handed Allie a menu and she looked through it while the boys talked about some of the fights they’d been to. I was regularly invited out to see what my competitors had in store, but I never bothered to. I didn’t watch fights. I strictly went to fight – and win. I liked facing the unexpected. Learning about my competition tamed the thrill of it for me.
“You want something to drink?” Matt then asked Allie as he signalled a waitress over. “It’ll be on me.”
“No,” I butt in before she could answer. The girl was pregnant… and underage, not that the latter even mattered in a place like this. Everyone drank; the young and the old. That was Hedley for you. “We’re not here to get wasted, Matt.”
“Well, al-fucking-right then,” he said to me, annoyed. “She’s got a mouth, Heath, how about letting her use it?”
I ground my teeth at him. “Not the night to be a dickhead,” I warned him.
He returned the icy glare but didn’t respond.
Eventually, he backed off and got up to play pool. I chatted with Jorge for a while before he, too, joined him. Allie ate her plate of burger and fries, and I tipped half of my food next to hers, knowing she would probably still be hungry after. She smiled at the act, her blue eyes glowing. My chest tightened, and I had the sudden urge to wrap an arm around her and pretend that she really was mine. Too many guys were noticing her, and tonight there were at least three times more men than there were women, and to my frustration, those girls seemed to gravitate toward me.
“Hey, Lawson,” they cooed, one at a time. I managed a nod in their direction, hoping that would be the end of it. I didn’t like the way Allie watched them watch me. For the first time, it made me uncomfortable. Her impression of me was important. I didn’t want her to think I was some sleazebag, but I didn’t blame her if she did. I had a long history of women, and even though I was careful to make sure they were clean and I was completely protected every time, it still didn’t impress my image.
I glanced around the room, making sure there was no tension anywhere. The slightest ruffling of someone’s feathers and the bar was likely to descend into chaos.
“Oh, my God,” said Allie in horror. “There’s that guy you fought when I went to you for help that night.”
I followed her direct line of sight to Tank. The guy was a hot mess, sitting at a table with a huge mug of beer and a barely legal, half-naked girl on his lap. He was all smiles, laughing it up as another man began setting up a game of cards.
“I thought enemy fighters were meant to keep away from each other in social places,” she continued, looking at me for an explanation.
I couldn’t help the laugh that came out of me. “Fuck, Allie, you’ve watched too many movies. It’s not like that here. You keep your personal baggage out of a fight. You never want to make it more than business between two fighters.”
“So you guys are like… okay?”
Jesus, how sheltered was she? “Haven’t you been to a lot of the fights?”
“Yeah, but Ryker used to take me straight home after.”
“He really suffocated you, didn’t he?”
She shrugged and looked away. “I didn’t feel that way at the time.”
Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, I looked at Tank and whistled loudly. “Hey, Tank! How’s it going tonight?!”
Tank looked up from his game of cards and met my eye. With a nod, he shouted back, “Fucking A-okay, man. How you doin’, Lawson?”
“Doing damn good, thanks.”
“That your misses right there?” he asked, gesturing to Allie.
“Off-limits to you if that’s what you’re really getting at,” I told him.
He winked. “Off-limits, hey? I love a good challenge.”
From my peripheral, Allie cringed and I laughed. Tank was being a shit head. Unlike many, he was a happy drunk, and despite his fighter status, he was as harmless as a fly to the public.
He raised his beer to me and gave me
“You want something to drink?” Matt then asked Allie as he signalled a waitress over. “It’ll be on me.”
“No,” I butt in before she could answer. The girl was pregnant… and underage, not that the latter even mattered in a place like this. Everyone drank; the young and the old. That was Hedley for you. “We’re not here to get wasted, Matt.”
“Well, al-fucking-right then,” he said to me, annoyed. “She’s got a mouth, Heath, how about letting her use it?”
I ground my teeth at him. “Not the night to be a dickhead,” I warned him.
He returned the icy glare but didn’t respond.
Eventually, he backed off and got up to play pool. I chatted with Jorge for a while before he, too, joined him. Allie ate her plate of burger and fries, and I tipped half of my food next to hers, knowing she would probably still be hungry after. She smiled at the act, her blue eyes glowing. My chest tightened, and I had the sudden urge to wrap an arm around her and pretend that she really was mine. Too many guys were noticing her, and tonight there were at least three times more men than there were women, and to my frustration, those girls seemed to gravitate toward me.
“Hey, Lawson,” they cooed, one at a time. I managed a nod in their direction, hoping that would be the end of it. I didn’t like the way Allie watched them watch me. For the first time, it made me uncomfortable. Her impression of me was important. I didn’t want her to think I was some sleazebag, but I didn’t blame her if she did. I had a long history of women, and even though I was careful to make sure they were clean and I was completely protected every time, it still didn’t impress my image.
I glanced around the room, making sure there was no tension anywhere. The slightest ruffling of someone’s feathers and the bar was likely to descend into chaos.
“Oh, my God,” said Allie in horror. “There’s that guy you fought when I went to you for help that night.”
I followed her direct line of sight to Tank. The guy was a hot mess, sitting at a table with a huge mug of beer and a barely legal, half-naked girl on his lap. He was all smiles, laughing it up as another man began setting up a game of cards.
“I thought enemy fighters were meant to keep away from each other in social places,” she continued, looking at me for an explanation.
I couldn’t help the laugh that came out of me. “Fuck, Allie, you’ve watched too many movies. It’s not like that here. You keep your personal baggage out of a fight. You never want to make it more than business between two fighters.”
“So you guys are like… okay?”
Jesus, how sheltered was she? “Haven’t you been to a lot of the fights?”
“Yeah, but Ryker used to take me straight home after.”
“He really suffocated you, didn’t he?”
She shrugged and looked away. “I didn’t feel that way at the time.”
Not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, I looked at Tank and whistled loudly. “Hey, Tank! How’s it going tonight?!”
Tank looked up from his game of cards and met my eye. With a nod, he shouted back, “Fucking A-okay, man. How you doin’, Lawson?”
“Doing damn good, thanks.”
“That your misses right there?” he asked, gesturing to Allie.
“Off-limits to you if that’s what you’re really getting at,” I told him.
He winked. “Off-limits, hey? I love a good challenge.”
From my peripheral, Allie cringed and I laughed. Tank was being a shit head. Unlike many, he was a happy drunk, and despite his fighter status, he was as harmless as a fly to the public.
He raised his beer to me and gave me
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