Chapter 6 #4
The garage was then split in two. Half was saved for its original use, and the other half was converted into a gym. Starbucks now used it as his ‘home office’ when he made his thirst trap and exercise videos for that ticking app Steel’s kids were addicted to.
Along the far wall was weightlifting equipment, treadmills, and a stair climber. In the center was a sparring mat. Normally the surrounding floor was clear, but now there were folding chairs and beach chairs circling the mat.
It looked like an underground cage fighting ring—minus the cage.
Keys stood at the edge next to Angel and Ranger, who were trying to give him some encouragement.
He was wearing sweat shorts with sneakers, a red, white, and blue sweat headband and wristbands, and a tank top.
The garage was fully insulated with an HVAC unit, plus there was a lot of body heat currently inside.
Steel didn’t know specifically where the club kids were, though he assumed Bulldog’s house.
However, he had not been surprised to see Ollie, Bree, and Aaron try to sneak in with the others.
Aaron, he might have let in if he was in Ghost’s shoes.
After all, the young man was going to face worse in a few months when he went through basic combat training.
However, Ollie and Bree were far too young for this.
In the end, both sets of the teens’ parents turned them away, and Ghost backed them up.
Despite the heat in the place, Keys was extremely pale as he stared across the mat at Scar. In his black boots, pants, and long sleeve shirt, it made the bandage on Scar’s head stand out. Bulldog was standing at Scar’s shoulder with his back to Keys, likely reminding Scar not to kill Keys.
Steel understood the point of Ghost’s punishment, but he also wasn’t entirely sure Scar was the right person to administer it.
Steel had stared into the man’s eyes as he choked him up against his living room wall the other day.
There was no doubt in Steel’s mind that, if Scar truly believed Steel was the one responsible for endangering Tally, he’d be dead.
Keys had made a mistake. A big one. It wasn’t on purpose or with the intent to harm, but that had been the result.
His actions, or inactions, had led to Griffin Shaw being able to get under the club’s security net, which led to Tally ice skating on a salted frozen pond.
The point was to make Keys walk away with bruises that made him think about his actions, not for him to be buried in the Mount Grove Cemetery next to Scar’s empty grave.
Ghost put his fingers to his lips and let out a loud whistle. The chatter stopped. The President looked to Keys. “One hour,” he reminded the Tech. “And be grateful I didn’t make it two.” Turning his head to the left, he said to Scar, “Bruised and bleeding is fine. Dead is not.”
In the silence that followed, Keys swallowed audibly. Ranger clasped him on the shoulder and said, “You got this. Remember, you’re fast. Keep him on his toes.”
“Fast, right,” Keys mumbled. He begrudgingly stepped forward.
“Um, be-before we start, I just want to say how sorry I am, Scar. Really. I figured out what happened, and I fixed it. I just… Pleasedon’tbreakmyfingers!
” Keys pleaded in a single, hurried word.
“I need them to, you know, work. And just… If you have to break something, please be my legs.”
Jenna looked to Steel. “He’s not really going to break Keys’ bones, is he?”
Steel shrugged. “That’s up to Scar.”
Jenna frowned, biting her lip. Steel wondered if it was a mistake to bring her. But the ol’ ladies had asked, or rather demanded, to be in attendance.
Scar remained where he was, just staring at Keys.
Keys’ eyes went wide. “Fine, break my fingers if you must, but just, you know, leave them attached to me so I can heal and use them again in the future. Please!”
Scar raised an eyebrow, but didn’t move forward to join Keys in the middle of the mat.
Keys looked around as if hoping for backup. “Are, um, are we going to fight?”
Scar just stood there, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.
Keys turned to Ghost. “Do I just stand here for an hour?”
“You could attack him,” Ghost suggested, to which Keys looked like he was going to throw up.
“I think I’d rather just stand here for an hour,” Keys said honestly.
Steel wasn’t the only one in the audience who snorted. Ghost walked behind Keys and gave him a mighty shove in Scar’s direction.
Keys was visibly shaking as he approached the silent brother. “Um. Just for the record, I’m against this.”
Then he put his fists up. His stance showed he’d had training, but his nerves were making him forget the basics. His feet were slightly off and his fists a little too high.
Steel was pretty sure he heard Keys say something like, “Jesus take the wheel,” before he sent a hook towards Scar’s jaw. Likely hoping to knock the man out in a single punch so he was saved for the next fifty-five minutes.
But a hand shot out, catching Keys’ fist. Scar didn’t blink, didn’t even move, as Tally stepped out from behind her fiancé.
“Lesson one,” she said, driving Keys back by his arm.
“Never be so focused on your opponent that you don’t see what else is around you.
” Then she swept her leg out, knocking Keys’ out from under him.
The Tech landed hard on the mat with an audible slap.
“Lesson two,” Tally continued, “keep your balance. You’re half defeated the moment you get on the ground. ”
Keys worked to catch his breath. Tally didn’t advance, waiting patiently as Keys got to his feet. “I thought,” he gulped. “I thought I was supposed to be fighting Scar.”
“You are,” she answered. She was wearing workout leggings and a sports bra with some sort of long sleeves on.
It showed off her toned belly and her cleavage.
Her mass of curly hair was in a single braid atop her head that went down to her mid-back.
Her feet, Steel noted, were bare. “But Scar is injured, so I wouldn’t let him fight. Now,” her voice darkened, “you get me.”
Keys’ eyes went impossibly wide. Clearly, the ol’ ladies knew the plan all along, because the men in the room were shocked while the women were now the ones reaching for the popcorn.
“But… But… If I hit you, he really will kill me.” Keys’ voice was little more than a squeak.
“That’s cute that you really think you can hit me,” Tally mocked, her voice sickly sweet. “Now, get your hands up. As the great GNR saying goes, ‘get in the ring, motherfucker, and I’ll kick your bitchy little ass, punk’.”
The next hour consisted of Keys getting his ass handed to him.
Tally never broke anything. Despite being blind, she was an exceptional fighter, and the club had given her the road name of ‘Daredevil’ after the comic book character.
She often trained out in the garage with the guys, and occasionally dueled them.
Every time she knocked Keys down or blocked his advance or swiveled out of his way, she explained how or why she’d done what she’d done. At times, she even slowed down and had Keys repeat what he’d just tried to do and showed him why it failed.
By the time Ghost called Keys’ hour up, the Tech was huffing and puffing like a chain smoker and had sweated so much his hair was soaked, his shirt was drenched, and his headband was proven effectively useless.
He could barely stand as blood dripped from various cuts and his split lip.
His right eye was swelling closed, and what visible skin he had was turning black and blue.
In contrast, Tally stood tall, strong, and without a scratch on her.
The closest Keys had come to landing a hit was when he’d aimed at her jaw and Tally had been nearly too slow to get out of his way.
It was the only time Scar had moved the entire hour.
As soon as the timer went off, Scar was across the mat throwing Tally over his shoulder and was marching them out the door. Tally put a hand on his back to hold herself upright as she waved goodbye.
Keys barely lifted his hand up in reply before he collapsed down on the mat. Steel had no idea if he was conscious or not, but Bear and Tessa were immediately by his side. He’d survive, and probably fared better than if Scar had actually fought him.
Jenna turned to Steel with a massive smile on her face. “Now that was entertaining.”