“Ria, fuck off,” Marshall rumbled from the other side of the cage. “How did you even get in here?”
Ria slowly blinked, her dead gaze swinging to him. “You weren’t complaining the other night, was you Marsh? Not when I was on my knees.”
Marshall crossed his heavy arms. “You wanna face the boss? You know exactly how he’ll react when he finds you trying to work his place.”
“I wouldn’t have charged.” Ria pursed her lips, hesitating a second before she walked away.
“Don’t fucking judge me, arsehole,” Marshall snarled as he took a seat beside Kace, teeth bared. “I’ve been trying to get her clean.”
“By letting her suck your cock?” Kace settled beside him, careful to keep the gap of air between them. “How noble.”
“Fuck you, Red,” Marshall grunted, lifting his middle finger.
Kace smirked, brushing the hair from his eyes. “What are you doing here? We’re not scheduled for training.”
Marshall frowned, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “We got a new kid, young, only ten.” Tapping the bottom of the box he pulled a cigarette out, lighting it in one smooth, practiced movement. “Hudson said he turned up the other night.”
That caught Kace’s attention. “Hud doesn’t usually deal with the new kids.”
Hudson ran The Vault, but once a week allowed Kace and Marshall to close the place to help the kids who lived on the streets, as well as ones in difficult home situations.
You got to respect a criminal with some morals.
Many of the kids who came to them were young boys, starved, addicted and abused. Kace and Marshall didn’t give a fuck whether the kid was human, Fae, shifter or an octopus. They taught them how to defend and take care of themselves, how to deal with their trauma, if any, and manage the bitter rage that had settled in their guts without giving in to complete destruction.
They were forgotten in society, and without intervention they would find themselves recruited into gangs, behind bars, or even worse, dead. Some of the homeless boys stayed and helped Hudson run The Vault, and in return they had a safe place to stay and get clean as long as they followed the rules.
No weapons. No deceit. No betrayal.
It sometimes took months to convince some of the kids that they weren’t there to hurt them, because that was all they knew. Kace understood their reactions personally, which was why he had uncharacteristic tolerance with them and their fucking attitudes.
“Where’s the kid?” Kace asked, Hudson nowhere in sight as the boys tidied up the mess left by the crowd. Braiden, who was only eleven, smiled shyly, eyes dropping to the ground while Arnav waved from his position in the betting office.
Marshall shrugged. “How the fuck am I supposed to know? I’ve only just gotten here.” He pulled a long drag, holding in the smoke before he released his breath like a dragon.
Hunter stalked across the space, a bottle of water in hand. He tossed it to Kace, who caught it without looking up. “Why did you play with that faerie like that?” he asked with his usual pissed-off teenage, yet to be man voice. “You could have ended him in the first round if you wasn’t so distracted by that chick.” His Prussian blue eyes were piercing as he mirrored Kace’s posture, sitting down in a chair opposite.
Hunter’s face was slim, but not as skeletal as it had been when he had first arrived at The Vault six months ago. All the hints of childhood had been erased by his sharp jaw and high cheekbones, and it was only the fact he still had to grow into his shoulders and hands that indicated he was underage. He was pretty, and the thought of him being an easy target burned like acid.
“What chick?” Marshall asked, leaning back as he stretched his legs out, crossing his ankles. “I thought you were Ace from the amount of attention you give anyone.”
Kace licked along his bottom lip, narrowing his eyes at Hunter. “You saw her?”
“Yeah?” An almost hesitant reply, his thick brows creasing together. “Who was she?”
Kace ignored the question. “What would you have done in the cage?”
Hunter straightened, eyes brightening. “I would have ended him in the first round.”
“Sure you would, Bud,” Marshall laughed. “And do you think that would have made you feel better? Made you feel strong and powerful?”
The hesitation was back, Hunter fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt. “Erm...”
Kace took a swig of the water. “We’re not teaching you to fight in the cages, Hunter.”
Hunter shot to his feet. “I’m not a child, I’ve been practicing and...”
“You’re not ready,” Kace interrupted. “Fighting here isn’t about glory, it’s about expression, release and finding a way to manage your emotions through discipline and control.”
