“Where are you staying?” I asked as I sat on the edge of my own bed.
“Hotel a few miles from here,” he said with a lift of one shoulder.
“How long do I have you for?”
“I have to head back Sunday night.” Rolling onto his side to face me, he propped his head up on his hand. “So…what’s there to do in this town? Let’s go do something stupid and get into a shit-ton of trouble that will make our moms freak.”
Until he’d shown up, I’d planned on ordering takeout and most likely crying myself to sleep once again. Just as I’d done every other night that week. It was pathetic but, apparently, my new normal.
Now that he was there, though, the thought of staying locked in my room all night made me feel suffocated. “Well, there is one place we could go that if my parents knew I went without a bodyguard, they would lose their minds.”
He sat up and leaned forward, a devilish grin on his too-handsome face. “You have my full attention, love.”
At having his laughing eyes skim over me again, a feeling of spitefulness hit me, and I jumped to my feet and walked over to my closet. “Help me find something to wear.”
“What’s wrong with what you have on?” he complained even as he came over to me and started fingering the clothes hanging there.
I glanced down at the jeans and hoodie I had on with a grimace. “I need something sexy. Something that screams ‘Look, but don’t touch.’”
“Ah, so your ex is going to be at this place. Okay,” he said with a nod and pulled something from the closet. “This. I know I’m going to regret telling you to wear it—because fuck knows I’m going to have to beat the bastards off you—but if you want to grab his attention, then this is what you need.”
An hour later, we walked into the Underground. Jordan stood close, his entire body tense. He was fully alert, keeping himself between me and any guy who even looked like he wanted to approach me.
My relationship with Barrick was something everyone on and off campus knew about. People had never messed with me, and I knew it was because they were afraid of him. But now, everyone knew we were no longer together, and from the looks in some of the guys’ eyes, I saw that they’d been waiting for an opportunity to approach me.
Not liking all the attention, I slid my hand into Jordan’s, hoping that would deter them. Jordan might not have been as big as Barrick, or even Braxton when it came to muscles, but not many people outside of the Underground fighters were. He was leanly muscled and tall. His olive complexion and brown eyes told of his Italian heritage, his clothes screaming he was rich.
I wasn’t the only one getting attention. There were chicks already lining up, drooling all over themselves to grab his attention.
“Fuck, save me,” he muttered. “These girls look like they’re in heat.”
That had me laughing. “We can protect each other,” I promised. “Let’s get something to drink.”
“Now you’re talking.” Kissing the top of my head, he tossed his arm around my shoulders, keeping me close as we walked through the growing crowd to the bar.
The bartender was one I recognized, and he didn’t even blink when I ordered two rum and Cokes. The drinks were placed in front of me, and Jordan tossed down some cash.
“Should we find a place to sit? Looks like this place is getting rowdy.”
I nodded. “The fight should be starting soon.”
As we walked around, looking for a good place to sit, I kept a lookout for Barrick or his cousins. It wasn’t until we had found a place close to the front that I saw Lyla sitting in her usual roped-off VIP section with Howler and Braxton.
Her eyes were glued to me, and even through the cage, I could tell she wasn’t happy. I shrugged, not caring if she was or not. Braxton shifted beside her, but when I looked at him, his gaze was on Jordan, his eyes narrowed in that pissed-off look I’d only seen on rare occasions.
Unknowing he was the focus of angry attention, Jordan draped his arm over my shoulder, pulling my head closer so I could hear him. “This place is a madhouse. It’s so cool. I’m kind of pissed you didn’t tell me about it.”
Grinning, I shook my head at him. “I’m sure you have just as much fun at your frat parties back home.”
“No,” he said, his face growing serious. “Not even a little. I’m starting to think it’s because you weren’t there with me.”
“Well, I’ll be there starting UCLA come January,” I informed him, thinking that would make him happy, but he surprised me by sitting up straighter and glaring down at me. “What?” I asked, but not completely sure I really wanted him to answer, though.
“You’ve changed, Mia. The girl I know and love wouldn’t let anything chase her home. Not even some dumb-ass guy.” He sighed and took a swallow of his drink. “This was part of your plan, remember? Getting the work experience at the dance school, taking business classes, then starting your own school. After your accident, this plan was the one thing that finally put life back into your eyes. And now you’re just going to let a bent-up heart pull the brakes on it? My Mia has bigger balls than that and wouldn’t run away.”
Having him, my best friend in the universe, throw that at me had me pausing and looking again at my decision to go back to California. He was right. The old Mia never would have even thought about running away. I’d mapped out my goals and been determined to make them a reality.
Now I was just going to change them because of Barrick?