Page 39 of Filled

The bass thuds low through my chest, something deep and slow that Theo probably mixed himself. Purple lights wash across the leather booths. I spot Cruz immediately because Cruz is impossible to miss. He’s six-two of grinning chaos with his arm slung around Dante’s shoulders like it’s the most casual thing in the world.

“There he is.” Cruz spots me and waves me over; his grin makes me feel like I’m walking into a joke or that I’m the joke. “Thought you got lost, pretty boy.”

“Traffic,” I supply.

“On a Tuesday night?” he asks.

“Shut up, Bennett.” I slide into the booth beside Dante, who passes me a beer.

“Coach here yet?” I ask.

Dante tips his bottle toward the far end of the lounge. “Corner booth. Brooding.”

I follow his gaze. Eli’s hunched over a glass of something amber, looking like he’d rather be doing literally anything else. Marco’s sitting opposite him, talking with that hand-on-the-table gesture he uses when he’s making someone see reason. Good luck with that one, Marco.

“And Dakota?” I ask.

Both of them go quiet. Cruz takes a long pull of his beer.

“Not here yet,” Dante says.

“She’s coming though, right?”

“She said she was.” Cruz shrugs, but I can see him scanning the door over my shoulder. He’s not subtle. Cruz has never been subtle about anything in his life. “Relax, Williams. Drink your beer.”

Instead of arguing, I drink my beer.

Across the lounge, Victor’s got Theo tucked against his side, one massive arm wrapped around Theo’s waist, and Theo’s laughing at something Sloane just said. Theo throws his head back when he laughs, all that curly black hair catching the light. He’s wearing some kind of mesh shirt under a leather jacket that probably cost more than my rent, and Victor is looking at him like the rest of the room doesn’t exist.

At first it kind of weirded me out. Watching Victor with him. Not because they’re gay, but because Victor before Theo was a different man. Harder. Sharper at the edges. Now he looks at his fiancé and his whole face softens, and it makes me think about things I’ve been trying not to think about for months.

“Brady.” Cruz is watching me watch them. His eyes do that crinkle thing. “You good?”

“I’m great.”

“You’re staring,” he pushes.

“I’m observing.”

“Mhm.”

Dante snorts into his beer.

Before Cruz can dig any deeper, Jonah materializes out of nowhere with Micah in tow. Jonah’s already a couple of drinks in. I can tell by the flush across his freckles and the brightness in his green eyes.

“Move over, you lazy bastards.” Jonah slides in next to me, herding Micah into the booth like he’s afraid the kid will bolt. “We’ve been talking to Theo’s friend Sloane for forty-five minutes, and I need a fighter to remind me I’m still in the right industry.”

“She’s terrifying,” Micah deadpans. “She knows the entire fight card for next month. Names, weights, records, sponsors. I think she’s going to put us all out of a job.”

“She runs Eclipse,” Dante says. “She runs Theo. Theo runs Victor. Victor runs us. Pretty sure she’s already got our jobs.”

“Cheers to that.” Cruz lifts his bottle.

We clink glasses.

“So.” Jonah props his chin on his hand. “Where’s the new girl?”

“Said she was coming,” I say.