Invincible (16 page)

25.

(Rose)

I had seen enough fights to know all the sounds and the smells. The old buildings with their dust and rust smells. Like old, mildewy water. The smell of the rich men
’
s cologne and whatever booze they were drinking. Then the smell of the fights themselves. The sweat. The blood. And, yeah, guys who couldn
’
t handle their personal situations. They
’
d mess themselves more than you
’
d think.

The sounds were cheering and the hard hits of punches to bodies.

Watching Wes put it into a whole new perspective. I never cheered for Luke to win a fight because I always knew how dangerous he was. I always feared for his opponent. They never knew what they were up against or how close they came to being killed. Well, everyone except Wes
’
s brother because he was killed by Luke.

I stood there and played with the bottom of my shirt.

Wes landed the first punch. Then the second, third, and fourth. I thought for a second this was going to be a five second fight. But then Phantom slipped to the side and landed a hard right to Wes
’
s gut. The smack made my stomach flip, but Wes absorbed it. Phantom threw a left to the side of Wes
’
s face and took him down to one knee.

“
No,
”
I whispered.

Phantom wound up again and Wes slammed an elbow to Phantom
’
s stomach, sending him stumbling back. Wes then jumped up and spun, throwing a wild left punch. It hit Phantom and sent him back again. Wes then pounced, getting right up on Phantom, and the real fight started.

They exchanged punches to the enjoyment of the crowd. Each time Wes swung at Phantom, half the crowd cheered. Then when Phantom threw a punch back, the other half of the crowd cheered. It was insane to watch and hear. It was like these people thought this was something scripted and that these two men - these two fighters - were just messing around. This was life or death. Whoever lost the fight would get in trouble. A lot of guys would end up left for dead or killed. There were no trainers, no medical staff, nothing waiting in case there was an injury.

The punches went back and forth until Wes threw two punches really quick.
Eye, stomach.
Phantom hunched over a little. Wes punched again. Phantom grabbed Wes
’
s shoulder and pulled at him. I wasn
’
t sure if he was looking for balance or a cheap shot. Turned out to be a little of both. Phantom pulled at Wes and tried to lift his knee. Wes blocked the knee and he swung his foot, taking Phantom down to the ground.

As Wes moved over Phantom, the smart fighter lifted his feet and started to kick at Wes. Wes started to punch at Phantom
’
s ankles and legs.

The crowd quickly started to boo, not wanting to see this kind of stuff. They wanted to see a fight. Knuckles to face. Blood. Teeth shattering. That
’
s what they put their money on.

Wes backed up and waved to Phantom to get up.

“
Come on!
”
Wes growled.
“
Get on your fucking feet!
”

The crowd cheered. They were now all on Wes
’
s side.

Phantom kicked back and sat there for a few seconds. Those seconds were like hours to the men drinking and betting and waiting for a clean knockout punch.

“
Get him Wes!
”
someone screamed from the crowd.

“
Kick his fucking head off!
”

Wes just stood there.

Time kept ticking by. My hands became jittery. I wanted Wes to end this fight and help me get the hell out of here.

Phantom rose to his feet and wiped blood off his face. He then cracked his knuckles and spit at the ground. It was a glob of dark red blood.

Phantom then let out a scream and ran at Wes.

It was nothing I
’
d ever seen before. Normally guys would go nose to nose or chest to chest. But Phantom literally tackled Wes. He took Wes to the ground and started to unleash on him. It reminded me more of a girl fight where the two screamed and pulled at each other
’
s hair.

The crowd cheered and then hated it. They didn
’
t want the guys on the ground. They wanted them standing and swinging, like real men.

Wes managed to fight Phantom off him. He rolled on the concrete ground and pushed back up. He got to his feet and Phantom charged again. Wes slid out of the way and lifted his knee, smashing it against Phantom
’
s ribs.

When Wes threw his head back, his long, sweaty hair flew back too. He looked around at the crowd. He had a few cuts on his face. He looked like he was in a fight. I wasn
’
t sure if he was looking for me or what.

Wes turned and reached down for Phantom. He grabbed his hair and pulled back a fist.

Finally
…
he
’
s going to fucking finish this.

I hated myself for thinking like that. To actually be excited at the physical pain of someone I knew nothing about.

I actually moved up on my toes. I was ready to watch this.

What
was
wrong with me?

The truth was that it turned me on. To see Wes fighting. To see Wes winning.

A hand touched my shoulder.

I jumped and screamed.

I slowly turned, fearing the worst. Fearing that I would be facing Luke.

It wasn
’
t Luke though
…

“
Rose, you need to come with me,
”
he said.

I didn
’
t know his name. But in his other hand was a badge.

The police were here
…
they got me.

26.

(Wes)

I knew the punch would knock him into next week. He
’
d wake up and not know what day it was. He
’
d probably struggle to remember his name for a few seconds. He definitely wouldn
’
t remember the last time he fucked a woman. All those memories would be gone for a long time.

But what choice did I really have here?

I needed to knock him out.

I needed to end the fight, get Rose, and get the hell out of here. I had played the game long enough. To keep Danny happy. To keep Tommy happy. To keep the truth about  Aton hidden. Now it was my time to protect Rose and get to the bottom of everything.

As my fist came forward, Phantom looked at me with big eyes.

Then he mouthed one thing:

Please
…
don
’
t
…
I know
…

27.

(Rose)

I thought about running, but what good would that do? I was in a crowd of strangers and if this cop yelled for help, they
’
d all help. I couldn
’
t get to Wes. I couldn
’
t yell for Wes. I just stared at the detective
’
s stone like face. He had a steel-like jaw with a little scar on it. He looked mean and nasty.

Then it hit me
…

A fucking detective was here. At an illegal un
der
ground fight.

This entire thing could blow up really fast.

“
Look, Rose,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m not here to bust up this little thing. But I will if I have to. And I
’
ll tell everyone it was you who called me. Imagine that
…
I know how these fucking things work.
”

I swallowed hard.

My back was to the fight.

The crowd was cheering, yelling for more punches.

I guess Wes hadn
’
t ended the fight yet.

Fuck.

“
What do you want?
”
I asked.

“
You already know what I want.
”

“
Then say it. I have rights.
”

The detective grinned.
“
You have no fucking rights. Tell me about your best friend
…
Macie
…”

And there it was. Maybe not the worst thing that could happen to me, but it was up there on the list.

I was wanted in the murder of Macie.

28.

(Wes)

Goddammit, I believed him. I let Phantom slide a little. I let him go and let him get up to his feet.

“
Hit me,
”
he said.
“
Then come at me so we can tangle.
”

This was either something serious or the greatest fake out of all time. And I was playing right into it.

It was the eyes though. Always the eyes.

You could tell a lot about a fighter
’
s eyes. Whether they were afraid or not. Whether they were drunk, high, or just stoned with adrenaline. The truth always hid in the eyes. That
’
s why people were often taken out. Dead eyes can
’
t spit the truth, can they? Dead eyes, glossy and lost.

Phantom was scared to death, but not of my fists. There was something he needed to tell me and tell me right now.

I threw a soft punch and smacked him in the jaw. He threw his head back harder than my punch warranted. His arms opened and he jumped at me, hugging me. I wiggled as he hit me, but not hard.

“
Listen to me, Wes,
”
he whispered.
“
He
’
s here
…”

Phantom broke away when the crowd boo
’
ed him. He shook his right fist and then swung. I had plenty of time to dodge the shot. I cracked him in the ribs and he jumped, screaming. He put a hand to my shoulder and pulled himself close to me.

“
Don
’
t knock me out yet. I have to tell you
…”

Phantom pushed away and fell to one knee.

I stood there, surprised.

The crowd cheered me again to just finish him.

Phantom looked up at me.

His eyes
…
his eyes
…
they were real.

“
He
’
s here,
”
Phantom said.
“
He
’
s coming for you next, Wes.
”

“
What the fuck does that mean?
”
I asked.

I realized we weren
’
t fighting now. The people were getting pissed. The scene was getting a little obvious.

My hands were balled tight into fists, just in case this was some kind of scheme to throw me off my game.

My answer came a second later and it wasn't from the mouth of Phantom. It was in the form of a bullet that tore through Phantom
’
s skull. I heard a
pfff
sound and then there was a spray of blood and brain before Phantom went down.

The crowd burst into screams.

I stood for a second
…
I shouldn
’
t have stood for a second.

I needed to move.

He
’
s here. He
’
s coming for you next, Wes.

~ ~ ~

I kept my shoulders wide and ran like hell. I knocked people out of my way. Nobody dared to question me. I was the fighter. I was the caged lion let loose now. The people who sat there betting on me were now close enough to touch me. I could touch them. They had seen what my fists could do. And they had no idea what my true anger was capable of. Hell, I didn
’
t know what my true anger contained.

My mind had one focus and that was to get to Rose.

She was nowhere to be found. The place was breaking up pretty fast. Someone in a hoodie came and grabbed Phantom
’
s arm and started to drag him away, leaving a smear of blood on the floor.

I ran to a corridor and stopped there for a second. I had to keep my eyes open and keep my ass alive. This fight was a terrible idea. Part of me wanted to find Danny and punch him in the mouth again.

Was it Luke here? The Assassin? Was he the one who dragged away Phantom
’
s body? Was he the one who shot Phantom?

I gritted my teeth and made a run for it.

I stayed close to the wall, running in the opposite direction of everyone else. Typical Wes, right? As people were fleeing from the flames I was diving into the fire. Maybe that
’
s what kept me so invincible for so long. I wasn
’
t afraid to get a little burned.

This time it was far different. I was diving into the fire for a woman. For a goddamn woman. Of all things. Somewhere inside my head I tried to justify leaving Rose there. Let Luke get her. Let him
…

I couldn't imagine what he
’
d do to her.

I turned for another door to a hallway when a hand grabbed my shoulder. I threw an elbow and spun around to find Danny hunched over.

“
Wes! Goddammit. Come with me.
”

“
No.
”

“
The cops
…
there
’
s a detective here
…”

“
Fuck. Is that where Rose is?
”

“
Forget her!
”
Danny yelled.
“
She
’
s going to give you up. I know it.
”

“
I need to save her,
”
I said.

Danny reached for me again and I grabbed his wrist, twisting it.

“
Wes,
”
Danny said with wide eyes.
“
Don
’
t do anything crazy.
”

“
Stay the fuck away from me. I shouldn
’
t have come here. I
’
ll break your fucking wrist and then your neck.
”

I tugged at Danny
’
s wrist and that brought him to his knees. Sweat poured from his forehead as he nodded.
“
Fine, Wes. Fine. You go get made. I don
’
t give a shit. I was trying to help you.
”

Danny never helped me. He would never help me. He was up to something
…

I didn
’
t have time to think about it. I had to get to Rose and save her.

This didn't make sense to me. Why would the police come and not break up the fight? They came just for Rose? Hell, how did they know Rose was even here?

I charged down the hallway knowing there would be more questions and answers.

I didn
’
t care - just as long as Rose wasn
’
t hurt.

I thought I was running as fast as I possibly could - until I heard a gunshot.