Shifter Romance: Werewolf Shifter Romance: Problem Child (Wolf Shifter Romance Baby Romance Shapeshifter Romance) (Alpha Romance Short Stories Romance Shifter Romance) (9 page)

“So where is he then?” I ask, more irritated than anything else.

It’s ten to ten, on another pancake flat Friday night in the bar.

Supposedly, it’s my welcome back party, but it seems to have floundered like a landed fish. Rob is absolutely nowhere to be seen, despite having organized the whole thing.

“He’s coming soon hon” Assures Jacquie, as she polishes glasses at the – very quiet- bar. “He’s got some business to attend to.”

I roll my eyes.

By business, I assume she means fight stuff.

Rob seems to have gotten somewhat obsessed about this. They’re happening more and more often and I can’t say I am happy at all about them. I don’t think they bring the right type of clientele in, but he just laughs.

The doors open, letting in more than just icy winds from the snowstorm outside. In blow a sudden torrent of customers. You’ve guessed it, they’re the fight flash mob, turning up for some quick and easy violence – namely someone else’s blood.

I turn my head down to the floor and try not to show my disgust.

Then the door opens once more, to someone unexpected.

Alex.

I have still absolutely no idea whether what I think happened, really happened, or it was just the product of my, literal, fevered imagination.

He saunters over, cutting across the bar, which is beginning to fill up with every hustler and low life in town, making a beeline towards me.

He smiles, that low, sexy sneer and I can feel my heart intensify melding against the deep thumping bass, from the club’s sound system.

“Hey baby,” He says.

I open my mouth to speak.

Then, my heart, which had been somewhere on the floor, grabs a pickaxe and hacks its way through the floorboards, straight into the bowels of hell.

As he plants a deep kiss….right onto Jacquie’s face.

She didn’t see that one coming.

I scrutinize Alex’s face for clues, and vestiges of a trace, of whether what I believe happened between us, actually happened.

He coolly opens his mouth.

“How’s it going then, first day back sis?”

My heart, which is sipping ice tea with Beelzebub in a cold hell, skips an actual beat.

Sis?

I want to scream out to him, in what fucking universe am I his freaking sister, but can’t seem to get the words out. In fact, I feel sick. It’s like someone has held me tight around the chest. It’s not fair and it’s not logical but right at this moment, I want to kill Jacquie, particularly as she beams at me such a sweet innocent and happy smile.

Rob appears from downstairs “Are you ready then?”

Nobody seems to notice that I am on the verge of heaving my guts up and look round to Alex, aka the Main Attraction.

He seems a little perplexed, though.

“Should I be?”

“Well, the fight tonight.”

“What fight, I’m not in any fight.”

Here, he and Jacquie hold hands and grin, in a sloppy fashion, over the bar counter.

“Yeah... but… I thought.” Rob frowns. “Are you sure, it’ll be worth your while.”

“Quite sure thanks,” Says Alex, sipping his beer.

Rob disappears, clearly not pleased at all, shouting down his phone at somebody.

It hits me in that instance if it hadn’t been abundantly clear before, that I have no idea whatsoever what I am doing with Rob.  This realization holds me for a moment and makes me need some air quick.

“Are you ok Eliana?” I hear Alex asking as I run out the double doors into the sub-zero January evening outside.

The Ocean calms me a little. There’s never been a time when the sounds of the crashing waves from the Atlantic haven’t helped to soothe me down when I’ve been in a state and, my God, am I in a state about this right now.

But it’s like about minus six or something out here and I know that there’s no realistic way I can stay out here for much longer, even with my pullover on.

The back door opens, which is only used by club employees. It must be Rob, I’m guessing, maybe wondering why I’ve left the party. Inwardly, I know what has to be done. Maybe, it would just be kinder to give him the hard word, right here and now.

Having made up my mind, I turn around and try and present a sympathetic face to him.

It’s not him.

“3, 2……”

This time, it is Mick, one of the bar managers who is acting as ringmaster. But you can hardly hear his voice for the shouting and stomping of the crowd.

He stands over the slumped figure of Alex, down on the floor. Gradually, he stirs and opens half an eye.

Before Mick can count down to one, he is back on his feet, but the bell rings out, announcing the round’s end and a short break in proceedings.

Bloodied, but alert Alex grabs a towel and a cell phone and powers into the backroom.

“Tell Tez he'll get his money... now where is she-"

He stops mid-sentence, the person on the other end has evidently hung up. He glances around at the security guards yells.

“And where the fuck is Rob gone?”

There’s a resounding silence.

It’s as if he can’t hear me or see me, but I can see him. I’m banging, as hard as possible against something invisible that is in between us. But he can’t see me.

“Yeah. Just told him. He’s going to do exactly as he’s told this time ...”

I recognize that voice. It’s the same one as before. Just before it, all went to black.

“Listen, I have absolutely no fucking idea why he didn’t heed our warning before alright, but, this time, he will. I’ve got the girlfriend. She’s safe and she’s not going anywhere, but it will get messy if he doesn’t play ball.”

The voice trails away and I hear metal-capped boots stomp across the concrete.

Something is stuffed deep into my mouth. It might be a muffler or something and straps of some kind cut into my wrists. I can’t move much, but as hard as I possibly can do, I wriggle and twist and turn. Eventually, I manage to spit the thing in my mouth out and almost immediately after doing so I instantly regurgitate.

Vomit spews out, hot, orange and real across the boot of the car.

I kick against the metal shell of the car boot. To my utter delight, it springs open. The dozy prick has also forgotten to lock it. I actually can’t believe I am out that easily.

Albeit, not quite out of the trunk of the car, but now half out of it, like a sort of mermaid, with no tail and only one leg.

At this point, I realize that maybe I want to be very quiet instead of trying to make a lot of noise now, but it seems as if he’s gone away.

I kind of belly flop, fish like onto the floor and survey my surroundings. It’s a concrete floor in what looks like a garage, Rob’s garage.

“Great fight.”

Rob comes warmly over to embrace Alex, sitting stiffly at the bar.

Like last time. The heat and noise of the crowd have gone cold pretty quick after the money shot is done. Another contender dispatched in a panicky haze into a friend’s clapped out hatchback, another admission to the emergency room.

As soon as Rob comes close, Alex ducks away from his touch.

“Sorry son,” Says Rob “Is it still tender.”

Alex spits over towards, but not quite in, Robs face.

“There’s not a scratch on me,” he says coolly, “Money please.”

Rob laughs and dishes out a pile of dollar bills towards him.

“No, I want all of it.”

Rob smiles and hands over another small stack of notes.

“No really, I mean all of it.”

Alex is as cold as ice. Then he points the gun, Rob’s face changes.

“What did you say?” Rob looks startled and is obviously trying to laugh this off, but Alex isn’t laughing.

“That’s just for starters, though, I want you to take me to her, now.”

He stares at Alex in confusion.

“Take me to who?”

Across town, I struggle to get my legs free of the strong industrial tape across my knees and ankles. What I should be thinking about is what the heck is going on here and why have I been locked in a car boot in the first place. But I swear to God my first thought is;

‘How long have Alex and Jacquie been seeing each other and why didn’t she tell me?’

All the same, I succeed in ripping the tape off and then have to do battle with a very locked garage door.

“Don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean” Screams Alex, walking slowly up to a now terrified Rob.

By now, there’s a small circle of employees standing around in the office, wondering what the hell is happening. Mick, the bar manager tries to intervene but decides it’s not a good idea.

“You made me fight, I get that, but no one threatens someone else to get to me, especially not her..”

“I don’t..” Trails Rob.

He doesn’t get to finish. Alex knocks him sideways, blood spills all over the floor. Still pointing the gun in the air, Alex holds Rob by the neck.

“Do you understand now? God knows, it’s my fault for not being able to read the warnings…” His voice trails off in deep annoyance, with a frown.  “But you got her run over, for fucks sake, what the fuck was that meant to do?”

He kicks him heavily in the groin.

“Alex” Screams Jacquie, who has just run in to see what is happening.

“Jacquie, get out of here.” Says Alex urgently.

Rob is trying to get up from the floor, groaning slightly. Mick helps him up. He shoots Alex a what-the-fuck glance but decides not to say anything.

“I don’t know what you’re on about Alex. He’s gone totally mad!” He shouts, his eyes wide and appealing to Eric one of the security guards.

“Alex” Pleads Jacquie, trying not to look at Rob and the pool of blood, trying hard not to be sick.

“Those guys you rang, to try and get me to fight. The ones you found out I owed money to. What did you think was going to happen? They weren’t exactly going to come around and tickle me to death ....”

“I... I what?” said Rob, staggering to his feet.

“Never mind, just tell me where they’ve taken her” He snaps.

There’s a loud bang. Bits of plaster and paint come spilling down. Everyone in the room ducks for cover. Alex has fired the gun into the ceiling, out of pure frustration.

Jacquie immediately runs out the room and starts making loud retching noises. Rob looks as if he may wet himself.

“Jesus, Rob, I know you’re not the brightest, but where did you tell them to take Eliana”

“Take Eliana, I never told them to take anyone. They were meant to put the frighteners on you” He finally splutters.

“Guess what it worked.” Snarls Alex, coming over to him, still holding the gun, this time, trained on his head. “If you don’t know where she is, then here’s an idea, try fucking asking, ring ... Go on…”

He chucks Rob his cell phone.

“I didn’t know they were going to hurt Eliana I swear.” Sobs Rob, as he holds the phone and dials.

On the bar counter, just outside the office room, my cell phone buzzes. Jacquie rushes in holding it. It cuts to voicemail.

“Ring them. Jesus, Rob, not her”. Alex says acidly. .

“I don’t have any numbers for them,” says Rob. Alex stares at him wildly.

“I don’t believe this.”

The door to the office opens again.

“Hey did you miss me?”

I stagger in, frozen to the bone. I have walked the fifteen minutes across town in only a jumper and work shoes with three inches of snow out there. Pools of icy slush appear around my feet.

Everyone stares at me. I more or less collapse on the office chair exhausted. Then I notice Rob’s bleeding and Alex has a gun.

“Are you alright Eliana?” asks Alex, coming over to me. He touches me lightly on the shoulder.

“I.. I think so. I was in a car boot. I don’t know what’s going on, but I think someone is after Rob for some reason.”

I stare down at his bloodied face.

“Yeah,” Says Alex grimly. “Me.”

I gaze up into his face. It is hard and cold and I feel almost like I don’t know this Alex, the one that waves guns around.

With a gesture of his hands, he waves away Mick, Eric, and the others, until it is just me, him and Rob alone in the windowless office.

“I... I don’t understand,” I say.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” Says Alex slowly. “Rob set you up in order for me to be scared of fighting, I guess it made him a lot of money or gives him a thrill, I don’t really care which.”

Rob opens his mouth to try and disagree, but sees Alex pointing the gun at him and thinks the better of it.

“And so now I am going to kill him”

He loads the gun and brings it closer to Rob’s temple.

“Alex, I had no idea they would hurt Eliana, I love her” Pleads Rob.

Both of us eye him with disdain.

“Love” scoffs Alex “Really?”

“Please Alex, don’t do this,” I say, suddenly terrified he actually will blow Rob’s brains across the small claustrophobic office, giving Jacquie yet another reason to vomit.

“Give me one reason why not.” Demands Alex.

Rob stares up into my face, silently pleading with me to make it good.

“Think about Dad… he’ll be destroyed.” I try. I know it’s a bit lame, but it is true.

“Right, the man I didn’t know existed until a few months ago,” He says bluntly.

“That’s not really fair Alex,” I say.

“That’s not important now,” says Alex, getting up, suddenly, and scooping the money from the counter, as well as looking around manically. “The safe, have you got the combination.”

“Behind the mirror,” Says Rob “Take it, it’s not actually locked.”

Inwardly I roll my eyes. This was just about typical for anything to do with Rob. The guy couldn’t even remember to lock a safe, I was pretty sure he wasn’t capable of masterminding some elaborate scam to kidnap me. That would have to have been someone else’s idea. In the time we were together it became pretty clear, that he wasn’t exactly Einstein.

Alex takes the dollar bills and the safe and stashes them into a sports bag.

“Get up,” He says to Rob.

He grabs a rope cord that was being used to tie off the boxing ring with – now they finally had gotten a proper one – and starts to tie up Rob’s hands with it.

When he’s finished tying him up, he discovers a large velvet ribbon that was being used as part of a bar display and puts it round his eyes. Then he pushes him forwards, propelling him out towards the door.

“What are you going to do?” I ask, aghast, but following quickly.

“Eliana stay here.” He snaps, but I keep on going after him.

The others remain firmly pasted to the spot outside in the bar, as Alex pushes Rob up the steps and out the back way into the car park, down to where the sea front is.

It’s even crazier at the front then I can recall it being just a few minutes ago. My frozen lumps of hands ache painfully with the cold.

Alex just marches Rob down along the pier, the blustery ice, and forked wind billowing through his black hair, doing nothing to calm down the rage inside of him.

Rob's eyes bulge furiously through the velvet sash. I can hear him trying to speak above the whistling wind and flurries of hail.

“Please Alex, please don’t do this.”

Alex ignores this completely and orders Rob to scramble over the shallow fencing between the end of the pier and the roaring ocean. He is clearly terrified as he does so.

“Alex. I...”

Rob is perched on a narrow ledge, that looks mighty precarious and he may just slip from at any time.

Alex sets about untying his hands and removing the blinds.

My heart rises suddenly. Is he going to let him go?

“Now jump” He hisses, still with the gun trained on him.

No, he’s not.

“Alex, please. I love you.”

Both Alex and Rob turn around now.  The gun remains suspended in mid-air as Alex’s head comes face to face mine.

“What did you say?”

“I love you, and not as a sister. I was never your sister.” I say slowly.

This seems to completely floor him, he stumbles backward and I walk over to him. I’m not quite sure what is going off in his head. I’ve still absolutely no idea whether I have just made the biggest fool of myself ever.

“Was it real?” I ask quietly, as the sea spits its fury all over us.

“Yeah,” He says gently. “It was real.”

“Only I wasn’t sure. I didn’t really know.”

Alex stares deeply into my eyes.

“This is such a huge mess. I feel so guilty. They sent a message and I couldn’t read it….and if I had.” He trails off. “See. All this is my fault. You should never have met me.”

“But. I did…”

Kissing him lightly on the cheek I take his hand. “All this can be sorted out now. There’s no need for any of this to go any further.”

Rob glances over towards me, nods with a slightly perplexed look, but decides it’s best to just slip away silently.

“But, but,” Alex says. “You’re my…”

“Friend,” I say “Always, but also, maybe more if you like. But I’m not, and was never, your sister.”

He looks right at me.

He takes my hand.

We walk down the freezing pier together, hail and snow piling on top of us, the wind dragging my hair left and right insanely.

“Now we just have to tell everyone,” I say to him.

He laughs out loud.

The hard part is just beginning.

*****

THE END

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