Page 63 of Dark Things
“Hey, you good?” Reb asks, setting her bag down in the corner and taking a seat on a folding chair. She reaches into her bag and brings out both of her wraps, handing them to me.
“Yeah, as good as I’m going to be watching you in that ring,” I grumble, kneeling in front of her and unwinding the cloth.
“Some of the old crew are here, think we can find out who he’s brought tonight?” she asks, holding out her right hand.
Taking her hand, I begin to wrap her knuckles,concentrating on getting them perfect. “I’ll text Rook. He should be here with that dirtbag. He might have heard something,” I say, kissing her palm before starting the process on her left.
As soon as I’m done, I stand pulling out my phone.
Me: Heard who she’s fighting tonight?
Rook: One fighter from the city, Gage. Another from who the fuck knows where. I heard that guy’s a fucking menace, tho. Tell her good luck.
I slip the phone back in my pocket and blow out a breath. I don’t know what the fuck Gage did to Stan, but this isn’t going to work out for him. He’s a huge guy, but slow as fuck. She’s going to destroy him, but I’m more concerned with the mystery guy.
Music starts to play and Reb gets up from her chair, moving her neck around and shaking out her hands. I scan her face for signs of nervousness, but Reb’s always been good at locking her emotions away.
“Gage. Another one from somewhere, Rook doesn’t know who he is, but he said it could be a problem,” I say, stepping into her space.
Her face blanches for a moment. “Fuck, I really liked Gage. He did a good fucking job when we were in Florida. I swear Stan does this to everyone I have any attachment to.”
I grab her wrist and circle my thumb on her pulsepoint. “I know. I wish I could fucking stop all this, but we need to remember the goal.”
I feel someone approach from behind me, and stiffen before I turn around. It’s the guy from the underground racetrack. Overalls, or so Reb’s been calling him.
“Hey Ghost, Pitch. Came to see you both in action again,” he says, putting his hands in the pockets of his overalls. I wonder if he owns any other clothes.
Reb lifts her chin, but doesn’t speak. She gets in the zone and blocks most people out before a fight, but I don’t have a problem using this guy if he can get us any information.
“They give you a program for tonight?” I ask, glancing up to see if Vince is close. That fucker will call Stan, and he’ll change the lineup if he thinks we get a heads up.
“Um…not on paper, but I’ve got clients who placed bets. Have to say your odds, Pitch, are shit. Don’t know who fucked up, but I’ll be betting on you.”
“Gage, and who is the other one?” I whisper, stepping closer to him.
He looks around, before leaning in. “A local guy, Brooks. Real shame, I liked the kid.”
I freeze, my whole body locked up. Fear runs through me. She can’t fight him. There’s no way, even if she hates him she’ll never be able to do it.
“Thanks,” I slap Overalls on the shoulder before spinning around and pulling Reb into a dark corner.
She cups my face, “Who is it? Worse than Gage?”
“He brought Brooks here. Or Mario did. I don’t know. Reb…fuck.”
Her eyes widen and a hand closes over her mouth. A sheen of tears fill her eyes. She can’t go through with this. There’s no way she can fight him. I’m going to have to cause a distraction for us to get the fuck out of here.
“No…Haunt. I can’t. Not like this,” she says with a pained stare. “I want him to hurt, not be dead. We have to figure something out.”
The tears don’t fall, but she begins to tremble. I pull her into my chest, wrapping my arms around her. I bend down and speak directly in her ear.
“I got you,gioia mia. Leave it with me. I’ll get him out of here before the fight, and if I can’t, I’ll make sure you both get out before it gets too bad.”
She pulls back and shakes herself a bit before nodding. I look behind me making sure no one is watching before I bend down and put a chaste kiss on her lips.
“I’m going to make this quick. Take care of it as soon as I step into the first fight. If he doesn’t want to leave, tell him…tell him that every fight isn’t worth the price you have to pay. He’ll know what it means,” she says, before making her way to the center of the warehouse where the ring is set up.
I follow behind her, scanning the crowd hoping tofind where that big fucker is, but I don’t see him. I should have saved their numbers in my phone.
