5. Chapter 4
Kodi
I wince as Crusher takes a punch to the gut, then the jaw, and the crowd goes wild around me while the women behind me all bitch and moan about the name that he has tattooed large on the side of his neck.
I shouldn’t have made the impulse decision to come here, I shouldn’t have snuck out, which, considering I had to climb out of my window while my father and Masters watched the football game, was pathetic.
I needed to have an outlet, and I overheard some of the female officers talking about a fight night, and I just, I needed to live a little.
I’ve been feeling like a caged animal.
“Who is Alexiana anyway?” I hear a girl demand behind me, and I roll my eyes and mutter, “Someone you will never live up to.”
“Apparently, she was his high school sweetheart, and he cheated on her, so she left town,” another answers her loudly over the screaming crowd, and I flinch as Crusher's head swings to the side by the power of the punch, the man barely fighting back.
Ouch…
“Did he claim her before or after he cheated?” another asks, and the second woman answers, “Before. Word around the trailer park is that he’s been trying to find her for years, but no one will tell him where she is.
I’m close friends with the girl he cheated with, apparently Alexiana rang his phone, and my friend answered and told her to get lost, then lied that they were getting married and having a baby. ”
Wait, I’m sorry what?
She has to be lying right?
“Fucking hit him back, Crusher!” I hear shouted as I go to spin around to question the girls behind me, but my eyes go to the corner of the ring instead, and I swallow hard, locking on Knuckles angry form.
He’s in shorts and a tank, minus his cut, his big, strong arms covered in tattoos.
Damn, never thought I’d have such a strong reaction to arms before…
Cheers echo, and I reluctantly look towards the ring and notice Crusher finally fighting back, left, right, left, right, and I sigh in relief.
The man used to be so happy-go-lucky in high school, but he’s not the same Crusher anymore, not since my friend left after he hurt her.
“So, I have a chance then?” the first girl confirms, and I shake my head just as Crusher knocks his opponent out, and the crowd gets louder as Knuckles climbs into the ring and lifts up Crusher's arm causing the crowd to go wilder and bump into me.
I gasp but manage to stop myself from falling as I look back at Knuckles, but as if sensing me, our eyes lock, and anger instantly etches his features in recognition despite never seeing me with my hair down.
My heart races and my stomach tightens, the urge to walk over to him all-consuming, and fear instantly rives through me.
I don’t want to be attracted to him, I don’t want this pull that I have towards him. If anything, I want to run…
I break eye contact first and look back at Crusher, suddenly extremely self-conscious and wishing I hadn’t come tonight.
The women never mentioned who was fighting, and they certainly never mentioned the brothers would be here because if they had, I wouldn’t have dressed in my skimpiest dress that shows more cleavage than I ever have and I certainly wouldn’t have even come here to let my hair down, to have some fun, I would have gone to a club or something.
Crap.
“Hey, baby,” someone whispers in my ear as a hand glides around my hip, and I tense instantly, not liking the attention. Without looking at the person, I say, “Remove your hand before I break it!”
He chuckles, “Dressed like this? You’re crying out for attention, don’t go playing hard to get now…”
I look at the person with a hard glare, and I insinuate, “So a woman wanting to feel pretty means she’s begging to be assaulted?”
The bald man full of tattoos smirks and murmurs, “If the shoe fits,” as he looks me up and down, his eyes lingering on my exposed cleavage, making me want to punch him in the face before he says, “After I beat this fucker in the ring, you’re mine.”
I’m sorry, what?
I look towards the ring to see Knuckles whispering something in Crusher's ear, his eyes firmly on the hand on my hip, taking in my rigid body, and I slowly smirk with realization and look at the man as Crusher jumps from the ring.
“You’re fighting Knuckles?” I confirm, and he smirks with a nod, and I chuckle, “You won’t make it out of that ring alive…”
I’ve seen what that man had done to my brother, he’s only gotten strong since high school, so this shmuck hasn’t got a chance.
The man curls his lip at me just as a hand grips his shoulder, and I look and lock eyes with Crusher's angry, dark blue eyes.
“Kodi,” he grits as he yanks the guy away from me, and I retort, “Crusher…”
This is the thing, when you not only attend the same school as the MC but also are close with the club princess, even if you speak far and in between, you know most of the brothers.
I just didn’t know Knuckles because of his aloof behavior.
My eyes slide to the ring, and I swallow, seeing Knuckles focusing all his attention on me, his eyes taking in my outfit, and he looks pissed, his whole body ridged.
Guess he doesn’t like me being in his orbit, huh?
Clearing my throat, I look away just as Crusher shoves the guy towards the ring and snaps, “Get your ass in the ring, Mags, and stay the fuck away from her!”
The guy growls before looking me up and down with a smirk that has me feeling dirty and really regretting putting this dress on, then storms towards the ring just as I hear, “Hey, Crusher,” from behind me, but Crusher doesn’t react to the woman, instead, he eyeballs me like he’s never seen me before.
“Seriously, Kodi? Does Clark know you’re here? And since when did you own a dress like that?” he snaps, and I wince when he mutters, “I have the brotherly urge to cover you up.”
“We haven’t spoken much, work has been crazy, and she’s working today, so I, well –”
I’m cut off when the announcer says, “Are you ready?!” loudly into the mic, and Crusher growls as we both look at the ring to see Knuckles still glaring at me despite Mags now eyeballing him.
“He’s going to fucking destroy him, and neither of you understands why,” Crusher mutters, and I look his way with a frown.
“Huh?” I question, but he shakes his head as he wipes his thumb over his cut lip, wiping away the blood.
“Just, stay with me, yeah?” he demands with a bite, and I nod once knowing not to go against him.
Like I said, his happy go lucky charm is no longer visible since losing Alexiana.
“Crusher?” the woman says again, and he tenses beside me, clearly not wanting her attention, and I huff before I turn towards her and trying to ignore the bra she’s basically wearing making my dress look respectable, I snap, “He’s not interested, he’s with my friend, you know, the one you were just gossiping about! ”
She may have left, but she’s still his girl.
The black-haired woman flinches before turning back to the ring, and her blonde friend curls her lip at me and says, “Don’t worry, Knuckles will want a fuck after his fight. I heard he’s into choking,” and everything inside me drops, which, yeah, not good people, it is not good.
I don’t want to be hurt by that. I don’t believe in love anymore, yet my heart breaks just a little bit with her words.
“You still speak to Alexiana?” Crusher asks tensely, and I instantly shake my head before he loses his control.
“She cut all contact after graduation,” I admit, and I look at him and confess, “But she did call me once,” and he turns towards me, giving me his whole attention.
“When?” he demands, and I swallow hard.
I heard what he did, but I also see the pain in his eyes.
I may not believe in love anymore, but I always wished he’d make things right with Alexiana, to bring my friend back.
“When my mom was killed,” I reply, and he flinches.
I sigh, “She saw it on the news and called instantly, but before I could beg her to tell me where she was, someone called her away.
It sounded like she was in a diner or something, because the guy called her 'Miss' and asked for the check. I haven’t heard anything since and the number is disconnected.”
He nods curtly, his jaw that is already gaining a bruise ticking and I swallow hard before I admit, “I overheard the women behind us, she tried calling you before she left,” Crusher looks at me sharply, his eyes intense, “Whoever answered your phone told her you were engaged and that you were expecting a baby, so that may have something to do with the radio silence thing. Crusher, we both know how much that girl loved you, like really loved you to the point she ignored her up bringing and let you in her heart.”
“And your winner by a record time, Knuckles!” an announcer shouts, and we look to see Mags on the floor, a guy rubbing something against his nose, most likely smelling salts, and Knuckles, with barely a mark on his face, jumps down from the ring, his face like thunder.
“Not once in high school did he look at me, and yet he has nothing but hate in his eyes towards me,” I mutter, confused, and Crusher chuckles.
I frown his way in confusion, and he smirks just as a woman gasps, “He’s coming our way…,” and I look just as Knuckles shoves some woman’s hand away as she tries to grab his bicep, and I swallow the jealousy I suddenly feel, while the confusion on the way this man seems to have a hold on me builds.
Maybe I need to speak to Clark?
“Here to spy on us for your dad?” Knuckles instantly accuses as he stops before us, and I raise a brow as Crusher mutters, “Fuck’s sake,” gaining my attention, and I slowly look at him, side-eyeing Knuckles for his tone, and Crusher looks at me and says, “Thank you for telling me about Alexiana.”
“I didn’t tell you much,” I mutter, trying to ignore the death glare from the hot, sweaty man before me, along with the way my stomach tightens having him this close.
“You’ve told me more than enough,” Crusher replies with a softness I can’t seem to decipher before he gives Knuckles a nod, then walks away.