I roll my eyes. “And they say chivalry is dead. I’m quite capable of going first. I don’t need two big men to protect me.”
“This has nothing to do with protection and everything to do with me checking out your ass,” Blink replies, making Vega chuckle.
“I give up with you two.” I huff, fighting back my grin.
The stairs wind around and around and feel never-ending. With the cold sandstone beneath my fingers and lit only by the occasional wall sconce, the stairwell makes me feel like I’ve stepped back in time into some medieval castle.
“Oh fuck,” Vega grunts as he steps into the light at the top of the stairs, moving aside to make space for Blink and me. There is another iron gate barring our exit, but it doesn’t hide what’s on the other side.
“I guess we know now why it’s called the Colosseum.” Blink wraps his hands around the bars and gazes down at the area where we’ll be fighting and hopefully not fucking dying.
“This is insane,” Vega declares.
He’s not kidding. What might have once been an old opera house has been converted into a modern-day version of a Roman amphitheater.
The elliptical structure consists of tiered seating leading down to the huge stone floor. Even from way up here, we can see dark patches staining the stone, which I just know are dried blood. There are four walkways leading down to each level. In the center of the seating, opposite where we are now, is a fucking throne.
Down on the ground, large metal portcullises lead to God knows what. Medical facilities, hopefully.
“I have a really bad feeling about this,” I admit as a warm wind lifts my hair off my shoulder.
I snap a few pictures with my cell and shove it back in my pocket.
“Come on, let’s go fill the others in.”
“You know we don’t have to do this. We can still walk away. Well, after you’ve picked the lock, that is,” Vega tells me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“I still don’t know where these missing people are. My gut tells me they have to be here somewhere. Walking away now isn’t an option. I owe it to Bill and all the others that came before him. I’m sorry I dragged you guys into this, though.”
“Oh, please. I’m pretty sure it was Blink and me doing the dragging. We wanted a chance to own this place. And, well, seeing it now, it feels as unattainable as it did when I first heard about it.”
“Well, you better get used to it, Vega, because losing isn’t an option either. When we win, this place will be yours. You can do what you like with it. Hell, you can turn it into an ice cream parlor for all I care.”
“Random.” He laughs. “I think I’ll stick with what we know, but perhaps without the death matches. This place would sure draw a crowd if we made it more accessible.”
“That’s for damn sure. The building itself is something special on its own, and that’s before fighting.”
“Ours,” Blink throws over his shoulder as we follow him back down the steps. It takes me a minute to understand what he’s talking about.
“I meant both of you.”
“No, I mean ours—as in you, me, Vega, Graves, and even Law. We’re a team. We lose together. We win together.”
Vega squeezes my shoulder. “He’s right. We could make this place something special, but it won’t mean jack if you aren’t here with us.”
“Christ, you want to have this conversation now?”
“You want to wait until after we win, fine. But we will be having it. You know where we stand, Mal. We’re just waiting for you to jump.”
I don’t answer because I’m a coward and have been putting it off. Anytime my mind turns to thoughts of leaving, I find something to distract myself. I don’t want to go, but I’m terrified of staying.
We hear laughing as we approach the room the guys are in. When they turn to look at us, the grins drop from their faces.
“That bad?” Law asks.
“Let’s just say this is going to be one heck of a show.”
He looks at Blink and Vega, waiting for more. They don’t elaborate, which is probably wise. Law would drag us kicking and screaming from the building if he realized what we were about to face.