Fight (16 page)

22.

(Winter)

I did as I was told.

I parked the car. I rushed inside.
I locked the doors. I kept the lights off. I sat at the side of the bed, waiting.
The silence was horrible. Staring at the clock didn
’
t help at all. The minutes were going too slow. I
had no idea how long I was supposed to wait for Tripp to come back, if he did
come back.

What if he was killed?

What was I supposed to do then?

I hugged my knees and fought back
tears.

It was hard to explain, but Tripp
meant everything to me. Whatever circumstances brought us together didn
’
t matter. When he was near me,
holding me, touching me, loving me, it gave me a reason to look forward to
tomorrow. The hell of darkness had been lifted.

Until now.

I was stuck in a room, in darkness,
waiting. Hiding. Hoping nobody came to get me.

My mind went back in time, too.

I never meant to get pregnant. I
never expected to give up my child. It was the hardest decision I had to face
and yet my decision didn
’
t
matter. Either way I was going to lose Autumn.

I knew who she was with.

That part I didn
’
t tell Tripp about. Yet. Not
that it mattered. I hadn
’
t
been in contact with Andrea for a long time. The last I heard from Andrea was
that Autumn had teeth cutting through her little gums
…

That
’
s
when I finally broke down.

I cried like I would never cry
again.

I gripped my knees. I grabbed for
the carpet. I ran my hands through my hair. I wanted to scream. I wanted to
break something.

When I couldn
’
t calm down, I stood up. I
turned and flicked on the lamp.

Fuck the light.

Fuck getting caught.

Fuck getting killed.

I made a fist and thought about
Tripp. The way he liked to fight and the relief it gave him. I bit my lip and
brought my fist back. I swung forward and smashed my fist against the wall. I
wanted to put a hole in the wall. My fist hit the wall and bounced back. I spun
around and screamed as pain shot up my hand.

But I won though.

There wasn
’
t a hole in the wall, but there was a crack.

I cracked the wall.

I heard a knock at the front door.

I jumped and gasped.

Tripp would knock, right? If
someone wanted to attack me, they
’
d
just come in and get me.

I slowly went to the front door,
all the lights off outside the bedroom.

The knocking sounded again.

“
Winter?
”

It was Tripp
’
s voice.

I turned on a light and opened the
door. I jumped at him, kissing him, never needing someone as badly as I needed
Tripp.

He put his hands to my waist and
pushed me away from him. I stumbled back, almost falling, forgetting his insane
strength.

“
Tripp?
”
I asked.

The rage in his eyes was fresh,
real, simply raw.

He was dangerous.

He stepped into the house and
slammed the door.

He took out his gun. He looked at
the gun, then looked at me.

“
Winter,
I
’
m so sorry
…”

My mind had one thought.

He
’
s going to kill me.

23.

(Tripp)

I didn
’
t want to take out my gun. At the same time, I didn
’
t want to believe that anything
Aldo could have said to me would have been true. It was though. Endo, the kid,
Red Aces, this Skull X group. Winter had been in the middle of it all. All
these storms and she was the goddamn catalyst.

And I was in love with her.

It was bound to happen, right? Even
the toughest would eventually fall for someone. Figures I
’
d pick a woman that was as
fucked up in life as I was.

“
Tripp
…”

“
No,
”
I said.
“
No. It
’
s
time we get all the cards on the table.
”

“
What
happened to you?
”

“
Aldo,
”
I said.
“
He needed to meet. That
’
s how he calls a meeting.
”

“
That
guy attacked you.
”

“
You
should have seen what I did to him.
”

Winter froze. She was afraid of me,
which was good. She should have been afraid of me. She should have been afraid
from day one and stayed that way. We were too close, in everything.

“
I
’
m going to tell you something,
”
I said.
“
And then you
’
re
going to tell me everything Aldo wants to know.
”

“
Which
is what?
”

“
Autumn.
He wants her. That
’
s his
granddaughter. He
’
s
forgoing the
family
idea and wants his granddaughter. And he believes
you know where she is.
”

“
I
don
’
t,
”
Winter said.
“
I swear.
”

“
He
painted a really different picture,
”
I said.
“
What happened with
Endo. With Rocky. The Red Aces. And then me. Aldo sent me, knowing what would
happen between us. That I
’
d
fuck you. That you
’
d let
me.
”

“
Fuck
you,
”
Winter said.

“
Is
that your game here?
”

“
My
game? There is no fucking game, Tripp. My life is in danger.
”

“
So
is mine.
”

“
I
don
’
t know what you want
from me.
”

“
The
entire truth,
”
I said.
“
Not just bits and pieces.
”

“
What
do you
…
I don
’
t have her. I gave her up.
Thanks for bringing that up again. Do you have any idea how much that hurts me
to think about it? To talk about?
”

I put the gun down and walked
toward her. I didn
’
t touch
her though. I kept my distance at about an inch. I stared down at her.

“
Do
you have any idea what it feels like to meet someone
…
you know what? Screw it. It doesn
’
t matter. I came here to tell
you that I
’
ve only lost two
fights in my life. The one that brought me here. The first one cost my best
friend his life. And it was made very clear to me then that if I stood in the
way of anyone in the
family
or lost a fight, it was my ass on the line.
I came here to protect you, darling, and now I
’
m
wondering if I should have been protecting myself.
”

“
Then
don
’
t be here,
”
Winter whispered.
“
Leave. I don
’
t give a shit.
”

“
I
’
m not leaving without knowing
where Autumn is.
”

“
What
are you going to do? Threaten me with a gun? Slap me? Punch me around?
”

I shook my head.
“
No. I
’
d never do that to you.
”

“
Even
if it cost you your life?
”

I gritted my teeth so hard, my jaw
hurt.

Was I willing to die for Winter? Or
because of her?

Man, that was a hard question to
answer.

I touched her face, hating that I
was doing so. She looked ready to collapse into tears, but I had to hold off
with her.

“
I
need to know,
”
I said.
“
Goddammit, darling, you don
’
t realize what he has planned.
”

“
He
’
s going to kill me, isn
’
t he?
”

I wasn
’
t going to be a hypocrite and lie to her.
“
He
’
ll
kill anyone who gets in his way. Or anyone who he thinks is lying.
”

“
And
I
’
m a fucking liar, right?
”
Winter asked.

My hand slid around to the back of
her neck. She put her head back, her mouth slightly parted.
“
Then stop fucking lying.
”

“
I
’
m not,
”
she whispered.

Then I kissed her.

It was a desperate kiss, a hopeless
kiss. My addiction to her lips was so obvious and unruly. Maybe it was our last
kiss, so I had to make it count.

I managed a few seconds before
Winter broke it off. She clawed at my chest and pushed me away. Then her hand
swung and slapped my face.

It stung. It surprised me.

“
Just
fucking leave then,
”
Winter
said.
“
I
’
m sorry for everything.
”

My rage started to boil over. I had
two choices again. I could either grab her and carry her to the bedroom, or I
could really leave. Once and for all. Just be done with it. If she wasn
’
t going to tell me everything,
what did it matter? We would both end up dead anyway.

So fuck it.

I nodded and then walked away.

I left the house and went to my
car. I stood there and then swung my hand at it, hitting the side. I got in the
car and started to drive.

I didn
’
t look back.

I was done.

And that
’
s when I knew what heartbreak felt like.

It didn
’
t feel good at all.

24.

(Winter)

He left.

He didn
’
t just walk away. He didn
’
t just leave the house. He left the house and kept
going. I hurried to the kitchen window and watched him go. Pausing at his car,
I feared the worst. I feared that he was going to get in the car and leave
forever. That would be the death of both of us.

Tripp punched the car and walked.

I watched until he disappeared.
Then I watched some more.

I had no idea what his boss had
said to him. I didn
’
t know
where Autumn was. I never had anything to do with her precious life other than
carrying her in my belly and giving birth. After that she was in the arms of
someone I trusted. Someone Endo trusted, too. Someone he paid to take Autumn
and give her a good life.

Tears filled my eyes and I started
to shake. Going back in time was not the way I intended on living my life. That
meant I only had one choice.

I had to leave.

If Aldo thought Tripp was going to
muscle information out of me, I had no choice. If I stayed, I was going to die.
Or Stoney and the Red Aces were going to stake their claim on me
.
And
everything had all become tied together with a neat ribbon on it, didn
’
t it?

In the bedroom, I ran to the box of
pictures that were mostly burned. One swing of my foot sent the remaining
pictures scattering. Another kick sent the bowl and the ashes floating through
the air. I grabbed a bag, some clothes, and packed up.

There was only one person in this
situation that deserved hell. It wasn
’
t
me. It was Endo. For everything he
’
d
done to me. Making me feel bad that I got pregnant. Forcing me to hide it from
the world. Taking my baby away. And now, with him in a coma, I was the one who
was going to pay for it.

Like hell.

It wasn
’
t going to be me.

It was all Endo
’
s fault. He and Stoney had
something all worked out together. That much I could sense. That much I kind of
knew. Endo kept close with certain members of the Red Aces, always telling me
it was business. It was family. That I needed to keep my mouth shut.

No more.

I was gone.

With me gone, then everyone could
go screw themselves. Maybe I
’
d
eventually get caught and killed, but whatever. They
’
d find out that I knew nothing of Autumn. And if
Tripp didn
’
t believe me,
then what was the point of staying?

I had been thinking about leaving
before. Then Rocky was killed. I thought I would have a chance to slip between
the cracks and go. But then Stoney told me I was getting protection. That
scared me enough to keep me here. The protection ended up being Tripp. And,
yes, I started to fall in love with the man protecting me.

I wiped a tear from my cheek.

I could handle it.

I could handle the pain.

That part didn
’
t bother me. I had been through
loss and letting go before.

I threw my bag over my shoulder and
left the bedroom. My eyes saw the hole in the wall where Tripp had punched. I
thought about the first night with him, getting drunk at the table. The next
morning, him sleeping on the couch.

They were all memories now. They
didn
’
t matter.

I got to the front door and opened.

Two men stood there, larger than
life, meaner than a pissed off rattlesnake. They showed their teeth, then their
guns.

I needed Tripp.

~ ~ ~

The first guy grabbed my bag and
welcomed himself into my house. He unzipped it and dumped it on the floor. The
second guy pulled the front door shut, his eyes locked to mine.

“
Goddamn,
she is pretty,
”
he said to
me and licked his lips.
“
I
heard her tits were great. Lift her shirt up right now. I want see them.
”

“
Easy
now,
”
the other guy said.
“
We haven
’
t been properly introduced yet.
”

“
Get
out,
”
I managed to say.
“
You don
’
t know what you
’
re
doing.
”

“
Shut
her up,
”
the first guy
said.

The other guy lunged at me, trying
to swing his gun at me. All I could think about was Tripp though. Him telling
me that we were meant to fight. That we fought our entire lives, even though we
weren
’
t together. So I
jumped back and dodged the guy swinging his gun. I brought my foot forward and
kicked him in the shin. I meant to kick him in the balls but royally screwed
that up.

I made fists and put them up.

“
Are
you serious?
”
the guy ask.
“
You want to fight me? Bitch, you
don
’
t even know
…”

“
Yo,
Kyle, just don
’
t kill her
yet. We have to wait for that other one.
”

“
I
know, Dana.
”

“
You
’
re name is Dana?
”
I asked.
“
Isn
’
t that a girl
’
s
name?
”

“
Fuck
you,
”
Dana said. He kicked
at my clothes.
“
Going on a
trip?
”

“
Thinking
about it,
”
I said.

He crouched down and hooked his
finger around a lacy pair of panties. He stood back up.
“
Look at these. Who you wearing these for?
”

“
Nobody.
”

“
She
can wear
‘
em for me,
”
Kyle said.
“
After I fight her. Then I
’
m going to fuck her. In every
hole.
”

“
Easy,
”
Dana said. He lifted the
panties up and stuck them against his nose.
“
Oh,
so fresh.
”

Kyle turned his head and laughed.
“
Give me a pair.
”

I threw a right fist and hit Kyle
in the side of the face. The punch sounded like a smack and it hurt so bad, my
eyes squirted tears. I hurried back and jumped up on the couch, watching as the
two of them were coming after me now.

I don
’
t
know why I thought I could get away. I got back to the dining room table and
they were around the couch. They stopped and leaned against the couch, showing
their weapons.

“
One
more step,
”
Dana said.
“
We
’
ll
fucking kill you.
”

“
And
then I
’
ll still
…”

“
Shut
up,
”
Dana growled.

“
Who
are you?
”
I asked.

“
Friend
of a friend, I guess. Tying up loose ends around here.
”

“
Stoney
send you? You know this is Red Aces territory.
”

“
Red
Aces should be called the
Red Pussies
,
”
Kyle said.

Dana snickered.
“
Nice, man.
”

“
What
do you want with me? I have nothing to do with them. You know Rocky is dead.
”

“
Yeah,
we
’
re really sorry about
that,
”
Dana said.
“
But this is a little business
and a little fun. The business is finding out who you
’
ve been fucking around with. Heard there was some
hotshot in town.
”

“
The
fun is between your legs,
”
Kyle said.

He licked his lips again.

My stomach turned.

I wanted to throw up.

“
But
I
’
d like to see that fight,
”
Dana said.
“
You and Kyle. Tell you what,
Winter. You fight Kyle. If you win, we
’
ll
tell you where your daughter is.
”

My heart stopped for a second.
“
What?
”

“
Sweet
little Autumn,
”
Dana said.
“
Damn, she does look like you.
Darker skin though. That
’
s
because you got knocked up by that greaseball, right? But, oh, give her ten
years or so
…
damn
…”

“
Shut
up,
”
I growled.
“
You fucking piece of shit.
”

“
Yeah,
”
Kyle said.
“
Get her angry. She
’
ll fight harder.
”

“
Wait,
wait,
”
Dana said.
“
If Kyle wins, he
’
s going to take you down. And I
can
’
t promise what I
’
ll do first
…”

“
Fuck
off,
”
I said.
“
Both of you.
”

“
Fight
Kyle or I
’
ll kill you,
”
Dana said.

I put my arms out.
“
Do it.
”

“
Bitch,
”
Kyle said.

“
No,
”
Dana said.
“
Fight Kyle or I
’
ll kill you. Then I
’
ll kill Autumn.
”

“
I
don
’
t believe you.
”

“
Want
to hear about her pretty blue eyes? Her brown hair. The way she can never
finish a cupcake without getting icing all over her face. Oh, and anything you
want me to tell Andrea? Because I
’
ll
kill her too.
”

I lost feeling in my knees.

I caught myself on the table.

The room started to spin.

I told myself not to pass out. I
couldn
’
t pass out. These
crazy guys would
…

Andrea
…

Holy shit.

They knew everything.