Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the bouncer had stepped aside to talk with some bearded biker-looking dude. He hadn’t been talking to me at all. I exhaled slowly and hustled the rest of the way inside. Getting jumpy wasn’t going to do me any good.
Tarp had been taped over the gym’s windows to hide the light from anyone driving by. Most of the equipment must have been pushed aside to make room for the temporary aluminum bleachers set up around the boxing ring. The space was dim except the floodlights glaring off the red floor of the platform and the metal bars surrounding it. No one was likely to pick me out of the crowd now that I was in.
The smells of booze and old sweat made me grimace. I squeezed past a guy selling bottles of beer and nabbed a spot at the end of one of the upper tiers where I could see the whole platform and also jump for the floor to jet out of here if need be.
The rest of the audience was mostly men, getting rowdier as the minutes ticked by. Hip-hop music thumped from the speakers placed all over the room, heightening the sense of anticipation.
A few guys I recognized from Colt’s crew walked by the edge of the ring, and my pulse stuttered. But they didn’t even glance my way, circling the platform to take seats in the shadows on the other side.
I pulled my hoodie closer around me as if it could shield me. There’d been no sign of my ex-fiancé himself, but I doubted he oversaw most of the fights personally.
The music cut out. “Ladies and gentlemen,” a man’s voice boomed from the speakers. “I hope you have placed your bets because we’re ready to begin.”
Two bulky guys who looked as if they had about one brain cell between them lumbered into the ring, their hands taped and tattoos dappling their bare chests. I shifted on the hard bench, nervousness turning my saliva sour in my mouth. What if the famous female fighter wasn’t going on tonight at all?
I held myself as still as I could through the first two fights, watching both pairs of men pummel each other until they were dripping sweat, spit, and blood. Just as impatience wound from my stomach up to my chest, the announcer’s voice called out the third set of names. “And now, the face-off you’ve all been waiting for: Lady Diamond vs. The Hammerhead!”
I sat up a little straighter. The man next to me elbowed his friend. “Diamond’ll take it again.”
“I don’t know. Hammerhead is pretty good too.”
“Pfft, good my ass. Diamond’s going to knock him out in seconds. The bets are mostly on how long he’s going to last in there.”
This was it. Two figures entered from opposite sides. The first was a man almost as broad-shouldered and tall as Kaige. I focused my attention on his opponent.
The slim woman had her long blond hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Under the glaring lights, I couldn’t tell if it was the exact same straw-pale shade I was looking for. A white mask covered the upper half of her face. The rest of her was clothed in a matching white leotard with a belt of glittering stones around her waist.
The announcer gave the call for the fight to start, and the crowd went into a frenzy, screaming and shouting for them to draw first blood. The girl—Lady Diamond—was nowhere near the size of her opponent, but that didn’t seem to faze her at all.
The man barreled towards her, making the first move. She ducked easily and landed an uppercut to his jaw. Spit burst from his mouth, and the crowd groaned right alongside as if feeling his pain.
I tracked Lady Diamond’s movements as she circled the guy, weaving and dodging and lunging in with strikes when he gave her an opening. She was fast on her feet in a slippery way that felt increasingly familiar. Something bounced against her collarbone as she evaded her opponent again and again. I squinted, and an uneasy certainty solidified in my gut.
Those were dog tags, weren’t they? Kaige had told me he’d used to carry his father’s dog tags everywhere… until he’d lost them. Or they’d been stolen. After seeing the contents of Gia’s magazines, I wouldn’t have put it past her.
At the same moment, the woman spun toward me, her mouth twisting into a sneer I’d have known anywhere. I stiffened in my seat.
It was her. I had no doubt left. That was Gia bounding around the boxing ring. Gia the crowd was cheering on after all the duels she’d won before.
She dodged the big guy yet again, but this time instead of continuing to move away, she swung around and careened right into him. Hammerhead lost his balance and stumbled.
Gia flung herself at the bars and leapt off them to snap her legs around his neck. She heaved upward, digging her fingers into his jaw as her thighs squeezed tight.
The guy staggered, trying to buck her off. Gia smirked out at the crowd. Her stage name rang out from every side. “Diamond! Diamond! Diamond!” The entire room was rooting for her.
Hammerhead struggled to shake her off, but no matter how he twisted and snatched at her, he couldn’t break her hold. His face was turning progressively blue. With just one wrench of her hips and hands, I had no doubt she could have broken his neck if she’d had killing rather than winning in mind.
Hammerhead sank to the floor, and Gia bashed his slumping head into the mat with all her strength. As he lolled there, gasping, she climbed off him and raised her hands in the air. Cheers rained down on her.
She only stayed for long enough for the announcer to acknowledge her win. As she ducked out of the ring, I slipped over the edge of the bleachers and squeezed through the latecomers who’d been left with only standing room in the aisles. I’d lost sight of her, but there was only one door people were using right now. I made a beeline for it.
I’d been closer and got there first. I ambled out into the darkness past the bouncer casually, and he didn’t say a word. When I’d made it partway to the street, I heard him call out, “Great match!” to someone behind me. I darted into the shadows next to the building.
“Thanks!” Gia said, picking up her pace as she came around the side of the building. She’d left her mask on for the moment, and she had the duffel bag I’d been searching for slung over her shoulder.
I let her pass me and then slunk behind her. A short distance down the block, she tugged off the mask and shoved it into her bag. I took the moment to jog up beside her. “Hello, Gia.”
Gia squeaked in shock, spinning around, clutching her bag as if she were going to use it as a weapon. When she caught sight of me, she froze in place. I readied myself to chase after her if she took off, but instead she drew herself up, the muscles in her arms flexing. Muscles I now knew could subdue a trained fighter.