Page 30 of Secret

My heart stops as I see Elliot fighting with a man who is as huge as he is.Elliot is only wearing shorts, showing me his back and the huge angel wings tattoo covering it. I want to cry when Elliot gets punched in the face before the huge man punches his ribs, making him gasp.

“Izzy, don't worry; unbeatable, remember?” Tris whispers into my ear when I tense up, and I nod but don't take my eyes off the fight as they start to circle each other.

People scream 'King, King, King' as they cheer when Elliot swings his leg out so fast, I didn’t see it happening, and his opponent falls to the ground. Elliot straddles him quickly, using his weight to keep him down, and delivers punch after punch before I turn into Tris’ shoulder, not wanting to see any more.

The dark look on Elliot’s face as he finishes the fight is stuck in my mind, making me wonder why he is so haunted and how the fuck he learnt to fight like that. I rest my head on top of Tris’ shoulder as he hugs me, whispering that everything is okay. He might not be Blake or family, but he reminds me of Allie, and it’s comforting.

I look around the rest of the room as I wipe my tears, taking a much-needed deep breath. The sight of Elliot covered in blood keeps me frozen in fear, and I have to pull my gaze away from him. My jaw nearly drops when I see Blake with Luke and Sebastian. They all stand at the bar drinking beers and watching Elliot. I’m really stupid if I thought for a second Blake didn’t know about all of my brothers’ secrets. I feel a little betrayed, but I know it’s not his secret to share with me. I’m hoping he doesn’t see me as I tug on Tristan’s arm so we can leave.

Tris takes the hint, and we walk out, winding through dancing people as they practically have sex on the dance floor, the excitement from the fight shining in their blood-thirsty eyes. I turn my gaze to the floor as we come near the exit. Tris stops as a pair of shiny, posh shoes appear in front of us, making me slowly raise my eyes.

I look up into the gaze of an older man. He looks to be in his fifties, with short, grey hair, and he's wearing a black suit, which must be an expensive designer. He has a slightly grey beard, but what scares me are his eyes. They are dark, but even in the dim room, this man screams power.

“Tristan, my boy, are you leaving already?” he asks, drawing out the sentence in a strict tone and then turning his attention to me. The man looks me up and down in a way that makes my skin crawl before looking me in the eye as I try hard not to hide behind a very tense Tristan. I only then notice how tight Tris’ grip on my hip is as he stares anywhere but at this man, I look back to the man, who now just smiles.

“Now, who is this?” he asks in what I assume is meant to be a charming way, but it comes across as creepy. My old foster parents had enough creepy old men over that I knew when I needed to lock my door. This is the kind of guy I would sneak out and walk around the park all night to avoid.

“My date, I have things I want to do, and it will take all night.” Tristan winks as he looks down at me, and I blush a little.

Tris pulls me to him, running his fingers through my hair to turn my head, and kisses me, hard and fast before letting go. I feel his hands pull me against his chest, and I know he did that so he could hide my face from the stranger. The kiss was nice, I can admit that, but I feel sick. Blake will hate me for this, and oh god, I can’t lose him.

Tris feels tense as my body is pressed against his, and I’m a little worried why a big guy like Tris is acting scared of this man. My thoughts wander back to Blake and how to explain this to him later. I could tell him the truth, which is that I was so scared and out of my depth that I let Tris kiss me. Why couldn't my brothers just be honest with me?

“Well, what's her name?” the man says, clearly not letting Tris walk me out.

“It doesn't matter, I don’t remember. I’ve got to go as I'm getting bored,” Tristan says in a flippant tone, but his whole body suggests something entirely different.

There’s a silence for a while, and I imagine they are both just staring at each other in a battle of wills.

“Fine, see you around, pretty girl,” the old man says in a short, loud voice, and I shiver from the promise in it.Tris pulls me in front of his body with his arm around my waist, nearly making me trip as he moves us out of The Cage as fast as he can.

As soon as we are outside, Tris asks for my car key and where it is. I’m in shock mode and I let him take me to my car as he pulls me by my hand. I don’t notice how cold I am until Tris puts me into the car, even doing my seat belt up for me, and blasting the heater.

I keep running questions through my head again and again as Tris starts my car. The fighting, the money, and the secrets.Why didn't they tell me?

I guess it's not a great role model job to have, but I would have understood. It would have saved me from doing something stupid, like following them to their workplace to get images I'll never forget stuck in my head. Also, let’s not forget the kiss with another guy. I can’t believe it had to be Tris, of all people. Blake was already jealous when I spoke to him. God, this night couldn't get any worse.

I don’t notice how long we drive until Tris pulls up at my house and calls someone, while I sit in silence ignoring his conversation. Eventually, he finishes his call, and placing his hand on my shoulder to get my attention, he says gently, “My friend is coming to take me to my car. Look, are you okay?”

I nod in answer to him, so he continues.

“Well, I’m sorry about the kiss, but if I hadn't, that could have gone worse. That man is dangerous, I didn't want to bring attention to you. If it helps, you’re a fantastic kisser even in shock.” He grins at me, but I can see he is just trying to make light of the situation.

“It was nice, but I'm with someone. I guess I won't be when I tell them.” I sigh before adding, “Well, I don't know what to say about my brothers, but I’m coping.”

“Blake will punch me, but he won't leave you. He is crazy about you, and it's hardly like you had much choice. You were scared and in a bad place,” he sighs, giving me back my keys. “And, if he is idiot enough not to see that, I wouldn’t mind a repeat of that kiss.” He winks, and I laugh a little.

“How did you know?” I raise an eyebrow, playing with my one key and the beach ball key ring Blake bought for me at the beach when no one was looking. It was so sweet, and I love it.

“I’m observant.” He laughs slightly. “Can you do me a favour since I did you one?” I nod my head at him as I click my seatbelt undone to turn to face Tris in the dark car with just the outdoor lights from my house.

“Give your brothers a chance to explain. I know why your brothers fight, but you need to hear the reason from them. I will tell you that they all fight, and I’ve never seen anyone beat any of them. They’re that good.”

“I will.” I think about his words.

Light fills up the car as another car comes up the road, stopping just behind us with its bright headlights on so I can’t see what car it is.

Tris looks with a backward glance and says, “That’ll be my friend. Your brothers usually stay late for the girls and shit, so don’t wait up. Call me if you need me.” He hands me a card, which I’m sure has his number on it, from his back pocket. It makes me wonder how many girls Tris has given these cards to.

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