Yeah, it was hard not to laugh when Jasper glared at me like that. Seriously. I wasn’t scared of him.
Mostly.
Clamping his hands on my shoulders, he stared at me so intensely that it was starting to make me uncomfortable.
“Man, if you’re gonna kiss me, can we skip that part?”
A sharp laugh broke out of him as he shook his head. “Someday, Freddie, that mouth of yours…”
“Yeah, it’s already gotten me into shitloads of trouble. What can I say? It’s part of my charm.”
“Don’t get dead,” he said after a beat. “Don’t get lost.”
The last part might be the hardest. “I’ll do my best, Dad.”
He glared again and I shrugged. When he gave me that rough hug though, I returned it.
“I’ll be okay,” I said. “You watch.” Pulling back, I pasted on a smirk. “I’m gonna be the fucking hero and bring Boo-Boo back.”
Chuckling, he clapped me on the shoulder again. “Just don’t make me come in there to get you. One piece, you got it?”
“Oh man, you’re gonna make it hard on me?” That did it, he rolled his eyes.
“You’re such a little asshole.”
“Yes,” I said proudly as another knock sounded on my door. “Yes, I am.”
Jasper yanked it open. Liam and Rome were on the other side of the door. But instead of a fight—which still wasn’t out of the realm of possibility—all Jasper did was point a finger at Liam. “Bring him back. One piece.”
“I’ll bring them both back.” Hey, no one said Liam wasn’t cocky. “You watch their backs here.”
“Like I’d do anything else.”
“Hey,” Liam said with a faint smirk. “I thought we were just stating the obvious.”
I rolled my eyes and caught Rome almost doing the same damn thing. Yeah, time to go. I shoved past Jasper and thumped Liam on the shoulder. “Let’s go, big bro. Time to commit me.”
Yeah, that sounded way better in my head. Still, no complaints here. I just wanted to get to Boo-Boo.
Yesterday.
THE SOUL OF CHESS
LIAM
The first underground fight of the senior year kicked off in an hour. I’d made the card. That didn’t surprise me. If anything, it would have been more shocking if I hadn’t received the invitation to opening night. I’d lost only two fights in junior year. My stats ranked me the highest, even amongst the upperclassmen and college students who attended.
After putting my bag in the closet to deal with later, I scanned the new room I’d been assigned. No roommates. En suite bathroom. Upgraded furniture. Brand new computer waiting for me to set up on the desk. The last had to be from Mom and Dad. I’d send them a thanks when I got back.
They were—I checked my watch—still on the road after dropping me off. I sent them a text about catching up with some friends and I’d talk to them the next day. If not, Mom would probably call as soon as they got back to the city. She fussed. I didn’t mind it most of the time, but phones weren’t allowed at the matches.
After firing a message off to Rome, I powered the phone off and tucked it into the portable safe I’d begun bringing to school for the last two years. Inside was a gun, cash, and bullets. Securing all of it, especially this particular phone, was just a good idea. Done, I headed out. It took me less than twenty minutes to get to the venue. I didn’t pull in immediately. Instead, I did a sweep of the neighborhood.
Old retail complex. The parking lot pavement sported cracks everywhere, with grass and weeds fighting to take it back. The abandoned strip mall seemed to reflect the loneliness and desolation of the area around it. The grass was too high in the fields, well what grass the weeds hadn’t choked out, and rippled in the breeze.
While there weren’t any cars in the front lot, there were some in the back. Including a familiar Mercedes. After one more circuit, I pulled in and parked away from the others. I also had the car angled to pull straight out onto the road. No backing up or needing to navigate around other cars would be required. The fact I was at the exact edge of the lot where no one could block me in didn’t hurt either.
Adam stepped out of the Mercedes as soon as I exited the car. He paused in mid-swing to close the door and said, “Don’t. I’m not in the mood. Stay in the car, Lainey. I mean it.” The words carried in the silent lot, but I ignored whatever girl he’d brought with. His message had said he wouldn’t be at the fights tonight.
So why was he here?
He met me halfway between our cars, in the shadows beyond the weak pool of light cast by one working street lamp. Withdrawing an envelope from the inside of his pocket, he passed it over. The weight was right, so I just stuffed it into my back pocket without opening it.
“Not counting it?” Adam challenged.
“Is it all there?” At his nod, I shrugged. “Then I don’t need to count it. If you’re not supposed to be here. Why are you here?”
“The cash,” he said, then glanced back to his car. It was even farther from the light and the tinted windows made it impossible to see inside. “The guy is supposed to be here by the third match. He’ll have on a black baseball cap.”
Right, cause no one else ever wore those kinds of hats. My skepticism must have been showing, because Adam pulled out his phone and flipped it to a new screen. The man in the image was pretty nondescript, sandy blond hair, square jawed, and a nose that had to have been broken more than once.
“Warning?”
Adam nodded. “Last warning. Make it hurt. If we have to do it again, he won’t be coming back from that.” With that, he gestured to his car. “I’m out.” It wasn’t until he was back at the driver’s side door that he called, “O’Connell?”
I raised my brows.
“I’ve got five grand on you.”
“Good for you.”
“For a knockout in the first round. Don’t play with them. You have other things to do tonight.”
Rolling my eyes, I just flipped him off and headed for the door. The cash in my pocket would get some attention but it wasn’t like the crowd that frequented these couldn’t afford it. Cash just happened to be the currency for the in-person betting window. Everyone else could place it electronically.
It was also a good place to wash the cash. So, I swung by the betting window, looked at the list of names on the night’s fight card, and placed a bet on every single fight that I wasn’t in.
Knockout in the first round?
I’d think about it. I’d been itching for a fight for the last two months and he just wanted me to one and done?
The thought no sooner crossed my mind than I smirked. No, he hadn’t bet on a knockout in the first. He had to know I wouldn’t go for it. So he was winding me up. That bet was for the third round.
What a dick.
Then again, we were all just pieces on the board. By the time my name was called, I’d put Adam, his job, his bet, and everything else out of my head. The guy waiting for me in the ring had about fifty pounds on me.
Oh fuck yes, this was going to be an actual fight.