The Alpha's Redemption

The Freaks Come Out at Night

Five years later, present day ...

Kalli

The loud beeping that was going off in my ear had me groaning in my sleep. The sound is not one I’m used to waking up to so I figured it would be best to open my eyes and investigate. Allowing myself a mini tantrum I turned onto my back and my right arm came down hard on the bed. Or what should have been the bed.

“Ouch, Kalli. f**k” 

I turned my head and saw Nicco lying next to me. Why was he still here? Trying to hide my annoyance I gave him a thin smile. “Sorry, I thought I was alone. What is that beeping?”

“My alarm. It’s four already. Damn it’s hot in here. I don’t know how you can live in this apartment without air conditioning.” He wiped at the sweat that was dripping off his forehead. 

“Yeah, I don’t really mind the heat. You know one of the perks of us just being friends with benefits is you don’t have to stay here after we’re done.” The last part of my sentence came out a little slower than normal. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings but I felt like he needed to be reminded about the type of relationship we had. 

“Most girls want this s**t, you know,” he said in a harsh tone. Obviously, my attempt to not hurt him had backfired. 

“I’m not most girls.” Nicco held my eye contact and then plopped his head back down on the pillow. “Hey, that should make you happy. We get to have fun, really good fun and then you’re free to leave. You don’t have to sweat out your soul in my little four hundred square foot hole in the wall with no air conditioning.” 

He rubbed his hands over his face and let out a sigh. “You’re right. Can I at least use your shower before I go?” 

“Yeah, but there’s not going to be any hot water this late in the day,” I said while giving him an innocent smile. 

“Kalli, this place is a dump.”

“Hey, it’s got character and charm.” 

“It’s ghetto and just because it has a French Quarter address doesn’t give it charm.” He threw his legs over the side of the mattress and sat up. “I gotta go. I’ll see you at work in a few.” He pulled his pants up, threw on his shirt, and then grabbed his keys off my little entry table and left. 

Nicco was really starting to suck all the fun out of this relationship. I had told him when we first started sleeping together that I was not looking for anything serious. There might be some twenty-five year olds out there that are looking for Mr. Right and hoping to settle down, but that’s definitely not me. 

With the flick of my wrist, I threw the sheet off me and got out of bed. I walked over to my refrigerator and opened it. Huh, when did I last eat pizza? I lifted the box and could see the mold growing from where I stood. That’s ok, I’ll just leave earlier than normal and pick up something on my way to work. 

After taking a quick, cold shower I put on my cut-off jean shorts, a fitted black tank top, and some black and white chuck taylors. The bar I worked at was not on the famed Bourbon Street. Which meant we didn’t have to follow a specific dress code and we were allowed to dress for comfort. I started to do my hair, made a partial french braid, and then gathered the rest into a messy bun. I lined my eyes with my copper eyeliner and then put on some mascara and I was good to go. 

When I walked out of the courtyard I was greeted by Mr. Wilson. I referred to him as our neighborhood watchman since he was always posted outside on his folding chair. 

“Hey there, blue,” he called out to me. I’m not sure if he knew what my name was or not. He always called me by whatever hair color I had at the time. 

“Hey, Mr. Wilson. See anything interesting today?” 

“Not yet, but the day ain’t over,” he said while giving me a nod. 

“Well, I’m counting on you to fill me in if anything good ever does happen. See ya,” I said before turning to walk down the street. 

When I stepped into the bar the regulars were already perched at their usual spots. I ducked down and walked through the little cubby door to take my place behind the bar. After I put my take-out box on the counter I walked over to clock in. 

“You can’t eat that behind the bar Kalli,” Mike said, scolding me. 

Mike was a balding man in his late sixties. He was short and round and constantly had visible sweat stains on his clothes regardless of what the temperature was. He had owned this bar for the past thirty years and despite his appearance and grumpy demeanor, I knew if I ever needed anything I could count on him. 

“Oh, that’s not mine. It’s Luccio’s.” Out of the corner of my eye I had seen Luccio walk in. When I moved to New Orleans five years ago, I decided to take up kickboxing in hopes to meet people. About six months ago Luccio bought the club and took an immediate interest in me, professionally. As it turned out he had a couple of not so legal side businesses, one being a sort of underground fighting ring. When he saw my skills he offered me a spot in an upcoming fight and I ended up making some decent cash. 

 “Yeah, right. Remember you’re clocked in now so watch the personal time,” Mike grumbled.

Luccio took a seat at the bar and I slid the food over to him and opened it. “Fry?” I asked him before taking a bite out of one. 

“Nah, I’m good. What do you have going on a week from Thursday?” 

“Nothing, why what’s up?”

“A guy is coming down from Shreveport. Apparently, he has a fighter who can’t be beat. From her stats, she outweighs you by a few, but I think you can take her. The odds would be against you, so if you win it would be a lot of money.” I could literally see Luccio’s eyes light up when he spoke the last part of that sentence. 

“Yeah, why not,” I said casually. The truth is I was undefeated as well. Even though I knew it was only a matter of time before my luck ran out I figured I’d give it a shot. 

“I’ll text you the time and location closer to the date,” Luccio said before grabbing a fry and walking out of the bar.

The rest of my night was pretty uneventful. Nicco had been somewhat standoffish towards me, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that now. After the last call, we had a few stragglers that had to be dealt with. Nicco handled the rowdier ones as I made my way to a man who had been nursing a beer all night at one of the tables in the back.

“Hey, I’m not sure if you heard us announce it the last eight or so times but the bars closed.” The man had a placid smile plastered on his face. Slowly his eyes drifted up and down my body before eventually settling back on my own. 

“I knew if I stayed here long enough I'd eventually get you over here to talk to me.” There was something about the way he spoke. Albeit creepy, his words dripped with confidence. 

“Well, you were right, here I am. Now leave.” I folded my arms across my chest and continued to stare at him. 

The two of us held eye contact with each other but didn’t exchange any more words. His calm demeanor was starting to crack and he was becoming visibly frustrated. When he slammed his hand on the table I thought for sure it would crack due to the amount of force he used. 

“Everything ok over here?” Nicco asked while placing himself in between the man and me. 

“He was just leaving,” I said. 

The guy looked from me to Nicco and then put his hands up in defeat. “She’s right. Sorry to bother you.” 

When the door shut I heard Nicco let out a sigh of relief. “What the f**k was that about?” 

“Just some drunk guy being a creep. Typical Friday night around here. You didn’t have to step in, I had it handled.” I began clearing off the tables as I spoke. 

“Is there anything else I’ve done wrong today that you’d like to point out?” Nicco yelled out as he spun around to face me. 

“Are you still mad about earlier?” 

He let out an exasperated groan and ran his hands over his head. “Yeah, Kalli, I am. I’m starting to really like you and it feels like the more attached I get the more detached you become. I don’t know if there's something wrong with me or if it’s you that has the issue.” 

And this is where our friends with benefits relationship ends. “I think we should finish closing up. It’s getting late.” 

Nicco let out a dark laugh and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever you say.” 

After a very long hour filled with awkward silence, we finally made our way out of the bar. Nicco placed the key in the lock and then hesitated. “Maybe I can drive you home and we can continue-” 

“No, I’ll be ok on my own. But thanks for the offer.” I cut him off before he could finish and began heading down the street towards my house. There was a part of me that felt bad for Nicco. I knew it wasn't fair to end things with him so abruptly or without discussing it with him first. But in the long run, this way would be better for him. No need to drag it out any longer.

It was only about a fifteen minute walk home and I loved having this time to myself. The city was peaceful and the streets were usually empty. Most nights it made me feel like I was the only one left in the entire city. For as long as I can remember I preferred the night and found comfort in the darkness. So when I entered the alley and suddenly became uneasy, it should have been a warning sign for me to turn and go a different way. But I didn’t. I picked up my pace and tried to stay as alert as possible. Then out of nowhere, there was a man standing in front of me. Not just any man though, the one from the bar. 

I was in too much shock to move. How had I not heard him approach me? When I saw him take a step towards me my instincts kicked in and I punched him right in his nose. It stunned him for a brief moment, allowing me to turn in the opposite direction and run. However, I didn’t get far. 

He grabbed me and pulled me flush against him. My attempt to fight him off was done in vain. The strength in his grip was like nothing I'd ever experienced. He placed one hand over my mouth and tilted my head to the side, exposing my neck. 

“It may be hard for you to realize this now, but you’re a very lucky girl. My original plan was just to drain you but you’ve intrigued me. I promise all the pain will be gone when you wake up.” 

That’s when I felt his teeth puncture my neck. But that pain was nothing compared to what followed. It felt like acid was being poured into my body and it was unbearable. He removed his hand from my mouth and I managed to let out a scream. Before everything went dark I saw two men in the distance running towards me. But I knew deep down it was too late.