7
Haunted
Cade
I enjoy this class. Muay Thai. Something new to learn without the pressure of survival. Not-so-friendly faces to enjoy. I’m hoping to strike up a friendship with one of them. Max seems to be the most likely target. Shade refuses to speak with either me or Jake. He watches us like a hawk as if we’re here for trouble. Knowing Jake, it's a good call. I’m not letting his distrust of us joining dampen the excitement of getting out and being normal for once.
Asher seems nice underneath his Iceman persona. It’s not as frozen as I’m used to, which makes him more approachable. I’ve become immune to the freeze-out over years of working with Gabe. It isn’t really intentional. It’s a guard that shields them from pain. A great manipulation tactic, too.
I have other methods. My tactic is a sly amount of attention and friendliness, sometimes flirty, other times benign. It's all a play on my good looks and ability to charm. It’s as second nature to me as the ice is to them.
I wonder what it would be like not to have to do it every time I go out. Just be my morose self in public and see who speaks to me then. A lot of the women I charm would take a look and walk away. Red flags all over the place. I’m at a point in my life that would be nice. I’m turning into the older trio of dicks I work with.
Ace is bottled up rage with zero tact. Mikael is uninterested menace. And Gabe. He’s been frozen for so long that he’s a walking meat locker.
“Wakey, wakey,” Jake taunts me softly.
I snap to awareness, something Jake has to call me back to more and more often lately.
“I thought you liked this,” he continues with little interest. There’s no one around yet, so he can be himself. We’re still in the car, waiting to go into the gym. It leaves me free to be myself as well. Jake can be dead serious with a smile. I can’t. I have to let go sometimes, and around Jake, it’s easy. He doesn’t get offended at much.
“I do. I’m just in my head.”
He makes a thoughtful sound. I know he’s here because I’m here. He doesn’t care about friends. He calls them collateral damage. And women? Good for sex and keeping at arm’s length emotion-wise. He’d rather be sitting in the office watching a movie or playing video games while his brain goes to places I never want to witness.
His life makes mine seem like a fairy tale. I used to pity myself for the things that had happened to me. Meeting Jake was a slap of reality that left me horrified. I lost a loving Father to greed and manipulation, and Jake lost everything .
He doesn’t hold it against me either. He considers our pain equal in measure. I’ve bent his ears with my whining and he listens, rebuts, converses. But he never complains, and he never makes a joke out of me like most of the recruits I’ve met. They all think having my Father’s money was a comfy place to land when he was murdered. All I want is for him to play touch football with me one last time.
I’m a joke in the business and everyone knows it. A pretty face that feels sorry for himself. A boy that killed a woman. It’s rare with how abusive some of the others have had it from their mothers. No matter the reason, it’s disgusting to the majority of the business.
“Out of the car, Cadey,” Jake mocks and gets out.
How did my assignment to help control a nutjob become him babysitting my depressed ass?
I was passed off to Jake because Matthias appreciated my ability to manipulate people with charm and a smile. My original team disbanded abruptly, which was a relief. The bullshit was getting overwhelming. I thought I’d have family there. I was wrong.
My brand of manipulation had the weird effect of Jake mimicking my friendly attitude. It isn’t that he listens to me when I tell him not to do something. It’s him making an effort for me not to feel as alone. It’s weird that he saw it and immediately acted. Like he adopted me in some fucked up way. My family is now made up of one unhinged psycho and a bunch of ice blocks.
The door opens, and Jake grabs my bicep to pull me out.
“Put your face on, and let’s go.”
Like my act is a coating of makeup to conceal my flaws. I guess it is.
My smile goes into place as we walk in. Jake’s boyish version of it is already displayed. Asher is standing outside his office talking to Max. Shade comes out of the lockers and eyes us as we approach them.
“Who’s ready for this?” I chuckle.
“Me, that’s who,” Max says with a glare. “Tera is becoming a demon with this pregnancy.”
Asher smirks as Shade interrupts his complaint with, “Good.”
How the hell does Shade fit in with them? He’s not even pretending to be friendly. The dynamic here is weird. Not that I can talk with the people I’m surrounded by.
“Let’s get to it then,” I slap Max on the back to commiserate.
We fall into step with them easily. Chatting about nothing important or Tera’s pregnancy. Real-world stuff instead of death and bloodshed. Not a plan to take down an evil scumbag in sight. Just morning sickness, angry outbursts, crying, and doctor’s appointments. Max is the main talker, though Shade and Asher chime in with dry wit. It’s fascinating to listen to. Terrifying too.
How the hell is this kid going to turn out with the wide range of influence it has around it? Could I manage to be one of those influences? I’ve always wanted kids. Another thing I set aside when I joined Matthias’ pet killer project.
I knew it was wrong, and I did it anyway. I made a lot of mistakes due to grief and rage.
All the friendly banter comes to a screeching halt at what waits for us.
So much for relaxation time with people I hope will help drag me out of my ever-present funk.
Several women stand on the mats. Dressed up as if this class is a joke they’ll breeze through without effort. The same makeup-faced, money-hungry women I’m used to. Easy pickings. Absolutely no interest.
Great. The mask stays on for a few more hours.
Then I spot the oddball of the group. There’s usually one hanging around looking to get into the clique.
She’s wearing baggy sweats that look like hand-me-downs. Like she’s not going to do a ton of exercise here. She’s going to melt under all of that if she bothers to try. Hiding underneath her clothes is a frame that appears thick next to the thin women next to her. Her red hair is a darker shade than mine, and her brown eyes are wide. What the hell is she thinking, hanging around with women like this?
A wanna-be vulture in the making without a shred of self-respect.
My friendly act stays in place as I eye them all, but my focus is on the woman who stands apart.
She sees me, and her brows furrow a little. Like she’s uncomfortable with the attention. It makes me pause, which is unusual enough.
Then her eyes turn to Jake, and that brow furrow becomes cautious as her head tilts. Jake perks up, showing the first sign of real interest in a woman I’ve ever seen. It’s an obvious notice of her wary attention in return to his curiosity.
She’s seen us. Actually seen us.
Her face slowly turns away from us to stare at the wall. A clear dismissal.
She’s seen, and she doesn’t like the view.
That’s a first.
Also, fuck her. Who cares if she stripped us down with a look? If she wants to be an ass about it, I’ll treat her the same way. It might be nice to give her a dose of my real personality.
Her subdued act continues through the class. Hiding in the back and looking like a damsel that needs to be saved while she flails around. With all the elbow throws and high knees she can’t manage to do, she’s ready to drop. Her friends are using the bold, flirtatious attitude I’m used to fielding. She’s playing the poor pitiful me card.
She has no idea what real suffering is like. An innocent ball of sweat pretending to try her best as she pants for air.
She doesn’t belong here.
I don’t want to feel concerned as her face gets redder and splotchy. She’s sweating hard enough she’s soaked the back and pits of her sweats. Obvious signs that she needs to hydrate and isn’t in shape at all. She’s the only one in her group that’s trying to be into the class. I make an effort to ignore her and play the flirt with her friends. Jake joins me, seeing nothing unusual in my behavior.
Only I know I’m doing it to get a rise out of her. Get her attention back on us . If she has the guts for it.
The cool-down looks like it’s draining her will to live.
I’m expecting a pity party to follow as we finish up. She has to be jealous that her friends got all the attention. I really played it up.
One of her friends tries to bring her over which perks both me and Jake up. He hasn’t taken his eyes off of her through the entire class. Not that anyone else would have noticed. He’s too good at subterfuge for that.
She gives a halfhearted wave without looking and pants her way out of the room in defeat.
Jake sums it up in one word when we get back in the car.
“Different.”
I wonder if she’ll come back.
* * *
Jake and I are both more excited about class the following weekend. Who knew the woman would improve my mood? Not me, that’s for sure.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. What does she look like under those sweats? Is she plush and soft? What’s she like when she speaks? If I can’t get her attention with jealousy, what would do it? What is it about her that has us both in knots?
The closer Saturday got, the more antsy we’ve been. Ace noticed, but he didn’t ask any questions. I wouldn’t have any answers if he did anyway.
We’re early when we walk in by at least thirty minutes. It gives me the uncomfortable impression of being a boyfriend eager for a first date. Jake isn’t any better. He’s craning his neck to find her.
Asher is still in his office. He looks up in surprise to see us there as Max talks his ear off.
“Tell me they aren’t back,” Max pleads shamelessly when he notices us.
“They aren’t back,” I say at the same time as Jake’s, “You want us to lie?”
“Damn it,” he grumbles.
“I can’t shift the schedule around again, Max. Stop with the look,” Asher tells him flatly.
Jake spins, alerting me that something is up. Whatever he sees dims his smile a little. It’s rare for him to break character in public.
“What?” I mutter softly.
“They’re back. She’s not with them.”
Damn. Concern starts to billow up. Is she sick?
I’m not falling for her damsel in distress act, right? I’m made of sterner stuff than that.
I’m not, but if I keep telling myself that, it might stick.
“No,” Max moans dramatically as feminine voices greet us.
I let out a soft sigh and glance at Asher. “Just focus on the real shit. We’ve got this.”
I don’t sound as enthusiastic as I should. It shows because they both give me surprised looks. Asher’s eyes narrow on me thoughtfully.
“Ladies,” Jake steps away from the door with his grin back in place. “So good to see you again. Right this way.”
“I thought you were raring to go,” Max’s brows lower in confusion.
“Yeah, sure,” my lackluster response turns on a dime as one of them, Jen or something, gets into my personal space. I don’t mind sweat or blood, but the slime that practically oozes out of her makes me want a shower as soon as possible. She puts her hand on my chest as if she has a right, and it takes everything in me not to step back.
Here we go. With no entertaining woman in sight. We do find out her name, though.
The women are giggling about Amanda’s no-show. None of them call her, proving she really is the pity add-on, not that I needed the hint. They aren’t concerned for her welfare or if she’s stuck in traffic. They’re too busy focusing on anything male with muscles.
Jake makes a game out of herding them away from the other men. It would be funny, but I’m no longer in the mood to be here.
Until red hair appears in the doorway. She looks at her friends in confusion, checks her watch, shrugs, and takes her shoes off. Today, she’s in a tighter pair of sweats. It shows off her lush ass and thick thighs. Her chest is restrained tightly under the top, so I can’t tell what else I’m looking at.
She’s going to melt again.
I wait for her to join us, but she settles on the mats, eyeing the men left warily.
Jake doesn’t like it. I don’t like it. We’re right here and acting available. Why is she looking at them ?
It isn’t until Jen or Jan gets into my line of sight that I remember why. We have three women vying for our attention already, and she obviously thinks she doesn’t rate in comparison. She couldn’t be more wrong.
Amanda settles to the back and struggles through everything Asher throws at them. He’s giving them the basics but putting in enough reps that it would be impossible to keep up without a lot of muscle and endurance training to begin with. We take more breaks out of pity, I’m sure. We all know the three women buzzing around are faking and putting in minimal effort. The outlier is Amanda as she gives it everything she’s got.
“She’s going to have a heart attack,” one of her friends comments with a snicker. We’re watching her gulp water like she just ran through a desert.
“Bad heart?” Jake’s eyes narrow on Amanda as she drains her bottle and frowns when no more magically appears. She’s going to make herself sick drinking like that.
“Fat,” Jan says with a smirk. The other two laugh.
I can’t stop the sharp glare I give her. She isn’t fat. She’s lush in all the right ways. A body that won’t break at a firm touch and soft as silk.
Luckily they’re too busy in their little huddle talking shit to pay attention.
“How long do we have to do this?” The brunette, Beth, asks with a whine.
“Until she gets it,” Jan or Jen says.
“Gets what?” The idiot with dyed blond hair, Jessie, asks with confusion.
The other women give her a glare for it.
“The fact that no man is going to want her,” Jan hisses softly. “She’ll go back faster.”
“Oh,” Jessie says in surprise. “That’s a great idea, Janine.”
Beth rolls her eyes.
Go back to what? A man? They’re trying to force their friend back into a relationship by humiliating her?
This goes a lot farther than a vulture wanna-be.
“We should get her out of here,” I mutter to Jake.
“Why? I want to watch her bounce.” It’s my turn to get a glare. The bad part is that Jake’s fake boyish charm drops when he does it. I’m staring at cold shark eyes that could swallow me up with no remorse. I haven’t gotten that look in a long time.
“They’re manipulating her. And if she’s working herself this hard, she could get hurt,” I whisper back with my own frown.
“She isn’t fat,” Jake tells me like I can’t see it myself. “She’s perfect.”
My head tilts as I take him in. Looks like we still have the same interests, even if this woman is nothing like any of the others we’ve shared. Nice to know I’m not pathetically falling alone.
“Help me get her out.”
“No,” his voice is flat with denial. He’s not budging.
“We can find her. It isn’t like we’d never see her again. We can get her exercising somewhere safer. Not in a class that’s going to tear her down.”
“You’re making a mistake,” Jake assures me flatly.
“I’m not if it keeps her from passing out,” I insist. “Back me up. Do you want to watch her suffer or bounce around with a smile?”
He considers it as Asher calls us back to the mats. I can hear Amanda’s groan of dismay as she trudges back.
“If it gets her away from these rancid whores I’ll agree,” Jake relents without much tone to his voice.
I nod, getting ready to take her ego out in one sentence. Sadly, I don’t think it will take much. If these women have been working on her for long enough, she’s ready to break. Especially with how physically exhausted she is.
We can meet up with her and build her confidence back up. Far away from her so-called friends. She needs to cut them out of her life for her own safety.
I brush the pang of guilt at my manipulation plans aside before it finishes rising. I can always apologize later.