Page 145 of When Darkness Calls

It was like I was talking to a stranger. Even more so than the one that I’d grown used to the last year and half.

“Hey, there you are. Where did you go?” Keegan spins me around.

“I ran into Issac,” I mumbled, looking around trying to see if I could spot him, but it’s like he was never there.

“Issac? Really? Here?” He sounds just as shocked and confused as I was.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. He said he’s here with a guy from school.”

“That’s weird. Come on. We’re gonna go see Grays. Haven’t heard from Marcus yet, so we’re gonna wait there.”

I nodded, following him as he nudges through the people blocking the path to the locker rooms, careful not to hit his leg.

The further down the hall we go, the less the noise permeates the air. It’s even much cooler, which I’m pretty thankful for.

He pushes open a large, heavy door and inside the locker room Grayson sits on a bench as Alex tapes up his hand.

Cade steps out in front of me, face twisted like he’d eaten something sour. “Wanna tell me why you ran off?”

“I told you, Cay. Looking for clues. Getting my Velma vibes going.”

He stares at me for a moment before looking to the ceiling, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well Sherlock, did you find anything?”

I lift my shoulder in nonchalance. “I found Issac, if that’s anything.”

Grayson snorts from the bench. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“That’s literally what I said.”

“Is Liz here too?” Cay looks at me, his tone taking on a protective quality he often gets when he’s talking about me and Liz.

“No. He said she was working—well, he kinda shit talked the fact that she was working, which was weird.”

“Then why is he here? Issac is like a middle-aged office worker in an eighteen-year-old's body now. Coming here doesn’t seem very like him.”

“I know. I asked him that too. He said—”

The door slams open behind me, and a big burly guy walks through. He towers over me and is even taller than Cade. The guy’s covered in tattoos and even has a few on his face weaving between the gnarly looking scars. Familiarity prickles at my scalp.

“Grayson, you got your opponent. Guy’s a newbie,” the man says, his voice is a raspy rattle, like he’s a smoker, but he looks at Grayson with a strange pride.

“Oh, no, really?” Grayson’s disappointment fills the room. “I was hoping for a good one tonight.” He sighs, leaning back against the concrete wall.

“Sorry, kid. I do what I can, but not many people are willing to get in there with you anymore. They either gotta be really drunk, or really stupid.” The man laughs, and Grayson gives him a smug smile.

“Who is it, Bruiser? I’ll be sure to send their family flowers in the morning,” Alex snickers, elbowing him.

Ohhh, yeah, I remember now. He’s not changed very much since the last time I saw him, which has been years now. But the similarities between him and the man at the front door the last time I was here are way more noticeable now. That guy has to be one of his brothers.

“I dunno. Like I said, he’s a newbie. Don’t look much younger than y’all do. Uh, hang on, I think I got it on the paper.” Bruiser digs around in his pocket pulling out a torn-up note. “Here. Uh, some kid named Ethan. Didn’t give me a last name.”

My eyes widen as I look at Grayson. Alex does too. Grayson’s eyes darken as he sees my expression, and his jaw tenses.

“I take it you know the guy. Maybe this won’t be a bad fight after all,” Bruiser chuckles, turning for the door.

“Got twenty minutes, kid. Don’t be late, or I’ll kick your ass,” he calls over his shoulder.

Grayson yells back, “I’d like to see you try old man.”