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CHAPTER FIVE

EASTON

The sound of flesh hitting flesh was almost drowned out by the screaming crowd.

They were bloodthirsty, salivating over every hit.

They didn’t care who got hurt or how badly.

Neither did I, really. This kind of thing suited me.

I loved the chaos of it, the split knuckles and sweat, the baying of the crowds for more blood.

That, combined with an unusually high pain tolerance, made me feel like I was made for this.

Technically, I could do it legally through actual matches, but street fights were more fun. There were fewer rules involved.

I ducked when the guy swung a meaty fist at my face. He was bigger than me, built like a mac truck, but I was faster and I knew where to hit to make it hurt. He was already limping, and it wasn’t going to take much to end this. I was dragging it out, toying with him, because I enjoyed it so much.

“Get him! Get him!”

“Knock him out!”

I smirked at the guy as he lunged for me, stepping out of the way and nailing my knee to his gut.

He stumbled, clutching his stomach, and it took him a minute to get back to his feet.

While I waited, because I was polite like that, I looked around the crowd.

I didn’t really expect to see anyone I knew, Coach couldn’t join me like he normally did, so when my eyes locked on Jayden, I frowned. He wasn’t supposed to be here.

It distracted me long enough that the guy managed to get a hit in, clocking me across the jaw. A laugh bubbled up, and I spun around, wagging a finger at him.

“Not nice. I was giving you a chance to recuperate a little.”

“Fuck you,” he spat.

Wrinkling my nose, I looked him over. “No thanks. Not my type.”

Whether he was angry at my rejection or just overall, I wasn’t sure. He went low, trying to knock me to the ground, and I twisted out of the way before he could sack me. Time to end this. I needed to see why the hell my brother was here. And how he found out.

When the guy lunged at me again, I used his momentum to twist his arm behind his back, kicking his knee out from behind.

It’d hurt, but it wouldn’t permanently disable him.

He landed on his knees with a cry, and with a quick sidestep around him, I laid him out hard with a punch to the face.

He collapsed, and a bell rang, signaling the end of the fight.

The emcee knew better by now than to do that stupid hand lift thing.

I marched off the ring without a backwards glance and headed to where my bag was sitting against one wall.

There was a towel in there, and I was wiping off the excess sweat when Jayden appeared beside me.

“Good fight.”

My brows drew together as I studied my brother.

He was usually in a suit, like the rest of our family, so seeing him in jeans and a t-shirt was weird.

We didn’t look alike, most of my siblings took after my dad with his originally ashy blonde hair and narrow features.

It was the eyes that we all shared. Dark green eyes ran in the family.

“What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “Figured we’d catch up. It’s been a while.”

A normal request for him, but it still didn’t explain why he was here. “How did you know about this?”

He snorted, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“I’ve known for years. You used to come home bloody in high school, but the aggressiveness towards us settled a little.

I figured you were getting that anger out somewhere.

So I followed you one night. You’re good.

Could probably be professional if you stuck to some ground rules. ”

I made a face, and he barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I figured you would respond that way. Come on, get dressed. I know a diner that’s open all night.”

I met with the emcee before we headed out to collect my winnings.

I used to have to fight every night to earn this kind of money, but I was well known by now and one to two nights a week was enough to make some decent cash.

I never wanted to rely on my old man for money, so I lied about my age and started fighting at sixteen.

I was good enough by now not to come home bloody.

“How much do you make doing stuff like this?” Jayden asked as we headed out. I got a few waves and pats on the back, but I ignored it. They only cared about me as long as I was earning them money.

“Couple grand on a good night,” I murmured, shoving the bills into my bag. If anyone was stupid enough to try and mug me, they’d regret it, so I never bothered hiding when I put my cash away.

Jayden whistled, leaning up against the side of the car as I unlocked the doors. “Damn. Maybe I should start fighting then.”

I snorted, lifting an eyebrow at him. Jayden was in shape, he went to the gym a few times a week, but he wasn’t a fighter. “Looking to ruin that pretty face? Pretty sure your girlfriend would have an opinion on that.”

Uptight bitch only cared about looks. She couldn’t stand me, and the feeling was mutual.

He dropped into the passenger seat with a sigh.

“I guess you’re right. I am too pretty to fight.

But if I ever need a bodyguard, I guess I know who to call.

” He sounded cocky, but there was a question there.

I wasn’t the best at showing I cared sometimes, so he fished for confirmation that I valued our relationship.

“Yeah. You can call me. Unless it has anything to do with Bella. You couldn’t pay me enough to deal with her.”

He shoved my shoulder with a laugh. “Shut up. She’s not that bad.”

I rolled my eyes, pulling out of the parking lot of the abandoned building.

I never took my baby out here. That’d be asking for it to be stolen.

Coach lent me his car on fight nights or came with me.

He was the only one of my friends who I trusted to drive my baby, since he was the responsible one.

He did get a shit-eating grin whenever I handed him the keys, though.

“What about you? Seeing anyone?”

My mind immediately flashed to Gary. Did following him around to figure him out count as seeing someone? Technically, I spent more time with him than my friends right now.

Jayden latched on to my reaction, a big grin on his face. “Holy shit, there is. Who? Is it someone from school? What are they like?”

I shook my head. “I’m not seeing anyone.”

“But there’s someone you want to see,” he hedged, laughing when I refused to answer him. I wouldn’t say no to a hookup with Gary, he was cute, but he was also sweet and shy and probably couldn’t handle me. He blushed every time he interacted with me.

“Did you just come out here to irritate me?” I snapped, pulling into the diner parking lot he’d set up my phone to guide us to.

“Aww… Little Easton has a crush,” he teased. We got out of the car, and he ducked and laughed as I took a swipe at him when he wouldn’t fucking stop. He teased me all the way until we were sitting at a table in a corner, his eyes still dancing as he accepted the menu.

“I don’t get crushes. You know that. He’s cute, I wouldn’t say no to a hookup, but it won’t go beyond that. Besides, I’m not going to do anything about it. He’s got innocent vibes all over him. Once he figures me out, he won’t want anything to do with me.”

Jayden sobered a little and sighed. “You don’t know that. There’s nothing wrong with being aromantic, Easton.”

I made a face, like I did every time my brother or anyone else tried to stick a label on me.

He and my older sister Cassie cared enough to try when I complained about guys getting the wrong idea all the time.

I didn’t really care to put a label on anything, but they wanted to help, so I told them to have at it.

It wasn’t an asexual thing, I loved sex and had plenty of it.

I just didn’t do the romantic or emotional shit.

I didn’t want or need it. I had my friends and my family. I was good.

Of course, that didn’t explain why I was so obsessed with Gary.

I still followed him most weekdays. Despite his boring schedule, he was more interesting than any of the homework I was supposed to be doing.

And also incredibly clueless. I’d gotten as close as leaning on a bookshelf right behind him, and he still didn’t notice me.

He needed to loosen up a little. He’d work himself into an early grave.

In an effort to distract Jayden away from Gary, I brought the focus back to him. “Bella demanding a ring yet? Figured she’d want to lock you down already. It’s been what? Six months?”

That made him scowl. “She’s mentioned it. I’m not ready yet. I’ve got too much on my plate right now anyway. We’re expanding, and Dad is putting more and more responsibility on his children, so we’re prepared when he retires.”

“You mean when he dies? He’s never going to retire.”

He snickered and shook his head. “I think it’d take medical intervention for him to retire, yeah, but he wants us to be prepared.

I think Mom has been demanding more of his time, and as long as we’re there to take care of things, he’s willing to pull back a little.

Give her the time she deserves, you know? ”

I shrugged. Sounded like emotional bullshit to me. But that was their prerogative. As long as that responsibility wasn’t put on my shoulders, I didn’t care.

We caught up for a while before Jayden finally spit out the reason he came to see me.

Not that he didn’t want to catch up, the reason was more an excuse to see me than anything important, but I knew he wouldn’t show up at a fight of mine if there wasn’t a decent reason.

He’d just come to The Hideout if he really wanted to hang out.

“So, Mom and Dad’s anniversary is in the spring. We’re starting the planning early because it's a big one. You’ll be there, right?”

Ugh. Parties at my parents’ place were a pain in the ass. A bunch of rich pricks looking to make deals. It wasn’t actually any fun. When my face screwed up, Jayden laughed.

“I know. You hate it. But it’s their thiry year. It’s important. And I know it’d mean a lot to them if you showed up. You rarely come home anymore.”

For shit like this? I avoided it like the plague. But I’d been avoiding family dinners since the old man made me start college, too. I was still sour about it. It felt like a massive waste of time.

“Yeah, alright. Just text me when and I’ll be there. Do I have to wear a stupid monkey suit?”

His slow grin was answer enough, but he couldn’t help himself. “Yes. Black tie. And bring a date. Ask out your crush. I’m curious what kind of person grabs your attention.”

I flipped him off with a glare. I didn’t bring hookups home because I didn’t date. Dating was all about romance and emotions. The thought made me shudder. No thanks. Not in a million years.