Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Krew
O ne second, I was bouncing on my toes, stretching my neck from side to side, trying to clear my mind after seeing Regi again, then all hell broke loose.
My opponent was standing there in front of me, mimicking my movement as his manager, Kane Maxwell, stepped out of the cage—and then crumbled to the floor.
Within seconds, screams echoed off the walls. I dropped into a crouch at the edge of the cage, making myself as small as possible to avoid being shot. I couldn’t chance it if the shooter was out to kill random people.
I quickly scanned the row of chairs where I’d seen Regina, but she was gone. A measure of relief coursed through me, knowing she had left and was unharmed. I hoped.
After a good minute, I cautiously rose just enough to rush to the cage door. There on the edge of the outer mat, blocking the door, was my brother. Teke was in a fetal position; his arms covered his head as though that would protect him. Fucking idiot.
Just beyond, Kane’s body lay lifeless. No doubt about it, he was executed and it sent a clear message.
I didn’t know any of the shit the man was into, other than what little Teke had told me about the fight manager. Only that Kane Maxwell was in some nasty business with big players. I wouldn’t be too surprised to find out my brother was tangled up in the dead man’s affairs.
I nudged my asshole brother with my foot. “Get up.” When he didn’t move, I pushed the door open and exited the ring, leaving Teke still lying on the mat.
I assumed the cops would eventually come, so I hauled ass toward the makeshift locker room where my clothes were stored. I had to pass Kane’s body and got a closer look at the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. I didn’t stop, though, and focused on getting out of the building.
I changed and was sliding my feet into my shoes when Teke rushed in, oral guns blazing.
“You left me out there to fucking die.” His white-knuckled fist cocked back and swung, nailing the side of my head. “Do you want me dead?”
Teke wanted to fight. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction—not now. He’d gotten in a lucky hit. Normally the strength of his punch was like a mosquito bite. No power. Yet, he landed good this time, and the pain radiated from my temple.
“Do you want to go at me now?” I bit out, wishing I could rub the ache away, but I wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of knowing he’d hurt me. Teke would take advantage of my small weakness and attack. “I warned you, Teke, if you hit me again, we’ll go rounds and we both know who’ll win.”
I glared at my brother, at the fury in his eyes, and knew instantly he was hopped up on some shit. Teke must have snorted something before coming in here. I lowered my gaze and there it was—a telltale dusting of white around his nostrils.
Choosing to ignore him instead, I turned away, which only incited Teke’s anger more and he barreled around to stand in front of me again.
But I didn’t give a fuck. I wasn’t in the mood to be my brother’s punching bag tonight.
I wanted out of this building, and if possible, to track down Regina before she disappeared on me. Again.
“Get out of my way,” I demanded, towering over Teke by a good four inches.
“No,” he hissed, holding his jittery hands up in clenched fists.
“The cops are coming.” Those were the magic words. Teke dropped his hands and quickly looked around. “Do you want to be caught with shit in your pockets, while at an illegal underground fight, where a guy was shot in the head?”
That did it.
His eyes widened. “Fuck. Kane.”
“Yeah, Kane,” I snarled to reinforce his panic.
Teke swiftly spun back toward the doorway and raced out like hellfire was licking at his size ten shoes.
I grabbed my bag and hauled ass, but not before I quickly looked around again for Regina in the melee. Though, it was a wasted effort.
Outside, there were people still exiting the scene.
Some getting into vehicles, while others were on foot.
I rounded the building on the west side, looking for Teke and didn’t see him.
I should just leave him. That bastard pulled me into this fight with no regard whatsoever to my feelings.
I was done being his damn meal ticket and money for his drugs.
I decided right then I’d leave his ass here, when I saw Teke trying to climb into black BMW where two blondes were sitting inside it. Stupid son of a bitch. Did he forget we drove here?
Teke drove off with the women.
Since I had Teke’s car keys, and with a felony on my record for grand theft auto, I got the hell out of there rather than risk being caught by the cops.
I took shortcuts between buildings, not caring where exactly I was heading. I avoided the busy streets, weaving through alleys and lit up sidewalks. It wasn’t until I was nine or ten blocks away from the chaos when I finally slowed my pace.
With another four blocks under me, I found myself at an intersection with no street signs. The streetlamp blinked on and off in an eerie way, which gave the derelict area even more of a creep factor. And I felt like I was being watched.
“Show yourself,” I called out, ready for anything.
A man stepped out of the shadows. Lasering in on the long slender case that hung around his left shoulder, I quickly realized that this guy might be the one who killed Kane.
I swallowed hard and straightened to my full height, hoping to disabuse him of any notion that I was an easy target.
For a moment we stood there, neither of us moving until I broke the standoff.
“I have no beef with you, man.” I took a step back, holding both hands up like I was surrendering, but I was poised to fight if I had to. Even to the death.
“Are you sure about that, K?” His tone was condescending, as he cocked his head slightly to one side.
Any moonlight was obscured by the clouds, leaving only the intermittent light of the funky on-off blinking streetlamp. I couldn’t fully see his face, but that voice. So familiar—wait. K?
My heart stalled for a full five seconds until recognition finally penetrated my brain. “D-Deck?”
I dropped my hands. My body went numb as every memory of my friend—my best friend I hadn’t seen in years, filtered through my brain.
“Who else calls you K, numb-nuts?”
Between the darkness and the flickering streetlight casting shadows across his face, I still didn’t believe who I was looking at. “Is that really you?” I moved within a yard of him. So close, yet the space felt like a mile.
“Is that all you’re going to say to me, asshole?” he asked as he bent to place the large case by his feet.
Without hesitation, I closed the gap and pulled Decker Moss into my arms. I wrapped him in tight, feeling him down to my bones.
Yes, this was my Decker. I sucked in his smell—though different now, it still eased the ratcheting panic cloistered in my chest. He reminded me of all the good things of home. And the bad that had separated us.
For a brief moment, Decker’s arms were like iron bands around me, which gave me comfort in ways I didn’t know I needed. Just as fast, he dropped his arms and stepped back.
The distance between us was now only inches, yet the gap felt like the Grand Canyon to me, especially with the way he stood there, rigid like a pole. Like we were strangers.
My eyes shifted to the case at his feet. “It was you, wasn’t it? You killed Kane.”
He dropped his chin, his face now fully hidden by the dark, before he lifted his gaze to me and nodded his head. “Krew.” My name came out sharper than before.
“Why?” I took a small cautious step toward him. “You killed…” The words dropped off as I stared at the man I had once cared about—loved.
Decker hadn’t known how I truly felt back then. I never had the guts to tell him.
I never told him how I treasured those stolen moments between us. Or how I had craved his touch—his mouth—his body connected to mine. That he had owned me from the day he took my virginity in the back of his father’s Cadillac.
This new reality smacked me hard across the face. Decker Moss was a killer.
“I need to go,” Decker said, as he looked over my right shoulder with a calculating eye. “So should you.”
“So, it’s true. You killed Kane Maxwell?” For whatever reason—even if that man was a dirtbag, I had to know the truth.
Annoyance flashed across his face as Decker took several steps back and then something—a look I couldn’t decipher, slipped in, and he frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to me. You took a man’s life tonight. Why?”
His deep grunt of irritation echoed off the building before he grated out, “I haven’t seen you in what…
in twelve—thirteen fucking years, and you’re standing here, demanding that I talk about shit you’re not part of?
Not, how are you, Deck? What’s been happening with your life, Deck?
How was the military—or maybe, I missed you, Deck?
” Decker’s voice dropped to a low growly whisper, but his words were a blow to my solar plexus.
“Decker.” I took a step toward him.
He quickly backed away from me. “No. I can’t do this with you right now. You know, I thought this would be different—thought of seeing you up close would be different.” He shook his head. “You gotta go.”
“A person was murdered tonight. And then you surprise me by popping out from the dark like some damn ninja with what looks like a gun case over your shoulder. What do you expect me to think?”
Even in the shadow, I saw the smirk on his handsome face before it evaporated into nothing.
Whatever had happened in Decker’s life changed the guy I remembered.
And all the mischief we got into as kids was now only a blur of memory.
The person before me now wasn’t that boy anymore.
I didn’t know this man. He was a stranger to me.
“Me not asking you Where the hell have you been doesn’t mean I don’t care or that I didn’t miss you,” I replied earnestly.
“You could have fooled me.” Another bite of ice.