Page 1 of GAF Factor

1

CASH

“Cash!”

I spun around and ducked just as Guy whipped his fist at my face. I surged forward, tackling him around the waist to the ground. His knee thrust up between us, catching me in the ribs. Gasping for air, I didn’t have time to react before his fist slammed into my jaw, knocking me off him.

I rolled with the hit, narrowly avoiding the kick he sent to my stomach. Jumping to my feet, I motioned for him to come at me, grinning at the maniacal look in his eyes. He might be only fifteen, but he already had all the hallmarks of a true fighter. I knew if I didn’t want to be left behind, I had to be just as ruthless as him.

Over and over, he attacked, not pulling his punches in the least. I was on the defensive and that was a horrible position to be in. With the next hit, I caught his arm, slamming my elbow down on his, snapping the bone. His face contorted in pain, but he didn’t make a sound. As his knees buckled, I thought I had won, but then my legs were swiped out from under me and I was flat on my back, staring up at that crazy face as he hovered over me.

He swayed slightly in the sunlight, his injury making him just a tad slower than normal. I saw the glint in his eyes, the move he was about to make, and didn’t waste a second springing into action. As his boot came down, I grabbed his foot and twisted hard, taking him off his feet.

I jumped up, ready to attack, when excruciating pain radiated through my leg and I collapsed, falling to the ground hard. I rolled over as nausea churned through my stomach. I vomited hard as white light flashed in my eyes.

I saw his boots approach and knew what was coming. Guy didn’t start a fight he didn’t intend on finishing. Hell, at this point, I couldn’t even remember what we were arguing about. But whatever it was, he was out for blood.

I rolled to my back, knowing that I was done. Even if I wanted to continue fighting, I was pretty sure my bone had snapped and was now piercing the skin of my leg. Getting up would be stupid.

He strolled over into my line of vision, his arm hanging limply at his side. “You broke my fucking arm.”

“You broke my leg,” I retorted.

“Your enemies won’t give a fuck if you need two legs to walk.”

I hated to point out that I was in high school and my enemies were not likely to break my leg, but this was Guy I was talking to. In his head, the enemy deserved nothing less than a swift execution. He got that from Dad. And no matter how much I tried to be just as merciless as they were, I had to believe that not everyone deserved a “swift death”. Weren’t there still good people in this world who deserved a second chance?

He knelt down beside me, resting his good arm on his knee. “One of these days, I’m not going to be there to protect you.”

“You’re the same age as me, and I hardly need protection,” I muttered.

“I just broke your leg. What’s your next move?”

“Christ,” I muttered under my breath, really not in the mood for a lesson right now.

“Think!” he snapped at me. “They’ve got you trapped. There’s nowhere for you to go. What do you do?”

“I go to the fucking hospital because I have a fucking piece of bone piercing my leg!” I shouted.

“Wrong fucking answer,” he snapped. “There’s always a way out, Cash. Everyone has a weakness. Even when you’re cornered, there’s always a way out.”

“Not always.”

“Always. And if there isn’t, it’s because you were too fucking stupid to get out while you still could. You fucked up, and you’re going to die for it.”

I chuckled at him, shaking my head. “You know, all I said was that I wanted to eat lunch.”

“And I told you it was time to fight,” he shrugged. “I guess next time you’ll listen to me.”

“Next time, I’ll just bring a gun and shoot you.”

He leaned in close and lowered his voice. “You’d better make sure you’re fast enough to pull the trigger.”

He rose and held out his hand to me. I knew it was a trap. Since when had Guy ever willingly helped me after a fight? Not a single damn time. But hell, my leg was throbbing and I was pretty sure blood was coating the ground beneath me.

“If you’re going to push me down as soon as you help me up, I’ll just stay down here.”

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand, hauling me to my feet. “We fight, Cash. It’s our thing, but you’re my brother. I’ll always make sure you don’t bleed out.”

---