I shake my head and pull back my arm.
He lifts his palms on either side of his head. “Okay. You don’t have to tell me.”
“Why are you here? You need me to patch you up again?”
“Nah. I’m bored. Wanted to see if you wanted to hang out with your little bro.”
I chew my bottom lip. “Maybe you can take me the next time you go. That is, if you’re allowed to bring a guest toFight Club.”
A wide grin spreads across his face. “How abouttonight?”
Nerves trickle through my veins. I could stay in my comfort zone with my nose in a book, reading about other people’s adventures, or I could go out and try something new.
“I’m in.”
I’ve officially lost my mind.
I’m standing in a dimly lit auto body garage. People push against me from all sides, waving fists of money and placing their bets. Their shouting echoes off the walls.
It’s the last place I’d ever choose to be. Confined, crowded, and unpredictable. Yet here I stand, holding on to Leo’s hand like a lifeline.
“Back again?” Someone claps Leo on the back as he pushes past us.
“Just spectating.”
“That’s too bad. You put on a good show the other night, man.”
Leo grins, beaming with pride.
It makes me wonder what else he’s good at, and if anyone ever praised him for it.
“Bring me the next time you fight,” I shout into his ear. “I want to watch you.”
He shakes his head. “If I’m fighting, I can’t keep an eye on you.”
“I can keep an eye on myself.”
He arches a brow. “Pretty sure my brother would actually kill me if anything happened to you on my watch.”
“You let me deal with your brother. He’s all bark and no bite.”
“Only when it comes to you, Nixie.”
My chest tightens, and I want to ask why that is, but this isn’t the best place for a heart-to-heart about his brother.
We watch the first fight, and I’m equal parts enamored and disgusted. I’ve watched UFC matches on TV, but this is different. It’s raw and dangerous. These people aren’t fighters in the literal sense of the word. They’re regular, everyday people—the cashier at ShopRite; the gas station attendant; the bank teller at Chase. We all recognize each other from the area. But we don’t say hello. We don’t acknowledge that we know each other, because down here we’re someone else. And isn’t that all anybody wants? To step into someone else’s shoes for a little while? To forget who we are, and let it all go?
The fight ends when one guy clips the other on his chin, and it’s lights out for him. While we’re waiting for the next fight to start, the crowd grows restless, amped up from the first. Leo’s grip on my hand tightens as we’re jostled around. Someone knocks into me from behind, and I fall against the person in front of me.
“Sorry about that.” I steady myself, and glance at the person I was pushed into.
The woman spins around and places both palms on my shoulders before shoving me backward. “Watch where you’re going, bitch.”
I stumble. “It was an accident, I’m sorry.”
Leo pulls me to his side. “Come on, let’s head over there for a better view.”
“You want a good view?” The woman grins and swings her arm wide, gesturing to the makeshift ring. “How about a front-row seat, Bambi?”