Page 149 of The Obvious Check
I can't help but look at Savannah, who has the tiniest smile ghosting across her lips despite everything.
“Thanks, brother,” I say to Dash, managing a smirk. “And you know what? Out of all the people in the world, at least it's you with my sister. Imagine if she'd ended up with Henry.”
Dash nearly retches at the thought. “I wouldn’t wish that kind of torture on anyone.”
We approach the back entrance, and I can already hear the bass thumping through the walls. My eyes scan the line of people—mostly men, mostly here for blood and violence and the kind of entertainment that decent people don't talk about in daylight.
I'm looking for someone. Anyone who might have a grudge against Luke, someone desperate or angry enough to take the risk of planting that USB. Someone who works inside, has access, but hates their boss enough to burn him down.
So far, no one fits the bill, and I'm starting to think the only way this is going to happen is if I sneak in there myself, which is next to impossible.
Luke's going to have eyes on me from the moment I walk through that door. He'll be watching every move I make, every breath I take, waiting for me to step out of line so he can make an example of me. There's no way I'll be able to slip away long enough to get to his office, find his computer, and plant the evidence we need.
Fuck.
“What's the backup plan?” Dash asks quietly, like he can read the frustration building in my jaw.
“There isn't one,” I admit, hating how that sounds out loud. “This has to work.”
Savannah's grip on my hand tightens, and I know she's thinking the same thing I am. If we can't find someone to help us tonight, if this plan falls apart, then I'm walking into that cage for nothing. Just another fight, just another way for Luke to assert his control.
And that's not fucking good enough.
Not anymore.
The club always looks different on fight nights. The usual ‘dirty glamor,’ as I like to call it, is stripped away, replaced with a huge fog of smoke and a lot of men desperately looking for a quick buck. What once was a stage for dancing has been transformed into a ring. One that feels like concrete when you fall down on it. I felt it once the first time I tried to fight here and vowed never to feel it again.
The first fight is underway, but I’m far away enough from the action that I can’t see what’s going on, and that’s just fine with me.
Savannah squeezes my hand, her shoulder brushing mine just as the crowd erupts. They’re loud, feral, and high on bloodlust. The air is thick with sweat, booze, and violence, so heavy I cantasteit on my tongue.
My heart is pounding, but I keep my face stone cold. Out here, emotion is a liability. You don’t flinch before a fight. You don’t blink, and you sure as hell don’t feel. Not when every bastard in this place is watching, waiting, hoping I slip, even once. All it takes is a crack. One second of softness, and they’ll use it to cut me open.
Unfortunately, my biggest weakness is holding my hand, flaunting our relationship in front of everyone in this godforsaken place. Savannah never belonged here. Not in this pit of sweat, smoke, and blood. She’s too good for it.Too good for me.
She’s stayed close since we walked through the door, and every second she’s within reach makes it harder to breathe.
Dash was right. She’s a liability in this setting, but I can’t push her away. Not when part of me would burn this whole place down just to keep holding her hand.
When the current fight is called, one of the guys gets dragged out of the ring, unable to walk and completely unrecognizable.His face is covered in so much blood it's dripping from his hair like crimson rain. The crowd roars their approval.
“Let’s get this over with,” I mutter to myself.
One fight. That’s it. I’m going to get through this one fight, and then I’ll sneak into Luke’s office myself if I have to.
Dash flanks my other side as we walk to the ring, only stopping when we see Luke standing lazily next to it. Cal is next to him, counting the cash he made on that last round, and when he spots me, he crooks a finger in my direction.
“You actually showed,” Luke says, surprised.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I say flatly.
“Well, I’m impressed.”
“I’m not here to impress you,” I reply, my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through me.
“And you brought Dash and Savannah.” He drawls out Savannah’s name, but it’s Dash who I feel freeze up beside me, mainly because I bet he didn’t realize Luke knew who he was.
Savannah, on the other hand, lifts her chin in defiance as Luke takes her in.
