Pete settled down at the end of the table while Zeke and Sam found their places next to the man opposite of me. Though he had introduced himself when we first had sat down, I couldn't remember his name. Hopefully, someone would call out for him or it would come up in conversation.
I would need to remember every one of these men's names.
I rejected the beer but happily accepted the chicken sandwich thrown my way as they emptied the grocery bags. With Pete and Sam's presence back around, Barney seemed less chatty. The conversation was definitely steered by the newly arrived members.
The wind in the parking lot had stilled, leaving the air feeling hotter and more humid under the evening sun. Several of the men shook off their jackets and cooled down with a cold beer.
I regretted not bringing my wallet. A bottle of water would do well right now.
I let my eyes wander across the faces of the men as I chewed. Their ages, I guessed, ranged between twenty and twenty-six. Though, Pete looked to be older than everyone else in the crew. Maybe twenty-eight?
Jonah, one of the less talkative men around the table, caught my eyes as he tugged at his sweater. When bringing the jumper over his head, a bandage wrapped around his upper arm came to view.
«What happened to your arm?» I asked out without thinking. Jonah glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
«Got slashed with a knife,» was all he said before going back to his conversation with Sam.
Next to me, Barney pursed his lips and looked from Jonah's exposed arm to me. «You should have seen how the other guy looked,» he snickered.
«Hey,» Barney suddenly perked up, turning back to me. «You'd like this, actually. Didn't you have a grudge against RL? The person who gave him that cut was that leader of theirs.»
I swallowed.
«Zayden?»
Barney nodded and gleamed. «Jonah may have gotten sliced in the process, but before that we messed that guy up pretty badly. Couldn't believe the speed he had in him after that beating he got.»
I watched silently as Barney chuckled at the memory, my eyes glued on the gleeful expression on his face.
Little piece of shit.
«I got a few kicks in, but Jonah and Sam are the actual heroes here. Jonah jumped on the guy's back out of nowhere and sent him right into Sam. Ben and I had a bet going on whether we'd be able to beat him unconscious without using the knife.»
It was difficult hiding my repulsion as Barney went on and on about the ways they had mutilated Zayden. My throat closed up as I listened. My head was pounding.
I wanted him to stop. I needed him to shut up.
YOU ARE READING
The Mystery Fighter III
ActionAfter getting into college, Cassie has no intentions of going back to her old habit of street fighting- but as the streets of her hometown would have it, her combat days are far from over. ...
