“Bill finally popped the question?” Piper asked, leaning forward to get a better look at the rock.
“Yep.” Tammy was glowing as she confirmed it.
“Congrats,” I said. I was happy for her, but I didn’t understand what the big deal was about getting married. These days, with divorce rates being as high as they were, it seemed like setting yourself up for failure to me.
I never wanted to do it.
As Tammy talked about her plans for the wedding, which wasn’t even going to take place until next year, I tried to look interested. I just couldn’t wrap my head around spending so much money on one party that didn’t really mean anything in the end. It was just a piece of paper that represented a promise that could easily be broken. Marriage didn’t mean forever. The only way that was going to happen was if you wanted it.
Personally, I’d rather spend that kind of big money on a new bike or a vacation, something like that.
I thought about my empty house. It would be nice to have someone there, someone to come home to every day, but I didn’t need a wedding band to know that I had that. I believed in a man showing his intentions with actions, not words and promises.
Eight
Blade
The warehouse was full of people once again. The turnout for these street fights was huge, much larger than I would have guessed before I started coming. I figured that a secret, illegal activity like this would have to have a limited number of participants to keep it under wraps. It turned out that we were all at risk of incarceration just by being here, so no one was likely to rat out the location for fear of getting busted themselves. It was kind of beautiful.
“I can’t believe you talked me into coming back here,” Alex said from my side. He was in a shitty mood tonight.
The frustrating thing was that Alex probably would have been more willing to tag along and watch my back if he knew that I was trying to gather information about a killer to avenge a man and protect that man’s wife and kid. But that was club business, and I couldn’t talk about it.
“Lighten up. The guy I’m going up against tonight isn’t nearly as big as the Beast.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“Drink your beer and stick with me,” I said, handing over a bottle with the cap already twisted off.
Alex took it without comment, and I tipped back my own drink. Usually, when I came here, I registered to fight, then stayed out of the way. I spent the time observing the fights, taking mental notes on my potential future opponents, and getting hyped up for my own round. I wasn’t interested in making friends.
But tonight, I had to work the crowd.
I could feel the weight of Alex’s gaze as I led us around the edge of the group of observers. Closer to the fighting ring, the crowd was rowdy, as the gamblers got worked up over the fight, but further back, I could have a conversation.
I spotted a man that I’d seen at Luca’s side in the past. If I remembered correctly, he went by the name Kane. Approaching, I took note of his bloodshot eyes as he polished off a bottle of Bud, tossing the empty to the side, where it broke on the concrete along with a small pile of others. If they were all his, luck was on my side. In my experience, drunk men had loose lips.
“Who do you favor in the next fight?” I asked, stopping beside him and leaning against a concrete pillar.
If he was surprised that I was talking to him, he didn’t show it.
“You planning to place another bet? It sure as hell worked out well for you last time.” Kane remarked.
I shrugged. “Not sure. It’s easy to bet on myself, but I can’t predict what others will do.”
“I’ll admit, you surprised the hell out of me last week. The Beast is...well, abeast.I’m not sure if you’re a hero around here or a villain for taking him down.”
“I’m not here to make friends either way.”
“So, why are you talking to me?”
Damn, he had me there. Maybe he wasn’t as drunk as I’d hoped.
“Looking to score some blow,” I said on a whim. In reality, I didn’t touch that shit, but it would do well to hide my real motives. I saw Alex freeze out of the corner of my eye and hoped that he wouldn’t interrupt unless I needed backup for some reason.
“Really?” Kane leveled me with a speculative gaze, which I met head-on. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but I made sure that my eyes didn’t waver.
“Yep. My friend and I are hoping to have a good time later tonight.”
