The Battle Page 3

  “Mike!” Another voice echoes through my ears.

  Snapping my attention back to the here and now, I turn my head to see Jamie squinting her eyes at me in a look of disgust.

  Shit, I’m two for two here with these chicks. One is disappointed and the other looks as though she could rip off my head with her bare hands. What is going on right now? Seriously, since walking up to the bar, I feel as if I’ve been thrown into a rerun of the Twilight Zone. What is up with these two? Releasing a pent up sigh, I reach for my beer, raise it up in a salute, and step away from the bar. I need to get away from them before things get any weirder, if that’s even possible.

  Roaming through the crowd, I scan the room for someone…anyone. My eyes dart around, catching a glimpse of Trenton. Moving my steps a bit faster, I near the group of guys he’s with. Just as I approach, I’m taken off guard as two arms bring themselves around my shoulders from the side. Startled, I work my way out of the tight grasp to see Gus swaying. The expression on his face and smirk tell me that he’s had one too many.

  “Coach?” I ask, unsure of he’s even able to stand.

  “Mikkkkeeeeey,” he slurs.

  “Whoa killer, how much have you had to drink? Maybe you should find a spot to rest your ass before you fall over.”

  A loud roar comes from him as he laughs and punches my in the arm.

  Fuck that hurt!

  “I’m good kid, just making my way up for a refill.”

  Shaking my head, I grab his arm and pull him over to an empty seat at an occupied table. I look to the people sitting round the wooden circle and they nod, giving me the okay to sit him down.

  “What’s the deal? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you this lit up.”

  Placing his head in his hands, he begins to mumble something I can barely make out. Squatting down in front of him, I remove the bottle of beer from his grasp. He looks up from his hands and stares off into space.

  “Had a rough night with the wife so I figured I’d blow off some steam with a few drinks. Damn woman makes me crazy half the time, but I love her like no other. Instead of fighting, I just left and came here. Heeeyyy, I saw your boy leave a bit ago with Taryn. Since when are they an item?”

  “What in the hell are you talking about, Gus? Hank and Taryn….are nothing. Are you sure it was them?”

  “Thanks for the empathy, kid, yeah I’m sure it was them. When I walked past the alley way they were deep in conversation and then…well, I had to look away. Not a scene I wanted playing through my head for the night.”

  My mind is blank, empty. He has to be wrong, Hank would never do that to me. He couldn’t…

  “Sit tight for a bit and I’ll get someone to watch out for you, I need to get the hell out of here and now.”

  Standing from Gus, I rush to find Trenton. Leaving Gus like this is not a good decision on my part, but I need to get to the bottom of this and find out what the hell is going on with Hank and Taryn.

  Chapter 3

  Standing mere inches from our apartment door, my heart pounds so hard I can hear the rapid beats echoing through my ears. Two tightly clenched fists fall along my sides, gripping together to the point I’m beginning to lose feeling in my forearms. Anger courses through me that I’ve never felt outside of the cage. I’m not an aggressive man, not even close. I’d never intentionally hurt someone, especially not the way I’m feeling right now…destroyed. It’s as if I’m encountering an out of body experience, this isn’t me. The only time I’ve ever felt an adrenaline rush like this was between the metal wire walls. I don’t know what’s happening, but I do know that in a matter of seconds I’m going to lose control.

  Closing my eyes, I attempt to take in a deep breath. In through my nose, hold three, two, one and releasing out of my mouth. Again in through my nose, hold five, four, three, two, one and out of my mouth.

  “Damn it, it’s not working,” I whisper to myself.

  My teeth clench together as I begin to grind them along to the pace of my beating heart. The idea that she could be in there spending intimate moments with him, I can’t fathom why this is happening to me. How the fuck could he do this to me…with her. Hank has been my best friend since we were born. He’s been the one person that has been by my side through the struggles I’ve faced growing up. The man that has taught me to fight for what I’ve always wanted, even when I thought the worst of myself. He’s the one true friend that I could share my true feelings for Taryn with, he’s known all along that she’s my girl. Now with everything that’s happened in the last twenty minutes, my world being torn upside down with the unknown, he’s the man I don’t know that I can face once I walk through this door.

  Staring straight ahead, darkness of the night encompasses my surroundings. I feel numb. I can’t do it, I can’t go in…I’m not ready for what I may walk into. Trying to release my the grip I’m holding in my fists, I pry my hand open from my palm and stretch my fingers as my knuckles pop. Tension starts to pull from my hands, running up my arms and onto my upper back.

  A hand falls onto my shoulder and my body jumps startled as I stand here staring at the large black door in front of me. The focus of my immediate surroundings is blurred, I’m out of sorts and I don’t know how to pull myself back to the here and now. It’s impossible to believe he could…no would do this.

  As I turn my head to face Trenton, the look on his face is expressionless. With the pain that is building up through my entire being, I can’t imagine how he must be feeling right now. It’s always been the two of us fighting for Taryn’s heart, Hank was never even a part of the puzzle. What the hell did I miss? I’ve been so focused on what I’ve been wanting to tell her that I didn’t see this coming. I’m completely blindsided.

  “We need to go inside, Mike, we’ve been standing out here for too long. It’s pointless to stand outside our own apartment,” Trenton states in an unsettlingly calm tone.

  Removing his hand from my shoulder I stare back toward the door.

  “I can’t do this, Trenton. I’m not prepared for what may lay on the other side of that door.”

  Releasing a sigh, he turns his body and begins to walk down the hallway pacing back and forth between me and the next apartment door.

  We’re both internally struggling with what is transpiring, feeling confusion and anger for the one person we never thought would betray us like this.

  Resting my now trembling hands in my pockets, I position myself to face him.

  “What did we miss, where did I go wrong?” I ask focusing my gaze toward the floor.

  Silence fills the air between us as he stops a few feet from where I stand.

  “Regardless of what either of us are feeling right now, whatever is going on in there obviously has nothing to do with us. We’re two grown men, this isn’t fucking high school. Hank has apparently won the girl so now it’s time to move on with life.”

  My head snaps back to him. His facial expression still blank, yet his eyes are fierce. Even though he’s saying one thing, I can tell this is eating him alive just as much as it is me.

  “Fine, but I need you to do one thing for me. No matter what has happened between them, don’t let me hit him. I may be livid and the anger brewing inside of me about to explode, but I can’t hit him. I can’t allow what he’s done to effect the man I’ve become.”

  “Mike, I’m not making any promises that I won’t pummel my brother, but if you go at him I’ll do my best to help you keep your cool. Not for you…for her.”

  Nodding, I pull the apartment key from my back pocket and insert it into the lock. As I turn the knob and open the door, I see that the space between the walls is dark. The only light is that of the street lamps from outside pulling in through the windows. Taking a step forward, my eyes and ears are in over sensory mode. Not a sound coming from any direction. My heart skips a beat thinking that at any moment I could overhear the sounds of pleasure coming through the walls.

  I can’t do this.

  Trenton
lets out a groan of frustration as he moves past me, bumping his arm against mine with unintentional force…or so I think. As I attempt to move my feet and walk through the entry way into the living room, the soft light illuminates the furniture throughout the room. I can’t quite make out what lays before us, but something or someone is on the couch. Turning toward Trenton, I stop in my tracks and grab his attention by smacking his arm. He too stops moving and within the darkness I can see the confused expression playing across his face. Signaling for him to look toward the couch, he takes a step further into the room.

  “Fuck this shit,” his voice booms, echoing through the walls of the apartment.

  My eyes follow his figure as he walks over to the wall and flips on the light. For a few seconds, my eyes shut as they adjust to the lights filtering through the room. As soon as I’m able to focus, my sight scans back over to the couch. To my shock, I see Hank who is now sitting up rubbing at his eyes.

  What in the fucking hell is going on here?

  My feet are stuck to the floor and I feel as if I’m in a very bad dream. Looking around the living room, the only ones here are the three of us. Where is she? Did he take her home? Why is he lying on the couch? All of these questions are building up in my mind and I can’t control my thoughts.

  Trenton moves towards his brother as I stand put. Too much is playing through my mind right now and I can’t think.

  “Talk, man, what the fuck is going on with you and Taryn and why the hell did you leave Benny’s with her tonight?” Trenton asks taking a closer step towards his brother.

  Hank turns his head to face Trenton as a laugh escapes him.

  “You two are something else. If you had any idea what took place tonight you’d want to fucking thank me,” Hank responds.

  He moves to stand as the blanket that was covering his legs falls to the ground. He’s still dressed in the same clothes he was wearing at Benny’s. That could mean one of a few things.

  “Thank you? Are you out of your mind? What the hell did you do Hank and where is she? All this time, you never wanted her. You’ve known how I’ve felt about her and now she’s here and you’ve taken her from me. What the fuck is wrong with you, you’re supposed to be my best friend. Correct me if I’m wrong, but friends don’t go after the girl their best friend has been in love with for years, ” I bark, my courage building up with every word.

  I’m done being the coward, I refuse to let us play the role of the ones that did him a favor.

  “Well, if you don’t shut your mouth, you’ll see where she is when you wake her up from your yelling. Sit your ass down and I’ll tell you what happened.”

  Taking a few steps in his direction, I stand tall before him. My chest is pounding and I’m not willing to let this go. He’s known, all this time how I’ve felt about her. With anger raging through my veins, I grab onto his shirt. Our eyes lock, resentment pouring from mine and uncertainty pulling from his.

  “Let go of me, Mike, you don’t want to do this.”

  I drop an arm to my side, my fingers clenching into a fist. Just as I’m about to knock him out, a noise comes from Hank’s room and my head snaps in the direction of a sleepy Taryn walking toward us.

  “What’s going on?” she asks, panic building in her tone.

  Trenton pulls me from Hank and stands between the two of us.

  “We’d like to know the same thing,” Trenton responds.

  “Hank?” Taryn whispers walking over to his side.

  He wraps his arm around her and my world instantly crumbles. This can’t be real; he wouldn’t do this to me.

  “Taryn?” I mutter in a question. “I don’t understand.”

  I watch as she rests her head onto Hank’s chest.

  “Is this some sick fucking joke? You two cannot be seriously together…are you?” I ask moving from the cluster fuck of a circle we’ve formed.

  Staring to pace between the living room and kitchen, I can’t pull myself to believe this is real.

  “Look, I think we all need to talk, but not tonight. We’ve all been drinking and Taryn and I are both half asleep. Why don’t you two go to bed and we’ll sort through all of this tomorrow.”

  Looking toward my friend, I can’t seem to muster a word. I’m in shock, even though I don’t really know what’s going on. By the looks of the way he’s holding on to her, I can only make an assumption. He’s done the unthinkable, taken Taryn away from me. How this all happened is beyond me, but I can’t stay here knowing that something could be going on with them. I have to get the hell out of here.

  “Mike, please say something,” she says.

  My eyes, filled with hurt, find hers. I can tell she’s upset, but right now I could give two shits. How could she have done this…if only I could have told her how I felt. Seeing as how she is draped onto Hank, I don’t think me telling her how I felt would really change anything. I feel hollow, like someone ripped out my soul and destroyed any feeling I ever had. As my eyes continue to stare into hers, I wish I could take back every moment we ever shared. At least then I wouldn’t have this pain fueling my anger.

  “I never thought you’d be the girl to slip away; apparently I wasn’t enough for you or maybe a little too late. The way I feel for you, all I’ve ever done is love you. I’m the one that has always been there for you, went to see you, and stood by your side. You’ve both just destroyed a huge part of me and I can’t face either of you right now…I’ll never forget anything we’ve shared, but right now I can’t do this.”

  Needing to get my ass out of there before I say something I’ll never forgive myself for, I rush out of the apartment and down to my car. Quickly getting in, I start the engine and head back to Benny’s. Tonight I’m about to do something I never thought I’d do…try and forget about Taryn.

  Chapter 4

  Stepping up to the door of Benny’s, I push it open in hopes that the one person I need right now is still here. As I move toward the bar, I ask the bartender for a beer. My eyes start to scan the space around me trying to find her. I’ve never felt the need for another human being as badly as I do right now. I’m out of my element, my emotions a scattered mess. No matter how bad I may feel about this tomorrow, I need her to help me forget. I just hope she’s willing to give me what I need.

  As soon as I see her, I know I need to approach her. My eyes stay firmly locked on her while she’s sitting at a table talking to a few people from the Cage. Her long brown hair, pulled over her one shoulder, falls in smooth waves along her side. Watching as she talks to her friends, I can’t help but look over the curves of her body. She’s wearing a tight black top, not leaving much to the imagination as her tits are calling for some much needed attention. While my eyes continue to devour her, I see a subtle spark stemming from her bright blue eyes as the dimly lit lights catch them in the darkness. Under everyday circumstances, she may have just been a chick I passed by, looked over, and felt wasn’t my type. But now, watching her, I can’t seem to take my eyes off of her. She’s a beautiful woman and for tonight I plan to make her all mine. Now if I could just figure out how to lure her away from the others without making a scene.

  Reaching for my beer from the bar, I take down a long swig and make my way over to the table. Her face turns to see me, a smile pulling from her full lips. Nodding, I return a smile in her direction. She immediately gets up from the table and moves to stand beside me.

  “Did you find who you were looking for?” she asks.

  Knowing very well who she’s referring to, I shake it off and take another long sip from my beer. There’s no way in hell I’m letting the thoughts of Taryn run through my mind anymore tonight. No, not now, it’s not happening. Tonight is about me forgetting about the one that got away and burying myself in someone that is more deserving of my attention, someone that wants to be with me even if only for a night.

  “You planning on staying here much longer?” I ask.

  Blue eyes hit me hard and anticipation starts to consume me. I wa
tch as she takes a sip of her drink, her tongue sweeping out to lick away the lingering alcohol.

  “I’ll stay as long as you want me to,” she purrs in response.

  I move a strand of hair away from her eyes, her breath stopping short as her chest pushes against my side. The feel of her body against mine, sends my senses into overdrive. I need to get her out of here and someplace a little bit more private. Allowing my attention to take in this woman standing before me, I know that anything is possible. As I clear my mind and focus on her, I down the rest of my beer and reach around her waist with my hand pulling her in closer to me.

  My eyes look to the table to see everyone engrossed in some form of a slurred conversation. Since the two of us are of no concern to them, I decide now is as good a time as any to get out of here.

  “I’m ready to go whenever you are,” I whisper into her ear.

  She quickly slides out of my arms, placing her empty glass down on the table. Moving toward Jamie, she whispers something into her ear. Jamie’s eyes meet mine, the look on her face warning me to be careful. I have no intentions of hurting Traci, the vibe I got from her earlier told me she was more than willing to spend a little alone time with me. I’m giving her just what she wants and me a way to forget. No harm done, just a good time.

  Traci moves back to my side, my arm curling her around me as we walk through the bar and into the night.

  Feeling like nothing in the world matters right now, I allow myself to forget the pain and enjoy the possibilities of who is standing before me. My finger tips brush away the loose strands of soft brown hair from her face, dazzling blue eyes staring back at me. Her body is trembling and I can’t help but want to see where this could go…at least for tonight.

  Never in my craziest dreams would I have envisioned the two of us together. She’s always been that girl, the one who’s always there in the shadows watching, listening, and keeping tabs on everything. Now, in no time at all, something has changed. I’m seeing her through new eyes. I don’t know how I missed it before; perhaps because my mind was clouded with thoughts of something I should have known I’d never be able to have. But in this moment, we are together and I want…I need her to help me forget.