Hang on, Mama. I’m coming for ya.
Chapter Two
“Absolutely not!” Lincoln roared. The sound was made louder by the fact that we were in his tiny trailer. It was late, and I just wanted this shit storm of a day to be over, but I couldn’t lie to him. Besides, I would need his help.
“Babe.” I had never used the pet name before, but maybe it would help soften the blow now. “I’m doing it regardless. I’m just asking you to help train me for the fight.”
He looked furious. The veins in his neck were bulging, and his left eyelid was twitching. “You don’t even know if he’ll take the money!”
“He will,” Shea, who had been quiet while we fought, spoke up at that point. “He’s money motivated. I worked for him for nearly six years. If the Necro clinic isn’t making much, then he’ll see it as a fair payout for losing an employee. He’ll hire a new Necro, and be happy with the deal.”
Lincoln shot her a death glare. “Noah and I will fight,” he finally answered.
I winced and pointed to the flyer. “It says eighteen to twenty-one. You guys are twenty-three.” It was sweet of him to offer to fight for my mom though, which I would never forget.
His fingertips pressed against his temples, rubbing them. “Well, you’re not doing it. We’ll crowd fund or something.”
I barked out a laugh. “Crowd fund a million bucks? People don’t even like me! They think I’m evil. No one is going to pay to get my slave bound mom out of Demon City, Lincoln.”
He sighed. “Well, it’s a bad idea. You could die.”
I chewed my lip and stepped closer to him, reaching out to touch his arm. “It’s my mom, Lincoln. My flesh and blood. The woman who gave me life.” I saw the moment he admitted defeat.
“You’re going to be the death of me.”
I grinned. “So you’ll train me?”
Growling, he nodded. “Who’s your fighting partner?”
Shea stood, popping her knuckles. “Ghetto Tainted Academy bitches got nothing on me,” she stated matter-of-factly.
Lincoln sighed, looking at the ceiling as if it held some answers. “We’ll see about that. Meet me in the small gym every day after boot camp. Every. Day. Including weekends. And when school starts, I want you in there every day after school.”
Shea groaned, and his eyes flicked to hers with a glare. “Just kidding. Yay.” She fake-cheered.
Lincoln rubbed his temples. “Now go, before I change my mind.”
We turned to leave, and his hand snaked out and pulled me into him. The moment his lips touched mine, I felt all my worries melt away. Lincoln had my back. If he trained us, we could totally, probably, win this.
When he pulled back, his cobalt eyes bored into mine. “I love you, Brielle. But please stop trying to die,” he pleaded.
Giving him a thumbs-up, I smirked. “You got it. Just after this one thing.”
With a roll of his eyes, he chuckled. “Good night.” He kissed me one more time, making my knees go weak.
“Night.” I grinned.
As Shea and I headed for Mikey’s cottage to check on him, she gave me a side-glance. “We can do this, right? Fight the Demon City kids? I mean, they are hardcore there…”
I knew she’d had it rough in the short time she’d spent at Tainted Academy, but I couldn’t have her lose hope on me. Stopping to face her, I peered into her large brown eyes.
“We grew up in the same hood as they did. We know how to fight dirty, and we’ve gotten a much better education here. With Sera, and with your magic, I know we can win. For Mom.”
Shea never called her by the name ‘Mom,’ always Kate, but she was like Shea’s mother too.
“For Mom,” she agreed with a smile.
Family was family. Blood didn’t matter.
I gave her a hug, and then we walked briskly to the cottage where my brother was staying.
When we got to Mikey’s, I knocked loudly, only just wondering if he might still be drugged up.
“Come in!” he shouted groggily.
Shea and I walked in to see him lying in bed, scrolling through his phone. He set it down and sat up slowly as we entered, still clutching his ribs.
“Thanks for getting me this place.” He gestured to the room, but his face fell when his gaze landed on the piece of paper in my hands.
“Busted.” I held up the flyer. Even though he was only a year younger than me, I still mothered him.
Looking up at me, he sighed. The bruising on his face was intense, but at least his nose looked normal again.