Aurora's Heart

Part 28: Heart falling apart.

Elijah

I'm at the boxing center, trying my hardest to hit the punching bag with all of my strength. I've been working up a sweat, focusing my attention on the bag. All I can see is Sebastian's face,  and the more I look at it and see that fucker’s face, the harder my fist lands on it. 

"Ey, you're punching that bag as if you have no self-control!" Copper says to me. I stop punching, holding the bag in my hand to keep it from hitting me. I watch him walking up to me, with his head held high and chest out, the proud walk of a proud killer. His age shows, but barely.  His blue eyes glare at me from under his black cap. He’s bigger. Those workouts are really serving him well, and though he looks aged, I’m sure he still packs a mean punch. He's dressed casually, in some Jeans and a black hoodie...he was never one for high fashion. As he nears me, I stand at attention as always. My bag straight and my chin erect. This has always been our way, so though. I have a respect for him unmatched.

“You are hitting with no form!”He growls, “No discipline!”

I look at him, my face hard and my lips twitching to answer him. He challenges me by staring me down, I maintain eye contact, accepting his challenge.

“I am just venting,” I say.

“I can see that,” he scoffs, “But did I teach you to vent like some girl, or did I teach you to get the job done?”

“This isn’t a job,” I say.

“Oh?” he growls, “Then what the fuck is it?”

“My girl,” I sigh, feeling the weight on my chest come back. “She left me,”

“The one you were engaged to?” He asks, with a smirk on his face that was making me heat up with anger, but I do not react.

“Yes,” I say.

“So, it is a job then,” He shrugs, “You can fix it, you can beat her into submission or trick her into believing you are a great person as I am sure the problem is that you have fucked up in a way that said to her you are not,”

I could feel my teeth grinding into dust against each other. Anger rippling through me as the facts that I have to satisfy his relentless torture with answers that will only make his day.

"Yes,I did." I breathe, "but I will not beat her or trick her. She's isn't being unfair with her decisions, I fucked up-"

"Oh!"he exclaims sarcastically, "She is being insubordinate and you don't think you should put her back in her place. A woman telling you no or putting up a fight is okay these days?"

"She is different!" I growl.

"Have I taught you naught!"he yells, and I am stiffened by the waves of his voice. "You are in here, punching a fucking bag when you should be handling your fucking shit like you know how to!"

"We killed her parents, Copper," I say under my breath, and his eyes widen with intrigue. I can feel my fists shaking. 

"Her parents?" He repeats, confused. 

"The time you brought me on a job with you,  the first time I had to fix a car-"

"Oh!" He laughs, hitting his forehead with his palm. "That guy!"

Yes...that guy… 

"Unfortunate that he had his whole family in the car that day eh?" he laughs, "Oh, those were her parents then, I see."

I nod unable to move any part of my body. I'm frozen stiff.

"Well, it's just poor luck," he sighs, "wait what am I saying, she survived,  that's a good thing!"