Takedown by Garnet Hart Page A

he said and turned away. He sat on the couch and looked at her. “So what brought you here?”
    Without waiting for him to say so, she settled on the long couch adjacent to his seat. “It’s about Josh.”
    “What about him?”
    She rested her hands on her lap and cleared her throat. “I’m grateful for the job you gave him… but…”
    He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
    “I think it’s too cruel.”
    “Cruel?”
    She nodded. “He deserves something better.”
    “Has he complained about his job?”
    “No, but…”
    “So I thought. He likes his new job.”
    “No way,” she half-exclaimed. “Who would want to work like a pig all day?”
    “Pigs don’t work, darling. They only eat, play, and sleep.”
    “You know what I mean.”
    “So what’s your problem?”
    “I’ve taken care of that kid since he was fifteen. I never even let him carry groceries, let alone carry those tons of laundry. I can’t stand it.”
    He did not speak for a moment or two. He just stared at her. “Now, that explains why he’s a wimp.”
    Her lips parted. Wimp? Her brother who was almost six feet tall and weighed a hundred and seventy pounds? “What are you saying? Don’t you see he’s too big for his age?”
    “Exactly. All meat and no strength.”
    “I do not agree. He’d made his debut in Battledome at the age of eighteen, and he won his first two fights.”
    “Sure, he did. Could you tell me his opponents?”
    She could not talk. She had watched all of Josh’s fights, but she could not remember the names of his first opponents. “I forgot their names.”
    “Don’t tell me their names. Tell me what they are.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
    “That’s right. You don’t know. Nobody knows where they are now, do you?”
    “Fine, he got lucky,” she finally admitted. She knew that was what Blaze wanted to hear, and to be honest, it was the truth. “So what about it?”
    “Megan,” he paused and crossed his arms. “Don’t you think it’s about time that you stop treating your brother like a kid?”
    She sucked in a breath. “He just turned twenty-one. And it’s not like I’m treating him like a kid. He just needs someone to look after him. We don’t have parents. I’m the only one he has.”
    He sighed. “Trust me, Meg. Your brother can take care of himself. He’s a good kid.”
    “Of course, he’s a good kid. But he can’t take care of himself alone. Not yet.”
    “You really think so? Or you just don’t want to let him go?”
    She found herself speechless. She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she suddenly realized he could be damn right.
    He smirked, which both annoyed her and made her heart skip. There was just something about his smile that always enticed her.
    “Alright,” she conceded. “Maybe you’re right, but that doesn’t change the fact that his work is…”
    “Is?”
    She could hardly find the word to describe the horrendous sight of her brother. “Inhumane.”
    Raising an eyebrow, he reached for the paper on the table. “Inhumane, huh? Did he tell you why I gave him that work?”
    “Of course, he did not. He knew I wouldn’t have approved it.”
    “I see.” He spread the paper in front of his face. “I gave him that job for a reason. You watched his last fight, did you?”
    “Yes.”
    “You see, your brother has a spirit unlike I’ve ever seen before. The problem is, he is too predictable. His opponent already knows what he is about to do before he can even execute it. The good thing is, he moves fast. Did you see how he rained punches on his opponent’s face?”
    “Sure did,” she nodded. That was during the first round of the match. She almost thought at that time that Josh would knock his opponent out, but it did not happen.
    “Do you know what went wrong?”
    She shook her head.
    “His punches are weak,” he answered. “Eleven punches and he couldn’t even knock out his opponent. That’s pathetic.”
    “His opponent is