The Fighter

Chapter Six

"Uh oh, Alex is in trouble." Addy buries her head into my neck and I sigh as I hold her close. "I don't want to see Uncle Bear angry."

I nod and take her back into the shop with Jeremy following with my bike. Nudging her, I smile as I see her face and she gives me a sad one back.

"Nugget?"

"Uncle Bear doesn't like when Alex leaves me alone, especially when he knows that Dad isn't going to be home for a few days. Daddy told him before he left that he had one more shot until he was going to remove him from the club, and this was the last chance." I'm about to respond when Jeremy's phone begins to go off with the name "Beast" as the caller ID. Without hesitation, she grabs the phone and answers it with a wide smile. "Daddy!"

I pat her cheek and motion for Jeremy to step aside with me.

"Who's Beast?" Jeremy rubs the back of his neck as he watches Addy talk enthusiastically to her father. "Jeremy!"

"My best man, or he was supposed to be. He's a couple of years older than you so he was like a little brother to me when he started middle school and even as I went into high school. We became like brothers over the years, and I was there the morning Bear brought Addy to the front door with a note that an ex of his wrote, she was actually his high school sweetheart. He was eighteen at the time, the bitch had ditched him as soon as she found out that she was pregnant and moved schools so he wouldn't find out.

"The first time he held her, he started crying while smiling down at her. He was enchanted as soon as she opened her bright green eyes, and he hasn't been the same since. He was always protective, but after Addy, it was like a wolf had taken possession of him as he took every precaution to watch over what was his. Thus, the name Beast was given to him." I nod.

"Beast. Why does that sound familiar?" Jack just smiles down at me and I shrug it off as Addy runs over to us and hands the phone to Jeremy. "All good?"

"Daddy is on his way home but he said that I can stay with you because he trusts Jeremy!" I nod to her and smile, about to respond when the door bursts open resulting in me drawing Jeremy's gun and pulling Addy behind me. "Uncle Bear!"

"Where'd the weasel go," Jeremy asked angrily. Bear's once nicely shaped hair is now tousled and his lip is bleeding.

"On the way back to the truck, he head-butted me and took off into this direction. Did he come through here?"

I shake my head and pull Addy in front of me while lowering the gun. On guard, I rush the girl to Jeremy's car and place her inside carefully while Jeremy gets in the driver's seat.

"Take care of her, I'll see you at six." He nods to me and I kiss the top of Addy's head quickly before shutting the back door.

"Happy hunting," Jack's tone is cynical and I nod without emotion. "Just...try not to get blood all over the place. Do you know how hard it is to clean up?"

Growing up, my home life was always sheltered, neither one of my parents wanted me to know about the monsters that hide in the shadows of the night or the smiles of the neighbors but my brother took it upon himself to help me. When I was five, he started training me self defense so that I could have some basics going through life. After the accident, Jeremy took me in when he could sneak me away to continue the self-defense; Derek eventually joined in when I was fourteen to help me with weapons training. Jeremy got pissed when he found out because no fourteen-year-old should know how to dismantle and reassemble a semi-automatic rifle in under three minutes, but he eventually got over it when we gave him a demonstration of what I could do.

Outside of the shop, the ring and Derek's place, I play the innocent girl act as I take attention away from myself. My childish and carefree side comes out with Derek, never having to worry about someone coming in to ruin everything while I'm relaxed. The more adult side of my personality comes out with Jeremy and Jake, knowing that I have something that I have to protect.