“This will be my help,” I said and weakly dialed Talia’s number.
She picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Talia?” I said as loudly as I could manage.
“Hello? Kisa? Is that you? I can barely hear you.”
“It’s me,” I replied. “I need you to come and get me.”
She paused. “Why aren’t you at the fight? It’s about to start!”
“Talia, please. I need you to come and get me… now, please—”
“Okay. Okay. Where are you?” she asked, and I could hear her moving, keys rattling in her hand.
I turned to the man. “Where are we?”
He told me the address and I relayed it to Talia.
“Kisa, what the fuck are you doing there?”
Pressing my hand to my forehead, I said, “I’ll explain everything when you get here.” My stomach rolled in nerves, “I… I have something big to tell you. But you need to hurry.”
“I’m on my way.”
*****
A while later, headlights glared on the road to the dock, the bright beams blinding. Lifting my hand to my face, I watched the man who had helped me wave Talia forward.
The car came to a stop and Talia lurched out the door and headed straight for me, her hand over her mouth.
“Kisa…” she whispered, and I caught her brown eyes shining, filling with tears. “What’s happened to you?” she said and tried to reach out her hand, but she pulled it straight back for fear she would hurt me.I pushed off the Sea-Can, and Talia caught me in her arms as I struggled to walk. “Alik… Alik did this… to me,” I said breathlessly as I made for Talia’s car.
She stopped. “Alik?” Her eyes widened. “Shit! I knew he wasn’t right, but I never thought he’d ever hurt you.”
“Talia, please, we have to go! I’ll… I’ll explain everything in the car.”
Talia led me past the old man, and I laid my hand on his arm and said, “Thank you.”
Talia helped me into the passenger seat, and I slumped back against the warm leather. It felt like paradise to my exhausted body.
In seconds, my best friend jumped into the car, and beneath the car’s interior light, I watched her truly take in my injuries. I hadn’t seen my reflection, but I could feel how messed up I was, how bad I must look.
“Kisa,” Talia said quietly and a sob escaped her mouth. I lifted my hand to land on her knee, and as if it snapped her to action, she turned on the car and began pulling away from the docks. “I’m taking you to Dr. Chazov. Then I’m calling Papa Kirill to tell him what Alik did to you. He’ll gut the fucker!”
“No!” I protested. Talia looked at me like I was crazy. “We need to go to the fight. To The Dungeon Championship.”
“Kisa! Have you lost your damn mind? You’re not looking good, sweetie. I’m worried you’re injured internally. Your face… your wrist! Shit, Kisa, I think it’s broken!”
“Talia, I need to go there.” I looked up at my best friend and took a deep breath. “We both need to go there.”
Talia’s eyebrows pulled down in confusion. “Kisa… you know I can’t go to those things. All that death… I can’t… I’ve never been able to face it after Luka.”
We both sat in silence until Talia asked, “Why did Alik snap? What the hell happened?”
I stared out the window as The Dungeon’s warehouse came into view in the distance. “I… I’ve been sleeping with Raze.”
The car swerved as Talia gasped in shock. “Kisa,” she said in disbelief. “What were you thinking? You never betray your man in this life! Especially Alik!”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “Raze isn’t just any man.”
“He’s a killer, Kisa! A killer you took off the streets and put in The Dungeon! What the fuck am I not getting here? You’ve known him all of a couple of weeks!”
“Talia, please. Come with me tonight and I’ll explain everything.”
Talia sighed and reached over to put her hand on top of mine. “Okay, sweetie. I’m just…” Her hands began to tremble. “You’re all I have left to remind me… to keep my brother’s memory…” Talia trailed off, unable to finish her sentence, and I almost fell apart. I wanted to tell her now that it was Luka that I was with, but she needed to see him herself. I needed to tell them all together.