Kade
I swirl the ice around in my glass of whisky before tilting my head back and swallowing the liquid. It burns as it goes down my throat, I close my eyes savouring the feeling.
I open them when I hear my name being called.
"Kade" I'm in a meeting room with about four of my father's closest business partners. I nod and shift in my seat, showing them that they have my full attention.
"As we've been discussing, this new opportunity will be bringing your father a lot of attention seeing as you are his son, and we need to make sure we are on the right terms with adding you into the equation."
"The terms are clear, I do whatever he wants and then I'm left alone the rest of the time, I see it as a win-win." I keep my voice clear and steady, these men are always so difficult to deal with. I constantly have to explain myself to them, prove that I'm worthy of whatever shit my father puts me through.
This is no different, it's just another one of my father's stupid ploys to make more money.
"This underground fighting ring is no joke boy. For it to be a success we need someone who can pressure the other fighters. A challenge, to make them want to bet against you and still fight you." The man directly across from me says, his name is Chris Neelan my father's closest confidant. He knows every dirty secret about my father, more about him than I know, and I know a lot. He profits off of tricking people out of their money, he runs some of the most popular gambling halls and casinos in Manhattan as well as some chains across the country.
"I'm the biggest challenge that you'll ever meet. You've seen me in the ring, I don't lose, and I don't plan on starting now," I sit back in my seat and cross my left ankle over my knee. I'm buzzing for more alcohol, the music is thumping against the floor, I can almost hear all of the people losing their minds to the music and the drugs.
The other men sitting around the table are all smiling, they seem content with my answers, If they want a fighter I was damn well going to put up a fight. I wasn't like other boxers in the ring, I never turn away from a fight however big or impossible the opponent may be. If I don't show myself, prove myself in the ring, how will I ever succeed in standing up against the biggest competitor there is.
My father.
Chris does not seem satisfied, he never is. He sneers and gets up, the other men following in unison, like lost puppies following their mom.
He's about to walk by me when he grabs the collar of my shirt and pulls it up towards his face. His eyes are cold his pupils dilate as a dark smirk spreads across his lips, "You'd better not fuck this up for us. We have put in too much money to watch it be destroyed by the likes of you. Street scum." He looks down at my clothes before letting me go and stalking out of the room, none of the other men look at me as they pass by. Cowards each and every single one, they are all scared of my father and the power he holds against them.
I wait a couple of minutes after they have left before I leave myself, I flex my bruised knuckles as I walk down the quiet hallway. I pause and stare down at the scars that cover my hands, starting at the wrist and continuing across. Burns actually. The memories from that day come flooding back, and I have to lean against the wall so my legs don't break out from under me.
I'm snapped out of past memories when I hear footsteps coming towards me, the man walking up to me winks, a large grin spreading across his face, eyes glinting mischievously.
"Brother!" Denzel greets me by punching my shoulder, Hard. "Long time no see!"
"What a surprise, you miss me already?" A small smile pulls at my lips, the first smile in a long time, "I knew you couldn't stay away."
He shoves me and chuckles deeply, "No I was brought back, seems like I was too much to handle for the secret service." He smiles proudly.
Denzel Bradley, my best friend, the closest thing to family I have, he has been working part-time as an undercover officer in the secret service at my father's request. He actually works as a personal bodyguard for my father, but he needed someone to scout out the potentially suspect claims they may have on the Enzo Bridger industries.
"Is that really the reason? Or did he miss his little pet?" I say, pouting my lips.
"Fuck off with that. No, there was just no information directed to him or any of his business partners. He needed me back here," Denzel stops at the top of the stairs leading down to the main floor, "He told me things are getting a bit more complicated around the Den, Some people have been a little too curious about what's going on inside."
Interesting, usually if anyone is ever found to be spying on the Den my father has his cronies put them down, It must be getting harder to cover this whole operation up.
"Hmm, sounds like daddy is finally having to deal with things himself," I add sarcastically as we walk down the stairs.
Denzel sends me a look, which I answer with a roll of my eyes.
"I did miss you though, Kade. I hope you haven't been getting into too much trouble without me," He smiles broadly.
I laugh, "only a little." I admit.
"Yeah, I can tell," He nods knowingly down to my bruised knuckles.
-
"Fuck she's beautiful, what a fine piece of a—" Denzel is about to say before I send him a dirty glare.
This is what happens when he is on this shit, "Not here man," I say pulling him by his broad shoulders away from the girl he was about to pounce on. If there's one thing that's Denzel's kryptonite it's women. He's a womanizer, always charming and smiling his way through conversations right into a girl's heart—or should I say bed.
I'm jealous of him for that. It's never been that easy for me. Most girls run from me, they think I'm too much work always looking at the negatives, a lost cause... and maybe I am.
"But Kade! Did you see her? She was gorgeous, I think I may have just met my wife," He glances over his shoulder as the group of girls walks deeper into the crowd.
I laugh, he says that usually about once a week.
It also doesn't help that this place always has frenzies of young girls with rich money who come from the most prestigious parts of New York. Some even come from states as far as California just for this one night, a chance to get into the notorious Den.
My father has been running this whole operation in secret for years, but it's only just been getting popular. The news about this place is spreading quickly and soon I think it will be too much for my Father to keep away from the media and even the police. As much influence that Enzo Bridger has over the law and the news stations there comes a point when even this will grow too much for him to keep control over.
Denzel and I are sitting at the bar which lines the far right wall of the club sector, to the far left is the dance floor which has a massive stage set up, always with live performances. I sneak glances at all the undercover members of the Vipers who are scattered throughout the dance floor. My father's cronies, men who have been sworn into his gang.
On top of Enzo being one of the leaders in the business industry, he is also one of the biggest mafia bosses running in underground Manhattan. Since he owns the most popular establishments it's not hard for him to find new recruits wherever he needs to replace anyone. The Den is his biggest operation, made with the sole purpose to get people's money.
Denzel whistles under his breath as he looks out to the dance floor, "Come on man, let's go mingle, it's been so long."
"We were told not to tonight, somethings going down," I tell him under my breath.
He rolls his eyes and pulls up the sleeve of his t-shirt exposing his right shoulder which has a tattoo of a red snake weaving through a large black V, which stands for Viper. "We're already in it man, they can't stop us from having fun."
I nod, the same tattoo tingling against the skin on my shoulder as I follow Denzel into the crowds.
Denzel has already found someone to cling too, she's pretty I'll give him that, but I don't think this bro-time will be lasting any longer, I'm one hundred percent sure he'll be taking this girl home. I take my leave now finally planning to get away from the ecstasy, sweat, and bodies that cling to me, as much as you try to avoid touching anyone you always end up getting brushed by some sweaty body part.
As I'm walking out of the crowd a little area opens up in front of me and that's when I see her. The most beautiful girl I've ever laid my eyes on. The lights that are flashing blues and reds behind her causing a halo to glow around her body causing her to light up like an angel.
I feel myself being pulled towards her, like two magnets attracted to one another. She moves as if she's the only one on the dancefloor, her dark hair flowing out behind her as she moves smoothly to the base of the music. She is swaying from side to side with her head tilted back an easy smile spread across her lips. I start to move towards her without knowing why when my view of her gets blocked as more and more people step in front of me, and soon I can't spot her through the dense crowds.
But as the crowds part once more, I peer around to the spot she had been dancing in only a moment before. And I swear I must've been dreaming because one second she was dancing there and the next she's not there at all. I blink a few times, scanning the crowd to see where she disappeared too. Nothing, like she was a ghost, there one second and gone the next.
I'm walking aimlessly around the gambling parlor, my mind is still scrambled. I have no idea why I reacted like that to a girl I had never even seen before, it was the weirdest feeling. But I can't afford to get distracted like that again, no matter how beautiful the girl. Because one fuck up and everything I have worked towards, one distraction and my world will come crumbling down, I'll be back under my father's iron grip, holding me in this world of darkness and death.
I feel my phone buzz in my pocket, It's a text from Caleb another member of the Vipers, saying that there's been a breach in security and that they need my 'assistance'.
I know what they need even before I grab my duffle bag and go into one of the many stalls in the bathroom. I quickly wrap my knuckles in tape and pull my black hoodie over my shoulders. I leave my duffle bag in the stall and walk out into the mass of crowds.
I take a few deep breaths standing outside the metal door which leads into one of the many interrogation rooms that my father has built for himself.
We have more people every week who my father blackmails, in these very rooms. Using their weaknesses to get what he wants, I wouldn't be surprised if this breach in security was another one of the men from rival gangs who are trying to breach this place. No one has ever succeeded, simply because Enzo always makes sure to have background checks done on every person who is brought into the Den, ensuring that they are not from the police, media, or rival gangs.
Pulling my hood over my head I push the door open into the crowded room I pause in the doorway, surprised by how many people are in here, usually, there is only Enzo and a couple of his Vipers—today, however, it's almost the whole crew.
My eyes scan the rest of the room and stop on the girl who is slumped in a metal chair, her hair is covering half of her face, but her dress and her legs. My eyes widen under my hood as I stare directly at the girl who only 30 minutes before had captivated my attention so fiercely on the dancefloor. The one eye that I can see is looking straight at me, tears mixed with mascara are streaming down her face, she looks away from me and over to the man who is being held to my right.
I look at my father who has the smuggest smile plastered on his face, he nods at me, and before I can do anything my legs are moving towards the man. The rest turns into a blur of red as blood begins to fly in every direction, my fists are connecting with the side of this poor man's face over and over again like I've done so many times before. But my attention isn't on his face or or the pain rocketing through my bloodied fists as I hit him, my attention is locked onto her, to her muffled screams from underneath the tape, crying for me to stop. I want more than anything to stop, to not beat this man to death, but I can't, because I know that any weakness I show, he will know and use that.
He will use her. And the last thing that I want is for this girl, the purest thing I've seen walk into the Den, to break under Enzo Bridger.