The lingering smell of sweat and disinfectant filled my nose, and I took a readying breath. We advanced, hands up. I had quicker reflexes than Spencer, but what he lacked in agility, he made up for with brute strength, so when he made the first move, he caught me off-guard. He rarely did that. He faked a jab, and my brain caught onto it, so I leaned down and went low, slapping my shoulder against his pelvis. Spencer buckled slightly, but he regained his footing, and then we were grappling for control, both on our feet and me low, trying to take out his legs. Our breaths came out in short bursts as we fought each other's strength for control of the maneuver.
I adjusted my grip, shifting to a single leg. Then I lifted and drove, taking Spencer off balance, and he twisted, attempting to lock me in a guillotine, but I managed to wedge my hand between his arm and my neck, creating just enough space to breathe. We hit the mat hard, me on top in his half-guard. I pressed my forearm into his throat, a little harder than necessary, and his eyes bugged, his face going red. He hooked my arm, looking for a kimura, but I kept my grip tight, pulling my arm close to my body.
I tried to move him to a side control, but Spencer bucked and bridged, using his hips to create space between his body and the floor, and it forced me to release him. He rolled, and then fast as vipers, we were back on our feet, circling each other like predators.
Breathing hard now, Spencer stared me down and yanked out his mouthguard. "You seriously trying to kill me? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
I lifted my eyes to the ceiling. "Don't be dramatic."
"Right, because accusing me of giving your girlfriend listeria wasn't dramatic."
I glared. He gave me a taunting smirk. Without bothering to warn him, I dove for a leg grapple, but he was faster, immediately catching me in a clinch. His arms wrapped around my torso, and we fought for dominance. I managed to lift him, slamming him back down to the mat. The impact reverberated through the mat, and Spencer wheezed, coughing and rolling to his side. Like the dirty cheat he was, he grabbed me by my ankles and yanked, wrenching me down to the mat where he went right through my guard and into a kimura.
It was at that moment that the gym door opened, and I thought dimly, as I grappled on the ground with Spencer, that my neighbor really couldn't have picked a worse time to want to use the gym. But it wasn't David's voice that drawled through the panting and grunting of Spencer and I loosely trying to kill each other. It was my sister.
"You two look like toddlers fighting over a granola bar. What the fuck are you two doing?"
Spencer and I separated, standing and stumbling away from each other. Panting hard, I ripped out my mouthguard and glared at Arabella, where she stood by the exterior door. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Yeah, don't you live on a compound with polygamists?" Spencer asked, bending to rest his weight on his knees.
She spared him a glare. "You look like a barista. What's with that hair?"
"Man, I missed her," Spencer said, smiling and pointing her way before going to his bag to get his water bottle.
"Arabella," I cut in, folding my arms and trying to force my breathing to calm. "Whatareyou doing here? You live in Utah."
Ara was dressed in an uncharacteristically sophisticated outfit, but she still had the same beat-up leather bag she'd had foryears, and I suspected she would rather be in jeans and a T-shirt. She looked around the gym, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "It smells like karate class in here."
"Ara," I gritted out.
She flipped her pink hair and gave me a haughty look. "Mom made me come for wedding preparations."
My stomach sank. "No, she didn't."
"I'm the maid of honor," she added testily.
"Jesus," I muttered, swiping a hand down my face.
Spencer gave her a distrustful squint. "Wait, for the fake wedding?"
Arabella threw up her arms. "What the hell? Is it fake or is it not? I came to find out where Gemma went because I swear to you, itseemedlike she was really into you, and I believed for a second your engagement was real. Then Mom said you knew it wasn't real, and she was trying to call your bluff. Then Gemma just stood us up for lunch and disappeared. So." Arabella put her hands on her narrow hips, glowering at me from across the gym. "I want the truth, you buttmuncher. What is going on, here?"
"Wait, Gemma left?" I asked. "To go where?"
"Buttmuncher?"Spencer cackled.
"I don't know where she went," Arabella said, completely ignoring Spencer. "She went to the bathroom while Mom and I got a booth at Fontine's, but then she never came back. I looked in the bathroom and stuff, but she wasn't there."
"She saidnothingto you before she left?" I asked suspiciously.
Ara shrugged. "Nope. She just up and left."
"Did you call her?" I asked, already taking off my gloves and running through possibilities in my mind. It wasn't like Gemma to run from a fight. Not unless something had really gone wrong.
"How would I have her number?" Ara shot back.
Point taken. I jogged over to where I'd set my phone and picked it up. Five missed calls from Gemma over the span oftwo hours. Goddammit. I'd been so focused on getting out of work and to the gym, I hadn't even checked it. I dialed her back, pacing while Spencer ribbed Ara.
