Chapter 3: A Fight To Death
Chapter 3: A Fight To Death
Roy
“Who is coming tonight?” I looked around at my group of cousins and a few friends.
We were at Harold's having a meal at the table reserved for us crime families. The restaurant itself is run by the head crime family, The Callan Harold. The Vortex's are a close second.
“I am down to watch.” Gabe tapped the table between us.
He is my cousin Gabriel but we call him Gabe. He is also the underboss of the Vortex crime family in Port Harcourt. We aren't a table full of angels, I will tell you that. Gabe has got himself a moderate attitude, I would say I am the more laid back of the two, though in recent months, I have found an edge to me I didn't used to have. A few particular events might have catalyzed the start of that.
“I am out, my girl is still pissed about the last one.” I heard one of my other cousins grumble.
“Way to keep your balls.” someone commented, he threw them the finger.
“Jordan? Charles?” I looked at two of my buddies across the table from me.
One still had his face hovered over a bowl of pasta with I don't know what' the fuck mixed in it.
“Not to fight, you are looking for someone to fight, aren't you?” Charles called me out.
“You guys are fucking pussies. Why don't you want to fight”
“Vortex, you busted my fucking lip so bad last time. That shit still pisses me off.” Jordan grumbled, still over the pasta with a mouth half full. Gabe slapped him upside the head and told him to eat with his mouth shut.
“Hey, Roy, have you been hitting the gym harder? Or is it all that fighting that has got you solid? That is why this fat fuck doesn't want to fight you.” One of my cousins muttered.
I flexed just to be a douchebag, I have been working out more. Let's call it my outlet for certain frustrations.
The Vortex crime family runs a few businesses as front for our less legal activities. We have Vortex construction company, the smaller branch of the Harold sex club, Emerald lounge and I have my own personal side hustle. I run the most popular underground fights in all of Port Harcourt city. It started small but it has expanded over the last few years. We have gotten busted a couple of times but our cartel has the DPO in their pockets, so not much ever touches us. I just relocated and now I have a couple officers in on the fucking fights.
It was an underground parking garage at one point, but the building that it once served isn't there anymore, they changed it into something else and since Vortex construction's who built the damn thing, I had them leave the underground garage alone. Now that is my location for the illegal fights. You enter the building's side staff door, you go down a long flight of stairs and you round the corner to the first ramp lesson up to the lot. If you want to watch, you pay entry fees and whatever illegal bets you want to place. If you want to fight, you don't have to pay an entry, but you can't bet on a fight you participate in. We serve beer and smokes at an extra cost. No seating, you stand in a large circle around the concrete ground of the parking lot, there you watch the two assholes who are beating the hell out of each other in the middle of it.
A small piece of most of each crime family's business is meant to go to the Harold crime family who are the bosses but once upon a time I had Callan Harold's blessings to run my small fight club independently. When it grew in size, he changed his mind. That and the fact that we used to be buddies but now dislike each other. It started because of Brianna Fletcher, his current girlfriend, and my former hookup in between whatever bullshit drama those two were having.
I won't lie and say I didn't really like Brianna because I did. Like a fucking bitch boy, I had this wild crush on the girl. She told me nothing was going on with her and Callan but there was always tension there and everyone saw it. Still, she had given me the time of day so I took it. I started hooking up with her and hanging out with her, I would have probably dated her hadn't she dumped me for the same assholes she said she wasn't trying to be with. Callan is a possessive motherfucker and a crazy one at that, so he threatened me often to stay away from her. Even after her and I parted ways, he couldn't stand the fact that I fucked her. He has made my life hell since then but fuck him, I don't care.
I won't make the same mistake of crushing on the same girl, as much as I have been a player and troublemaker, I have also had that bullshit happen to me twice in my lifetime. The first when I was a love struck idiots straight out of high school and again with Brianna. I am not interested in adding a third to the mix of women telling me to fuck off without actually telling me to fuck off. Both without me having actually done anything wrong, both women left me for other men. So I think I am about done with the botched experiment.
“Vortex?” Someone called out.
Most of the people in the room are Vortex's but people have taken an extra strong liking to calling me Vortex specifically. When I looked up at my cousin, he was leaning over his drink to see me beyond the few bodies between us.
“Do you know who I have always wanted to see you fight? The most epic fight of all fights.” He got dramatic about it. A few of them were grinning so clearly, I missed something.
“Callan!” He told me without me having to ask who.
“Oh, fuck off.” I sucked my teeth.
“Scared? You are calling us pussies.” He mocked me fucked.
“First, he is our fucking boss, so even if I win, I don't win and secondly, that would end up becoming a fight to the death. That bastard wanted to get his hands on me for a while now.” They all chuckled again because they knew exactly why.
“I would love to see it, I am not going to lie.” Gabe clasped my shoulder and I glared at him.
“To the death?” I asked for clarification.
“Alright, not to death but just a good bloody fight with actual rivalry behind it.” My lovely cousin, practically brother, said to me.