s the same dress you've me last summer. Now, let’s go. I have a movie to catch with Jerry later.”
“Okay, let’s go.” I was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a V-neck t-shirt. I was afraid that if anyone else tried to hit on me when Chase was around, he would end up exactly as the cute guy had yesterday. Last night, I’d woken up a couple of times in the night with sweat covering my forehead and my neck. I had nightmares in which I was kissing some man and then Chase came and tore open that man’s chest and drank the blood out of it.
“Are you okay, Nikki? You look a bit worried.” Carrie touched my shoulder.
“Nothing, had some nightmares,” I replied.
“About yesterday's event?”
“Yes,” I sighed. I knew the whole would be stuck in my mind for several days to come.“I’m okay, Carrie. Let’s just go.”
I called Chase as we walked to the parking garage. I have a custom fitted Range Rover for myself
. Dad wanted me to drive something smaller, but I always wanted a big car and this new model had gotten my attention from day one.
Chase snatched the key out of my hand and I was pushed to the back seat.
“Jerk,” I whispered to Carrie. She giggled.
After twenty minutes, we were walking inside the fifth most popular club in New York. It was huge from the outside and gorgeous on the inside. The club was all marble; even the wall tiles were imported from Europe. The place had booths made up of hard stone; they were open on two sides and could accommodate four people at a time. There were twenty-five such booths available for members only. For non-members a separate, open floor was available, beautiful in its own right.
“Whenever I visit this club, it amazes me with a new angle of beauty,” Carrie said as we entered the club.
“I know. It’s really gorgeous, isn’t it?”
My heart fluttered for a second as we passed by one of the cubicle. I looked back at the booth and I couldn’t believe my own eyes. The mystery man who refused to help me two days ago was sitting in one of the booths. He was drinking the same beer he was drinking at the other club. My eyebrows shot up as I realized that he was sitting in the booth, which meant he was a member.
He was wearing a tight gray t-shirt, which not only showed the muscles beneath it, but also revealed the tattoo on his neck. Red and green ink was beautifully crafted in the outline of a hawk. I felt a twitch in my belly, a dark feeling submerged just under the surface of my mind. I couldn’t guess if it was my fantasy or the anger from other day.
“Isn’t that the same guy from the other night at your dad’s club?” Carrie whispered.
“He is and I’m going to confront him.”
“Don’t do anything foolish, Nikki. Chase is here and I don’t want his handsome face to get buried in dust.” Carrie squeezed my shoulder. She knew if I decided something. I usually went for it.
I gave her a smirk. “Maybe that’s what I’ll do. Give him a taste of his own medicine.” I quickly walked to his booth and sat in front of him. Watching him so closely was a different experience than I thought it would be. I could see the traces of his muscles from his semi-transparent t-shirt. His biceps were bulging out of his shirt and his shoulders were popping out as well. His long neck was a marvel to watch. What am I thinking? A pleasant, masculine aroma surrounded him. My sex tightened as I breathed in his scent. .
I coughed twice, my hand to my mouth, trying to get his attention. He just kept staring at his beer.
“Excuse me…” I said.
He looked up. I drowned again in his bottomless eyes. “I told you that wasn’t my fight,” he replied in deep, masculine voice, which struck a chord inside me. If anybody had asked me to describe just two things about him,, I would have talked about his endless eyes and deep male voice again and again.
“You look like a fighter. If you are, then why didn’t you save him that day?”
“I’m saying it again. It wasn’t my fight.” His rough, manly voice touched my core and a warm feeling suddenly filled my heart.
“Then what fight is yours?” I slammed my hand over the wooden table in between us. No matter how handsome he was, he was getting on my nerves and I didn’t like anyone talking to me like that.
“It’s none of your business, lady. Bug off,” he replied in a flat voice.
I jumped to my feet, grabbed the empty water glass in front of him and slammed it on the wooden table. The glass shattered, sending shards onto the tabletop and seats. The music was low and I was sure Chase had heard the noise very well. I was going to teach this bastard a lesson.
He remained seated. He was undistracted, not a single muscle on his face moved, a complete poker face. What the heck? Isn’t he afraid or curious why I did this?
From the corner of my eye, I saw a bulky figure walking to the booth. It was Chase; I knew it. He came straight to the man and grabbed his shoulder. A slight regret touched my mind, It’s wrong. I’d pushed him in a fight he didn’t deserve.
My eyes froze as I experienced the unexpected. The man grabbed Chase’s hand and pulled him over his shoulder. Chase couldn’t stop his move and his back slammed on all the glasses placed on the table.
“Don’t try that on me,” the mystery man said in deep voice.
Some chord struck in my body. He had a magnetic voice like nothing I had ever experienced in my life.
He released Chase. Chase rolled on the table and jumped away. Surprised, he wiped the glass shards off of his huge shoulders. If it had been anybody but Chase, the person beaten like that would be already on the ground. With clenched fists, Chase dashed forward, pushing the wooden table aside to attack the mystery man.
I stepped back, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire of something I’d actually started. Chase hit him straight on his face with a punch, but something unbelievable happened. The mystery man just ducked his punch and hit Chase back on his chest with his right knee.
“Unbelievable,” Carrie sighed hard.“I can’t believe my own eyes.”
“Neither can I,” I replied.
Chase stumbled back, holding his chest. I couldn’t believe that he felt the pain or at least felt the impact. His eyes were wide, searching for something in the mystery man, maybe some weak spot. Chase didn’t wait long;, he charged again, but this time with his rock-sized head. I was sure the mystery man would be crushed by the attack. But something unbelievable happened again. The moment Chase was about to hit the mystery man with his head, he jumped in the air and Chase passed below him like a train and crashed into nearby booth wall.
“Shit,” I breathed hard. My heart was pumping fast enough that I could hear it easily.
The booth was made from hard rock and there was no way anyone could have absorbed such an impact on the head, but iron-head Chase recovered and stood on his own two feet. With a pull of his hand he stretched his neck; he was really a brutal animal. The amazing thing was Chase was still smiling after getting beaten like a street dog.
“You,” Chase pointed his finger towards the mystery man,“ are dead.”. A wicked grin covered Chase’s face. The wicked grin meant he was in the mood to beat that man to the death.
My heart was praying for the mystery man. It was so hypocritical, because few minutes ago I started this fight and now I wanted that handsome man to beat Chase. What in the hell is happening to me?
“I think Chase is going to crush him.” Carrie’s voice echoed her worries. She squeezed my arm in her hands.
My heartbeat quickened again as Chase moved slowly to the mystery man. Chase was aware of the opponent and he was going to use his brain to crush him.
God, please don’t hurt him.
Chase jabbed him with his right hand. The mystery man moved right to avoid it, but Chase hit him with his left knee. I could see the knee advancing inch by inch and in a moment it would hit his chest. “Oh, God,” I screamed and closed my eyes.
I expected a scream from the man. But instead, it was silent. I opened my eyes; Chase was lying down on the ground holding his left leg. The mystery man was still standing, watching Chase’s pain.
“I think that’s enough for today.”The mystery man spoke for the first time since the fight had started. He grabbed his jacket from the fallen chair and started walking towards the exit.
Chase saw that and stood up. In the next moment, hand clenched, he was running behind the mystery man to hit him from behind.
The man must have sensed him; at the last moment, he ducked and hit Chase with his right elbow. Chase was down again, but this time blood was coming from his chin.
This was the first time I had ever seen Chase getting beaten by anyone. And that man was a chiseled beast, but compared to of Chase he was still a child—at least he looked like one.
“What the hell? I don’t believe he beat him so easily.” Carrie was excited by all the action, but my heart was still beating fast. Chase was taking his gun out of his pocket.
Chapter 3
&nbs
p; Tristan
A gun? What the heck? That bully was pointing a gun at my head and laughing out loud. After the beating I had given him, he could stand easily and point a gun at my head; that was impressive. He was a tough dog. Any other guy would be seeing stars by this time. The smell of iron burning flooded my nostrils. His gun had recently been fired, so I knew he was serious. I smiled at him. He was trying to threaten me with a gun.
“What?” A cranky sound came out of his throat. He looked hilarious while talking; my punch had changed the shape of his jaw.
“You look funny, dude,” I chuckled.“And that thing ain’t scaring me.” My life was empty and I wasn’t afraid of dying. What is left to be afraid of? My parents had died in a car accident when I was young. The girl I liked from school was married to someone else. Not that I hated her for it; Gavin was perfect for her and took good care of her. Even fighting was forbidden for me after that freaking fight. I had no one to look after nor was there anyone who cared if I died. Maybe she will care. Maybe she would, but I didn’t give a rat’s ass about anyone anymore.
So there I was, standing in front of the gun, caring nothing about dying. Actually, I was excited to be there. Looking into the eyes of death was a thrilling experience.
“I’m not bluffing. This is not a fake gun. This will put a hole in your brain and I’ll be laughing after that,” he said as he spit some blood out of his mouth.
I walked closer to the gun; now, it was almost touching my forehead.
His expressions changed. he looked surprised.
“It’s not that I don’t care about my life, but if I’m dying here I don’t care if it’s your bullet or anyone else’s in the world.” I was ready for it. I was ready to die. It wasn’t bitter as I thought it would be; my mind was numb and at the same time it was ready to take on death.
He slowly pulled the trigger. My heartbeat stopped, my eyes frozen on his finger. Everything else blurred but the gun and the trigger. I could sense the thrill in my body as he squeezed the trigger. Nobody ever told me that it could be so exciting to see someone killing you.
