It’s like a siren going on in my mind. Like someone reaching out and running their finger over the length of my back. I have dozens of eyes on me, but someone’sfeelmore prominently than the rest,and I search for the gaze.
Roxie.Her name goes off like a neon sign lighting up in my brain and I swear I stop breathing. I haven’t allowed myself to even think her name in years.
She’s back. Is she really?
What is she doing here?Anxiety fills my chest at the thought of her being down here at all, even though I’m so fucking overjoyed to see her.
Her mouth opens, but before I can see what she’d say, time catches up with me and everything happens at once.
Mario comes up to me, throwing my arm over his shoulder to carry some of my weight as my leg gives out. Fuck, that guy really got me.
“Come on, come on,” he grunts. I’m at least four inches taller than he is and it really works against us right now. When I look back for Roxie, she’s gone.
No.
My chest tightens.
No. Not again.
I must have imagined her…
It wouldn’t be the first time.
“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Goddamn it, I really miss Asher coming to the fights right now.
Asher got out and I’m glad he did, but it made it so I had to find another man in the corner. Mario and Ricardo seemed to fit the bill, but it’s definitely not the same.
“Yeah, yeah, you can curse me out as you’re counting your thousands. Let’s go.” Mario pulls me through the crowd that starts to swarm, like they always do. They’re usually swarming me in joy and camaraderie, tonight the tone is different. They think I’ve cheated. Mario’s young, but he knows how to bet on me to make the most money possible in one night.
It brings a lot of angry hecklers.
“Fucking snake!”
“He cheated, get him!”
“No one beats The Fist! What the fuck?!”
All kinds of things are screamed at me, screamed at Mario as we rush through the crowd as fast as I can stand it. The Fist stomped on my shin early in the fight. Pretty sure it’s got a hairline fracture; I can feel it so much more now that the adrenaline’s leaving my system.
“I…can’t. Help,” I whisper, I’m barely forcing myself to keep going.
“Just a little longer, Ty. Come on, big bro.”
Ricardo’s standing at the entrance, a bag visibly full of cash as he waves us along to try and get us to walk faster.
“Come on, quicker,they’re starting to turn,” he snaps.
“You don’t think I can fucking see that?” Mario yells. Ricardo holds the bag tighter and runs out the door to get the car. I’d be more hesitant to leave him with my bag of cash, but if I get caught by the crowd I don’t want that to add fuel to the fire.
Making sure I get paid, and keeping as much as I can, is paramount.
I’m not ruining my pretty face over nothing.
Mario and I limp out the front door and into the car Ricky had right by the entrance. Climbing into the backseat hurts like a son of a bitch, but it’s gotta happen. Mario climbs in after me, Ricardo gets behind the wheel just as the mob starts leaving the venue, a few knuckleheads looking for me.
It’s like these dumbasses don’t realize that if they place a bet and lose, they lose their money too. This is the first time I’ve seen the crowd turn like this. Enough to follow me out. Holy fuck.
“Where are we going?” Ricardo asks nervously, looking around to make sure we aren’t being followed.
