Chapter 27

Destiny

I feel bad for Uncle Luka being stuck with me but I didn't want to head home with my parents. I need a day to myself and being the great guy that Uncle Luka is, he offered to stay back with me. When London learned I wasn't going home with the others, she ditched her stage five clinger fiancé and came and hung out in my hotel room with me. It sucked having to say goodbye to her but she had to go back to Greece to help Artemis since Cronos was nowhere to be found.

Honestly, I was avoiding the inevitable. I knew going home meant that shit was final, after leaving him the way I did I know there is no coming back from that. I talked a big game and said things I didn't really mean but it wasn't like he objected and said I was wrong. He let me leave and that was the sign I needed, I wasn't enough for him to fight for and that's okay. One day someone will fight for me and it just fucking hurts that it won't be him .

"We going home, kid?" Uncle Luka asks from his seat beside me. I shake my head.

"I have too much energy after sitting on the plane for so long, can you take me to the gym, please?" He smiles and shakes his head.

"You and your mom are so much alike it's actually scary." I smile and relish in the compliment. It's not often I'm compared to my mom, normally I always get told I'm so much like my dad. We travel in comfortable silence, that's the greatest thing about Uncle Luka, he never pushes but he's always there if we ever need him. I've always wondered if he had a special someone in his life, none of us have ever seen him with a woman, but he's really private and says he likes it that way so Uncle Rook can't give him shit. "You know with your mom being the new Pakhan, you will have a guard on you 24/7?"

I sigh and press my head against the cool glass. "Yeah. I figured as much, let's hope this one is a female."

"Why?" he asks curiously.

I turn and pin him with a dry stare. "Don't play coy. I know you all got to see the evidence of what happened with my last guard." He shudders in revulsion.

"That is something no uncle or father wants to see, thank you very much."

"Well, it won't be happening again," I say bitterly.

"This life can take a lot from you if you let it, don't let it rob you of happiness because of what your last name is. If you want to sneak out and go to a college party, call me, I'll drive and not utter a word to anyone."

I smile. "Uncle B said he has cameras all over the compound." He lulls his head to the side and shoots me an eye roll.

"Who do you think installed those cameras and setup the system?"

I gape at him. "Damn, that is some spy level shit."

He chuckles and shakes his head. "Not really, I watched a YouTube video and then upgraded the system so it couldn't be breached." We talk the rest of the way about lame shit really but I clamp my mouth closed when we pull into the gym carpark and I see my mom's car parked out front.

"What's she doing here?" I mutter aloud.

"No idea but I'm walking you in." I nod and slip out of the car. Uncle Luka walks by my side and keeps looking around as if he suspects someone is going to jump out at us. I've never seen him relaxed, he's always on edge and ready to strike. We enter the gym through the staff only door, finding all the lights on which is odd for this time of night. The gym closed three hours ago. We walked past the offices, then hit the main area, only for me to slam to a halt at the sight of my parents in the ring sparring. My jaw practically hits the floor, I've never seen them spar before. Dad always refuses, saying mom can whoop his ass without needing to be in a ring to do it.

Uncle Luka and I remain planted to the spot as we watch them. Mom moves like a snake, so quick, so sure of her every move. Dad is lethal, even at their ages they look good. It's gross that my dad still sports a six pack and my mom has abs just as defined as my own. They begin to circle each other and I expect Mom to be the first to make a move but I'm proven wrong when Dad does this weird side step thing and then strikes out at my mom who ducks just in time to not get hit in the side of the head.

"Come on, baby, I'm just getting warmed up here!" Dad shouts through his laughter, earning a glare from my mom.

"Your pussy footwork won't save you."

"Oh, but you love when I play with that pussy."

Oh my God, eww!

"Yeah, I'm out!" Uncle Luka announces loud enough for them to hear. Mom and Dad both turn toward us, neither of them looking remorseful about me hearing that disgusting shit my dad just spewed! Uncle Luka taps me on the shoulder and wishes me luck before he vanishes out the way we came.

"Dest, I knew you would come here first." I scrunch my face in disgust and look away from my dad, utterly disgusted by what I just heard. "Are you blushing?"

I scoff. "No!" I snarl as I stomp across the gym and drop down on the bench seat by the ring.

"Don't be grossed out, you should be proud that your parents can still get down and dirty."

"Oh my God, eww, Dad!"

"Gage!" Mom and I both say at the same time, Dad just stands there with his arms resting on the ropes shaking with laughter. I huff and cross my arms over my chest.

"You both are nasty as fuck, you know that, right?" Dad laughs louder while Mom uses my dad's body as a shield so she can laugh out of sight.

"Get changed and get your gloves, if we're doing this I'm not doing it bare knuckles." Dad's laughter dies off immediately at my mom's admission. I stare at her, thinking she is pulling a prank but the firm set of her jaw shows me she isn't bluffing. I leap to my feet, grinning and dash into the locker room to change into my spare clothes I leave here. I change in record time, then run back into the gym and gag at the sight of my parents making out in the middle of the ring.

"Stop that shit!" I shout. They break a part but not before I catch the lustful looks they shoot each other. "Jesus, why couldn't I have parents that hated touching each other?" I grumble as I climb into the ring ignoring their laughter. Dad comes to grab my hands, I hold them out for him to tape.

"No, she won't need it," Mom says stopping him. I shoot her a look over his shoulder.

"Why?" I ask.

"You won't need it, baby, this isn't about winning or losing." I frown, not understanding what she means, but I don't argue. Dad helps me get the gloves on but the tension in the room starts to shift and I don't like it.

"You both are acting weird, why?" I ask once Dad finishes gloving me up. Instead of answering me, he cups my face and places a tender kiss to the top of my head. When he pulls back the look of anguish in his eyes has me utterly confused. "Are you okay?"

He tries to smile to reassure me but it doesn't meet his eyes. "No matter what, we will always love you, Destiny."

I frown. "I know, I love both of you too." He nods and steps back, facing my mom they share a loaded look before Dad nods and then steps out of the ring.

"Don't make me regret agreeing to allow both my girls to fight each other… please." I look at each of them utterly perplexed. I can feel they are up to something but neither of them is giving up any information.

"Come on, baby girl," Mom says. I shake off the unease and move to the center. We touch gloves, then I jump back going on the defense. I know from years of training and watching that my mom is an attacker and the only way to beat her is to try to tire her out, then slip in some hits while she has her guard down.

Except she doesn't move, she stands there with her gloves raised and tears brimming in her eyes. I stand and drop my gloves to my sides. "Mom?" She shakes her head and tries to blink away the tears. I look over at my dad to see he looks just as devastated as she does, he nods once and then out of nowhere I'm sent stumbling to the side when Mom clocks me across the jaw. She may have pulled the punch slightly but it still hurts. I immediately throw up my guard and brace myself for her.

"I'm so sorry," she cries out before she comes at me. I'm stunned and fucking confused by what is going on that I don't even fight back for a minute. "Do it!" she screams at me. I suck in a deep breath, then duck and land a blow to her stomach and swivel out of reach when she tries to hit me again. I bounce on the balls of my feet, trying to get a read on her next move like Dad has taught me.

"Tell them!" is screamed from the other side of the ring. I spin around, forgetting all about the fight as I stare at Taylan standing at the edge of the ring behind my dad. Mom tackles me to the ground from behind. Instinct takes over and I buck my hips. Rolling, I get her off me and jump to my feet, she doesn't fuck around when she comes at me this time. Something inside her has snapped, her punches aren't pulled anymore, she's mad. "She's not going to stop until you break those fucking walls down and let them in!" Taylan's words hit me in the chest. I bite down on the inside of my cheek refusing to allow his words to distract me. I strike back, hitting Mom twice but she manages to get a good jab into my ribs that has me groaning.

"Let me help you!" she pleads as she continues to fight.

"You can't!" I scream, then trade rolls, forcing her to go on the defense as I attack. I pin her in the corner of the ring forcing her to put her guard up as I go for a quick jab.

"Please, let me in," she begs but I can't, if I do they'll know I'm a fraud and I'm weak. I can't let her see me like that, she raised me better than that. I know better. I lose all control and unleash every ounce of pent up rage inside me as I attack my mother. I know in my mind that she is my mom but all my eyes see is Koda standing before me.

"Destiny, stop!" Dad screams.

"I hate you! I want you to die!" I yell as I continue to hit him. "You fucking hurt me, you took everything from me." I hear him grunt and relish in the sound. "You destroyed the good in me, I'll show you I'm not weak!" I scream.

"You aren't weak, baby." The voice penetrates through the haze of my anger and I stop fighting. "You are so fucking brave. You are my little fighter and our champion." I blink my eyes a couple of times and the sight before me has me stumbling backward.

"Mom," I cry, her face is bruised and bloody—I did that. Horror cripples me as I stumble backward only to fall to my ass. She rushes forward and drops to her knees in front of me.

"You aren't broken, baby," she chokes out through her tears. She uses her teeth to help get the gloves off, then she's cupping my cheeks.

"Mom," I sob. "I'm so sorry," I cry out as tears trail down my cheeks. Dad appears out of thin air and is kneeling beside us looking distraught at the sight of us.

"No, you have nothing to be sorry about. We failed you?—"

"No, Mom, you both did everything for me. I fucked up and he… he… I fought him. I didn't stop fighting, I swear, but he… arrgghhh," I cry out when the pain rips me apart. Both of them wrap their arms around me, holding me tight as I let all the emotions I have suppressed for years break free. My chest grows tight and burns from the pain. I force the words out past the lump in my throat, if I am to heal then I need to say out loud. "Koda Novikov raped me."