Page 33 of Vendetta

She was ruining me. I was supposed to be breaking her, not the other way around. I needed to shift gears, and fast. I had called Kaptan and Zayn while I was in the elevator, the brothers agreeing to meet me at the boxing gym. It was well past four in the morning now, but they must have sensed the urgency in my tone considering how fast they both agreed.

If there was one thing to note about the Hawthorn brothers, it was their fierce and unconditional loyalty. Though they couldn’t be more different in most aspects, that was the one thing that they had in common.

I wasn’t surprised to see Kaptan’s R1 and Zayn’s Bronco already sitting in the parking lot as I had pulled in, considering that I had been coming from the city. I saw the lights inside already on and guessed that they must have already let themselves in, all three of us having our own set of keys.

Pulling my hood over my head, I made my way through the door, looking up to find Kaptan leaning his elbows up on the ropes of one of the boxing rings, phone in hand. I spotted Zayn sitting against the back wall, cigarette in hand as he laid his head back with his eyes shut.

The two got along for the most part, though they didn’t opt to spend much time with each other unless necessary. Kaptan was all business all the time, preparing himself to take over his father’s company, while Zayn refused to follow the family’s status quo. The latter chose to pursue the lifestyle of sex and partying as a big ‘fuck you’ to his dad.

They both looked up as I dropped my duffle bag, offering me a once-over and waiting for me to speak. They had to know that something was seriously wrong if I had called them this late. Or early, I guess you could say.

I didn’t have any words to give them, though. My brain felt like it was about to combust, all of the thoughts and emotions ramming into my mind at break-neck speeds, getting louder and louder by the minute until I felt as if a hole in my skull would be the only thing able to release the pressure and let everything drain out. My head was too crowded, too loud. I was on the verge of losing it.

One look at me, and their eyes widened just the slightest. Zayn sat up straighter as Kaptan put his phone away and turned to face me. I silently made my way to the ring, wrapping my hands in the process. We rarely engaged in hand-to-hand combat without gloves, but I needed to feel the pain right now. I needed something to anchor me.

I didn’t bother warming up, my blood already on fire. I turned as Kaptan walked into the ring, wrapping his hands as well. Our eyes met, and I saw the hesitance in his dark ones, the same obsidian as his brother’s. There was a question there, asking if I was sure about this.

Zayn took over Kaptan’s spot against the ropes, watching intently before putting his cigarette on the bottom of his boot and walking over to the sound system in the corner of the gym.Sleep Tokenblared through the gym as Kaptan and I paced around each other, both waiting for the other to make the first move.

I lunged, grazing his right side right as he dodged. I managed to land the next two jabs in quick succession before his right hook caught me in the jaw.

“You’re taking it easy on me. Stop it.” I ground out. Kaptan was a force to be reckoned with, his size alone enough to bring most grown men to his knees. I was just over 6’4, and hestill had a few inches on me, not to mention the difference in muscle mass.

He must have noticed the pain in my eyes, and the need to let it all out. He paused long enough for me to land a jab to his stomach, his tattooed abdomen recoiling at the impact before flipping his switch and coming back at me with full force.

Zayn stayed silent as he watched us, Kaptan’s fist slamming into my cheekbone. Without the gloves, I felt every ounce of the impact.

Red took over my vision, the emotions from the day finally finding the outlet that I had been looking for as I swung back, throwing all of my weight into my attack and forcing him back.

I could feel the cuts opening underneath the wraps on my knuckles, and I welcomed the pain as it gave me the reprieve that I had been needing.

After a few rounds, I walked to the edge of the ring, pulling my hoodie over my head and throwing it over the ropes.

“Dude.” Zayn called, “What the fuck happened? It looks like you got mauled by a wild animal.”

I quickly realized that the bite mark on my shoulder and cut on my neck were now on full display. Fuck.

“What crazy bitch did that? And can I get a turn with her?” Zayn chuckled and my fists clenched at my sides.

“He fucked Landry.” Kaptan said from behind me, not needing to ask. I swear, nothing went unnoticed by him.

“Landry?” Zayn asked, clearly confused until the situation dawned on him. “Oh. Oh…”

The room went silent, the both of them processing as I mentally berated myself. What the fuck had I been thinking.

“Sooo what does this mean? Are we calling it all off?”

“No.” I snapped at Zayn.

He kept his mouth shut, waiting for me to elaborate.

“This could be a good thing.” Kaptan remarked, finally speaking.

“In what world was that a good thing?”

“Well, we know she must be into if she let you fuck her. That could prove to be beneficial. Think about how much easier it would be to break her if she starts falling for you. It would make her ten times easier to manipulate.” His words lacked emotion, his tone matter-of-fact.

I paused to think, letting Kaptan’s words sink in. He wasn’t wrong. Maybe this hadn’t been as colossal as I had thought.

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