Page 94 of Raze
We pass by a couple of pool tables and dart boards in the back, and then Kellan opens another door that leads from one hallway to another, eventually bringing us to a bouncer-type guy at the top of a set of stairs.
“Evening, boss.” The beefy guy nods his head in respect to Kellan, who’s since taken up the front position for all the doorways while keeping a firm hold on my hand. “Miss,” he adds with another distinct nod my way. I’m pleased he didn’t ignore me as if I’m some temporary side piece to Kellan tonight. Does that mean he hasn’t brought a lot of girls here before?
Ugh, stop thinking about it.It doesn’t matter. I didn’t even keep track of the guys I’d been with in the last five years, so it shouldn’t bother me if he’d done the same thing. We were dead to each other, and we each had moved on in our own ways.
It still fucking bothers me.
“You fightin’ tonight?” The bouncer’s gruff expression cracks enough to reveal barely restrained eagerness.
Kellan’s hand squeezes mine. I’m not sure what he’s looking forwith that squeeze, but then I see the look in his blue-green eyes, and it’s nothing but pure excitement. He’s pumped over whatever’s about to happen.
“Naw, I’m here to watch my girl tonight.”
The bouncer turns to look me up and down, sizing me up in my black leggings, tank top, and jacket. He merely nods. “If you’re with him, then I’m sure you’re a fighter. I’ll put my money on you, darling,” He shoots me a wink.
Kellan laughs and pats his hand on the guy’s shoulder. “Good call, Lorcan. Hopefully, your shift is over soon, so you can watch.”
Lorcan digs a wad of cash from his pocket. He flicks through a few bills and hands it to Kell. “In case I’m late, put my bet in for me, will ya?”
Kellan raises his hand with the money and tilts his head. “You got it.” He turns his face to me. “You ready, beautiful?”
“No, but when has that ever stopped me?”
Snickering, he pulls us down the stairs. I can already hear the echo of shouting and cheers from here, even though there’s a thick door between the stairs and the next room. Once it opens, we’re walking into a large, open room full of barrels for seats and small round tables. In the center of the room is a platform with a metal cage around it in the shape of a dome. It goes as high as the ceiling and is twice as wide.
It’s huge.
The room itself is packed. Money is held up in hands, and I spot staff serving drinks and taking bets every ten feet. Kellan uses his large frame to push a pathway for us to a guy in the corner with the microphone.
The guy sees us and stands on the stool he’d been parked on. “Oh, hells yes! Folks, count your lucky stars because I see the Dragon is here!” he cries out into the microphone over the din. Cheers from every corner of the room erupt in a deafening roar. “If you think you’re fierce, I dare you to take on the Dragon! This is your chance to claim the title of champion while he’s here, so sign up against him while you can!”
Kellan drops my hand to cross his arms over his chest while smirking up at him. “Get your dumb ass down here, York. I never said I was fighting tonight.”
York jumps down and tosses the microphone back behind him. “Well, you can’t disappoint your fans and competition now, can you?” He grins. “It’s been too long since you were here last, man. You owe me some of that hype we’ve been missing.” He looks past Kell to me. “Evening!” He salutes me with two fingers. “You a watcher or a fighter?”
“A fighter,” I shout back at him, even though we’re only a couple feet from one another, because the crowd still hasn’t calmed down from his announcement.
Pride glows from Kellan, and my heart trips over itself. It’s like a shot of adrenaline and dopamine all at once, and a girl could get addicted to the feeling.
I can’t remember the last time I’d ever wanted to do something for someone else like this. I better not fuck it up. He clearly thinks I can do this, but what if I fail in front of everyone here?
“You’re worthless.”
Shut up, Gordon. Kellan believes in me, and I’m not going to let him down.
“Fucking fantastic! This is going to be a great night, Kell. You’ll see in your bank account when it’s over.”
Kellan waves his hand at that like he couldn’t care less. “Make sure she’s got some time to watch the fights before you stick her in the line-up. This is her first time, so she’ll need to see what we’re about first.”
York whips out his phone and nods seriously. “Yes, yes. Oh! What’s your calling card?” he directs the question my way.
Uh… “My what?”
“Your nickname that they’ll call you,” Kellan leans down in my ear to answer.
“Oh. I don’t know…”
I recall Kit’s nickname for me and snort. Well, if Kellan is Dragon, then maybe this name isn’t as silly as it sounds.
