The Immortal Warriors Boxed Set: Books 1-11 Read online

  The kid pulled off his black hood and he had long, flowing blond hair. He grinned at me with his piercing blue eyes. “Well, Tommy. I’m glad you enjoyed the show. My name is Josiah.”

  Chapter Twelve

  I stared at this blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid and was astounded that he had just taken out four guys like they were kindergarteners.

  “Josiah, huh? Sounds biblical.”

  “Biblical?” he smirked. “I might have an angel or two watching my back.” Josiah wiped his brow and stretched his neck and then said to me, “You’re not some creep hanging out in alleys, are you?”

  For the first time, I noticed his stance. Even though we were having a peaceful exchange of dialogue, his footwork would say otherwise. The kid was a trained fighter. Only someone who has Jujitsu training or some kind of boxing training would stand with his momentum potentially ready to spring forward. He wasn’t sure if he could trust me. How could I blame him? I was a twenty-two-year-old man in a bad part of town hanging around dumpsters. I was probably sweaty and dirty from my three-mile hike.

  “Well, you’re in luck,” I said. “I’m not a creep. Even if I was, I don’t think I would want to mess with you after that display.” I once again noticed his body language and this punk still wasn’t sure if he could trust me. “Hey, Josiah,” I said calmly. “Stand down. I’m one of the good guys.”

  He looked at me with a curious stare. “How did you know I was on my guard?”

  “I’m a professional fighter and your body language displays that in a blink of an eye, you’re ready to protect yourself.”

  “You can tell that by just looking at me?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I could also tell you were in a protective stance and didn’t want to attack me. It’s subtle, but a guy like me can see it a mile away.”

  “Wow, you know what you’re talking about.” Josiah’s eyes widened and then he finally relaxed. “A professional fighter? So, you get paid for it?”

  “That would make it professional,” I answered, with a little snark in my voice.

  “Where do you fight?”

  “I’m in the California Commissioned MMA.”

  “Bullshit!” Josiah was impressed.

  I grinned. “I’m 2 and 0.” Why I felt I needed to validate myself to a young teenager was beyond me, but I guess after what I just witnessed, he deserved it.

  Josiah looked at me with his piercing blue eyes and then his eyes brightened. “Wait! Did you say your name is Tommy? Did you fight a couple of weeks ago at the Staples Center?”

  “Yeah, I sure did.”

  “That is so awesome. I was there. I had a horrible seat, but I remember your match. You kicked the crap out of the guy while only using your left arm.”

  “You saw that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You could tell I was only using the left side of my body?”

  “Yeah.” His face lit up with excitement. “I was thinking this guy is so good, he’s fighting his opponent with one arm tied behind his back.”

  “Trust me, it felt that way. I had an injury to my right shoulder.”

  “I figured as much, unless you’re such a badass that you only fight guys one-handed.”

  “I’m impressed you noticed that. Not even in the write-up on Yahoo was that mentioned.”

  “How could I not? My right hand is my bread and butter. The first thing I watch in every fight is how explosive an opponent’s right arsenal is.”

  “Are you training?”

  “I’m a boxer.”

  “That’s a good place to start. Are you any good?”

  “What do you think?”

  I looked at the spot where he easily took care of four guys and laughed. “I guess so.”

  “I’ve been Golden Gloves champ three years in a row.”

  “That is impressive. You plan on doing the Olympics?”

  “Hell, no! My dad would love that. But, I want to do what you do. Olympics are a waste of time. There is no real money there. I want to get into the ring the second I’m 18 and kick ass as much as I can.”

  “Well, you’re off to a good start!” I said, with obvious intentions.

  Josiah looked down the street and noticed the guys he kicked the crap out of had gotten up and left. “Hey, Tommy Boy, we better split, I have a feeling those guys will be back with a few more friends, if you know what I’m saying. Unless you’re prepared to fight about twenty guys with me, we should take off.” I nodded and followed Josiah in the opposite direction I had come from. “By the way, what is an MMA fighter doing in an alley? You buying crack?”

  “Not quite, my car ran out of gas.”

  “Oh, that sucks. Where’s it at?”

  “A couple miles back near the freeway.”

  Josiah pulled out his cell phone. “Let’s go to this Starbucks that’s down the street and I’ll have my sister come pick us up. Then we’ll drive you to a gas station.”

  “Ah, shit!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just remembered. I left my gas can back there by the dumpster.”

  “Don’t worry,” Josiah said. “We’ll get one at the station.”

  “They are like twenty dollars,” I said.

  “Who said anything about paying for it?” Josiah winked at me and I shook my head at the young punk. I had to admit, I really liked him. He reminded me of myself, a little more out of control, but he was definitely a cool kid.

  We made our way to the Starbucks and sat down. Josiah called his sister and she told him she would pick him up in about ten minutes.

  I looked at Josiah and he seemed to have an insane amount of poise for a kid his age. He sat there with the confidence of three grown men. “Are you thirsty?” I asked.

  “I don’t drink this stuff,” Josiah laughed. “They are just caffeinated shakes.”

  “I couldn’t agree with you more. You’re better off getting a real milkshake; you would have less of a chance at a heart attack.”

  Josiah’s eyes lit up. “But I love their cake lollipops. They are only like 150 calories. Trust me when I say they’re sinful.”

  “I’m trying to cut weight for my next fight.”

  “Then it’s a perfect little snack.”

  Because I had offered to buy him a drink, buying him a dessert wasn’t a problem. The problem was I couldn’t have one. I would eat one and wouldn’t be able to control myself. I would probably finish off the last thirty in the display case when all was said and done. I learned a long time ago to ‘just say no.’

  “I’ll buy you one if you shut up about them.”

  “Just one.” Josiah smiled at me like he was my little brother.

  “Stop doing that. I’ll buy you two.”

  “Great I’ll take two birthday cakes.”

  I paid for the lollipops and put a one-dollar tip in the jar and brought the birthday cake treats to my new friend.

  “Thanks, man,” he said. “I’ll get you next time.” Josiah took a bite out of his birthday cake lollipop and closed his eyes and had what I swore to be a spiritual experience. He ate each bite slowly, savoring each nibble as if it was his last meal. When he finished, he looked up at me and said, “Better than a woman.”

  “And you know about women? I asked sarcastically.

  Josiah was quiet and grinned. “Trust me, if I wanted to, I would have plenty of options.”

  “Wanted to what?”

  “Have a girlfriend,” he said honestly.

  “Why don’t you want to?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. I want to have one real bad. I’m just not quite sure what my hang-up is.”

  “Maybe cause you’re only sixteen years old.”

  “I’m seventeen.”

  I looked at this strange, honest kid and had to just smile. “Are you trying to find love?”

  “What’s wrong with that?” he answered indignantly.

  He was. I had to admit I was impressed. I wasn’t about to give a teenager a hard time about waiting to t
ake part in the painful world of relationships. I just smiled at him and said, “There’s nothing wrong with waiting on all of that. When you’re ready, you’ll know.”

  “Are we talking about sex now?” Josiah asked, grinning from ear to ear.

  “I’m talking about all of it.” Then, I thought about the previous statement for a second. “Actually, you won’t entirely know. It will just sort of happen one night and the whole time, you will be having an out-of-of body experience.”

  “We are definitely talking about sex now.”

  “Again, I’m talking about all of it. Trust me when I tell you that not everybody’s first time is perfect. My first time was definitely an out-of-body experience for all the wrong reasons.”

  “Now, we have to be talking about sex.” Josiah looked at me with wide-eyed innocence the way a little brother would look up to an older brother.

  I nodded. “I was just fumbling around in the back of a truck, up in the mountains when it just happened.” I thought about that moment and said, “She didn’t know it was my first time.”

  “She didn’t?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her?”

  “I didn’t want to her to think I was inexperienced.”

  “Would that have been such a big deal?”

  “It seemed big at the time, but I have always regretted not telling her.”

  “Why is that?” Josiah’s eyes were now locked in on me and we were definitely having a ‘bro moment.’

  “I don’t know. I guess I wanted her to know I was going to remember her for the rest of my life. I thought she should know she experienced something I will never forget. She didn’t know any of that. Instead, she walked away, assuming I was just a player.”

  “Were you a player?” Josiah asked.

  “Yeah... but—”

  “But what?”

  “It was a defining moment in my life. I should have told her.”

  Josiah’s eyes never stopped looking at me the whole time I spoke. Suddenly, he looked out the window. “Hey, my sister is here!”

  I looked out the window and saw a small white Toyota Corolla pull up. She parked the car and stepped out of the driver’s side. Josiah’s sister was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had beautiful, long blonde hair and amazing blue eyes like her brother. She was about five feet, five inches tall and was wearing a light blue tank top with white shorts. Her legs were long and curvy. She had an amazing body, but what was more amazing was her smile. I was absolutely swept off my feet. It was the first time in my life I had fallen for someone and had not yet spoken a word to her.

  Josiah and I stood up and walked to the door and she met us at the entrance. She walked up to Josiah and said, “Let me see your hands.” Josiah put his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. “Take them out, you little turd.” Josiah reluctantly took out his hands and showed them to his sister. They were swollen and he had a couple of knuckles that were cut up. “You can’t even go for a jog without fighting?”

  “They started it,” he said, like a petulant six-year-old.

  “They always start it,” she said, disappointed.

  I decided I needed to defend my young friend. “They actually did start it,” I said. “I was there. He was only defending himself.”

  Josiah’s sister looked at me and her eyes lit up. “Who are you?”

  “Just an innocent bystander who would have helped your brother out, but he took care of business on his own.”

  “I bet he did.” She looked at me and seemed a little embarrassed. I couldn’t tell if she liked me or if she was just shy. “So, did you bring him here from wherever the fight took place?”

  “Actually, no. My car ran out of gas by the freeway and he and I walked here.”

  “What kind of car do you have?”

  “It’s a black Mustang parked on D Street.”

  “Oh, I saw that beauty,” she said. “I noticed it off the freeway and was so jealous.”

  “It’s a nice car.” I couldn’t keep my eyes off this woman and she seemed to not be able to quit looking at me either. “So, Josiah’s sister? Do you have a name?”

  “Yeah, I do. It’s Maya.”

  “Maya? That’s a pretty name.”

  She smiled. “Well, thank you, Mr. uh....”

  “Mister? How old do you think I am?”

  “I’m actually not sure. You could be anywhere from 21 and 30 years old.”

  “Thirty?” I was horrified.

  She quickly stated, “A very handsome, dignified thirty.”

  “Well, I’m a very handsome, dignified and sexy 22-year-old.”

  She looked me over and said, “Oh, are we?”

  “Just fishing for a compliment,” I said, smiling at her. I looked over at Josiah and he seemed to be very put off that I was flirting with his sister, seconds after I met her.

  Maya again looked me over and said, “Well, the fact that I said handsome and dignified is all I can give you at the present moment. If you’re sexy, that remains to be seen.”

  “Are you two done?” Josiah finally asked. “I told Tommy we would take him to get some gas and give him a lift back to his car.”

  “Well, Tommy,” Maya said, “aren’t you just the damsel in distress. I’ll just have to jump on my white horse and bring you to get some gas.” She then smiled at me in a way that completely melted my heart. I had never been more attracted to a woman in my life. She then turned around and slowly walked back to her car. Josiah and I followed behind her. Something told me I just made two very good friends. At least, I hoped so.

  Chapter Thirteen

  They took me to a gas station and I bought another gas can.

  I wasn’t about to let Josiah try to steal one. That wasn’t the kind of impression I wanted to give to Maya, plus shoplifting was never my style. After we filled up the tank with gas, they took me back to my Mustang and I poured about a gallon into the gas tank.

  I thanked them both and asked if I could have either of their numbers. They practically fought over who gave me their digits first. I took both their pieces of paper and placed them on the passenger seat of my Mustang. I said goodbye and it was weird, I wanted to hug them both. I felt like I had known both of them my entire life. I decided against hugging them and waved and jumped into my car. I drove back to the gas station to put more gas in my car so that I could make it back to my apartment. I’d decided that I no longer wanted to go to the farmer’s market, so I just headed back to the apartment.

  As I drove home, I couldn’t quit thinking about my experience with Maya and Josiah. I had a strong desire to want to mentor Josiah and help guide him in the right direction. And with Maya, well... I had lots of desires when it came to her. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. It seemed like she liked me, but what did I know? Whenever I’m generally attracted to a girl for all the right reasons, I tend to blow it. With girls I’m not that interested in, I can be charming and sexy, but when I actually do like a girl, I usually act and say all the wrong things. I guess I try too hard.

  I don’t think I ever felt as initially infatuated with a woman in my life as I did with Maya. I looked down on my passenger seat at Maya’s cell number on the white scrap of paper. I had such genuine feelings for her. I knew I needed to play this right. Once again, I looked down at the number on the seat. Dammit, Tommy! Play this right! Don’t be that guy! Don’t be the guy that calls a girl seconds after meeting her. Come on, Tommy! Get it together! Do not call her the second you get back home! Don’t do it!

  When I arrived home, both Patrick and Sasha apparently were still sleeping. I had left my phone on the floor near the couch. I walked over to it and picked it up.

  Don’t do it! It’s too soon!

  I sat there with the cell phone in one hand and her number on a piece of paper in the other. I weighed the pros and cons but in the end, I knew what I was going to do, regardless.

  I began dialing her number. I paused before I p
ressed the last number.

  Who called a girl minutes after meeting her? I walked over to the kitchen table and sat down.

  Well, I did, apparently.

  I pressed the last number it rang once.

  “Hello,” a woman’s voice said.

  I coughed, and then I said, “Hey, it’s Tommy.”

  “Five minutes ago, Tommy?” Maya said, as adorable as I had ever heard a woman speak.

  “It’s been more like twenty-five if anyone is counting, but that would be me. I just wanted to call back and say... thank you again for taking me to get gas.”

  “It wasn’t a problem; I was going to pick up my brother anyway. He likes to run far from home and then have me pick him up.”

  “Josiah’s a good kid.”

  “Yeah, he is,” she said. “He’s the best little brother a girl could ask for.”

  I smiled. I liked the fact that they had a family. That’s something I had never had. I heard Josiah yelling in the background. “Tell him how hot you think he is!”

  What? Did he say what I thought he said?

  I could hear panic in Maya’s voice. “Hold on, Tommy.” I could hear her hand over the phone. “Josiah, shut up!” And then I heard a smacking sound.

  “Ouch! That hurt!” Josiah laughed.

  “Then shut your mouth,” Maya whispered, but I could hear every word. “Hey, I’m back,” she said. “Did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” I asked, acting like I hadn’t just heard the greatest thing in my life.

  “Oh good,” she said. “My brother was just being a pain in the butt. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No, I’m an only child. I was raised by my grandparents.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, mainly my grandmother.”

  “Oh, okay.” Maya hesitated.

  “It’s okay. My grandmother is an amazing woman.”

  “She must be.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because you seem like a great person. She raised you well.”

  I had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. “Maya, I was thinking... would you like to go to the movies tonight?”

  “Tonight?” She seemed confused.

  “Or we can go tomorrow night?”