Then, I’d had to kill Ed.
“You want to talk about it?”
Landon’s voice brought me back to the present. “Not really.” I sighed.
“How did the talk go?”
“It didn’t. We fought. I tried to tell her.” I stared at the ring, barely noticing the scantily clad fight girls, in tiny shorts and tank tops, who were trying to hype up the crowd. “She panicked. She was afraid to listen.”
“Ah.” Landon was quiet for a moment. “She knows something.”
“She must suspect something, but she can’t face it.”
“Ignoring it or killing you won’t make it go away.”
“I know.”
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The announcer’s voice rang out over the crowded seats. “Are you ready for the number one match of the night?”
Wild applause broke out.
“You’re in for a treat. Our first opponent. Anton ‘Rampage’ Kamensky!”
There was loud clapping punctuated by shrill whistles.
The guy who climbed into the ring was huge. He wore electric-blue shorts, and his massive chest was covered in dark hair. He had a shaved head, and looked like he lived in the gym and lifted cars for fun. He turned and raised his massive arms, roaring at the crowd.
The crowd roared back.
“And our second fighter. One you know very well… The Wolf.”
Cole appeared out of a tunnel. He wore simple black shorts and no shirt. He was all slabs of hard muscle, covered in plenty of black ink. He had light-brown hair, and a rugged face that included a nose that had been broken before, and a knife scar on his left cheek
The crowd went wild.
He was a little smaller than his competitor, but I knew that Rampage didn’t stand a chance.
Landon sipped his beer. “Cole is edgy tonight.”
I zeroed in on our friend and I saw it. The tight way he was holding his body, and how he kept glancing over at one part of the crowd. He was tense.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. He won’t share.” Landon took another sip. “I reckon it’s a woman.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Cole?”
There was never a woman with Cole. I knew he occasionally hooked up with some fight groupies, but that was just sex. He didn’t even take them back to his place. He didn’t like anyone getting too close.
No. I didn’t think a woman would be worrying Cole.
In the ring, Kamensky sneered at Cole. He bounced on his feet, saying something. Cole stiffened but otherwise stayed still and stone-faced. Clearly the asshole was trying to provoke Cole.
“Rampage isn’t making good choices,” I murmured.
“No, he’s not,” Landon agreed.
The bell rang and the fight began.
