Page 77 of Fight

Granted she was sex trafficked and had nowhere else to go, but those are semantics.

Finishing up our shopping, Tommy hands his card to the checkout lady, waving my strangled sound away. He even remembered bottles of water for our run. Daddy Tommy is on point today.

“Hush, it’s seriously easier than sorting your boxers from mine right now,” he says with a smirk.

While he’s right, I still flush at the woman’s supposedly knowing smile. There’s nothing wrong with sucking cock if you enjoy it. Sometimes, I think my life would be easier if I did, but it’s not something I’m interested in.

Giving the woman a tight smile, I load up our purchases into the cart and walk out to the truck with Tommy.

“God, I’m seriously dying for a run,” I groan as the sun starts to lighten the sky. “It’s going to be too hot if I have to go upstairs to the apartment first.”

“Change in the truck,” Tommy mutters as he loads the purchases into the back seat. “Dude, who the fuck cares? I don’t.”

Getting into the vehicle, I decide he’s right. As he drives us back to the apartment, I find my running gear from the shopping bags, and pull my clothes off to change. Tommy holds up the conversation until we arrive, then also changes into running gear.

While he typically runs on a treadmill and lifts weights at his home gym, I know it doesn’t mean he won’t be able to keep up with me.

We’re getting out of the truck to do stretches as the sun begins to climb the sky. It’s just beginning its journey, but its appearance makes me feel as if I’m running late.

Once the truck is locked up tightly and our stretches are complete, Tommy lets me set a brutal pace, matching me easily. The alpha is by no means a pencil pusher, though he makes important decisions for our organization every day.

Something that’s easy to forget, is that he’s also happily the executioner for those who cross our family.

Does he need to be? Absolutely not, he has people who would happily do it. However, nine times out of ten, he and David are the ones responsible for ending the lives of those who step out of line irrevocably. Arthur had way too many chances over the years, until he finally crossed the wrong line.

Neither of us talk as we run for the next hour, making sure we hydrate intermittently before slowing down into a walk.

“Fuck, is this what you do with the fighters you train?” Tommy asks, taking a gulp of air.

“Worse,” I admit, my breathing almost normal. I’m still impressed he was able to keep up with me though, because I make grown men puke when they’re first starting out.

“Goddamn, no wonder they’re so well conditioned,” he mutters, taking a sip of water as he opens the truck to grab our bags.

Helping him, I huff out a laugh. I need a long fucking shower and I have to take a piss. Trudging up all of the stairs to the apartment, I listen as Tommy calls the leasing office for the complex as we walk.

“Hi, I wanted to inquire about a possible vacancy next to apartment 321?” he asks politely. The veneer of civility makes me smirk, because I know it’ll only last as long as he gets what he wants. “Oh, there isn’t one?”

I listen to his side of the conversation as he speaks to the office before he escalates it to the manager and puts the phone on speaker.

“This is Marty Stone, you asked to speak to me?” the manager asks. We’re in the stairwell for this phone conversation, because I doubt it would be received well if we’re caught. I still believe it’s easier to ask for forgiveness after the fact for many things.

This is one of them.

“Yes, I did. I need the tenants of apartment number 323 cleared out, please. I’m happy to provide you with the compensation to end their lease without notice,” Tommy says calmly. “How does twelve thousand dollars sound?”

Hiding my smile because I think he could have gone lower to be honest, I listen as the manager sputters.

“Who the hell are you? Why do you want to move in? This is absurd! Twelve thousand dollars…”

“I don’t like when people pretend they have the ability to deny me anything,” Tommy grunts, already bored. We both know he’s going to cave. “I want them out of the apartment by tonight, I’ll even throw two thousand dollars toward the tenants for their trouble. Are we square?”

Marty stutters for a bit while I roll my eyes. We may have broken him. Praying it won’t take him long to reboot, I lean against the wall as I wait.

“Come on now, Marty,” Tommy purrs. “Use your words for me.”

“Sir, you can’t be serious,” he sputters, still trying to compute this isn’t some sick prank.

“The last person who underestimated me was a meal to some very hungry pigs,” Tommy murmurs. He doesn’t need to raise his voice to be scary. If he wasn’t my best friend, I’d be shaking in my shoes, but instead I attempt to be patient.

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