Ep291: Reunion
When Art finished speaking, everyone around him laughed. Julian laughed loudest of all. "What have the Cliftons come to if they're getting such garbage to fight their battles for them?" he said. "It's pathetic. You might as well give up right now."
His words caused an uproar among the Cliftons. "Shut your mouth," one of them shouted. "Maybe you should come to our turf and say that!"
Julian sneered. "Things have changed. If you ever see me coming, you'd better come out and greet me with respect."
"Art, where's the man who killed Paul?" Jessop interjected. He still couldn't understand how anyone could have killed Paul Novak so easily.
"You'll see Damon soon enough," Art answered. "But by then, your family will be working for mine."
Art had been worried about the outcome of the fight. But when he saw that the Cliftons had chosen Alex to be their fighter, his worries had melted away.
"I hear there's going to be a fight," a voice suddenly called out. "That sounds like fun."
Alex recognized the voice. He looked towards the entrance, and he saw a young man and a young woman coming into the hall. The man was wearing an expensive jacket that shimmered in blue and gold, and he wore gold-coloured shoes. He came strutting toward the fighting ring like a model on a runway.
The young woman walked beside him with her head lowered. She was gazing straight into the floor and had her hands in her pockets. She looked completely uninterested in her surroundings. When they came closer, Alex realized that they were Justin and Nelly.
Nelly was now officially a member of the Ambrose family.
Although the entire Ambrose family had embraced her as one of their own, she had insisted that she didn't want to be part of the family business. Lincoln had accepted her decision and told her that she could do as she liked, but she was still unhappy.
She was like a completely different person. Where before she had been bold and unafraid to speak her mind, now she was quiet and sullen.
Her father, Tristan, had asked Justin to spend time with her and try to cheer her up. Justin had grown fond of her, and he had taken her to as many places as he could think of, showing her all his favourite hangouts. He had treated her to the best food and amusements he could find, but nothing had worked. Finally, he had heard about the big fight between the Cliftons and the Steadmans. He thought it sounded like a lot of fun, so he had taken her to see it.
As they walked further into the hall, Justin glanced at her to try to gauge her reaction. He hoped he had finally found something that pleased her. But when he looked beside him, she was gone.
She had run off ahead of him into the arms of one of the men in the room. When they embraced, she started crying. Justin tilted his head curiously, wondering what was going on.
But as he drew a little closer, he saw that the man she had run to was Alex.
Justin smiled broadly. He was happy to see Alex too.
But before he could speak to his brother, a voice called out for him. It sounded like Nathan's voice. "What are you doing in Baltimore, cousin?" he asked.
Justin was surprised. How does Nathan know where I am? he thought. And how is he talking to me? Is he here? He looked around to try and find him.
"Look to your right," Nathan said. "See that cell phone?"
A man came walking up to Justin and held a phone up to his face. So that's what he's doing, Justin thought. He's watching the whole thing through his phone.
"I heard there was going to be a big fight," Nathan explained. "I had to see it. And then I saw that poor little Alex would be one of the fighters. I guess that's what happens when you don't have a family. You have to leech off of others and do everything they tell you. It's pathetic."
"He's better than you," Justin blurted out.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Alex and Nelly looking curiously between him and the cell phone from which Nathan was speaking. He realized they could hear the conversation. He was a little embarrassed that Alex had heard him speak about his abilities so confidently, but Justin did believe in him.
"Oh, Justin," Nathan responded derisively. "Still living in a fantasy, are you?"
There was a brief pause, and then Nathan continued. "Just remember that Alex isn't part of the family anymore. If you try to help him, you'll only get yourself into trouble."
Justin paused, unsure of what to do. If he tried to help Alex, Nathan would use it to turn their grandfather against him. There could be serious consequences. "Alex doesn't need my help," he said finally, puffing out his chest. "He'll win anyway."
Nathan laughed. "Like I said, you're living in a fantasy. Do you know who he's fighting? I'll tell you. His opponent is Damon Walker. He's a member of the Blood Brothers, and he's never been beaten. Just recently, he killed Paul Novak with ease. What do you think he'll do to poor little Alex?"
Nathan's words made Justin and Nelly very nervous. Justin looked at Alex. He was starting to think that his brother might be in over his head.
Then he remembered that Nathan was watching, and he pulled himself together. "Alex won't lose!" he roared, and then he grabbed the phone and ended the call.
Nelly looked pleadingly at Alex and grabbed him by the arm. She wanted to pull him out of the room and get as far away from there as they could. I can't let him do this, she thought. It's too dangerous.
Justin stopped her. He was as worried about Alex's safety as she was, but he still believed that he had a chance. Besides, he knew better than to try to stop him.
"Listen, Nelly," he said to her. "He's not going to leave. He's too stubborn. Let's just sit down and show him that we support him. I know he can do this."
Nelly glared at him doubtfully. Justin forced himself to smile and added, "Listen to your older brother, huh?"
"Don't worry, Nelly," Alex said. "I'll win."
Nelly could see that Justin was right, and she calmed down. They found a couple of nearby seats and sat down. Nelly buried her face in her hands and started to cry. She believed in Alex, but the tension was unbearable.
Chelsea sat behind them. She had listened to the entire exchange, and she was deeply moved. There's more to this fight than I first thought, she realized. The stability of the whole city could be at stake.
Alex had already stepped into the ring. To his left stood the referee, a fat little middle-aged man who looked like a retired boxer. The other corner of the ring was empty. Damon hadn't come yet. The audience grew restless.