Always Beautiful Read online

  I walked beside Hannah as we followed Josh through the alley toward an unmarked black door with no handle. A few minutes later, Dixon opened the door and ushered us in. Stale air and dust assaulted my senses as soon as I entered the warehouse. The main floor that we were on had a large concrete floor to the right of us. There appeared to be a pile of old shelving and a few desks pushed back in the corner.

  “Thanks for picking up Lucky.” Dixon said to Josh as he slapped him on the shoulder. “No problem man.” “There’s a big turn-out expected tonight.” Dixon glanced at me. “Thanks for making calls.” “You’re welcome. Glad I could help.” I replied. “You guys can head downstairs. I’ve got to wait for Matt to get here. He should be here any minute.” Hannah locked her arm with mine. “I’ll give Lucky the grand tour. You boys hang out.” She said. Dixon and Josh both looked at her and then shrugged. “Come on Lucky.” She led me toward the back of the room toward another door.

  On the other side of the door was a long hallway with muted light. It gave me an eerie feeling and was colder than where we had been. “Is this how we get to the basement?” I asked Hannah with an unsteady voice. “Yeah, are you scared?” She teased. I rolled my eyes. “This place gives me the creeps.” I stated. “It is a little ominous. It’s brighter downstairs. Come on.” She urged as she gripped my hand and pulled me down the hall.

  I trailed behind Hannah and repressed my urge to head back the way we had come. At the end of the hall were three different doors. “These two are old offices.” Hannah specified, pointing to each door on the left and right of us. I nodded. “What was this place?” I asked. Hannah shrugged. “I’m not sure. I think it used to be some sort of factory or something.”

  She opened up the door in front of us, revealing a long set of stairs heading down. I could see brighter light at the bottom and instantly felt some tension release from my body. I’ll admit it. I was terrified of the dark. “Watch your step Lucky. These stairs are kind of steep.” Hannah extended her arm in front of her, motioning for me to go first. I reached out for the cool, copper railing and held it as I descended the steps. I could hear “Wait and Bleed” by Slipknot playing from a stereo somewhere beyond the steps. It was definitely brighter in the basement.

  My eyes adjusted to the lighting and I took in the wide area of the basement. The floor was made of cement and there was a series of concrete beams on either side of the room. It was completely open. To my left was a row of folding chairs and a table with the stereo I was hearing atop it. I noticed a large black, painted square on the floor in the middle of the room. There was movement to the left of me and when I glanced over, I saw Zeppelin. He was sitting in a folding chair and getting his hand wrapped up by a guy I recognized as Tucker who was one of Dixon’s friends that I had met this past week. They were talking, but I couldn’t hear the conversation over the music.

  Hannah nudged my shoulder and caught my gaze. “Let’s go say hi.” She said cheerily. As we approached, Zeppelin and Tucker both looked up. “Hey girls!” Tucker greeted. “Hey.” I replied with a small smile. My gaze wandered to Zeppelin. His blue eyes were just lifting to meet mine. “Hey angel.” He smirked. What was with that name? I didn’t understand at all why he chose to call me angel. I wondered if he called all girls that. Judging by his certifiable bad boy good looks, I was sure he had a lot of female attention.

  Hannah looked between Zeppelin and me. “You’ve met each other?” She asked me. I nodded. “We met last night.” I stated. “Right before she kicked me out of her bed.” Zeppelin added with a wide grin and a wink at me. Hannah’s mouth dropped open and she stared at me. I rolled my eyes and narrowed them at Zeppelin before turning to my best friend. “It’s not how it sounds at all.” My voice laced with irritation. I knew what she was thinking now. That I had almost hooked up with Zeppelin and failed to tell her.

  I heard Zeppelin chuckle and I shook my head. “I was asleep on the couch last night and Dixon brought him home. He said that Zeppelin could stay in my room. I ended up waking up in the middle of the night and went into my room to find him asleep in my bed.” Hannah closed her mouth and a slow smile crept across her painted red lips. “Oh.” She said simply. I saw the sparkle in her green eyes as she turned back to Zeppelin. “I’m Hannah Dyer.” She stuck her hand out to shake Zeppelin’s free one. “It’s nice to meet you Hannah.” He smiled. “That’s Josh’s girl.” Tucker added. Zeppelin nodded. “He said you were pretty but I think that’s an understatement.” He winked at her.

  Hannah giggled. “Aren’t you a charmer?” She flirted back. Yeah, clearly this guy knew how to work the ladies. I heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and turned to see Dixon and Josh with Matt trailing behind them. Josh stepped behind Hannah and wrapped his muscled arms around her tiny frame, pulling her into him. “I see you’ve met my girl.” Josh spoke to Zeppelin. “Yeah,” He responded. “You ready for the fight tonight?” He asked him. “I think so. It’s been awhile, but I’m pretty sure I can handle Gregory.” “Where is that fucker anyway?” Matt jumped into the conversation. “He’s on his way. I just got a text from him.” Dixon answered. “Well, I’ve got to get to the door before people start showing up. Tucker, are you ready man?” Matt asked. “Zeppelin needs his other hand wrapped.” “Dude, it’s almost seven-thirty. I need you to man the door with me.” Matt complained.

  Dixon spoke up then. “Go with Matt.” He said to Tucker. “I need you two to help me get the keg and shit down here.” He looked at Josh and Hannah. “Lucky, wrap Zeppelin’s hand.” My eyes went wide. “I don’t know how to do it!” I shrieked. Dixon rolled his eyes. “It’s not rocket science Cuz. He’ll tell you how to do it.” He began to walk away with Josh and Hannah following him up the stairs. Hannah turned her head toward me and grinned mischievously. I chose to ignore her. Tucker stood up from his chair and handed me the roll of gauze material before heading up the stairs with Matt and the others.

  Zeppelin cocked his head and looked at me. “Have a seat.” He nodded in the direction of the chair that Tucker had vacated. I sighed and did as he said. “You can’t really mess it up. Well, you can, but I won’t let you.” Zeppelin spoke softly and held his hand out, palm up. I handed him the roll of gauze, careful not to touch his skin. The less contact the better with Zeppelin Rhoades. Based on the way he talked to Hannah and how he looked at me, I knew that I could easily be one of those girls that fell under his spell. I didn’t need someone like him to mess with my heart. Especially while I was trying to stay focused on my future.

  Zeppelin began to unroll the gauze. He then held his bare hand flat with the palm down and tucked the end of the gauze between his thumb and the base of his index finger. He stretched the gauze over his knuckles atop his hand and folded it back and forth a few times. “I’m creating some padding to protect my knuckles.” He explained before looping the gauze around his hand. He held his hand out to me and watched me expectantly. “Now I need you.” His blue eyes sparkled. I was momentarily lost in them and replaying how his voice sounded when he said he needed me. I shook my head to end the trance and looked down at his hand. “Hold this end.” He instructed. I grasped the gauze with my fingers. “You need to wrap with tension, but not too much. I need my circulation. Do you understand angel?” Zeppelin asked. I nodded. “I’ve got it.” I replied. “Okay. Wrap it around my wrist and then come back up my hand.”

  There was no way I was going to be able to do this without touching him. I glanced at his arm and noticed the intricate design of a dragon’s tail snaking around his arm all the way up to beneath his t-shirt sleeve. It was colored vividly in greens and yellows. I carefully extended my free hand and wrapped my fingers around his forearm. I felt the muscles beneath his skin twitch slightly. I wrapped the gauze around his wrist and brought it up to loop around his hand.

  Zeppelin cleared his throat. “Good, now loop the gauze between my pinky and ring finger and go back around my wrist.” He said. I followed Zeppelin’s instructions and continued to
wrap his hand as he told me. Once I was finished, he checked to make sure the wrap was secure and then turned his attention to me. “Do I make you nervous Lucky?” His eyes searched mine. “Of course not,” I spoke as I stood from the chair, keeping my back to him. I began gnawing on my fingernail. How could he possibly pick up on me being nervous? Was I that obvious?

  The truth was that Zeppelin did make me feel nervous. I wasn’t sure if it was the way he looked at me or his appearance in general. Maybe it was a combination of both. Something about him drew me in and yet caused me to put my guard up at the same time. It confused me and I wasn’t sure how to act. I heard Zeppelin get up from his chair. He walked past me toward the table with the stereo. There was a black duffle bag lying under the table and Zeppelin reached for it, pulling out a bottle of water.

  “Your hands were trembling.” He said as he looked down at the bottle of water in his wrapped hands. “You’re biting your nails.” He looked at me. I immediately dropped my hand from my face. “Why do you call me angel?” I blurted out. Zeppelin furrowed his brow, his eyes shifting around the room. “I don’t know. It just…fits you.” He spoke as if asking a question to himself. “If it bothers you I’ll stop.” He added after a few minutes. “You don’t know me.” I stated.

  I couldn’t tell you what was wrong with my brain to mouth filter just then, but I felt the need to stop this, whatever it was, before it started. I probably sounded like a complete idiot. I mean honestly, I just met the guy last night under weird circumstances and all he’d done is talk to me. He even flirted with Hannah. It was probably just his personality. I didn’t even know why I was coming off as bitchy. Zeppelin nodded and unscrewed the cap from his bottle, taking a long pull. He replaced the cap and glanced at me.

  “You’re right, I don’t know you. You don’t know me either. So why do I make you nervous?” He asked again. I bit my bottom lip and shook my head. “I…You don’t. I just don’t know what to think about you.” I replied honestly. Zeppelin raised his brows. “Why?” He wondered. I sighed and shrugged. “You’ve got bad boy written all over you. Literally.” I glanced at the tattoos on his arms and met his eyes again. “The way you look at me makes me feel…” “Desired,” Zeppelin cut in. “What?” I cried. “No. No.” I shook my head adamantly. “It makes me feel sleazy, like you’re stripping me with your eyes.” Zeppelin smirked, his eyes traveling down my body and back up slowly. My face flamed and I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. “Don’t do that!” I demanded.

  Zeppelin chuckled. “You’re a beautiful girl Lucky. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable though. That wasn’t my intention. As far as the bad boy thing, almost everyone has tattoos now-a-days. It’s not really a rebel move.” “You flirted with Hannah.” I said. “I was being nice. I do that with everyone, obviously, I did it with you.” He argued. I nodded. I had pegged him pretty well. He was definitely just a flirt. One of those guys that charmed the pants off of everyone he met.

  “Why are you so bent out of shape about it?” He asked as he stepped closer to me. His eyes searched my face. Why was I so worked up over the fact that he was flirty with me? I mulled it over in my head trying to figure out exactly what it was about him that unnerved me. As soon as it hit me, I felt my blood run cold.

  I was attracted to him. He was hot, he had a killer smile, pretty blue eyes, and arms that looked strong. Arms that I wanted to feel wrapped around me. That was what unsettled me about him. It was the fact that I wanted him even though I knew that a guy like him would probably break my heart. I didn’t need a boyfriend right now. I didn’t even need another friend right now. I had school to prepare for. I had dreams to work on. He wasn’t my type and he didn’t fit in that plan.

  Zeppelin took another step closer to me, his hand stretched out and he placed a finger under my chin. Lifting it up gently, my eyes locked with his. He raised a brow. “I lost you there for a minute. Are you alright?” He asked. I swallowed my pounding heart that attempted to creep up my throat at the feel of his skin on mine. “I’m fine, I’m just…sorry. I’m sorry for giving you shit. I guess I’m just still adjusting to a new place and new things. I’m not quite myself.” I rambled. Zeppelin’s full lips curved into a smile on one side.

  Before he could respond, the door at the top of the stairs opened and startled both of us. Zeppelin stepped away from me. Dixon and Josh came down the stairs, each holding either side of a keg. Hannah was next with a tap and cups in hand. Her eyes locked on mine and I’m not sure what my face looked like, but her smile fell and her brow crumpled before shifting her gaze to Zeppelin and then back. I shrugged and approached her, reaching for the cups in her hand.

  “Did we interrupt something?” She whispered. “Not really, only me making a fool of myself.” I muttered. Hannah smirked and a slow smile formed on her lips. “You’ve got a thing for him! I knew it!” She whisper shouted. I elbowed her in the ribs and gave her a hard look. “Shut up.” I gritted out. Hannah began shaking her head, still smiling like a kid in a candy store, her eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. I decided to ignore her for the moment and placed the cups on the table beside the keg.

  “Gregory is upstairs with Tucker and Matt. He’ll be down in a minute.” Dixon informed Zeppelin. Zeppelin nodded and grabbed his duffle bag, throwing it over his shoulder, he wandered behind the stairs. “Where’s he going?” I asked Hannah. “There are a few rooms down here behind the stairs. Each fighter gets one to go in and prep for the fight. It’s best if they don’t see each other before they begin.”

  The door upstairs opened again and a tall guy with dark hair and dark eyes wandered into the basement. A bottle blonde followed behind him, holding his hand. They didn’t say anything to anyone, just continued on their way to the back where the rooms were. “That was Gregory Timbers and his old lady Margo.” Dixon informed me. “They don’t seem very friendly.” I observed. Dixon chuckled. “He’s here to fight Lucky, not to win the presidency.” I rolled my eyes. I guess that was fair. Who needed to introduce themselves when the purpose for being here was to kick someone’s ass? Making nice might cause difficulties for wanting to beat the snot out of someone.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked my cousin who was filling a red Solo cup with beer. “Nah, just sit back and get ready to enjoy the show. You want a beer?” He offered. “Sure, thanks.” I took the cup from him. “Where are we supposed to stand?” “You see that black painted square on the floor,” Josh pointed to the spot I had noticed earlier. “Yeah,” “Within the square is where the fighters will be. Everyone just kind of stands around that and tries to stay out of the way.” He explained. “What if someone accidently gets punched or tries to join in the fight?” I questioned. It seemed a bit unorganized and unsafe to me. “We have a few guys coming that take care of that risk.” Dixon answered.

  “Come on girl, you can stand with me.” Hannah announced as she wrapped an arm around my shoulder. She guided me to the corner of one of the squares. “I’m not sure I want to be this close.” I admitted. “You’ll be fine. Dixon, Matt, Tucker, and Josh will be near us.” For some reason, my stomach was in knots. I don’t know if it was realizing that I might have a minor crush on Zeppelin or the fact that I had to see him fight. I took a sip of my beer and tried to ease my nerves. The beer helped a little.

  Fifteen minutes later, the basement began to fill with more people including two big guys that wore matching black t-shirts. They reminded me of bouncers outside a club or bodyguards that you would see around celebrities. I supposed these were the guys that Dixon had mentioned to keep people under control. After the basement was thoroughly packed with people, Matt and Tucker came down the stairs. It wasn’t sardine can packed, but enough people were now down here that I wondered if it was a fire safety violation. The temperature in the room increased and so did the volume of the stereo.

  “Let the Sparks Fly” by Thousand Foot Krutch began to blare and Matt stepped into the circle. “How’s everyone doing tonight?” He holle
red over the music. People yelled and raised their beer cups up in acknowledgment. “We’ve got a kick ass fight coming to you tonight. Remember the rules! No engaging with the fighters, no stepping into the square, and no spilling the beer!” He shouted. Everyone let out whistles and whooping noises.

  “Who’s ready to see some fists?” Matt asked the eager and excited crowd. I had to admit that the adrenaline and anticipation coming off of everyone else in the room was hard to shake. I felt amped up and anxious to see what this was all about. “Get ready Lucky, you’re not in Medford anymore.” Hannah spoke in my ear. I turned my head toward her and smiled. She returned the smile and winked. “You’re going to love this.” She assured me. I nodded. I believed that I would, as long as I didn’t have to be splattered with blood or sweat from either guy.

  “Bets have been placed and money’s been counted. Let’s get these two fighters out here!” As soon as Matt said the words the crowd parted and a walkway formed from where the fighters would come from their rooms to the square. “First, we have Gregory “The Tree” Timbers.” Matt announced and a round of whistles and applause filled the room at the site of Gregory. I understood why they called him “The Tree”. He was over six feet and towered over most of the guys in the place. He placed a quick kiss on his girlfriend’s cheek and stepped into the square. His hands were wrapped in red gauze and he wore a pair of red shorts that fell just above his knees. His toned arms, chest and abs were bare.

  Standing beside Matt, Gregory crossed his arms and kept a blank expression on his face as Zeppelin was announced. “Taking on “The Tree” is an old rival and a beast in the square. A forced to be reckoned with, give it up for Zeppelin Rhoades!” He yelled. The crowd went wild again and everybody turned to watch as Zeppelin sauntered toward the square.