-Prince's POV-
"Arg!"
I was surprised that wasn't my own grunt considering the way my head pounded when I came into consciousness.
"Why the fuck are you so heavy?!" I couldn't help but let out a scoff when hearing that come out of Isabella's mouth.
"It's all muscle sweetheart," I managed to say which made her drop me after her attempt at dragging me across this dark-ass room.
I watched her crouch down in front of me, tempting me to punch her in her slightly smug face but it made me realise my arms were tied behind me, as were my legs. "Don't try to flirt with me now Prince, I gave you enough chances."
I got up slightly, letting myself lean on the stone wall conveniently behind me. "Really?" I asked, wondering what the hell was going on but making sure Isabella couldn't read that out of me. I motioned to the ropes I was covered with, "Because this all looks a little kinky to me."
I laughed as she rolled her eyes, standing up straight. I refused to look up at her, not wanting to make her feel as if she had any power over me but unfortunately, that stopped me from being able to tell that her legs were preparing to kick, and it did, roughly against my face.
"Damn!"
I spit out the blood that began pooling in my mouth. "I was hoping my face would have finally healed in time for Dominic's return."
"That's what you're worried about right now?!"
This time I sighed and looked up at her, looking at her as if to say, 'Well yeah, what else am I supposed to be worried about?'
"Sorry Isabella, I don't really consider you 'threatening' by any means. Drugging me and getting me here despite the crowd we were around though, that's a skill I'm quite interested in."
Instead of a verbal reaction, she kneed me this time, anger clear in her swing to the other side of my face. "Ah! Alright alright, tell me what this is about,"
"Finally feeling the pain?"
Her voice was strangely calm when she asking that. "What? Pain? No, I'm just hoping there's something left for Amelia to recognise me by when I get back to her," Saying Amelia's name suddenly brought me back to the reality of the situation though. I was taken, did that mean she was alright? Isabella hadn't done something with her too, had she?
I looked up at Isabella again and she must have seen the concern in my eyes at this realisation which made her laugh.
"It was all about fucking Amelia, but thankfully for you, she wasn't at the bar tonight or else I would have snatched her instead."
"Okay, what the fuck is this about?" I finally snapped, I wasn't going to let her continue spouting her bullshit.
She pulled at my hair this time, bringing me close to her enraged face, "As if you didn't know! My father was killed!"
My eyes widened momentarily, "Fowkes?" I asked, genuinely curious about this now and why two people thought it had anything to do with me tonight.
"So you do know him!" Isabella pushed my head, crashing it against the wall which made me groan.
"No I didn't know him, Ruthless mentioned him too during our fight but I have no idea what this is about or what it has to do with me!" I shouted, trying to get her to listen to me.
She looked back at me as if she was wondering if I was telling the truth this time and I hoped I convinced her. "That knucklehead tried his best but I should have known he was going to fail at killing you." She paused for a moment but if this guy was her father, I'm sure she'd want to vent that anger and that's all I was waiting for. "My father was a powerful man, and when a powerful man wants to win, he wins. You were the obstacle stopping him from doing that. My feelings for you were the only thing keeping him from killing you a long time ago. In that way, you must be grateful to me."
"This is about me being a streetfighter?"
She glared at me but continued, "A streetfighter under her. You couldn't choose anyone else to be an apprentice under? It was because you continued to get in the way that my father disregarded anything I had to say and went for you. He caught your brother but that didn't seem to be enough either."
This had been going on for that long?
"Before he could try again though, you had him killed!" Her anger was clearly skyrocketing, but this time she sighed, showing some semblance of calming down. "It doesn't seem like you knew anything about it though so it must have been the scum of a mother that your pathetic girlfriend has."
I struggled forward hearing those words come out of her mouth which she flinched at despite acting so brave. "Don't you dare say anything about them,"
This time she scoffed at me, "Yeah well, don't worry, I'm finishing what my father started so you won't be hearing much of anything once I'm done with you."
-Francis' POV-
Breathe.
I took in quick breaths as my mind spiralled.
Breathe. Come on, breathe.
I ran towards the bar, not knowing what exactly I was looking for but if anyone could help me it would be someone from inside there.
The images flashed in my head, my brother collapsing, a swarm of people surrounding him before I could get to him. This wasn't how the first match that I had seen of his was supposed to go.
I followed them out despite everyone being pushed away. I remember wondering if I would lose him as I had lost Elizabeth. Or if this was something like the way I had been kidnapped by a gang or something. Then I see her. Isabella led the men, tying my brother's arms and legs together, shoving him into some van and driving away before I could run after them.
I slammed the door of the fighter's section open, there weren't many people left in here after the fights, they were all getting drunk upstairs, unbothered by anything or anyone.
Scanning the room, there was no one here that I knew but looking into the ring, a man was whistling as he picked up stray pieces of equipment. I thought I had seen him standing with Prince before the fights started. I didn't have anyone else to go to so I ran up to him.
"Do you know Prince?" I asked rushing, trying to catch my breath which was still shaking.
The man paused his whistling but didn't stop moving about as he answered me. "Everyone here knows Prince, kid."
I grit my teeth, worry really setting in, "But you're his trainer or something right?" I could see him scanning me from the corner of his eyes before turning his back on me, almost disinterested as he walked towards the curtain which separated here from the rooms on the other side.
I followed him as quickly as I could, not wanting him to get away when Prince needed help. "Look! Prince was just taken by some gan-" Suddenly before I could finish what I was saying, he grabbed my arm in a deathly grip and swung me into the curtains until I fell onto the floor on the other side. There wasn't anyone else here which gave me comfort in groaning in pain.
The man followed behind me after taking an extra look outside and turning to me.
"Do you want to ruin your brother's street credit, kid? I hope you haven't been shouting that all the way over here."
I rubbed my head, the pain still throbbing, "No- wait how did you know he was my brother?" I asked and he sighed, dragging me up before taking us deeper into this locker area and into an office/training room.
"I'm not blind, and he talks about you enough for me to recognise a naive brat when I see one,"
I wanted to scoff but I knew this wasn't what I was here for.
"Look, my brother needs your help! My psycho of a girlfriend just put him into some van and I'm sure this is some gang bullshit that I don't understand anything about! Please, I can show you which way they went and-"
"That's not necessary. I saw it all happen and your sad attempt at following them," he chuckled to himself but I wasn't finding any of this amusing.
"So what are we going to do?"
"Nothing," he shrugged.
"What?! Are you hearing me? He could be killed!"
My anger only made him laugh though, "I highly doubt your- girlfriend? You said?" I grimaced a little but nodded, "She couldn't kill him. And even if someone else was in play here, Prince is a street fighter, this is the risk he has to get himself out of. It's none of my concern."
With the rage in me, I made the foolish mistake of trying to swing a punch at him but he caught it with ease, a little twitch I noticed on his temple telling me he didn't like that but he calmed himself anyway.
"You're lucky I'm not 20 years younger or else your next worry would be how I would have killed you."
I tried pulling my hand out of his grasp but he didn't let me go. "Kid, this is just how we run, I don't give a shit if it doesn't make you happy, so let it go, he'll probably come back."
I hated his laid-back attitude, I hated how much none of them seemed to care, and I hated that it was all about selfishness, pain and money. This is why I hated streetfighters.
"That probability may be enough for you but it's not enough for me. If you aren't going to help, then I've given up trying to find any redeeming features about fighters here, to hell with you all! I'll go get him myself!"
I tried pulling my arm out again but his grip only tightened until it hurt. His face coming closer to mine. "And if you get yourself killed? Then what?" He asked but any fear I had, was gone.
"Then it would have been worth it."
For a moment he stared into my eyes but I just glared back at him, after seeing what he wanted to see, he pulled back, letting my hand go and laughing.
"You boys really are something, come with me,"
I was confused and my anger hadn't completely settled yet but while I rubbed my aching wrist, I followed him, not really knowing where this was going but something telling me that he was my best bet.
He led us into a different room with a locked door this time. When opening it, I gasped a little seeing a beaten man, the man who had been fighting Prince in the ring earlier. He wasn't tied up but I could see from the way he clung to the chair he was sitting in with frustration that he wasn't sitting here by choice.
"What is this? I'm not some sort of show-and-tell toy Xavier!" Rushless shouted and I would have felt for him but if he knew anything about what was going on with Prince, I couldn't let myself bring my guard down.
"Yeah? Well, you're free to go then," Xavier says which surprises us both. After hesitating a little, Ruthless slowly rises. Xavier doesn't move so Rushless goes to run except just as he did, Xavier's hand comes out of nowhere and crushes his throat back down. I flinch watching Ruthless struggle for air.
"If I want you to be a show-and-tell toy until I get the information I want, then that's exactly what you'll be."
The tension was thick now until Xavier's phone started ringing. That was when I realised how tense I had been myself.
"Kid, answer this for me, put it on speaker," I found myself catching his phone after he threw it over to me and doing as he instructed. 'Demon' was the caller ID set.
"Heyo Champ, how're things going on your side?"
Was that Amelia's mum?
Xavier started playing around Ruthless' eyes as he responded casually, "I'll text you the address Prince is being held at in a few minutes, what about you?"
"We've taken care of the stragglers and anyone at the main building. Zack and Jake are free if you need them with you."
They had already been going after Prince? I hadn't expected that at all.
"It's alright, I've got another little helper here, we'll do just fine."
"Little helper-?"
"Did I tell you Prince won his fight tonight?" Clearly, Xavier was trying to avoid saying I was here but I couldn't help but find myself smiling at this exchange.
"You should have told me that first! That's amazing, we'll have to organise something for him once he's back."
The words, 'once he's back' stuck to me. It contrasted the 'he'll probably be back' that Xavier tried distracting me with earlier and now I realise he was only doing all that to keep me away from all of this.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Oh and, welcome back Demon," Even I could tell Xavier's voice softened saying those last words which relaxed me even further, giving me confidence that we'd find Prince and it'll all be okay.
"It's good to be back."