"I'm not going to arrest you," the woman mused. "Unless you're doing something illegal," she joked.

Karmin chuckled awkwardly at her choice of words, putting her hands down. You have no idea, lady. She scrambled to her feet, patting down her dress and sticking out her hand.

"I'm Avery Miller, Maddox's Mom, and you must be Karmin," she smiled, shaking her hand.

She had the same green eyes he had with a kind but stern face. She looked tired with the bags under her eyes and her hair into a tight bun. Her tall frame was lean, and her straight posture made her even more intimidating.

"That's me," she said as she stopped herself from doing jazz hands.

"It looks like Frodo got your attention," Avery remarked as she began to put away the groceries into the refrigerator.

"He's adorable," she replied as he licked her hand.

What else do I say? Ugh, where the hell is Maddox?

At that thought, pairs of footsteps stomped against the hardwood floor, the shouts getting closer and closer.

"And there are the kids," Avery sighed tiredly.

The first person to slide into the kitchen was a girl, short in stature with charcoal hair. She had a septum piercing and bright purple highlights that contrasted her all-black outfit of a plain dress, stockings, and a leather coat. Her green eyes looked brighter with the thick eyeliner and dramatic make-up.

Immediately after her came in a woman dressed in blue overalls covered in paint splatter. Her hair was thrown into a braid with a baseball cap on top. She had a softer look with her large brown eyes and bright smile.

Beside her was a woman in a khaki pantsuit with her long straight hair in a low ponytail. Her white button-up was untucked, and her make-up was slightly smudged, but that didn't take away from her elegance. She looked a lot like Ms. Miller with her thin lips and somber eyes.

The last to come in was a disgruntled Maddox, who looked as if he was caught in a stampede with his wrinkled shirt and messy hair. He was muttering under his breath irritatingly, glaring at his sisters.

Karmin rolled on the heels of her feet, smiling awkwardly as they stared at her as if she was a zoo animal. "Hello," she waved.

And that was when she was hit with a flurry of comments and questions.

"Oh my god, so grandma wasn't lying when she said there was a girl here!"

"You're so pretty!"

"What happened to your face?"

"I'm a boxer," Karmin said quickly, eyeing Maddox for his help.

"Guys, this is Karmin, my friend. And this is Sabina," he introduced, pointing to the girl with the dyed hair. "This is Logan and Amalia," Maddox said, pointing at the sister with the overalls and the one with the pantsuit, respectively.

"I've heard a lot about all of you," Karmin commented, smiling at the fact she could finally put some faces to their names.

"And we've heard nothing about you," Sabina retorted, smacking her brother. "Maddy never tells us anything."

"Maybe it's because," he started, shoving her, only to be cut off.

"He really needs to learn how to express himself more," remarked Logan as she fixed her cap. "He's a quiet fella, but I guess you already know that."

Don't I know it.

"If I could talk without –"

"He just buries himself in books," interrupted Amalia. "This kid never goes out."

Maddox huffed, shaking his head at his three sisters. Karmin stifled a laugh as he opened and closed his mouth to get a word in, but it was proving to be difficult as his sisters cut him off each time excitedly.

"Alright, girls," announced Ms. Miller. "Why don't you three put away the groceries and let Karmin and Maddox go?"

"But I want to talk to her," pouted Logan.

"It's okay," whispered Sabina a little too loudly. "We can hunt them down once we're done."

"Don't you dare leave the house," threatened Amalia, poking Maddox in the chest.

Maddox rolled his eyes, flicking his head to the side to call Karmin over. She stiffly walked past the smiling sisters and the intimidating cop, towards him. They silently walked through the dining room, and past the arguing twin grandmas to the stairs.

Once they were out of earshot, she grabbed his arm. "You didn't tell me your Mom was a freaking cop," hissed Karmin.

"Lieutenant," he corrected stiffly. "And it never came up."

She narrowed her eyes at him, continuing their walk upstairs. "It never came up? Both of us are part of an illegal fight club, and you didn't think it was important?"

"I knew you would freak out," he retorted. "Don't tell me you said something stupid."

"I may or may not have put up my hands," she muttered, looking anywhere but him.

Maddox smacked his hand on his forehead, shaking his head at her. "What else?" he sighed.

"I said, 'I plead the fifth,'" she grumbled, playing with her sweater vest as they walked down the end of the hall.

"Of course, you did," he said under his breath, but his lips quirked up into a smile as he opened a door to reveal a bedroom.

The walls were painted a dark blue that was lined with a large bookshelf. Each row was filled with books but apparently, that wasn't enough for him as novels were scattered on his desk and stacked on the ground. It was clean with his backpack and laptop stored away and his clothes folded into the closet. His bed sat in front of the window with the bed made neatly and a small plant perched above it.

"This is the only place I get some peace and quiet," he explained, leaning against the bookshelf and watching Karmin as she analyzed his room.

Her hands skimmed against the spines of the books as she read them. "Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird, Kite Runner," she murmured.

"You read any of them?" he asked.

"Nope," she said. "Have they been made into movies?"

He shook his head in disappointment. "The books are always better."

"I read textbooks all day long. I don't have the energy to read. Maybe you can read them to me," she joked, turning to face him.

"There's a thing called audiobooks."

"Unless Harry Styles is reading it to me, I would fall asleep," she laughed, grabbing a book with a red train and a boy with circles glasses. "Oh, I've been meaning to read the Harry Potter series. I've seen the movies, and can I say, Emma Watson, is my queen."

Maddox walked over to her, grabbing the book from her hand and flipping it open. He cleared his throat and began. "Mr and Mrs Dursely, of number four, Privet Drive, were –"

"Not now," she laughed, throwing her head back heartily.

"If we're going to be friends, you have to at least read the series," he said seriously, but his tone wasn't as effective with the smile.

Karmin grinned, wrapping her hands around the pages of the books. Her fingers grazed his, but he didn't shake them off. Instead, he inched them closer until they touched.

"Only if you read them to me," she said softly.

Maddox eyed her, his green eyes making her stomach do somersaults. "Deal."

This moment took her back to the time at his father's gym when she couldn't stop herself from staring at him. He had invaded her thoughts. She looked forward to seeing him every day, whether it was in class or before her fights.

She loved how passionate he was about books and the little smile that was permanently etched on his face as he read. How his cheeks dusted with red whenever she teased him and how her heart fluttered when he called her 'Kar.' He never spoke up in class and instead, he grumbled the answers in the back with his hood on.

He hated attention, but all she wanted to do was give him that.

The moment was ruined when a cellphone rang as she ripped her hands away. "You should get that," she mumbled.

He nodded, pulling the phone out of his pocket. "It's Ezra," he muttered, picking up the call.

"Put it on speaker," she demanded.

Maddox waved dismissively at her, listening carefully to what Ezra said. Karmin moved forward, attempting to seize the phone from him, but he used his free hand to place it on her forehead, keeping her back.

She huffed angrily, twisting his hand back, and kicked him in the shin. He grunted in pain, so she took the chance to steal his phone, putting it on speaker.

"Hi, Ezra, it's me, Karmin," she said.

"I was talking to Maddox. Give him the phone," sassed Ezra.

"I assume the conversation is about me," she fired back, "so whatever you had to tell him, you can tell me."

"Well, then," he said, irritation lacing his voice. "You have another fight next week."

"No, thank you," she rejected simply.

"Excuse me?" he spluttered.

"I don't want a new fight this soon. Maybe in two weeks," she added. She was only a couple thousand away from 40,000 dollars, so she wasn't in a rush. Not to mention, her face and body could use the time to heal.

"You don't have a choice," Ezra snapped. "Your opponent isn't exactly giving you a choice."

"And who is my opponent?" she wondered, gazing at her pastel pink nails. Maybe I should paint them yellow.

"Ares Reign."

Her heart dropped when she heard that name. She turned to Maddox, who was sitting on his bed, rubbing his shin, but was now, frozen like her.

"Ares as in the leader of My Brother's Keeper?" she asked shakily.

"That's the one."

"As in the man that sells drugs and kills people for a living, and is the most wanted man in New York?"

"I think he's one of the most wanted men in the States, but, yes, him."

"Um," she hesitated. "Can we reschedule?"

"You want to reschedule with a gang leader?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah," she said casually. "Just give me his number, and I can talk to him. I have a busy schedule as a college student, alright. I bet he's an understanding guy. Or maybe not, considering he's wanted for homicide. Does he have a secretary that can pass on my message, because that'll be much better?" rambled Karmin breathlessly.

"No self-respecting gang leader has a secretary," Ezra said roughly.

"You sure? I mean, who else is supposed to keep his phone calls and messages in order? He has to have someone that takes care of his schedule and gets him his coffee. I bet he's a busy man, you know. People to murder, drugs to sell, police to avoid," wheezed Karmin, wiping the sheen of sweat off her face.

"Give me the phone," grumbled Maddox, ripping it away from her with a what-is-wrong-with-you type of expression on his face. "Listen, Ezra, she's not fighting him. Cancel it."

"No, can do, or otherwise, he'll be visiting the two of you at your homes. We wouldn't want that, now would we?" he asked mockingly. "Besides, even if she loses, she gets 10K, so I better see Karmin at the fight club next week. I'll text you the details," and with that, he cut the call.

"I cannot get a fucking break," she exclaimed, running a hand through her hair anxiously. Karmin looked up at the ceiling and shook her head. "Fuck you, universe!"

Maddox sat on his bed, putting his face into his hands. "How about I fight in your place?" he asked desperately.

She sighed, taking a seat beside him. "I don't think they'll accept that. Ares probably wants to fight that girl that's been winning against his men," she said. "But, thank you. I appreciate that," she smiled shakily.

"I'm sorry I can't help."

Karmin shrugged. "Have you ever seen him fight before?"

"He's never fought in the fight club. Ever. But..." he faltered, the gears beginning to move in his head.

"What?"

"There's a gala happening in two days. Judas is hosting his charity event, and Ares is usually there," explained Maddox.

Karmin tilted her head, confusedly. "I thought it was pronounced gay-la. Like gay-la apples."

"I'm pretty sure it's gah-la."

"You sure?"

"That's not the point, Karmin," he sighed, shaking his head at her. "If we go to the event, you'll get a chance to meet him. It's a lot less scary knowing who you're going to fight. Maybe, we can talk to him and get him to cancel the fight.

"Oh," she said, dragging out the 'o.' "That's smart. I like the way you think, Mads."

"Do you have something fancy you can wear?" asked Maddox.

She hummed in response. "I have my prom dress from high school," she recalled. Choyce had made that dress for her last year, and she absolutely adored it. It sat in the back of her closet, but if Karmin had the chance to wear it, she would. There was too much poking of needles and screaming involved for her not to.

"I'll get us an invite from Ezra. Great, now I have to willingly talk to him," he muttered bitterly under his breath.

"I've never been to a fancy gala before. Do you think they'll have those cute little finger foods? Or as the French call it, hors d'oeuvre," she said with an accent. "Like cucumber sandwich's or deviled eggs or –"

Maddox put his finger to his lips, slowly getting up. He tip-toed to his front door, and swung it open, revealing the three Knight sisters, huddled together. Their eyes widened from being caught in the act.

"Leave us alone," grumbled Maddox, attempting to shut the door.

The three sisters sprang into action, moving their hands forward to stop him from closing it. "That's not happening. We want to get to know Karmin," snapped Amalia.

"Mom!" shouted Maddox as he leaned his back against the door, putting all of his weight onto it. "Tell them to leave!"

"Stop keeping her away from us!" yelled Logan. "We just want to talk to her."

"I will burn your books if you don't let us in!" threatened Sabina.

Karmin eyed them carefully, getting up from her seat and unsure of what to do. Should I intervene? From the huffing and puffing of the four siblings, along with the exchange of threats and cussing, she needed to do something quickly.

"Why don't we head downstairs?" offered Karmin, butting into their battle.

They immediately stopped, blinking at her slowly.

"What a great idea, Karmin," grinned Logan, waving her over.

"At least one of us here is welcoming," remarked Amalia.

"Are you sure?" whispered Maddox, "because I can hold them off, and you can lock the door."

"Bitch, I will not hesitate to grab the screwdriver and bust down this door," provoked Sabina before Karmin had the chance to reply.

"I'll be fine," assured Karmin, and finally, Maddox stepped aside, letting her through the door.

Logan and Sabina wrapped their hands around each of Karmin's elbow, while Amalia led them down the stairs.

"You guys seem super close," said Karmin, smiling at how excited they were to meet her.

"Oh yeah, we do everything together," replied Logan. "We love you, lil bro," she called out over her shoulder to Maddox, who grumpily followed them.

"Shut up, Lo," he grumbled.

"Music to my ears," mused Sabina.

They reached the end of the stairs, and Amalia turned to her. "We can grab some snacks and go to the backyard to talk," she said, her once serious stare turning into excitement. "We can get to know each other better."

Karmin nodded happily as they began to chat, speaking over one another in enthusiasm. She couldn't get one word in, but she didn't mind. She just grinned widely and nodded, her ears overloaded with stories, questions, and future plans.

Before they left for the backyard, the bell rang madly. Maddox, who was the closest, pulled it open, uncovering a bashful Rhys, holding a stuffed bear in his hands.

"Hey, my handsome and smart best friend that loves me so very much," started Rhys with a sheepish smile. "Can I sleepover?"

Maddox groaned, but let him in, only to smack him on the head. "If you come onto my side of the bed, I will punch you in the face," he warned.

Rhys's entire face lit up. "Slumber party!" he shouted in glee.

***

Author's Note:

Hey everyone!

Wow, this was a long chapter and I think the next few ones will be like this too!

What did you guys think of Maddox's three sisters? Did you enjoy Maddox and Karmin's little moment?

There are some twists and turns coming up ahead and I can't wait to see your reactions

Until next time – m.k.t