Shut Up and Surprise Me

14. Playing Hero

Blood.

That's the first thing I see when we reach the second floor. It's nothing like in horror movies, but it spatters on the cream rugs while the two men are wrestling on the floor. They grunt and roll, exchanging punches and curse words. Poppy, the receptionist girl, is standing on the other side of the room, holding her coffee flash while screeching in panic, eyes fixed on the fight.

Leo never gave me the impression of a bad boy who loves to fight, but seeing he's now sitting on his brother's abdomen and blowing a few punches at his face, makes me wince as if I'm the one who receives the fists. Not wanting to make the situation worse, Doug and Alex jump right in and pull away the two siblings.

"Let me go," Leo growls, but he's not strong enough to escape my colleague's grip.

"Please, this is an office building. This is not necessary," Doug says politely yet his voice is firm.

Julian grunts as he reaches out for the glasses that sit not far from him. He then tosses them away again once he notices how ruined they are. Still sitting on the floor, he pushes one knee up and rests an elbow on it, catching up with his breath. "You broke my glass–" he pauses and cradles his jaw, the part Leo punched earlier. "Ouch."

When I find my voice again, I run to the pantry, poking Poppy in the process. "Hurry, grab some ice. I'll go find a cloth to wrap it," I order.

"Right. Ice! Of course!" She jumps and follows me to the pantry.

"I didn't even punch you hard enough," I hear Leo say. "But next time, I will. I told you so many times not to fuck with what is mine."

"What you claimed as yours doesn't mean it's yours. It's lent to you," Jullian replies, chuckling in a mocking tone. "You're being delusional as always."

"Shut the fuck up!" Leo launches forward, almost freeing himself from Doug's hold.

"Please, gentlemen." Alex steps in. "We don't want to have an ambulance and police officers involved, do we?"

"Shit," Julian grunts as he tries to stand up with Alex's help.

It's when heavy footsteps hurry from the door to the staircase, followed by the appearance of an overweight man in a blue uniform who is out of breath from running. Bob, our security guy.

"I'm here, I'm here!" he announces his arrival between his panting breaths, bending over while his hands pressing on his knees.

Julian laughs at the sight. "Is he what you got to secure this building? Ha! I know this is all a joke. This company is just a joke."

"One more word, Jullian, you're dead meat," Leo hisses at his brother. "I swear if you don't leave at once, I'll call the police."

Julian smirks as he yanks his hand out of Alex's grip, and Bob steps forward.

"Please, leave, sir," the security says.

After having a few seconds of a glaring match with his brother, Julian spits some blood out of his mouth, before trudging to the elevator door, followed by Bob and Alex. They probably want to make sure he leaves without passing out somewhere in the building.

"Damn. The janitor won't be happy with this," Doug says, scanning the room with his eyes. "I'll go find him upstairs."

"Are you alright?" I ask Leo after Doug disappears to get the janitor and hand the ice to him. "Oh, my god!" I shriek when I get a better look at Leo's nose. The stale blood covers the crack on the tip of his nose, glistening against the light, but it's not dry enough to glide down his nose. "I think he broke your nose. You need to get it checked."