“Yeah. Fine. I’m good with it,” I tell him.
“Yeah?”
“Why the fuck not? What do we have to lose?”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” he says excitedly. I grin at him as he raises his fists in the air.
“You have someone in mind?”
“No. Not yet, anyway. We would have to look into some people,” he adds. I nod my head.
“Preferably a female.”
“Why a female?” he asks, confused.
“Easier to subdue. A female should be easier to keep in line.” He nods his head.
“You’re right. I wasn’t really worried about a guy, though. You could take him.”
“We can’t get ransom if I beat the shit out of the guy to keep him in line. I highly doubt anyone wants to pay for a bruised and bloody family member.” Now Jeremy laughs, knowing I’m right. I crack a smile before bringing the cigarette back to my lips.
“I’m glad you’re on board with this,” he says.
“You thought I wouldn’t be?”
“I wasn’t sure. I know we get into a lot of shit, but never kidnapping.”
“That’s true. Taking someone is a whole new level of shit,” I agree.
“I think we can handle it. We’re smart. We know how to work the system,” he adds. I nod my head. He’s right about that.
“Start looking around for someone. We’ll see what we can do,” I say.
Jeremy pulls his phone out as I sit back and close my eyes. I wouldn’t be in this shit if it weren’t for my mom. I would still be at home with my sister, taking care of her, but life had other plans for me.
I couldn’t watch my mom like that. Shoving a needle in her arm, wasting away. I knew I had to do something to help April, though. She doesn’t deserve that shit either, but she’s only sixteen, and having her on the streets with me isn’t an option. Life is too hard out here as it is. She would never make it.
I wasn’t sure at some point I would make it. Not until the fighting came into the picture. Digging through trash for leftover meals. Begging for change. That shit got old quick, and the thought of it all disgusted me. I knew what I had to do to survive, and at the time, that was it.
I met up with Jeremy about a year after being homeless. He wasn’t in much better shape than I was, but he knew people. Not the best kind of people, but people who could get us money. And that’s when I started to fight. I remember winning my first fight and getting tossed a hundred dollars. I thought the fucking world was falling at my feet.
Since then, the price has gone up. I had to fight my way to the top. I had to prove myself as a fighter. I had to prove I deserved to be in that ring, and now all the underground fighters know me.
I made my mark. I know my place, and for as far as I can see, this is it. This is my life.
Chapter 4
River
I’ve danced and played the part I was given. I smile and converse with everyone like I was told to do. I entertained my prospective husbands even though the thought of doing it made me sick to my stomach. And I’ve drank. Enough for about four grown men.
I stumble toward the stairs, ready to end the night, when my father catches my arm. His hand wraps around my wrist so tightly it feels like it’s breaking. I try to jerk away, but it’s useless.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he hisses in my direction.
“To my room,” I slur.
“How much have you had to drink? Are you trying to embarrass me?” he snaps.
