“Summer!” Xander calls through the door.
“Yeah, come in.”
He opens the door, looking excited and dressed casually in jeans and a white T-shirt. His shoulder length hair is pulled back at the nape of his neck. “You ready?”
“Yeah,” I say, smoothing my hair with my fingers.
“You look fine. Reid’s on his way,” he says, bouncing on his feet.
“I’m glad someone’s excited,” I say as I dab some lip balm on my lips. I grab my phone and slide it into my bra, ready to go. Reid arrives ten minutes later, not looking his usual self. He looks like Reid when I first met him, tightly wound and brooding.
“You okay?” I ask him, wrapping my arms around his torso.
“Yeah, I get a little anxious before a fight,” he says, which is understandable, I guess. Xander takes his own car, and I jump into Reid’s.
“Summer,” says a feminine voice from the back seat. My head spins around faster than the chick from The Exorcist, as I turn and see Jade.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, surprised.
“I’ve never missed a fight before, you think I’m gonna miss one just because you’re in Reid’s life?” she says, staring down at her manicured nails. Fucking Reid. A little warning would be nice. Reid slides into the driver’s seat, and obviously feels the tension because he snaps, “Not today, alright.”
The ride is silent and tense, and I stare out the window the entire time. Is he always like this before a fight? If so, I’d rather stay at home and watch Catfish. We arrive at a different location than the last fight, and it looks more crowded this time around. Reid steps out the car, and walks around to my door, opening it for me. He’s dressed in a pair of shorts and a hoodie, which I assume will be coming off when he enters the ring.
“You okay?” I ask him softly. Jade opens her own car door, huffing about something or the other.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just… just stay with your brother, Ryan, and your dad, and stay where I can see you, okay?”
“Okay,” I say, clutching my jacket and pulling it tighter.
“I’m serious, Summer, I want you in my line of sight.”
“Okay.”
We walk up to the entrance, and the man standing at the door lets us through, jumping the line. I ignore the looks a few of the women give me when Reid puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me in. When I see the huge caged octagon, I swallow hard. This place looks scarier than the last one.
I look at Reid to find him already looking at me, taking in my reaction. I attempt a smile but I’m sure it comes out more as a grimace than anything. He takes my hand in his, threading our fingers together. I take comfort in the gesture. Surprisingly, Jade steps up next to me, flanking my other side.
I spot my dad, my brother, Dash, and Ryan standing in a group, talking amongst each other. Reid squeezes my hand as we approach them. Dad immediately comes over and kisses me on the top of my head, and then pulls Reid aside, for what I assume is a pep talk. Another man walks up and joins them.
“Who’s that?” I ask Jade.
“Reid’s trainer,” she answers. I notice her eye Xander, which makes me bristle.
“Don’t even think about it,” I say in a sing-song voice, my eyes still on Reid.
“I’d think you’d be happy, at least I’d back off Reid,” she says.
I tilt my head to look at her. “Reid sees you like a sister. And as I’m sure you know, Xander is my brother.”
Who I’m not willing to share with you, either.
I hear a few cheers so I look to see what the commotion is about. A bulky man dressed in a pair of shorts stands on the other side of us, a small posse surrounding him.
“That’s who he’s fighting?” I drawl.
“Yep. Daniel “Devil” Lanchester, in the flesh. He’s kinda cute, huh,” Jade says, nudging me with her elbow.
“What’s with the nickname thing? Kinda silly, isn’t it?”
Jade shrugs. “I don’t know who started it but everyone has one. Maybe it’s safer not to use a real name, not like these are sanctioned fights.”
“Yeah except you still know the guy's real name,” I say, shaking my head in confusion.
Jade shrugs, her attention going back to Xander. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. “Oh, look. Your real competition's here. Haven’t seen her here in a long ass time,” she says sweetly, looking out into the crowd.
“What?” I have no idea what she’s on about.
“Hey, sis, you ready?” Xander asks as he steps up next to me. Dash comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Hey, Dash.”
“Hey. You smell good,” he says, sniffing me again.
“Hey, Ry.”
“Hey, babe, come stand next to me, and don’t move, okay?” he says, looking serious. His lips are pursed and stare unwavering.
I grin. “Did Reid threaten you?”
“He needs to be focused so we needa do our part on this end,” he says.
“Well, don’t worry about me, I’m not going anywhere,” I say as I stare out at the crowd. The warehouse is filling up with even more people, and I start to feel a little anxious. I see Reid approach and run into his arms.
“Beauty,” he murmurs, I can hear the smile in his voice.
“You gotta head up there, Reid,” Ryan says, rubbing the back of his neck. Reid nods sharply, and takes a step back so he can remove his hoodie. Underneath is a white singlet, which he pulls off as well, leaving him bare-chested, and left in nothing but a pair of low slung shorts. No wonder people pay so much money to watch these fights. He wraps his wrists and hands, smiling up at me once he's done.