I lifted my hand in the air and waved. “See you around.”
Chapter 42
Ellianna
Yawning, I dropped down onto the couch in the living room. I cuddled up to one of the pillows Vaya had decorated with the moment she’d moved in for the semester. It was soft to the touch but firm enough that it had the perfect support for my neck, making for the best naps.
Curling into a ball, I closed my eyes. After a restless night followed by an early morning class and then a few hours tutoring, I’d had a doctor’s appointment. All I wanted was to spend the rest of the day, and maybe most of the weekend, vegged out right where I was.
How long I dozed, I wasn’t sure, but Hudson’s and Celica’s excited chatter roused me sometime later. Rubbing sleep from my eyes, I rolled onto my back to find them dressed for a night out.
“Please come with us,” Celica urged when she noticed I was awake, her kind smile warming me. “We want to hang out with you.”
I adjusted the pillow under my head. “Where are you going?”
Vaya walked into the living room, dressed to kill. She was, hands down, Judge’s type for sure, but I knew for a fact he never would be hers. Rita had already called dibs.
“There’s this secret society thing,” she explained, but I already knew what she was going to say before she finished. “It’s called the Underground. The locals are obsessed with it. We go a few times a year when we all have a free Friday.”
“I don’t think I’ll be very good company. But it sounds like you three will have a good time.” I sat up, pushing my hair back from my face. “I’m still trying to recover from this long week.”
“You know why you’re so exhausted all the time?” Hudson argued. “Because you’re all work and no play. You need more fun in your life, Elli.”
“I’ll have fun when college is over,” I mumbled.
“You’ll have fun tonight,” she said with a laugh, grabbing my arm and tugging me to my feet. “Come in, El. It’s a blast. We get to see hot guys beating on each other in a metal cage. Drinks aren’t too expensive. And there is always drama of some kind. I’m hoping Beast fights again tonight. Or at least referees. He’s so freaking hot.”
My ears perked up at that. “Beast?”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen Barrick. But of course, I should have known if Lyla was home, the probability of both her cousins being with her was high.
“Yeah, that’s his fighter name,” Hudson explained. “He’s…” Her eyes widened for dramatic effect. “Delicious. Muscles for days. Long mahogany hair. Beard. He’s got a girlfriend, but it’s not a crime to look.”
“I’m a Howler fan.” Celica fanned her face. “He’s built like a tree, and I want to climb him so bad. Blond hair. Blue eyes. I literally melt every time he’s in the cage and he howls.”
Biting back a smile, I considered my options. My roommates and friends wanted to hang out with me. Judge was well aware I was in town now. If we bumped into each other, I’d just pretend not to know him. Not that I expected him to be there. He hadn’t attended a single Underground event the entire summer. Usually because he was locked in a room with me.
Pushing those memories aside, I smiled up at Hudson. “How should I dress?”
I might be close to my roommates, Kyndle more so than the others, but I hadn’t told them I’d grown up in this town. Or that I was all too aware of the Underground and every single one of the fighters.
“Whatever you’re comfortable in,” Vaya answered. “But you look super cute just the way you are.”
“If you’re trying to win points with Rita by buttering me up, I’m sure it’s working,” I teased as I turned to climb the stairs.
“I know how to keep my girl happy,” Vaya called after me, making me laugh.
Over an hour later, Hudson parked her car in the overflowing lot, and I slowly climbed out. Seeing the crowd, I began to have doubts about joining my roommates for the night.
And what if I did see Judge?
My nerves still felt raw after our run-in the day before. Not to mention my visit to the doctor.
But before I could bail, Vaya linked her arm through mine. “You look beautiful like always,” she soothed. “We’re going to have a great night.”
Forcing a smile, I nodded and let her guide me toward the entrance.
Downtown was at the door, taking the cover. I extracted my wallet from my crossbody while the other three paid their entrance fee. When it was my turn, his jaw nearly dropped.
“No charge,” he squawked when I waved the cash in his face.
“But my roommates had to pay,” I explained, willing him with my eyes not to say anything that would require my having to spend the entire night explaining things to Hudson, Celica, and Vaya that I didn’t want to talk about.
He made a choking noise. “They’re with you?” He pointed his thumb at my friends, and I shrugged. Quickly, he counted out the money they had just paid him and shoved it back at them. “Enjoy the fight, ladies.”
Eyes huge, the three of them folded their money. “I’ll get the first round of drinks,” Celica said, waving the bills.
While she and Vaya went to grab us refreshments, Hudson and I went in search of a place to sit that had room for all four of us. “What kind of black magic was that?” she demanded with a laugh. “We’ve all tried to flirt and flash our way past that guy every time we’ve come here. He never gave us a freebie. But you just blinked at him, and he was about to swallow his tongue.”
I glanced around, pretending to people watch so I didn’t have to lie to her face. “I guess I’m his type.”
That, and every single Son would kill him if they found out he’d charged me to get in.
When I caught sight of a tall blond at the bar, I had the urge to duck down so Howler wouldn’t see me, but I quickly chastised myself for being a coward. Then I spotted who was with him, and my heart leaped.
Lyla waved.
“Who is that?” Hudson asked curiously.
“A friend. Be right back.” I was already moving, needing to hug Lyla so badly I felt a burning in my eyes.
As soon as we were close enough, we threw our arms around each other. And everything hit pause for a moment. I breathed in slowly as her arms enfolded me. All I wanted was to hold on for a little longer. To have the peace that settled over me last another second.
Chapter 43
Judge
Taping my hands, I kept the music blasting in my earbuds, blocking out the noise vibrating the walls as fans filled the building.
If Ellianna knew I was fighting, she would be upset. Scared. But she didn’t know, and I needed to release all the frustration that built more and more every day. Every hour without my Elli was an hour too long.
Since I’d seen her the day before, everything had gotten worse. The pain. The noise in my head. The need to destroy everything around me.
After another sleepless night, this one spent outside her house—where I’d seen that asshole Kyndle go inside and never fucking leave—l didn’t risk going to work. No one wanted me to preside over a case when I was already itching to tear someone’s head off.