Taming a Brat Pt. 12

"I could never think Alias Star was weak. I do think you're smart enough to know better than to go to your apartment alone though. I quite frankly don't want to consider the what if's myself, so I wouldn't let you go by yourself even if you want too," I reassured her as best as I could. My blood boiled honestly. I tried to remain nonchalant on the exterior for her, but I had no respect for abusive, psychopathic pieces of shit. I hoped that last night was a one off, but I didn't want to let Alias risk putting herself in danger until I knew for sure what we were dealing with.

I jumped into a shower and threw on a button down and some dress pants while Alias used the guest bedroom to freshen up. When she emerged, she had thrown back on her dress from the night before and pulled her auburn locks into a low ponytail. I admired the way her dress hugged her curves before offering her and arm as we made our way to the lobby.

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We met Damion downstairs and he greeted Alias with a warming embrace, to which caught her off guard. I chuckled to myself knowing what a softie Damion really is. We hadn't had the chance to talk about last night, but I could tell he had pieced the puzzle together when he hugged Alias.

Damion said something to her quietly enough I couldn't make out the words, which caused her to immediately start giggling. I raised an eyebrow jokingly as she thanked him before getting into the car. I greeted Damion with our century old handshake and gave him a nod as a silent thanks for everything.

We pulled into the busy city street and headed toward Sarah's hotel. I was lost in the view of the skyscrapers passing by as it is a beautiful day. All of a sudden, outrageously blaring music erupted through the car, nearly causing me to jump out of my seat. Damion and Alias both had their heads thrown back in laughter as the rock music blasted through the car. Clearly, this was a planned attack. I glared my eyes at both of them, the left side of my lips curled up into a smirk. This only caused them to laugh harder, which I could barley here over AC/DC screaming into my eardrums. Damion finally turned it down to a reasonable volume, and I rubbed my ears dramatically.

Alias was still laughing, it was the first time I saw her laugh that hard. It was captivating the way her dimples became prominent, her nose scrunched slightly. Her smile stretched beautifully across her face. She caught me staring at her, and I locked my eyes onto hers. Her laughter turn to sparse giggles as her broad smile faded into a soft smirk. She kept her eyes on mine, almost challengingly. I raised an eyebrow, holding her gaze. To which, she crossed her arms, tilted her chin up, and raised an eyebrow herself, matching my look. Alias Star. I crossed my arms back in response, and furrowed my brows. She was seriously challenging me in such a small, almost indescribable way. My eyes fell to her lips as she bit the corner of them and slowly released it. She was teasing me. I narrowed my eyes at her as I smirked before looking away, back toward the road. I could feel her pout from over here, almost as if she didn't really want to win. I knew she didn't, that's why I let her. She wanted me to play her game, but now wasn't the time even if I might have enjoyed it a bit.

We pulled up to Sarah's hotel who was already outside waiting for us. I found that amusing as Sarah is always early, and Alias is always late. She got in the front seat beside Damion, and spun around to greet everyone.

"Hello! How was everyone's night?" She beamed.

Damion and I murmured a mix between "Good" and "Great" and Alias giggled before saying, "It was better after we left the club." I smirked to myself, glad I made things at least a little better for her.

"No shit!" Sarah exclaimed, "So we're getting your stuff?"

"That's the plan," she sighed, "Bullshit."

"Yeah, I solemnly swear to hit him with my car if I ever see him crossing the street," Sarah replied nonchalantly. This caused everyone to chuckle slightly as Sarah does not appear to be a violent woman. She very small, 5 foot 2 at most, much like Alias.

"You are crazy," Damion joked to her.

"You're lucky I didn't kick your ass last night by the way," Sarah teased him back, "Never keep me from my best friend, you got it?" She pointed a finger sternly at him.

He put one hand up in defense, "Okay, Im sorry! Please don't hit me with your car!" which made everyone erupt into laughter once again.

The drive went by quickly, and we were at Alias's building. One by one, we exited the car. I was going to put my arm on her back for support, but Sarah linked her arm with Alias's and shot her a look as if to say "You've got this" so I stayed behind them with Damion. Sarah seemed to truly care for Alias, and I was glad to know she had her.

As we approached the lobby, the woman at the desk approached Alias. She asked her to walk into the office for a moment alone, to which Alias silently nodded her head. We stood there trying to figure out what exactly was going on when Sarah spoke.

"That sorry son of a bitch," She crossed her arms and glared toward the office.

"What do you think happened?" I asked.

"No telling, but it was definitely his fault," she spat, her words full of rage.

Alias emerged after a few minutes with a look of defeat on her face, and I knew whatever it was, it was bad. She walked up to Sarah, and opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. Alias handed Sarah a folded piece of paper in her hand, to which Sarah read with utter disgust on her face.

"Are you fucking serious?" She almost yelled.

"Shhh, Sarah. It's fine, come on," Alias dropped her head as she started to walk again. Damion and I shot a look of confusion at each other as we tried to read between the lines.

When we made it to Alias's door, all my previous questions were answered. I didn't know the specifics, but by the busted doorframe, I could figure out what happened here last night. My blood started to boil as I thought about how he had the nerve to track down her apartment and break in. I started to feel utter remorse as I realized how I must have made her feel when I used charm to get into her apartment. I would never do anything like this, but I can finally understand why I was way out of line. I'd have to apologize more formally later on.

Alias pushed open the door to reveal an utterly wrecked apartment. My heart broke for her, but rage coursed through me. The sound of broken glass crunched under our feet as we walked through the mess. Alias picked up the photographs off the floor and laid them on the counter as Sarah began picking up anything salvageable from the ground. Damion and I stood in shock for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Alias, how can we help?" He asked softly. Damion's sister was in a similar situation at one point, so I knew this was hitting home for him. He was staying reasonably calm on the demeanor to not upset Alias anymore than she already was.

"Honestly, I think maybe you guys should wait in the car," Alias tried to shoot a smile with a false sense of confidence, but I saw through her.

Damion and I nodded to her in understanding before starting out the door.

"Alias, call me if you need anything at all. I'm right outside," I called from the doorway. She smiled at me, but I knew what was going to happen as soon as I closed the door. My thoughts were confirmed as I heard her begin to sob the moment it clicked shut. I was thankful for Sarah being here to comfort her, but I was full of rage thinking about the coward who did this to her.

"Thinking what I'm thinking?" Damion asked, clearly pissed.

"Without a doubt," I replied, equally as pissed.

We made our way back to the car as we began to plot a way to teach that prick his lesson. Damion was my driver and best friend, but also my partner in crime. We both had a strong distaste for men who mistreat women, and it was clear we both cared enough about Alias to help put this sorry asshole behind her for good. The only question was, how could we?

We were deep in conversation when I spotted Alias and Sarah making their way out the front doors. Alias had changed into a casual dress and sandals and she combed out her curls into messy waves. Nonetheless, she looked beautiful. The closer she got, I realized her eyes were puffy from crying. I desperately wanted to wrap her in my embrace, but I held back not knowing how she would respond. She had bags with her of her things, which we carefully packed in the trunk. We all got into the car and remained silent for a moment, unsure what to really say. Alias clearly wasn't a fan of the silence as she spoke up.

"Did everybody take a vow of silence or what?" She asked rhetorically to which everyone chuckled and released the breath we didn't notice we were holding.

"He broke into my apartment. Well, he had someone break in. I'm fine, nothing was stolen, and I ended my lease. Now, nobody can say another word about it for a solid 24 hours. Today, we have fun," She addressed everyone in the car.

I knew she was deflecting and ignoring the issue, but I honestly can't blame her. All I knew was I planned to make sure she did in fact have fun today.

Damion started to play the rock music she so clearly loved to which she immediately started singing and dancing along in her seat. To my surprise, Sarah turned around singing and dancing in a similar fashion- to which Damion did the same. Well, I'll be damned if I'm the odd ball out. We sang our heart out all the way to the restaurant.

"I said nothing fancy, Kane!" Alias yelled at me. I chuckled, as this wasn't a fancy restaurant in the slightest.

"You've been here before?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Well, no-.." she started.

"Then how would you know?" I smirked at her.

"Damn, Alias, his attitude is almost as bad as yours!" Sarah burst out laughing from the front seat.

"Please, my attitude is unmatched," Alias smirked back at me and did a cute little hair flip.

"Now, that is a statement I can whole heartedly agree too," I chuckled at her.

We all exited the car and headed into the restaurant. I booked the entire place so we could not only have privacy, but so Alias could relax and enjoy herself. The restaurant was upstairs, which only served southern dishes such as cornbread and beans. I liked to come here from time to time to have what I imagine to be similar to a southern, home cooked meal. I thought Alias might enjoy the theme of the place overall. Downstairs, there were games like corn hole, darts, pool, and even a mechanical bull.

As we opened the doors and the waitress greeted us, Alias immediately started smiling as she took in the decor. She turned to shoot me look of thanks to which I nodded back with a smile. I felt a sense of accomplishment knowing she was pleased with my choice. We all took a seat at the table and began looking over the menus.

"Are you fucking serious?" Alias almost yelled. For a moment, I thought she might be upset, but when I saw her smile stretched from ear to ear, I knew it was excitement.

"Alias, do not do it," Sarah shook her head, giggling.

"I love them though!" Alias replied.

"Whatever it is, get it," I chuckled as I realized they were referring to food.

"Kane, don't encourage her. She will literally eat an entire pot of baked beans," Sarah shot me a look, jokingly of course.

"If she wants a pot of baked beans, so be it!" Damion chimed in.

"Yeah, Sarah! Don't be a happiness hater," Alias teased her. We spent more time bantering than actually reading the menu, so it took us quite a while to order.

Alias really did order a large bowl of baked beans, to which all of us found extremely amusing. It seems silly, but she was so intriguing. I mean, name another woman who would order a large bowl of only beans as her lunch. There is so much more to her than I could have ever imagined.

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We finished eating after many laughs, stories, and jokes. Overall, we were more than full, but I still wanted to take Alias and Sarah downstairs.

"Shall we show them the rest?" I shot Damion a look. Damion loved to ride the mechanical bull, so I knew his answer. Before he could answer, Alias butted in.

"The rest? Hell yes, you should show us the rest!" She yelled.

"You heard the woman," Damion smiled before standing up from the table.

Sarah and Alias linked arms like school girls as they followed behind us down the stairway. They almost ran us over like a herd of cows when they spotted the games at the foot of the stairwell. Before Damion and I could even say a word, they were already at the mechanical bull.

"Alias, your dress is not going to work well-..." I started.

"Excuse me, I'm a professional. Also, under every woman's dress is a pair of shorts," She winked at me before sliding off her sandals.

"Show them how it's done, Alias!" Sarah cheered her on beside us. I had to admit, I was extremely intrigued to see her skills.

The man at the operation stand turned it on, starting out slowly. Alias readied herself and got a better grip on the rope as the speed increased. Damion and I shot each other a look of knowingness as nobody ever stayed on very long. To both of our surprises, Alias's hips rolled with every buck. Her hair whipped back and forth as she expertly maneuvered on the bull. It was definitely a sight to see, and it was definitely very sexy. She did in fact have shorts under her dress which took very little time to ride up her thighs. I found myself almost in a trance as I watched her. Like I've said before, she gets more intriguing by the minute. I could tell she was getting tired as the speed continued to pick up until eventually she went flying off the side. For a moment, I thought she might be hurt. Instead, she jumped up with a smile beaming ear to ear.

"That was awesome!" She exclaimed.

"My turn!" Sarah all but pushed her out of the way.

"You can't beat me!" Alias yelled back jokingly.

"Watch and see, Star!" Sarah yelled as she climbed on top of the bull.

"You ladies have fun before the real pro shows you how it's done," Damion teased them both.

"Challenge accepted!" Sarah and Alias yelled in unison.

Sarah was thrown off much faster than Alias, but Damion held on two seconds longer than Alias did. We laughed until our sides hurt watching him nearly break his arms for those two seconds.

"You might be the winner today, but never again if we ever come back!" Alias announced to Damion.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Damion retaliated to which Alias shot him a nasty glare, all in good humor of course.

Overall, we had an excellent time, but it was getting to be quite late in the afternoon and everyone seemed to be ready to leave. Sarah had pulled Alias to the side to ask her something as I was tipping the staff in the game room who put up with our shenanigans. They were too far to hear, but whatever Sarah said, Alias looked at me in complete shock before shaking her head 'no'. Sarah seemed to plead with her before Alias seemed to cave. I was interested to hear about their discussion. We all headed back to the car and climbed inside, clearly some sort of tension between Alias and Sarah.

"Where to?" Damion asked.

Sarah shot Alias a look as if to say 'speak up' to which Alias shot her an awful glare before turning to look at me- quite nervously I might add. I raised an eyebrow at her, but she just looked anxiously at me.

"Alias, what is it?" I asked curiously.

"Umm..." She looked at Sarah who seemed to encourage her with her eyes.

"I can't read your mind," I smirked at her.

"Oh fuck it. Can we go shopping?" Alias rolled her eyes.

"Alias!" Sarah yelled in frustration.

"Shopping for?" I asked, trying to push the real question out of her.

"I- um... for an outfit," Alias blushed as she looked down at the floorboard.

"An outfit for what?" I started to smirk a bit bigger as I assumed what she was going to say. I could be wrong, but I really don't think I am.

"For Sarah and myself," She said, trying to seem nonchalant.

"For what?" I continued to push my luck.

"Oh for fucks sake, Alias! I want to go to the secret club with all of you tonight," Sarah yelled in frustration.

"Sarah, goddamn it!" Alias shot her a look, but Damion and I both erupted into laughter. I had more than assumed Alias had already told Sarah about it and us based on how close they were. I thought it might be more amusing to give Alias a hard time, but I was fine with all of us going to Safe Space tonight, at least for the most part.

"Alias, it's hardly a 'secret' club if you tell people," I pretended to be frustrated.

"Give her a break, you were acting like an asshole back then," Sarah defended her. I tried to stifle my laughter as I continued to give them both a hard time.

"Oh, really now? Back then as in a week ago?" I raised an eyebrow at Sarah who had spun around in the front seat to look at me. Alias looked as if she might die of embarrassment, and Damion looked to be as amused as I am.

"Yeah, so she poured her heart out to me, her best friend," Sarah announced proudly.

"Sarah, have I ever mentioned how much I despise you?" Alias groaned causing all of to start laughing.

"I love you past the moon, Star," Sarah smiled back at her to which Alias rolled her eyes with a sly smile.

"I didn't expect her to ever want to go," Alias explained to me apologetically.

"Well, it's kind of exclusive. I mean, I don't know if I could get her in," I made a face of disappointment.

Sarah groaned loudly, "Kane, seriously? I just want to go and see for myself."

"It's not a circus show to go watch," I retorted. It did actually bug me a little how she said that.

"I mean, see for myself if I might be interested as well," She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly picking up on my attitude, "I wasn't implying I wanted to go and gawk at people the entire time."

I put my hands up in defense, "Fair enough. I was just giving you both a hard time. We can definitely go," I started to chuckle, "Damion, you up for that?"

"Rhodes, it would be my honor to escort you," Damion replied sarcastically causing Sarah and Alias to start giggling.

"So I guess that means we are going shopping?" I asked though I knew the answer. I didn't mind, I could use some new suits anyway.

"Yes! I knew they'd say yes, Alias!" Sarah yelled in excitement. Alias rolled her eyes at her, but turned to smile at me before mouthing a silent "Thank You".

"Sarah, where the hell are we going to shop?" Alias looked almost panicked for a moment. I remembered she most likely knew very few stores if any that would have the style of outfits they were looking for.

"Oh shit, you're right. Maybe something on 5th Avenue?" Sarah seemed as lost as Alias.

"No way! You're going to spend a fortune. I'll take you ladies to the perfect store," Damion interrupted their dilemma. They both sighed in relief. I suppose it does help to know people with experience.

Damion took all of the city backstreets to avoid traffic before we arrived at a little store on the back side of town. I was quite familiar with the store due to shopping with my last sub, so I didn't particularly want to go inside. Alias and Sarah didn't seem to want us to go anyway, so we decided just to drop them off at the front while Damion and I went suit shopping.

"Alias, call me as soon as you're ready to go," I called out to her as they walked toward the doors of the shop.

"Of course," She turned and shot me a wicked smirk followed with a wink before entering the store.

"Damn, Rhodes. What did we get into?" Damion nervously chuckled.

"Two damn handfuls for sure," I chuckled and shook my head. Tonight would definitely be interesting if nothing else.