We both laughed as Shaw walked toward us. “Hey. Glad you came. He’s up next. Uh, Addy, if you could not mention this to Alec it would be appreciated. Jett’s a little pissed at me for inviting you guys.”
I nodded. Why the hell were we even here? If Jett could get kicked off the team for being here, could we get in trouble as well?
“No problem. I won’t say a word.”
A man bumped into me, and Coco grabbed my arm to steady me. The crowd was getting rowdy and I suddenly felt an urgency to get out of here.
“Follow me. We can go up front. Jax is saving us a spot.” Shaw led the way, and he kept turning back to make sure we were following. Coco held his hand with one of hers and I linked our fingers with the other.
People started chanting the word, “Kong” over and over as we moved to stand beside Jax.
“Hey. Things are about to get crazy if our boy can take this dude down,” Jax said, sipping his beer as Shaw had me and Coco slip in between them.
“Who is he fighting?” Coco asked. As if it mattered. We didn’t know any of the fighters here.
“Kong. He’s supposed to be a badass and he’s undefeated. But so is our boy.” Shaw searched behind him as if he were looking for someone. “Here they come.”
“So, Jett is undefeated too?” I asked Jax and he chuckled.
“Yep. But he’s only fought four times. Kong has fought over a hundred times, so he’s got experience on him.”
Jett and Kong both jogged out and stepped inside the ring or the cage or whatever the hell this contraption was. It wasn’t boxing. No one wore gloves, nor did they wear fancy boxing shorts. They were dressed in gym shorts, and the crowd was on their feet.
Jett looked over and for a moment his gaze locked with mine, and my stomach dipped. It was hard to believe that this was the same boy I’d met at five years old and known most of my life. He was all man. Chocolate brown hair. Dark eyes that almost looked black as I took him in. His muscles rippled and his skin was tan. His abs and chest were chiseled, and I found it difficult to look away. There was a tattoo on his right arm, but I couldn’t make it out. His jaw ticced before he jerked his head away.
The fight started and deafening cheers surrounded us. We were close enough to see what was going on and I quickly noted that Jett was faster on his feet, but his opponent looked like he had about fifty pounds on Jett. Kong attempted to take him down a few times, but Jett was able to move away quick enough to avoid it. He was the more precise fighter. I could see the concentration. The first round ended and both men walked to their corner.
“How many rounds are there? Is this like UFC fighting?” I asked, and both of the guys laughed.
“Yeah. Kind of. A little MMA and a little street fighting mixed in. There aren’t a ton of rules. May the strongest man survive, basically. And they go three rounds,” Shaw said, and he winked at Coco. I could tell my best friend was taken with him, because normally any act of endearment would annoy her, but instead she beamed up at him.
They started the second round and my stomach twisted as I watched them each become more aggressive. Kong kicked Jett in the stomach and Jett gave his opponent several shots to the face. They were down on the ground, but I had no idea how that had happened or who took who down. I hadn’t watched anything but Rocky movies before, and this was very different. My chest squeezed as they continued to scrap on the ground. Jett was on top of Kong and had his arm wrapped around the man’s neck. Before I knew what was happening, a bell rang, and the crowd went crazy.
“No fucking way,” Jax shouted, leaning over me to high five Shaw.
“What’s happening?” I asked, my adrenaline pumping as people screamed and cheered even louder.
“Kong tapped out. Our boy did it.”
I shook my head with confusion. He’d already played in a lengthy football game tonight. He had to be exhausted. “Why does he do this?”
“To pay the rent, Addy,” Shaw said, and the look in his eyes told me he was telling the truth. There was a mixture of empathy and pride in his gaze, and my chest squeezed. “Even after playing a kickass game earlier, he can show up here and go three rounds with the best of them.”
“Come on. Let’s meet him at the back door. This crowd is a little crazy. He needs to get his money and get the hell out of here.” Jax placed a hand on the small of my back, and I looked back to see Coco right behind me. She nodded to let me know she was fine.
We weaved through the packed warehouse, and Jax continued to push me forward. Once we were in the hallway far from the crowd, we all four walked in a line beside one another. In the dim lighting, I saw Kong surrounded by a few men who assisted him out the back door. Jett stepped through a doorway and made his way toward us.
“Dude. That was badass. Did Clyde pay you?” Jax asked.
Jett’s eyes settled on me and I didn’t miss the discomfort there. He nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”
Once we were outside, I sucked in a long breath, allowing the fresh air to fill my lungs.
“Did you make what you needed?” Shaw asked as we all fell in stride and moved across the parking lot.
“Yes. And then some. I’ll be able to ride it out for a bit. Then I can bank some coin until football season ends. Should be able to help give her a cushion,” Jett said, staring straight ahead.
I wondered who he was talking about. Did he have a girlfriend? Or he was giving it all to his mom?
“Okay, well, good job, Jett. Thanks for letting us tag along.” Coco stopped beside her car and I did the same.
“Sure. I’ll text you this weekend,” Shaw said.
“See ya.” Jax waved, and Jett’s gaze locked with mine once again and he nodded.
We slipped into Coco’s car and headed to my house.
“Who do you think he gives the money to?” I asked as curiosity got the best of me.
“Shaw said it’s for his mom and grandmother. I guess the diner has been really slow and his grandma has a bunch of medical bills that they’re behind on.”
“I can’t believe he fights to help his mom. Wow.” I shook my head. We were a bunch of spoiled rich kids. I never had to think about money. We’d always had plenty and I’d never wanted for much. I thought it was honorable that Jett would do whatever he could to help his mother, who I happened to like a lot. Jett’s mom, Mae, worked at the diner in town, where the girls and I ate every weekend. She was the kindest lady, and we’d always chat about school and life. So even though it was probably wrong to keep secrets from Alec, I didn’t feel bad about this one. I knew my boyfriend well enough to know that he’d use it against Jett and that wouldn’t be fair.