I watch her walk into the lift, her ass looking round and firm, and once the lift doors close, Hazel swipes me on my arm.
“What was that for?” I say, a stupid grin on my face.
“What’s the number?” she replies, rolling her eyes at me.
“What?” I ask as she passes by me, making sure to nudge my shoulder on the way. “Twenty-two,” I continue before I pull her backpack over my shoulder again. She turns right and stops in front of my door, facing me with a smile.
“What’s so funny?” I get my keys from my jeans pocket and unlock my door. I open it and let her walk in before me.
She turns to face me once she’s inside the small foyer of my apartment. “You and your women… I see you haven’t changed.”
Smirking, I walk past her and drop her bag on the couch, reaching up and rubbing at the back of my neck. “Did you ever think I would?”
She laughs out loud before quickly covering her mouth with her palm, and then sinking onto the couch.
“Hazel, what’s wrong?” I ask seriously, worried at her sudden change in mood.
She shakes her head, tears now falling down her face. I sit beside her and run my hand down the back of her head, then pull all her hair behind her back and smooth it down. “Hazel, tell me.”
She looks up at me, her eyes filled with sadness. “How can I laugh at a moment like this? Our mother has just died.” She begins to sob loudly.
“Shush, sweetheart,” I say soothingly, bringing her small frame into me. “It’s gonna be okay, I promise you. I’ll take care of you.”
She pulls back at that and looks up at me. “Kane, I’m not your responsibility. You obviously have a life… and a girlfriend. I don’t want to be in your way,” she whispers as she wipes away her tears.
I cup her cheek. “Look at me, Hazel.” She does, and I keep my focus on her. “You are never in my way, do you hear me? We are family, and family stick together. Do you understand what I’m saying?” I narrow my eyes at her, keeping my expression firm but gentle.
She nods eventually, and I let out a deep breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “But your girlfriend….”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I growl, moving my hand away from my sister and getting up from the couch, beginning to pace the floor. “She’s a… a friend,” I try hesitantly, trying to find the right word to explain mine and Chelsea’s relationship. I can’t really say Chelsea’s my fuck buddy to my little sister.
I hear Hazel mumble something under her breath, and ask, “What was that?”
“Nothing, just saying you haven’t changed one bit.”
Lifting a corner of my mouth, I think on her words. Yeah, I’ve never had a problem with getting women in my bed. Before I left school, at the age of sixteen, I could have any woman I wanted, and nothing’s changed in that respect. I know I have the looks and build that attracts the ladies, all thanks to the amount of time I spend at the gym to prepare myself for fights. But Hazel doesn’t know about the fighting, and I want to keep it that way. If she ever finds out that’s what I’m doing to earn a living, she would beg me to stop, and I don’t think I can promise her that.
I fight underground, beneath a club on Hellium Street. Slade organizes the fights, and I’ve always managed to get one when I’ve needed the money. Only the rich and famous can afford these fights; minimum bet is ten thousand dollars. It doesn’t bother me who’s there, all I care about is that I’m the one who’s walking out with a win and cash in my pocket. It means I can afford a comfortable lifestyle, and also save for my sister to go to college. When I found her acceptance letter in the bin back at my old lady’s a couple of weeks back, I knew that she had to go, no matter the cost, and that’s exactly what she did.
I can’t wait to see her eyes light up when I tell her she’s going.