So yep, I was ready to jump up and start pacing.
Eves gave my hand another squeeze. “It’s going to be fine. Jesse’s a good fighter.”
“He’ll be fine, babe,” Spanner said, grinning wide. “Our boy’s a beast in the ring.”
I tried to smile at Spanner, and obviously looked as wide-eyed and freaked as I felt because he laughed and shook his head at me.
The room suddenly erupted with cheers and hoots, some boos as well. I shot to my feet.
Jesse had just walked in, bouncing on the balls of his feet, gloves on his hands and stripped down to only a pair of nylon shorts and boot-like boxing shoes. His tattooed skin already had a sheen of sweat on it, and his beautiful ink stood out under the bright lights. His expression was fierce, fully focused. Dane met him in his corner and they huddled together. Everly’s boyfriend was obviously giving him a pep talk, his mouth moving rapidly, his face intense.
Jesse’s opponent walked in to a similar reaction and climbed into the ring as well. They were close in size and looked around the same age. The other guy looked at Jesse like he wanted to tear him apart.
I twisted in my seat and tapped Spanner’s leg. He glanced down at me.
“Does Jesse know that guy?”
Spanner smiled so wide all I could see was teeth. “He’s from one of our support clubs. He and Riff have fought a few times at parties. He hates our boy.”
“Why?”
“Not sure I should tell you that, sweetheart. But let’s just say he’d love to fuck Grifter up.”
The bell dinged.
I spun back, heart pounding.
They advanced on each other. Jesse was focused, his expression cold, blank, alarmingly so. The other man, however, looked like an angry bull, nostrils flared, lips pulled back, teeth gritted. They started trading hits, fists slamming into flesh, ducking and jabbing. The other man wasn’t getting as many in, and that seemed to make him even angrier, had him making mistakes.
Or what looked that way to my untrained eye.
Jesse kept that emotionless expression on his face, like he’d switched off a part of himself completely. The look in his eyes was so frigid, it sent a shiver up my spine even as heat spiraled through my belly and I squeezed my thighs together.
They fought two rounds like that, everyone cheering and booing, yelling taunts or encouragement.
During the next round, Jesse took a few more hits. My nerves skyrocketed. The other man punched Jesse hard, then again and again, and Jesse fell back against the ropes as the round finally ended.
“Don’t worry,” Spanner said. “Riff’s just playing with him. Letting him think he’s got him beat. We’ve got a lot of money riding on a win in the fourth round. Riff will finish him then.”
I stared at him in shock. “Playing with him?”
Spanner shrugged. “It’s what he does. These fuckers wanna beat him so bad they fall for that shit every time.”
The bell rang again and they moved back to the middle of the ring. This time Jesse wasn’t bouncing on his feet, he just kind of stepped in, then back. And when his opponent swung, Jesse ducked and slammed his fist into the other man’s stomach.
The guy gasped but straightened, looking a little unsteady. He swung again, and again Jesse ducked it and returned with a punch of his own. His fist slammed into the other man’s jaw and his head jerked back.
He shook his head several times, then came back swinging. Jesse deflected the punch and grinned, that same deadly smile that I remembered seeing on his face in this ring all those months ago. Jesse advanced, hitting the other guy over and over. He took a couple more hits as well but didn’t seem to notice as he single-mindedly beat the ever-loving hell out of his opponent.
When he was done toying with him, because Spanner had been right, it was easy to see now. He hit the other man one more time, hard. The guy fell to the mat, out cold.
The ref counted down, then lifted Jesse’s arm in the air and cheers went up loud enough to make the floor vibrate.
Jesse grinned, then reached down and helped his opponent up when he came to. After a couple words and some thumps on the back, Jesse climbed out and headed toward the changing rooms.
Spanner nudged my arm. “Come on, I’ll take you to him.”
I glanced at Eves just as Dane reached us.
“I’ll be back,” I said to them, and nodded to Spanner. “Thanks.”
People cleared a path as Spanner mowed through the crowd with me half jogging to keep up with him. We entered a long hall right as someone called Spanner’s name and said something. By the tone, it seemed important.
He frowned. “You’ll be okay from here?” He pointed to the door at the end. “Riff’s just in there.”
“I’ll be fine, thanks.”
Spanner yelled a reply to his friend and disappeared back into the main room and I started toward the closed door at the end of the hall.
“Lila?” a rough voice said behind me.
I turned back.
An older man stood there. He was wearing a Ramblers vest and there was something vaguely familiar about him. His head tilted to the side and he looked me over.
“I don’t think we’ve met,” I said, feeling suddenly nervous.
“You looking for Jesse?”
“Spanner said he was down here.”
He shook his head. “He asked me to bring you to him.” He grinned, and I knew who he was instantly. “I’m his dad,” he said confirming it. “He’s through here.” He motioned to the door beside him.
I glanced at the one Spanner had pointed out to me.
“Hurry up, girl. He’s waiting,” Jesse’s dad said gruffly.
I offered him a friendly smile, despite his impatience. Jesse and his dad’s relationship was strained. He’d never gone into it with me, but if they were together now, that had to be a good thing, right? Maybe they were trying to work out their differences?
He planted his hand on my lower back when I reached him, opened the door, and gave me a not so gentle shove through it. We weren’t in the warehouse anymore. We were outside, behind the building, and it was dark.
I glanced around, trying to see into the shadows. “Jesse?”
The door banged shut behind me and I looked up. Jesse’s dad stood in front of the door, his arms crossed, blocking the way back in.
“Grifter isn’t out here,” he said.
“What’s going on…”
“Shut up.”
I froze.
The sounds from inside were muffled, but out here was eerily quiet. I didn’t think anyone would hear me if I screamed.
His green gaze, the same shade as Jesse’s, bored into me. “We’re going to get a few things straight, and then I’ll let you go back inside.”
I shivered, not just because I didn’t have my jacket and it was cold, but from the dead-eyed man looking at me. There was no warmth in his gaze, it was arctic, devoid of emotion. The same look Jesse got when he was in the ring.
“Nod yes for me,” he said, voice rough.
I did as he said because this man scared the crap out of me.
“I’m not sure what you think you’re doing with Riff, a walk on the wild side maybe…”
“No…”
He took a step closer and I slammed my mouth shut, fear shooting through me. I didn’t know this man or what he was capable of, and I didn’t want to find out.