Chapter Twenty-Four Blake
Chapter Twenty-Four
Blake
Palma fell into the seat beside me, flushed and a little sweaty. “Your foster brother is hot.” And a little wasted since I was smelling a good amount of rum from her breath. She ran a hand through her hair, dislodging it, frowning down at herself. “Shit.”
Placing her drink on the table in front of us, she used both her hands to redo her hair.
It’d been hanging loose earlier, but after an hour moving around and yelling at the fights, she put it up in a clip.
She was redoing the clip. I was envious how seamless she made it look.
Two seconds and voilà, done. Insta-beautiful.
“So.” Palma raised her eyebrows at me, waiting for a response.
I hid a grin. “You’re talking about Levi, right?”
“Of course Levi.” She exhaled a dramatic sigh, grinning at me, and her cheeks were getting more red. “I’m interested. He’s hot. And he has the goofiest, but dreamiest smile. I don’t understand why I keep looking at it.” She groaned, slinking farther down in her seat.
I was enjoying this side of Palma. Not sure about her being into Levi, though.
He’d been doting on us the whole night. He would disappear to do whatever Creighton needed him to do or whatever his job was to do here, but then come back.
He’d make sure our drinks were full. Offer to get us food.
He’d sit with us, tell some funny stories about us growing up together.
He was keeping Creighton out of them, which I was thankful for.
I wasn’t ready for my roommates to find out about him, not yet.
Until then, Levi was being charming.
“He loves that you’re here.” Palma poked me in the arm. “He’s mentioned that like eighteen times.”
I made a pfft sound. Eighteen was a bit high. It was more like twelve.
Shrugging, I reached for my drink. This was a delicate balance of what I could say here, but I was going with the option of not speaking at all.
Marshall had taken to hanging out by the bar with the other guys in their group.
There were a lot of them in the corner of the loft where we were sitting.
From their angle, they were able to watch the fights below.
Some of their dates were dancing with each other in front of them as well.
A few of the girls came over to sit with us just as the crowd parted around us.
I expected to see Levi coming our way, but it was Lassiter.
He approached, his top lip lifted in a hostile little sneer at me.
I raised my chin up, challenging him. He didn’t scare me.
He was so opposite of Levi, who was happy and joyous and smiling every time he came around.
Lassiter was growly and pissed off. And absent.
This was the first time he’d come over since I arrived.
I was a little nervous he was about to tell me Creighton was on his way.
I wasn’t ready for that disaster.
He continued to glare at me before his gaze fell to my drink. “How many of those have you had?”
I made a face at him. “None of your business.”
His eyes narrowed before he turned to one of the girls. “You’re with number 97?”
She jerked upright. “Um. Yeah. He’s fighting tonight.”
“I know. Where is he?”
“Oh.” Her face flooded with color. She looked around. “He was just here. I—” She began to stand up. “I’ll go and find him.”
Lassiter jerked his head toward the fighting ring. “Tell him to head down. He’s third up.” He handed her a piece of paper. “There’s an area in the back where he can get ready, get his head on straight. You can accompany him, if he wants.”
She started to rush off, but he blocked her. His eyes were chilled. “We’ll repeat the rules down there, but just in case: no weapons allowed. To win, it’s KO or if he’s too incapacitated to fight back. Or death.”
“Death?” She gulped, swaying on her feet. “KO?”
“Knock out.” He stepped to the side, motioning for her to leave. It was an almost callous dismissal. “Go and find your boyfriend.”
Lassiter was done with her, so he turned his back on her as he flicked me a glance.
I steeled myself for whatever he was going to say.
He said nothing, disappeared. The crowd swallowed him up.
Levi appeared right after and clapped his hands. “I’m supposed to lead you to the prime viewing spot for the fight.” He did a funny little shuffle, turning to the side and holding out an elbow.
Palma thought that was the cutest thing ever. She hurried out of her seat to link her arm with his.
I stood at a slower pace because where was this prime viewing spot and who else would be there?
“Ready?” Levi was asking me.
Marshall noticed we were on the move and zipped around his friends as Levi began leading us into a back hallway.
“Where are we going?” Marshall leaned in, his forehead bumping my arm since he was trying to take a drink at the same time. And walk. And talk. So he stumbled into a wall as well.
He was drunk. He’d been drinking steadily the whole time.
I chose to save my breath.
Levi continued moving, now going through a door and into a hallway on the second floor.
Palma glanced back at us and mouthed, “So. Hot!”
Marshall frowned at her. “What’d you just say?”
She bulged her eyes out at him before looking ahead again.
I slapped Marshall on the chest.
“Ouch.” He touched where I’d hit him. “What was that for?”
I shook my head. “Just because.”
He was still rubbing his chest. “Well, that hurt.”
I was on edge. Again. I’d been watching how much I drank once we got here because if Creighton showed up, I knew him.
Everything would be about him. And he wouldn’t hardly do anything.
He’d just have to walk through the room, but this place was full of his soldiers.
Or followers. They would know he was here. The air in the room would change.
I ignored the pinching in my chest, reminding myself it was because of the last time he and I spoke.
The “prime viewing spot” was a private balcony above the fighting ring. No one else but our group was allowed.
My knees almost shook from the relief.
Levi noticed my reaction, shaking his head. I couldn’t help it. He was all in with Creighton. He also didn’t know what it was like to have a conscience, so there you go. He didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter tonight. Creighton wasn’t here. Their friend was about to fight soon.
I needed more drinks.