“You’ll see.” Victor opens the front door. “By the way, where did Alek go?”
“I think he’s busy with Abi. She invited him over to her room so I could be with you here.”
Victor’s body stills. “She knows?”
“She’s very perceptive. But she won’t say anything to Alek.”
He nods and we get in his car, backing out of the driveway.
“We need to talk to Alek soon…” Victor peers at me while still trying to keep his eyes on the road. “About us.”
I like the sound ofusso much.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The drive is short. If I’m orienting myself correctly, we’re on the other side of campus where the older buildings and baseball field are located. I never come here. No one does because most of the space is closed for construction. Big piles of sand stretch everywhere, surrounded by yellow tape.
Victor parks on the street. It’s a brief walk to a run-down looking building. He holds my hand and I don’t want to let go of his.
“This is where they have the secret fight club now.”
My eyes widen and snap to his. “Wow. But how do they avoid getting caught? This place looks deserted, but it’s hardly a big secret.”
Victor smiles. “The guy who organizes the fights changes the location sometimes. He has a system down.”
We walk inside the one-story building.
“It’s actually clean inside.” I’m shocked.
“This part of the baseball clubhouse leads to the guy’s office. I’ll show you the room where the fights happen.”
“He has an office?”
“He runs a business.”
Victor opens doors and we enter a locker room, then bathrooms with showers.
“These areas look nice. Why does the university want to destroy them?”
“Because of this part of the building.”
We get to the end of a stuffy hallway and Victor pushes a green metal door.
The sun rays getting in through the small, high window reveal little dust particles floating in the air. The window is high enough that no one can reach it without a ladder.
Victor follows my gaze.
“Once the fight starts, no one can escape through the window and a few guys guard the door. The fight goes until one man stays down.”
I gulp. “The drywall is peeling off.”
“Not safe. That’s why the university doesn’t let anyone in here. But they’ve been stalling the renovations while trying to agree on the best design and use of the new structure.”
Victor tugs on my hand and closes the door behind me. “Last room is the office.”
We go back down the narrow hallway to the cleaner part of the building and suddenly Victor pulls me to the side.
“Oooh. I would have totally missed it.”
