Stronger with You (With You Trilogy) (17 page)

“So, twenty-one,” Matt grinned, pinning Jake’s hands behind his back. “There’s five of us,” he nodded round at my brothers, not counting Ian who was still talking to the receptionist. “That’s four each,” he grinned. “And one for Jelly.”

I shook my head so hard I thought it might fall off but none of them noticed. They were too busy closing in on Jake.
There is no way I’m participating in this
. Matt held both Jake’s arms still and he squirmed with everything he had but he wasn’t getting anywhere. Eventually, he let his shoulders sag and gave up.

“Fine,” he spat through clenched teeth. “Just get it over with.”

“There you go, Jake,” Karl goaded. “Just go with the flow, it’ll be a lot easier on you that way.”

Jake made a little snorting noise but didn’t reply.

“Chip and Dale,” he nodded to the twins. “You’re up first.”

“With pleasure,” they grinned. They closed in on Jake who shrank back into Matt as best he could.

“Left or right?” Danny asked.

“Left,” Jake grumbled.

“Right it is,” Danny nodded.

“You know how it goes, Jake,” Karl encouraged. “Count ‘em or we start over.”

Jake nodded glumly and counted out the twins’ eight blows, wincing as each landed. I was pretty sure the twins pulled their punches a little.
That’s something, I guess
. Jake still looked less than pleased.

“Craig,” Matt nodded.

Craig didn’t say anything but punched the exact same spot four times over in quick succession. He definitely pulled his punches, although I doubt Jake noticed. He looked like he was fighting hard not to cry. His voice sounded close to breaking as he spat out the twelfth count.

“Switch,” Matt gestured his head towards the twins who took over restraining Jake.

They were all crowded around him and the foyer was otherwise empty. Not that Jake would make a fuss. We’d all known it was coming and the others would give him grief for years if he didn’t just take it. They all had.

Matt went next and he didn’t hold back. I almost asked him to stop, it was painful to watch. I could see Jake clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles were turning white and his eyes were clenched shut.

Matt paused a little between each blow, making Jake say the count over again if he didn’t deem it loud or clear enough. By the time it was Karl’s turn I was extremely impressed that Jake wasn’t bawling his eyes out and begging them to stop.

I wasn’t sure how hard Karl hit him but I think it was past the point of being important. I doubted he could feel the blows anymore.

“Jelly,” Karl beckoned me over.

“I’m not going to hit him,” I shook my head adamantly.

“Yes, you are,” Karl said firmly, a flicker of irritation crossing his brow.

“I won’t,” I shook my head and took a step back, straight into Craig who was stood behind me.

Craig gave me a gentle shove forwards and Karl pulled me over to Jake’s side.

“I’m not going to hit him,” I whined, trying to pull away from Karl’s grip.

“If you don’t, we’ll start all over again,” Karl grinned.

I saw Jake’s eyes flash up at Karl in horror. I doubted he could force himself to go through it all over again.

“Karl, I-” I started to beg but Jake cut me off.

“Just fucking get it over with, Jelly,” Jake grunted at me through clenched teeth, his eyes not meeting mine.

I took a deep breath and resigned myself to the situation.

“And, Jelly,” Karl grunted, getting my attention. “If you don’t do it properly… we’ll start again anyway.”

I swallowed and nodded my comprehension. He knew Jake hated me, why did he want to make the situation worse? I drew my arm back and hit Jake’s poor, battered arm with moderate force, feeling more than a little guilty.

“Twenty-one,” he grunted, sighing with relief and pulling away the instant the twins released him. He held his elbow, just below where we’d hit him and glared at us all.

“And one for good luck,” Ian grinned, landing a quick, sharp blow on Jake’s arm as he came up behind us.

“Fuck!” Jake cried, his left hand shooting up to cradle his arm. “Bastard!”

“Watch your mouth, birthday boy,” Ian warned, ruffling Jake’s hair.

Jake shot him a glare that usually had me running to hide in the bathroom but Ian just laughed and nodded back to the receptionist.

“Kelly’s got your room keys all sorted.” He grabbed a selection of card keys out of his back pocket. “Matt and Karl,” he nodded to them and handed them a key each. “Room 207”

The two of them accepted their room keys and sauntered off towards the lifts with their bags.

“Chip and Dale, 208.”

The twins followed suit and I started getting worried,
are we all sharing rooms?
It hadn’t really occurred to me. I sent up a silent prayer that Jake wasn’t going to get stuck with me.

“Craig,” Ian turned to Craig and handed him a key before turning to look at Jake and I. His eyes flicked back and forth between the two of us, as though he was deciding which of us to choose. “Jelly, you go with Craig. Room 206. Jake and I will be in 205.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as I followed them to the lifts. If I had gotten to pick whose room I slept in then it would have been Craig’s. I usually got along with him.

“Back down in the lobby in fifteen,” Ian said as Craig opened the door to our room.

“Least I ended up with you and not Jake,” Craig scowled once we were alone.

“He snores,” I nodded my agreement and Craig chuckled.

“Are you actually going to be sleeping here tonight?” I asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“What do you mean by that?” He smirked.

“I just assumed you’d find some random girl,” I shrugged.

“You calling me a manwhore, Jellybean?” Craig frowned, taking a few steps closer and trapping me between him and the bed.

“Your words not mine,” I grinned.
Oh dear, I hope he takes that as a joke.

Craig looked amused but made a grab for me anyway. I ducked under his arm and rolled over the bed so that I was on the other side.

“I was only kidding!” I exclaimed as he came around the bed. “I’m sorry!” I bit my lip nervously and backed up against the wall next to the bed, my body starting to tremble.

“Hey,” Craig frowned. “I was only messing with you.” He stopped a few feet short of me and sat down on the bed.

“Sorry,” I said uncertainly. “I thought you were angry with me.”

“You worry too much, sis,” he smiled. “I liked the spy-style duck and roll across the bed though, that was a nice touch.”

“Thanks,” I grinned at him, relaxing somewhat. “But seriously, are you going to leave me on my own tonight?”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” he grinned, kissing me on the head and making for the bathroom. “Get ready to go.”

I switched my ankle boots out for a pair of trainers as per Ian’s instructions and removed my jewellery.

We joined the others in the lobby. Jake was stood with two guys who I didn’t recognise, looking fairly relaxed. Once we were all together, Ian guided us out to the front of the hotel where a gargantuan, black, Hummer limo was waiting.

Jake’s face lit up and he looked to Ian for confirmation. Ian smiled and nodded. This beast was apparently to be our ride to wherever it was we were going. Jake gleefully climbed into the back of Beast, wearing the same expression he used to have on Christmas Eve when he was a kid. To my surprise, his two friends climbed in after him.

“What happened to family only?” I whispered to Craig.

He shrugged and motioned for me to get into the Beast.

“We needed two extras for the next few hours,” Ian said, his lip-reading skills in action again.

Beast’s interior was all black and grey leather, and garish neon lighting.

“In the corner, Jelly,” Karl nodded to the far side of the limo. “You’re the only one who’ll fit.”

I sighed, seeing that I’d end up sat between one of Jake’s friends and Matt, but scooted into the small place between them without protest.

“I’m starving,” Rick whined as Ian shut the door behind him.

“Shut up, you’re always starving,” Ian slapped the back of his head.

The Beast must have had it’s own mysterious driver because the car pulled away without any instruction. Jake introduced my brothers and me to his friends, who he called “the two Sams”, one was blond and the other ginger.

The Beast’s first destination was a gourmet hamburger restaurant in the city centre. After a delicious lunch, we were transported outside of the city to a large, open-air laser tag facility.

After an introduction from our instructors, we were all kitted out with camouflage gear and given helmets.

“Feel more like work than fun?” Danny grinned at Ian and Karl as they pulled on their equipment.

“British Military doesn’t use this camo pattern,” Karl shook his head.

Danny looked at Rick and they exchanged an eye roll and some sort of telepathic communication that I didn’t quite understand.

“I wear a suit to work, or had you forgotten?” Ian deadpanned.

“Always?” Danny probed.

None of us still really understood what it was that Ian worked with these days.

“You expect me to wear pyjamas?” Ian raised his eyebrow.

The twins wisely decided not to probe further and continued putting their equipment on. After signing the disclaimers, we were all set to go, we just had to be divided into teams of five.

“Right, Jake can pick team one, since it’s his birthday,” Ian motioned for Jake to stand on one side of the room. “Who do you want to captain team two, Jake?”

Jake looked around contemplatively, his eyes darting around in his head.

“Jelly,” he shrugged after a while.

I moved over to the spot on the other side, a little shocked that he’d picked me, but then I realised that if we weren’t on the same team he wouldn’t have to interact with me. Making me captain of the other team was a sure fire way to avoid me.

“Might as well divide the twins up straight away,” Ian smirked. “Any preference on which twin you get, Jake?”

Jake shook his head and Ian sent Rick to Jake’s side and Danny to stand with me.

“Why do we have to get split up?” Danny grumbled.

“Because you’ll play about the same and it’ll help balance the teams up,” Ian explained.

“Just because we’re twins, doesn’t mean we’re the same person,” Danny frowned.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Ian laughed, giving Danny a glare that told him not to push his luck.

The twins had another psychic conversation. This one I caught onto. I was pretty sure that whichever team won would have the added advantage of deciding which twin was best at laser tag.

“Right, Jake picks first, then Jelly,” Ian decided.

“I want Ian,” Jake said immediately.

No surprise there, I would have picked Ian too. I had no doubt he’d be awesome at a military based shooting game. My choice was obvious.

“Karl,” I nodded.

“Matt,” Jake said, not even bothering to look in my direction.

I obviously chose Craig and then was left with Ginger Sam. Looking at the teams, I couldn’t have guessed who was going to win, they were pretty well balanced.

Karl appointed himself team leader, which made sense, and gave us a quick tactical rundown while we made our way to our “base”.

“I am
not
losing to Ian,” he scowled, taking the whole thing very seriously.

“It’s just a game,” I mumbled.

“A game I intend to win,” he snapped.

I shot ginger Sam an apologetic glance, the poor guy looked a little terrified.

“Now I know where Jake get’s his competitive streak,” he whispered to me once Karl had stalked off ahead of us.

“It’s definitely a family theme,” I nodded with a grin. “I haven’t played before, have you?”

He shook his head. “I play a hell of a lot of ‘Battlefield Three’ though,” he grinned.

“That’s as good of an experience as any,” I laughed.

When I got back to base after my second simulated-death, I found ginger Sam, Craig, and Danny already back there. Apparently we’d run out of respawns. I shot them an apologetic smile as they saw me come in.

“Are we winning?” I asked.

“We’re not sure,” Danny answered. “You and Sam took out Jake and someone else, right?”

“Matt,” I nodded.

“I took out Rick twice,” he grinned.

“And I got Matt and Sam,” Craig added.

“Karl just took out Ian,” I laughed. “He didn’t look happy.”

“Seriously?” Craig and Danny gaped at me.

I nodded and had to agree with their surprise,
Ian will not be happy.

“It was a bad idea splitting you two up,” I nodded to Danny.

“Yeah, I realised that too,” Craig scowled.

“Why?” Danny frowned in confusion.

“Because we couldn’t tell which one of you was which from a distance, so if we’d have killed one of you it could have been friendly fire,” Craig explained.

“Shit, I didn’t think of that,” Danny grinned wickedly. “If one of you bastards killed me, I’ll non-simulated shoot you,” he pointed his finger at each of us in warning.

We waited anxiously for Karl to come back but instead the marshal came to tell us the game was over.

“That means we won right?” Danny grinned.

The marshal nodded with a smile on his face and the guys all whooped and cheered. I grinned broadly, delighted to see them so happy. I felt a twinge of guilt at the knowledge that Jake had lost his birthday game. The twinge of guilt turned to foreboding at the realisation that Ian had also lost.
Ian doesn’t do losing.
I hoped he wasn’t taking it too seriously.

We collected a victorious looking Karl on our way back to the main office. A round of jeering and “loser” chants began the moment we spotted the others. I nipped into the changing rooms to get out of my kit before they started fighting, because they were sure to start fighting.

The two Sams must have sensed impending danger too because they followed me into the changing rooms.

“They take this shit pretty seriously, don’t they?” Ginger Sam grinned at me.

I turned around to reply but caught Blond Sam giving Ginger a strange look that had me curious.