(Derek's P.O.V)
"Are you sure he's here!?" I yelled in Warren's ear and he nodded, his face half lit for a second.
Then his eyes locked behind me and I followed the line of sight. Nora's scream made us both wince but she hurriedly wound her way through the crowd ahead of us.
"Michael!!"
The music and noise combined were making my ears hurt since we were near the exit and the speakers were booming right next to us.
The current groove Blue was sporting was Rihanna's Impossible and as Warren and I elbowed our way through the crowd, the cheers went up again.
I looked towards the ring where The Leopard had just secured her second victory of the night.
Finally out of the energy filled crowd, we could breathe.
"Whew! That was surprisingly intense." Warren rubbed his ribs, probably having gotten a few elbows as we crossed the enthusiastic sea of people. Not that I was any different.
I'd had my feet stepped on at least thrice and even had a backhanded slap delivered to my pretty face but that was something I had to man up and take.
Hopping around on one foot here would make me feel ashamed every time I'd come into the arena as The Wolf. I was thankful for the cover of the darkness hiding my winces.
And as if on cue, the lights came on in the corner we were huddled in. Enough to view each other and be able to tell the expression.
Nora was hugging Michael and he looked a little surprised but wrapped his arms around her petite frame nonetheless.
It looked cute but then all thoughts of a happy romance flew out of my head when I saw the bruise Michael was sporting on his cheek.
"Hey." Warren was quieter–as much as you could be with the background noise here at Blue.
As a blushing Nora unwrapped herself from around the blonde boy, I noted how he looked exhausted. He lifted his lips slightly, arm still wrapped around Nora's waist as she shifted on her feet while pressed close to his side.
"Hi War." Michael nodded to me, "Derek."
I rose a brow. "You look bad."
I always say: Honesty is the best policy.
Okay, so that may not be my go-to mantra but you get the point.
A sour chuckle escaped him and he cringed slightly, "Yeah. That."
Nora reached up to touch the darkening bruise and he looked down at her, his eyes softening infinitesimally.
"Had a bit of a scuffle with the officials that came in." His words were laced with a hint of shame.
War frowned. "What happened, man?"
Michael swallowed and shook his head hopelessly, an expression of utter defeat on his face. His blue eyes were no longer clear.
"What everyone in town knows." He closed his eyes briefly, pain making his features twist. "Dad's in custody right now but....I don't think he can avoid a jail sentence. It's going to be ten years, give or take. Plus a fine."
I blinked.
I think hearing it from the horse's mouth made it much more believable. As if so far, it seemed bit of a too far fetched a story.
This shit happened, Derek. It's real. So freaking real.
"So....it's true." Nora sounded aghast as if she still hadn't come to terms with the news.
My heart skipped a beat and I wondered if I would one day see myself in cuffs too. Willing or not, aware or not, I wasn't innocent either.
Michael flexed his jaw and looked away towards the ring where the Wildcat–in all her glory–was about to win her second match of the night too.
She swiped her opponent's legs from under him and his precarious balance made him fall instantly. The Wildcat, decked in purple and smooth skin, didn't spare a second before she caught him in a choke hold.
The change in the fighting style was apparent and I'd heard a few people mention it during the time we were waiting for Michael at Blue & Black. I would like to believe it was Diego being generous because of me and my inherent talent in MMA but I was sadly neither naïve nor stupid.
The reason behind this change bugged me too.
In fact, the very existence of the two masked figures and this establishment was shady in itself but it looked like everyone was so accustomed to its presence that they took its functions as limited and for granted.
"It's okay." Nora's murmur almost went unnoticed but Michael's back stiffened.
Warren drew my attention back and I inhaled deeply, getting my nerves under control and fiddling with the lighter in my pocket. I was itching for a smoke.
Sorry, Kitkat. But I think I'll be smoking tonight.
"Why did you want to meet here though?" Warren had his eyes narrowed in suspicion but it was a question we all knew the answer to.
Unwrapping his arm from around Nora who was staring up at him apprehensively, Michael stood up tall and gestured towards the ring where the Leopard was having a slightly challenging fight with a different opponent.
"I wanted a fight." He unbuttoned the cuffs of his light blue shirt and rolled up the sleeves. "I got it."
Since the Leopard was fighting her last opponent, it had to be the Wildcat he'd gotten a fight with.
I snickered and War shot me an amused glance.
I couldn't help it because Nora was totally eating it up. Her eyes were glued to Michael's revealed skin and as much as I'd like to think it, Michael was not some skinny boy. With corded forearms and a swimmer's lean body, he was probably suggesting something Nora would enjoy.
I mean, at least my ex-girlfriend used to enjoy seeing me in the ring and truth be told, I grew addicted to the feeling. Later on, it was just one of the many ways to score girls aside from the adrenaline I appreciated from the fighting.
I was looking forward to my debut as The Wolf tomorrow at Blue.
When Nora noticed our eyes on her, she turned a hundred shades of red and glared. Michael chuckled softly and the mood shifted amiably. I don't know if I was imagining it but Michael seemed more reciptive of Nora's feelings today. Perhaps because he had a loose hold on his emotions too.
Kinda like Lila today.
She hadn't replied to my messages yet but I'd hoped to have gotten a reply. Not having checked up on her state had left me feeling unnaturally anxious and that sent my hackles up. War and Nora had already told me we might not be able to reach her–a case worse than Michael's so I didn't go in blind.
However, I sure as hell was hoping I'd be a different case.
I don't know. Maybe someone special to her or something.
Fuck, no. No, that was a random thought with no backbone.
Get your head straight, Derek! You're more interested in the Wildcat you can see up close tomorrow. Focus on those amazing tits and that tight ass and that damn skill that can get you on your knees.
"You don't expect to win, right?" A blushing Nora avoided her crush's eyes but her words were spoken as a distraction that worked.
He nodded, "Yeah, I don't. I just.....I just need it a bit."
I clamped a hand on his shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "It's fine. Fight it out. I'm sure the Wildcat would appreciate a challenge too." I grinned at him, my copper eyes twinkling in the face of the disco lights.
Warren's smile was tight as he remarked, "I'll be betting on you, Michael. So you better do it good; last at least five minutes, okay?" His tone was teasing but he was also worried under that mask.
The anchor, Jay, came up again and announced that the Wildcat would be fighting her third opponent of the night. I straightened and Warren joined me while Nora took a seat on the stools near the start of the bar.
"One coke, please." She worried her bottom lip as she stared at Michael leaving and War and I glanced at each other.
"It'll be fine. He needs it, Nora." Warren's words seemed to have snapped her out of her daze and she swallowed thickly.
"I know." He voice trembled. "But too much happened today already. Lila slapped Veronica. She lost her cool for the first time. I don't think I've ever seen her that way before." She confessed and I folded my arms over my chest.
I guess my hypothesis was correct.
I glanced at Warren and his lips were twisted darkly. "Yeah well. Veronica had it coming." He joined Nora on the bar and filled a solo cup from the beer keg.
"Was Michael's Dad the one who saw to Mellisa's autopsy and the reports?" It was just a confirmation I needed but covertly, I was fishing for information.
Of course, Warren didn't miss my intentions, his brown eyes flashing to mine. Thankfully, he didn't call me out on it. He gulped down some liquid before speaking up.
"That's right. It was Mr Serdano. He and Lila were never on good terms either." His words were bitter and he looked at Nora whose hands were clenched.
"The day Mellisa's body was found, Lila had been the only witness. She'd been at the site apparently."
"Apparently?"
Nora looked me in the eyes when I asked. "She never speaks about that day. Ever. At least not after the way things ended when she did."
I felt my breath hitch.
Did that mean Lila had made an exception when she spoke to me yesterday?
Somehow the thought made my stomach do flips and my heart swell.
Shit that sounds like something cheesy right out of a novel. Get your bad-boy on, Derek.
But then the full weight of Nora's words hit me.
I frowned, "So she did speak about it?" My eyes ping-ponged between the two people.
Warren shot Nora a warning glance and I narrowed my eyes. Nora opened her mouth but then closed it right up again, her shy nature being overpowered by Warren's assertiveness.
I decided to throw them a bone in order to keep them talking. "I'm pretty certain it was no ordinary hit-and-run and it seems the truth will soon come to light."
Though the words were spoken languidly, Warren and Nora had both fixated on me. My words had the intended effects.
"How do you know that?" Nora spoke cautiously.
It really wasn't hard to piece together but the apparent story about Mellisa's death wasn't spoken about and I'd gambled on that being the case.
The last nail to the coffin though was going to be this fact, "Kitkat told me. Near that broken down three-story office building in the back alleys down from Marcy's Boutique."
Both their looks sharpened and although Warren was still on guard– which hurt, for real–Nora seemed to have given in.
"Oh."
"That's....surprising." Warren's eyes darkened on me and I could feel the momentary hostility he was exuding. He sipped on his second beer and stared me in the eyes. "You must've really annoyed her."
I smirked, a glint in my eyes. "I guess I succeeded after all."
Nora shifted on her seat, evidently uncomfortable and having sensed the change between Warren and me. I'd spent enough time around the soccer captain to have picked up on the more-than-friends but not-siblings relationships he had going on with Kitkat.
If anything, this little tit-bit must've rubbed him the wrong way.
He stared into his solo cup and I took the moment to get myself a beer as well. As the night was progressing, I was realizing that waiting for a smoke meant I would need at least a temporary fix.
My lighter was almost burning a hole in my pocket.
Get it? Yeah? Okay.
Probably not something a seventeen –almost eighteen–year old should be saying or thinking but it is what is.
I took a sip and cringed at the taste, the bitterness and the sheer presence of what was alcohol bashing me full force.
Hangovers sucked.
It'd been a while since I drank. That too, cheap beer.
"Lila had been a screaming mess when they'd found her at the scene." Warren didn't look at me and his hands tightened around his solo cup, a little bit of the liquid sloshing out. "I saw her when they were taking her in the ambulance, but...it was just a glimpse. And then she didn't meet anyone or come out of her house for a whole week until Mellisa's funeral was held."
"It was harrowing. They still haven't caught the person who'd been behind the wheel for the hit-and-run. I'd felt like I'd lost two of the most important people in my life in one go." Nora sounded distraught and the background noise and music in the fight rings was almost forgotten as I got sucked into the story that was all Kitkat's past.
Warren took a deep breath, "And the rest is her story to tell."
My shoulders slumped.
I knew they were omitting details but I could only be thankful that they even shared something so private with me. These were wounds they suffered from too.
This meant they trusted me, right? That we were growing closer?
And on a heavier note, it was true that this was Lila's story and even though I felt like I could die from curiosity, I wouldn't find it right to know the truth from anyone but her very own lips.
I already knew that I wanted to be able to make Lila tell me. Wanted her trust. Almost needed it.
It was something I hadn't experienced ever before. Not even with Ana–my ex.
The realization shook me, making me feel off-kilter. These changes were uncharted territory.
The feelings this town was invoking in me were far too strange for me to dismiss.
Yet I was at a loss about knowing whether they were good feelings or bad or somewhat like a grey patch.
"Thank you for telling me." I smiled wryly at both of them and got a grim expression in response from Warren while Nora nodded understandingly.
Warren grunted as he threw back his cup and Nora slurped on her coke.
The song had changed to abcdefu by Gayle and my foot tapped in rhymth.
"Although Blue is a questionable place, I'm glad for it. It's become an escape for tons of people in town. Mostly us teenagers." Nora remarked absent-mindedly, her eyes flying around the filled space.
I quirked a brow, following her example. "I guess." Then I asked, "How long has Blue been here?"
"Well that's a complex question to answer." Nora shrugged, her eyes flitting towards Warren who was biting on an olive. He gave me a look of agreement.
I leaned against the counter, an unfamiliar beauty pressed up against my back in the tight space, and yet she couldn't snag my attention.
Weird things are happening and I don't think I like them much.
"Why is it complex to answer?"
"Because, Blue the café was always there but Black & Blue the café-cum-fight club wasn't. Not until two years ago, that is." Warren explained.
My brows rose up in interest and surprise with a heavy dose of skeptism.
The fight club hadn't been there until...two years ago?
"So does that mean it came into existence after Mellisa passed away?"
They both nodded and Nora spoke, "The reputation Blue has right now is far better than what it was back then. Sure, people including us still came here and...well, a sort of fight club did exist down here." She gestured around us with her can of coke.
"But it was nothing like this. It was a truly reckless and bloody affair and this wasn't the best place to hang out in." Warren picked up where Nora had left off.
I tilted my head in contemplation.
This was far too much to be just a mere coincidence.
And I couldn't possibly be the only one who thought that.
I looked towards the chestnut haired guy in question.
"Diego moved here two years ago, around the time Mellisa's case was freshly closed. He renovated the whole place and established a system with safety measures. The café became a much better place too." He made a contemplative face, "I don't know where he found those fighters but around six months later, Black & Blue was an official underground fight club with scheduled fights and people like The Wildcat and The Leopard attracting attention."
"Didn't take long after that for it to become the best place teenagers and adults alike visited in Ladenhill and it all become a big deal." Nora ended. Then she pointed to me, "You're also in the official group of Laden High so you should be getting the frequent updates now. And you already follow Blue's fan account on Instagram too."
I nodded slowly, processing the influx of information that had just been dumped on me.
I had not been expecting so many revealing details. No one had mentioned anything about Blue's existence. Not even Diego or the people at the club/gym or the townspeople.
I felt like my head was about to explode and I was someone like Hercules Poirot from an Agatha Christie novel, trying to connect the dots.
It all came back to Mellisa Waterbrook's death no matter what I thought.
Although it had been a closed case with the cause as a hit-and-run whose preparator was never found, right now, everything had changed. Michael's Dad, the pathologist responsible for her reports and autopsy had been arrested on charges of document and report forgery and the case had been reopened.
There was low chance that nothing would change. If the authorities were sure that the documents were forged, there were ways they could get to the truth behind everything. There had to be more clues and they needn't be the usual ones.
It could possibly be announced as a murder case soon.
I tapped my finger agaisnt the cup in an apprehensive gesture before toying with my lighter as the better alternative.
The girl behind me turned to look and I glanced at her.
She was pretty.
I shot her a seductive grin nd she responded with a flirty smirk.
But I wasn't into it.
Not tonight, at least.
Was it a good idea to get involved in these suspicious affairs by my own will? Probably not.
Was I going to give up? Yeah, no way in hell.
I turned way from the girl and hoped she'd get the memo as my phone vibrated unceremoniously in my pocket and I closed my eyes briefly.
I took it out and found another string of messages from a should-be-blocked number.
Unknown: Your current company is quite the band of misfits. They're very, very, very interesting people.
Unknown: I'd stay away from them if I were you.
Unknown: That's not an advice, by the way.
I clenched my phone tightly in my hands, glancing at the two new friends I'd made.
The life I was starting to build.....
And then I imagined what it would be like if they were to interfere.
Once again, remorse crashed over me like waves against jagged rocks, the churning sea akin to my restless mind.
What I wouldn't do to go back two years in time and never have made the fatal mistake that started with grabbing Ana's hand and then falling down the rabbit hole.
I closed my eyes tight, my teeth gritting in suppressed anger and contrition before I clicked on the icons on the screen.
I blocked the number.
But I couldn't block the words.
•♤•
A/N
Hey guys! How have you all been? I've been pretty busy ugh but I squeezed in some writing time so yay! It's a pretty long chapter with like 3.4K words so hehe. Um. Yes.
What do you think of everything that was revealed? About the unknown number and about Mellisa's death? About Derek's changing approaches and the subtle hints all around?
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to vote and comment! I'd love your opinions!
Anyways, till next time then!
~Skyler