"i can take you back...it's not too late."

"no. i want to see don's smug face fall when you tell him. i'll risk pissing off seth for that."

i clench the steering wheel again. "you really think he'll flip out?"

"oh yeah, he is going to go mental."

nervously, i unhand the steering wheel and slip my index finger into my mouth and begin to chew at the nail.

"maybe i should crash at selena's tonight...after this i can't imagine i'm going to be too welcome," he thinks aloud.

eager to change the subject away from seth freaking out, i ask, "speaking of you and selena, what's the deal?"

he counters instantly, "what's she told you?"

"nothing, that's the thing...she usually tells me everything, but lately, nothing. i'm trying to decide if it's because she's too happy or too unhappy."

jackson runs his fingers through his hair. "maybe it's because you're both grownups now and don't need to share gossip like a pair of giggling teenagers."

i glance sideways at him.

"sorry." he exhales. "i've told selena things about me that i'd prefer she never repeats-even to you."

i wonder what's so bad about jackson's past that has him so damaged? seth claimed his own life was complicated, but besides a dead father, drunken mother, and a sister who ran away to vegas with her wannabe rock star boyfriend, his life isn't too bad.

"there was a girl..." i prompt him, my eyes flick to him. i see him tense.

"no, there was a woman. 'girl' implies there was some kind of vulnerability or innocence about her."

there's a lot of emotion to his tone, not love or longing, but hate...disgust. he swallows hard, as if trying to get rid of a bad taste.

"was she-"

"look, you're cool and all, but i don't want to discuss what i went through with that whore. i haven't even told seth the whole story and we've been friends forever." he flexes his fingers. "i promised myself i'd keep my hands to myself when i see don tonight, but i can't if you're going to try and get in my head. as for selena, if she was unhappy, she'd leave."

'if she was unhappy, she'd leave.' that's true. i've known selena long enough to know she doesn't do anything she doesn't want to.

"third building on your right," jackson mumbles, causing my heart to shoot into my throat.

suddenly, this feels like a bad idea. images of seth filter into my mind with his discolored ribs and busted lip...it's enough to clear my head and allow me to group my thoughts.

don hurt seth.

don is going to continue to hurt seth until he takes everything from him.

i slam my foot on the brakes and the car jolts to a stop, sending jackson and i shooting forward before our seatbelts catch us.

"what the fuck?" jackson grunts.

without hesitating, i unclip my seatbelt and fumble to get my keys out of the ignition. anger courses through me as i think about don and how he's using me as a pawn in his game to get revenge on seth. i keep moving erratically, knowing if i slow down now, my anger will fade. i need to act while it is still white hot.

"let's go," i grumble at jackson as i shoot myself out of the car.

without closing my door, i storm across the small parking lot and towards the modern gym in front of me. jackson falls into step beside me.

"no fighting," i clarify.

he agrees, "no fighting."

i slam my hands into the glass doors, pushing them open to let me through. i ignore the stares from late night gym goers and enter the main room. i eagerly scan the room for a tall, bald dickbag. when i spot him standing by the boxing, ring chatting and laughing with a massive guy who has a fresh swollen eye, i lose it. inside, a pressure begins to build in my stomach before spilling over and filling my chest. i want to scream and cry. i want to kick him until he can't move...but i can't do any of that. that's what he wants...and i will never give him the satisfaction of getting what he wants.

instead of raging and mauling him to death with my claws, i plaster a wide smile on my face and stroll casually toward them. the hulk-like man slaps don on the shoulder and nods in my direction. when don's slimy gaze falls onto me, my skin crawls like a bucket of baby spiders have been poured over every single inch of my body.

"olivia," he purrs, leaving a bad taste in the back of my throat. "what a nice surprise."

he smirks, turning his attention to jackson. "i see you only brought one of your dogs. the others weren't feeling up for the trip?"

i step forward, desperately wanting to slap him or spit on him, but jackson's finger hooks around the thin strap of my dress and pulls me backwards. i let out a slow, steady breath. "something like that," i reply bluntly. "tell me, what's the next event you've got coming up?"

he shrugs. "i have a fight scheduled."

i smile. "it's not in vegas, though, is it?"

an electrical current flows through me as don's smirk fades and just like that i'm addicted to hurting him.

"don't worry your pretty little head about me. i'll get to vegas one day and i'll go through your boy to get there."

i stick my hands into my dress pockets. "see, that's where you're wrong. seth will make sure you never fight again."

don chuckles and looks over his shoulder at his friend, who also happens to find what i said hilarious.

"i hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but the only way seth is going to stop me from fighting is if he breaks both my legs."

i shrug. "or if he has proof you hurt him and his coach and turns it in to the mmac."

don folds his arms over his chest in an attempt to come off as intimidating. i analyze his face, watching familiar emotions flicker over it. disbelief shows first, followed by fear, then frustration before his lips finally curl upwards in a smug grin.

"nice try, but you can't scare me."

jackson lets my dress go and i take it as an indication to go in for the kill. i step forward. "i'm not trying to scare you, don. everything you and your friends did was caught on camera."

his smug smile falters, straightening into an impassive line. "you're fucking lying," he growls.

i shake my head, smiling ever-so slightly. "afraid not."

don watches me closely for a few seconds and when he realizes i'm not fucking around, his eyes become glossy with various emotions. i can tell his brain is confused, unsure which feeling it wants the rest of the body to feel first. i know i shouldn't be enjoying this as much as i am, but i can't help it and the exciting, addicting feeling of seeing don weak spurs me on.

"look for a new career, because this one is closed to you."

it's like flipping on a switch-one second he's dark and brooding and the next he's bright and alive, punching the massive guy behind him and dropping him to his knees. the force behind the hit jolts me back to my senses. holy. shit.

he turns his dark eyes on me. "if he uses those tapes i swear to god i'll kill him."

i swallow hard, taking a few small steps backwards and it isn't until jackson's hand plants firmly on my back that i stop. "you've made your bed. lie in it."

don's arms shoot out and he grabs my forearms, squeezing me with unnecessary force. i gasp and grit my teeth against squeezing my eyes shut. i won't appear weak in front of him.

"let her go, asshole," jackson demands, keeping his hand on my back for reassurance.

don ignores him, his dark, green stare remaining solely on my face. "i'm warning you," he almost whispers. "don't fuck with me!" the rest of his sentence comes out in a mighty roar and it's so loud my head spins with a mild case of shell shock. he shoves me backwards and i don't stumble as jackson's hand stabilizes me. jackson launches himself forward, stepping in front of me. i can feel panic rising in my chest at the thought of don and jackson getting into a fight right now. i grab jackson's arm and tug him backwards.

"no fighting," i shout and he glances over his shoulder at me, clearly frustrated that i still want this meeting fist free. no longer interested in us, don tears around the gym, punching and throwing things like we don't exist.

"let's go," jackson demands, grabbing my elbow and pulling me towards the exit. people stare at us like we're criminals while others cower like we're going to kill them and when we pass a mother and her young boy no older than twelve. i stop. the mother grabs her son and pulls him into her.

"if you use it-" don shouts but we don't look over our shoulder. "if you fucking use it-look out!"

"sorry," i mutter before jackson nudges me out of the gym.

i inhale the cool air, filling my lungs to maximum point and my hands begin to shake. i flex and shake them a few times in an attempt to get them to stop, but it doesn't work. i pull my car keys out of my pocket and hand them to jackson, who's as calm as the eye of a storm. "can you drive?"

he nods, takes the keys, and heads for the car.

i follow him and climb into the passenger seat. he drives me back to seth's house, neither of us saying a word about what happened tonight. i use the tips of my fingers to massage my temples, hoping to gain some composure. my heart is racing, not because of what i did, but because i know seth will be up and waiting for me when i get home. i don't know what he's going to do, or what he's going to say, but i do know what i did tonight satisfied me and i won't apologize for it.

chapter seven

seth

with a groan, i roll off my stomach and aching ribs and onto my back. sleeping is definitely going to suck for the next few days. i run my hands over the mattress in search of olivia's warmth.

nothing.

slowly, i open my eyes and stretch further, feeling only the cool bed.

"olivia?" i grumble, my voice husky with sleep.

nothing.

what the hell? i push myself up into a sitting position ignoring the pain in my chest and the throbbing headache behind my eyes. i slide off the bed and waver uneasily on my feet before i slowly make my way out of the room. downstairs, the lights are on and i can hear voices speak in low, cautious tones. i stroll through the kitchen and into the lounge room, frowning as my gaze settles on selena and darryl. selena's eyes widen and she quickly averts her gaze before adjusting her dress and shifting uncomfortably on the couch. i look at darryl and he analyzes my bruises at first, before his eyes flit to mine.

"where's olivia?" i ask and i swear i see selena flinch out of the corner of my eye.

"she's out," darryl replies.

selena rises to her feet, drawing my gaze as she steps around the couch before trotting into the backyard. alarm bells begin to ring as she closes the door behind her.

i lean against the wall. "where'd she go?"

"her and jackson..." he clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck,"...went to see don."

i push off the wall as powerful anger rages through me, making my throat curl tightly around my words. surely i heard that wrong. "what did you say?"

"she went to see don..."

my jaw clamps down and i grit my teeth together. i let out a slow exhale, trying not to completely flip the fuck out. "and you let her go?"

"i didn't have a choice. it was me against olivia and jackson."

"and you let him take her?" i'm shouting now, unable to keep my cool. "are you fucking kidding me? how long have they been gone?"

i pivot on my heel and storm into the kitchen, searching for my keys. i have to go and get her. darryl strolls in behind me. "don't waste your time looking for your keys. jackson took them so you couldn't follow them."

"what the fuck!" needing to take my anger out on something, i grab the fruit bowl off the bench and throw it across the kitchen. a familiar tightness overcomes my chest and my breathing deepens. i can feel panic rising inside me, but i can't calm down. not until i see olivia. olivia...why the hell would she go and find don? is she out of her mind?

"seth, calm down."

i laugh once. "calm down? you want me to calm down? look at me. i'm fucking bruised and beaten because of that asshole and i wake up to find my girlfriend has gone to pay him a visit. sure, i'll calm down when she's here and safe with me. you want to hope for your sake there isn't a fucking scratch on her."

"you know what? i don't need this shit. i'm sore too, and i have a family that i need to spend time with before i have to get up early to train your ungrateful ass again."

darryl turns and storms from the room. a few seconds later, i hear the front door slam shut. a growl tears from my chest and i grip the edge of the bench, squeezing as hard as i can. i can't just sit around and wait, i need to do something-anything. freeing the bench from my grip, i turn from the kitchen and march up the stairs. i flick my bedroom light on and head straight for the boxing bag hanging in the middle of my room. a nauseating pain cramps my stomach and i want to be sick...tossing the hanging gloves to the floor, i swing my fists into the bag, clenching my jaw against the pain every time i connect. if i don't punch or fuck until i'm exhausted, there's no getting rid of the anxiety. it lingers, gnawing at me until i completely lose my mind and i'm worried if i don't calm myself enough before olivia makes it back (if she makes it back) i'm going to both say and do something stupid.