Twisted Lies by Nora Cobb

 

Chapter 42

Bryce

 

“Are you coming?” Pierce is almost in my face, but I refuse to step back.

 

“I haven’t decided yet,” I shrug my shoulders as if his plans for tonight bore me. I told Astrid I wouldn’t return to the Pit, but they’re pressuring me to go out with them because of Justin’s dad. Why would I want to hang out with that dried-up leech of a politician?

 

We meet up in Justin’s studio, and Justin sits in a chair, his arms folded as he stares out the window above his head. I don’t even bother talking to him when he sulks, and he’s been moody for days. I wish that boy would speak up. A week of his bottom lip poking out is too long. We get it, Justin. You can’t stand your dad. But the world is not that hard for you.

 

I keep telling Pierce that Justin is a liability, not Wyatt. And that fight in the dining hall between them was only for my benefit. Pierce is never going to get rid of Justin, not after their past.

 

“Maybe I should go, so no one brilliantly fucks up.” I stare at Pierce in silence until he gets out of my face.

 

“All right then,” Pierce claps his hands together with glee. “Let’s have some fun. Gentlemen, I hope you have small bills.”

 

***

 

Ted Leister’s eyes light up as we head out the door toward his limo parked on the street. Justin lags behind him, preferring to walk beside me while Pierce and Ted throw an arm over each other’s shoulders. Justin shares nothing with his dad except their looks. But whereas Justin’s gaze has a faraway quality, his father looks like a hawk waiting to dive bomb a clueless rabbit from high up.

 

Pierce, on the other hand, is the son Ted wanted. They laugh too loud, making crude jokes about their junk choking the hungry bitches at the Pit. They hurry down the path like a treasure chest waits at the end while I slow down my step, and Justin falls in beside me.

 

“He’s definitely into humiliation,” whispers Justin, “and I feel sorry for the woman that ends up with him tonight.”

 

“Which one are we talking about?” I ask.

 

Justin finally grins at something. “Astrid won’t be there tonight?” he asks, deftly sticking in the knife.

 

I give Justin a sidelong look, and he pretends not to notice my scorn.

 

“I thought you were over her?” I ask him.

 

He glares at me. “I could ask you the same.”

 

And there it is: the reason for the shit attitude. I don’t bother answering and keep walking toward the limo. What did he expect to hear?

 

Of course I want Astrid. She’s the only girl I’ve ever had to work to keep.

 

Typically, I walk into a room, and the girl I rest my eyes on is mine for the night. And that girl will do whatever I want. But when I tried that trick with Astrid, she ignored me for the entire summer. Girls like her never ignore me.

 

Ted motions toward the door the driver is holding open. “Pierce, sit beside me.”

 

Justin presses his lips together and climbs in the car next to me. He sits by the window and immediately takes out his phone. I glance over his shoulder. He always has some bizarre stuff on his feed. My attention is riveted to it as he swipes through some pictures of Astrid topless.

 

I grab his phone out of his hands. “Where did you get these from?”

 

He reaches for his phone and struggles for it. Pierce glances over. I don’t want Pierce to see Astrid exposed, so I toss the phone into Justin’s lap.

 

“She poses for me in my studio,” he mumbles after Pierce starts talking to Ted. “I’m going to talk to her. I’m going to make up with her.”

 

I scowl at him. “You think you have a chance?”

 

“You’ll get bored,” he replies. “You always do. I can wait you out.”

 

“You’re pathetic,” I grumble.

 

“No, I care about her. I’m not some prick that doesn’t know what he’s got.”

 

“I do know what I’ve got,” I tell Justin.

 

Astrid keeps up with every challenge we hurl at her, and that’s a feat at Stonehaven. I’ve watched her stake her claim by excelling at sports, which was a clever move. She’s taking over Stonehaven with no fucks given, showing off her physical strength and grace. But above all else: tenacity.

 

Watching her, I now know what I want: I want someone who’s an equal that will challenge me. With her, there wouldn’t be a single boring day.

 

“We could share her,” Justin whispers.

 

I shoot out of my thoughts with a start. “What?”

 

“You’ll get bored, Bryce. You always do, but you won’t if you always have competition.”

 

I stare at Justin as if he’s really lost it this time. He’s always trying to up the weird ante. But this is too much. I close my eyes and block him out as an unpleasant thought creeps into my mind. Is Astrid with Wyatt tonight?

 

No. I relax back into the seat. Wyatt was pissed at her because of Justin.

 

Pierce lowers the tinted divider, telling the driver to ignore the GPS and to turn there. I pretend I’m not here with them as the limo passes by a row of derelict buildings on a street that’s poorly lit. 

 

“What the fuck?” Pierce’s loud mouth rouses me. “Why is the place dark?”

 

I open my eyes and look at the old warehouse at the end of the empty parking lot. It looks like what it is—an abandoned, rundown brick building in a blighted town. I sit up and peer out the window, looking for signs of activity, but there aren’t any. Tonight’s Saturday, and the lot should be packed with cars. It always is.

 

“What’s going on?” I ask Pierce.

 

He glares at me like I should know, but I’m asking him.

 

“So this is a fun night out?” scoffs Ted. “A tour of the bad side of town? If I wanted to see this, I’d start campaigning early for reelection.”

 

“Shut up, Ted,” Pierce bites out the command. The balls on this kid, telling the governor to shut up. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and starts dialing. “No one is picking up. Where’s Grinder?”

 

A lone figure walks through the parking lot toward the front door. A girl wobbles on her heels in a short skirt and fuzzy cheap jacket. Pierce shoves the driver’s shoulder. “Drive over to the door.”

 

Silently, the driver takes the car out of park and glides along, following the girl, who’s checking her phone. She looks up and peers into the car as it comes to a stop beside her. Ted lets down his window to ogle the girl, but Pierce is faster. He leaps out his door and approaches the smiling girl, who has no sense of self-preservation.

 

“Hey, you know what’s happening tonight?” Pierce asks her, laying on his charm.

 

She holds the phone up so he can read the screen. “They moved the location to downtown.” She sighs. “I should’ve checked my phone before I came down here.” The girl’s gaze falls on the limo as she hugs herself in her light jacket. “Are you going there?” she asks Pierce. “I could use a ride.”

 

He nods. “Sure, come with us.” Pierce grabs the girl by her upper arm, guiding her toward the open car door. She giggles as she scrambles inside out of the cold. She smiles when she sees Justin and giggles again when she sees me.

 

But she ends up next to Ted. And suddenly she looks hesitant as Ted leers at her chest.

 

Pierce slides in next to her, and she moves closer to him.

 

“347 Commerce Street,” Pierce calls out to the driver, “put it in your GPS.”

 

“Thanks for the ride,” the girl says as the car pulls away.

 

Ted reaches behind the girl, wrapping his arm over her shoulder. “You look cold, sweetie,” he laughs, and she giggles. “What’s your name?”

 

“Kendra,” her voice rises and falls.

 

“And how old are you?”

 

“Nineteen,” she says.

 

“That’s a perfect age.” Ted’s other hand rests on her knee.

 

She shifts her legs toward Pierce, but he’s busy checking his phone, trying to figure out what is going on. I should care too, but I don’t. In fact, I feel a little bit relieved that I won’t be going into that place. I won’t have to lie to Astrid about being here.

 

Pierce shoves my leg. “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you give a fuck about what’s happening?”

 

“Why get bent until we find out what’s going on?” I reply, “It doesn’t matter where it is. It’s still our money.”

 

“Oh, so you guys are the ones who pick the girls?” With wide eyes, Kendra stares at me and looks like she’s about to launch herself into my lap.

 

“Not us,” I tell her and point my finger at Ted, who smiles like the horny rat he is. “He does.”

 

The girl shifts her body toward Ted, whose tongue is practically hanging out of his mouth. He wastes no time placing his hands on her willing body.

 

I want to tell the driver to push the pedal to the floor. I don’t want to watch up close while Ted mauls some clueless chick while we’re forced to watch. The man has no shame or respect. I glance over at Justin, hoping he’ll say something, but he’s staring at his phone. I lean back just enough to see the screen, and he’s recording his dad feeling up this chick’s tits. The girl doesn’t care that she’s spilling out of her low-cut top into his hands. Fuck this; I’m not Ted Leister’s pimp.

 

I shove Pierce’s leg with my knee. “You find out anything yet?”

 

“One response from a bouncer who says we owe him whether there’s a fight or not,” Pierce scoffs, “I owe these people nothing.” He looks up out the window. “Is this the place?”

 

I look out the window at a storefront lit up from the inside with strobe lights hitting the glass. The music is loud enough that you can hear the muffled beat through the closed windows. The parking lot is filled with cars, and I recognize Teeny standing by the back door. I look at the front of the building, and the windows are covered with hand-lettered signs announcing “coming soon,” but what’s coming soon?

 

“What is this place?” asks Justin, losing interest in his father’s sex life.

 

Pierce is out of the car first, striding toward Teeny, who immediately speaks into his headset. I hurry out of the limo, and Justin follows, leaving his father and his toy behind.

 

We surround Teeny as he steps in front of the back door. He watches us with a calm expression, and he owes us nothing. Not after all the shit Pierce dumped on him before he was fired.

 

“What’s going on, Teeny? Where’s Grinder?”

 

“Do you gentleman have an invite?” replies Teeny, holding his hands in front of him. His lips are tight, and refuse to crack a smile. He’s keeping his cool as Pierce loses more of his.

 

Pierce’s eyes bulge out in anger as he sputters. “An invite? I was just at the Pit, and the place is empty. Are you stealing our business?”

 

“No, sir, I’m not,” Teeny replies but doesn’t budge. “Management requires an invite. If you don’t have one, you will have to leave.”

 

My attention is distracted by loud shouting and thumping from behind the door. The fighters we kept stringing along must have found another place to perform. I’m not happy about any of this, but we had no loyalty toward the Monarchs, and now, they’re showing none to us.

 

I grab Pierce’s shoulder, pulling him back. “It’s not necessary to start something here, not when we can leave and figure out our strategy.”

 

“Are you out of your mind?” hisses Pierce as he grabs the lapel on my coat. “I’m not leaving until I know what’s going on. I want to know who’s stealing from us.”

 

“We’ll find out.” I roughly shake him off, knocking his hand away. “But not here. I don’t want to get jumped in Weymouth because you wanted to impress Justin’s father.”

 

Pierce glares at me but steps out of my personal space. He hesitates and thinks over what I’ve said as he stares at Teeny, who’s not backing down.

 

Pierce starts to walk off but stops when the door behind him slowly opens from within. We watch as Teeny steps aside for the person coming out, and my jaw drops when I see who it is.

 

Astrid.