“Yo, get your bets in now.We got this stupid kid facing off with Gaviria.Ten to one he doesn’t last five minutes against Gav.Twenty that Gaviria kills him.”
Around us, people rushed forward, calling their bets, and one of Lunatic’s friends noted them all on his phone.I waited until most of them cleared out before counting out the bills I had.
“All of it on me winning the match,” I told him, my face remaining impassive.That changed the minute I finally spotted Gaviria.
One of the red lights hit him, then a blue one, before shifting to purple.Confidence was clear on his face, even with the lights strobing off him.Cocky.Sure of his skills.He was dressed in track pants, and he pulled his shirt over his head as he turned his back to me, speaking to someone in Miguel’s group.
That was when I saw the PCC stamp on his left shoulder.That same brand had been all over the place when I’d searched the warehouse location online.
Lunatic took the cash from me at the same time I moved forward, letting go of the wall.For the first time, I allowed the disassociation.Welcomed it, like a friend.An ally.Cold, violent energy filled my blood, an electrical current running just below the surface.Each step forward was steady, purposeful.
People shifted out of my way, parting and then circling until a tight human ring surrounded Gaviria and me.Recognition didn’t enter his eyes as he turned to face me, his gaze skimming me from head to toe, assessing if I was going to be a worthy opponent or not.His mouth ticked upward, so fucking sure of himself, it was almost amusing.
On closer inspection, he looked younger than I’d expected.Evan had told me the teacher was in his early twenties, but he didn’t appear much older than me.Height- and build-wise, we were fairly similar in size, although I was on the leaner side, compared to him.
This was the guy who had harassed Ali.Stalked her.Took nudes of her in the shower at school.Videoed her.Cornered her.
Touched her.
Scared her.
Itch.
Rolling my shoulders, I popped my neck left and right.One by one, I shook out my arms and wrists before beckoning my prey closer with both hands.
Gaviria swaggered forward, swung, and connected with my jaw.
Mmmmm.That hit hurt, but it felt so damn good.There was some weight behind that punch, the pain slicing through my body, scratching away at a little of that burning itch.Allowing him to throw the first punch wasn’t about control.It was to solidify the wall in my mind.Keep it in place, thicken the pane of glass.
Around us, the crowd went crazy, automatically assuming it was going to be a one-sided match.
A laugh escaped me, the sound chilling to my own ears.Because now, it was my turn.
Game on, motherfucker.
Ali
Evan confirmedmy suspicions about Gaviria being connected to the PCC.Why he’d gotten close enough to the assistant coach to know, I didn’t understand or care.Apparently, I wasn’t the only one making stupid life choices.
His confirmation left my stomach in free fall.I did another search on the cartel and their fight clubs.It gave us an address, a possible location to at least start looking for Sixx.A few blocks from our destination, I spotted Sixx’s Porsche.
“No, no, no,” I whispered.Bentley reached for my hand again, squeezing hard.
“I thought he was all talk,” Evan said, sounding defensive, just like he had from the moment we’d picked him up from First Bass.
Since then, my sister and Hayat had been blowing up all three of our phones.After Abi’s first call that I’d answered, I’d turned mine off.My sister would try to track me, and that was the last thing I wanted.
“Honestly, I thought it was just him trying to impress me.During basketball season, he hung out with us after games.He came to a few parties.That kind of stuff.”
Bentley glanced at him in the rearview mirror.“A teacher was at high school parties.Did he hook up with any girls?”
Silence came from the back seat.I clenched my eyes closed.What the actual fuck?Evan was someone I no longer recognized.The boy I used to know wouldn’t have been okay with a teacher having sex with a high school student.He would have stepped in, not turned a blind eye to what was going on.
It also made it clearer why he was ready to accuse me of wanting Gaviria’s attention.Instead of growing up, becoming wiser, Evan and I had only been growing apart.He was the polar opposite of the guy I thought I knew.Disappointment crushed my rib cage.
“And that didn’t trigger any alarms for you?”Bentley snapped.“The fact that an adult was hanging out with high school kids, hooking up girls who are practically babies—none of that was at all weird to you?”
“No, because he’s younger than Mason, and I hang out with Mace all the damn time.”
