Redeeming the Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Zane

Sandro finally gave up trying to teach Zariah how to play a game and handed the controller to Ivy. He had more patience than I did, that's for sure. I'd refused to teach Ivy to play on more than one occasion simply because I didn't want to yell at her for not understanding what I was telling her to do.

Jake stepped up to the shelf where all my boxing gloves were and picked a pair out while Sandro talked to him. I decided to watch them fight first so I could see Jake's routine and get a feel for how I'd be able to beat him. I wanted to beat him. I wanted to watch Ivy get ink.

Whether Jake won or not, I'd be getting a tattoo. I'd set up an appointment as soon as Ivy fell asleep in my arms, the night she told me she loved me. I decided then and there to add to my chest piece.

"Come on, brother," Jake taunted Sandro.

"Take him down, Sandy." Ivy laughed and Jake's mouth dropped open.

"You aren't supposed to root for him! I'm your blood."

"Blood doesn't make you family," Ivy's dad said from the couch. He was reading the paper, not paying the least attention to what was happening ten feet away. I had no doubt, though, that if the guys got too close to him, Brennan could take care of himself.

"Exactly!" Ivy said before she turned around and watched Zariah shoot the wrong team again. I chuckled to myself when Ivy pulled her lip between her teeth and also shot the wrong team members. If they'd been playing my few online friends, I'd probably get kicked off the team, but I made sure it was offline.

Sandro took a quick shot to Jake's head but was blocked by his left hand. They went back and forth and in the end I only learned that Jake knew what he was doing in a fight and I probably had no hope.

"You ready?" he asked, giving me a wicked grin. He had sweat pouring down his face and neck and I tried to look at it as an advantage. Hopefully he was tired.

Chances were small from the looks of it.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

The minute I stood in front of him, he took a cheap shot to my stomach and cracked me in the face in the next second. He started laughing and threw a look over his shoulder at the girls, who'd turned around to watch us. I grabbed his head under my arm and held him against my side while I repeatedly hit his ribs. He was punching anything he could reach and, finally, I let him go and pushed him away from me.

"Keep your eyes on me, Jacob," I teased, using the name I'd only ever heard his mom call him while we were visiting Ohio. "Wouldn't want that pretty face of yours to be marred with bruises when you get home. Although, pity dates would be good for your ego."

"Oh, I'm not interested in dating anyone back home." He smiled crookedly and ran at me, tackling me to the ground.

We went back and forth, punching and kneeing each other wherever we could hit. He landed quite a few good hits, but I was keeping up. Jake grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his eyes and I took my chance, whether it was cheating or not, I didn't care. I grabbed him and pushed him down to the ground, shoving my knee into his spine. He tried to swing his arms at me behind his back, but I was too heavy for him to move much.

"Give up, bro." Ivy laughed. I didn't notice when she moved from the TV to the couch beside her dad and I was thankful we didn't end up over there. Two grown men landing on her would have hurt.

"Okay!" Jake chuckled from below my knee. "You win, just get your fat butt off me."

"Fat?" My laugh boomed in the basement. "I think I might have less body fat than you do, buddy." I quickly stood and grabbed Jake's hand to pull him up when he flipped over.