Chapter Twenty-Four.

The music was so loud, I knew that by the end of the night I would be able to hear the ringing in the back of my head for the next couple of days. Even I had to admit that Lee had a legitimate club going to cover up his real businesses. It would be hard even for an undercover police officer to try to bring him down. The women were gorgeous, not the type you would find at a rundown hole in the wall. More of the high class, thousands of dollars for only an hour type.

It wasn’t my scene, but Abraham was having the time of his life. Some of Lee’s men had us crammed into a small alcove near the back, keeping guard over us while a beautiful girl about my age danced above us. Abraham was enamored, and I sat in distaste at the comradery that surrounded us. The strip club wasn’t a place I liked being. It wasn’t that I had anything against naked women dancing for a paycheck, I just didn’t approve of what went on behind closed doors. Most clubs didn’t care much about what happened to their girls, and that bothered me. Only working the floor did they matter, but once the curtain closed, most men were left to their vices and could do whatever they wished to them for the right price. Maybe it was the fighter in me, but I agreed with nothing that happens in places like these.

Abraham’s merriment did not help my foul mood in the slightest, and when they finally called us in hours later, my patience had worn completely thin. But to my displeasure, when we finally crowded into a small room, the man sitting behind the desk wasn’t the man I was looking for. I gave a curt nod, and Abraham kept to my side.

“Well, what can the Green Jade do for you this evening? I hear that you’ve requested an audience with Lee, but that isn’t possible now.” The man spoke, but his tone did not hold the usual pitch of the bosses of the underground.

“I’m not going to waste my time with a middleman.” I snorted. “Tell Lee I’ll be waiting for him.” I plopped down in one of the chairs across from the oak desk and crossed my legs, folding my hands neatly in my lap, the picture of ease.

“You dare to come into our territory making demands?” The man raised a brow.

“I wouldn’t say ‘dare.’ More like drove right up to the doorstep.” I rolled my eyes. “Whenever Lee is ready, I’ll be right here.”

The man snarled and pushed away from the desk, grumbling under his breath when I didn’t so much as blink or flinch. Abraham shifted on his heels, obviously uncomfortable, a welcomed change from his earlier attitude. The man nodded to one of the other men in the room and they promptly left, only to return moments later. The air shifted and my stomach turned in knots. Lee had not been too far away.

“May I ask what the meaning of this is?” His tone was short and curt. His gaze turned and fell on me and my chest squeezed with anxiety. “Ah. Miss Sloan. Such a pleasure to see you again.” His smile was the equivalent of a viper.

“Likewise.” I nodded. It came to no surprise that he knew exactly who I was, which meant he knew who I was employed by. I had to keep myself from visibly swallowing the stone out of the back of my throat.

“Lovely to see you standing on your own feet.” He smirked.

“Lovely that I didn’t put a knife in your throat.” I smiled my best smile.

If my sarcasm had any effect on him, you couldn’t tell.

“Tell me...” He leaned against the desk directly in front of me. “What can I possibly do for Dominik Black’s lap dog?”

“I’ve come here to settle a debt.”

“Mr. Davis,’ I presume?” He crossed his arms.

“You presume correct.”

“Do you have my car, or my money?”

“Neither.”

“Then this meeting is over.” He dismissed me with a single wave of his hand.

“I have something better.” I tried to keep my boiling anger in check.

He paused to stare at me. “What is it that you’re willing to offer? To work off his debt in my club?”

The rolling waves of disgust caused the hair on my arms to stand on end. “I’ll fight for the payment required to release Davis from his debts.”

“You? Fight whom?” His interest peaked.

“You run an underground fight club, do you not?” He seemed surprised that I knew.

“For the sake of this conversation, let’s say that I do.”

“I’ll fight whomever you line up against me.” I kept his dead stare. “One night. That is all I’ll need. Bet on me. I’ll have his debt paid off at least tenfold.”

“What makes you think I’d be willing to bet on someone like you. A woman. To grace the halls of my club, to fight for me?”

“Because Smoke from Scorpion Division has yet to lose a single fight. Who wouldn’t bet on her?” I raised a brow, leaning back in the chair.

Realization dawned on the entire room, even Abraham as he looked down on me with mild surprise. I guess it would be a shock for people to find out who Smoke really was under the ashes. Lee pondered in his head, his eyes darting between his men as they waited for his final say.

“And what would be to happen if I were to bet on you and you were to lose?” He finally asked.

“I would be in your debt until you seen the payment fulfilled.” I stood up, ready to leave. “But I promise you, I won’t lose.”

“You think you can survive a night in my underground?” He seemed amused.

“I guarantee it.” I smiled. “I make this money for you, and Ryker’s debt is cleared. And he gets to keep his damn car.”

“I think we have a deal, Miss Sloan.” He outstretched his hand to which I responded in kind and shook his hand.

“Good.”

“I’ll be in touch.” He waved us out of his office and a whoosh of air left my lungs.

Abraham wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked out the way we had come. It was like all the energy I had saved up for this moment had left me all at once and my body was having a hard go of functioning. Once we were safe in his truck, he took a fleeting period to collect his thoughts as I continued to watch the men guarding the warehouse.

“What in the actual fuck was that Jay?” He asked low. “You can’t just offer yourself to fight under the impression that you’re someone you’re not.”

“Is that what I did?” I asked, unamused.

“You just lied to a mob boss, Jay. You know as well as I do that, they do not take that shit lightly. What are you going to do when it actually comes down to fighting in the ring for Lee?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to fight, you neanderthal.”

“What?” His face had drained of color.

“I’m going to fight, moron. I didn’t lie to Lee. I am Smoke. I fought for Black before I was commissioned to babysit Giovanni.” I didn’t really want to explain the entirety of my background, least of all to Abraham.

The disbelief still swam in his eyes and I rolled mine. “You really are an idiot. You know that?”

“Jaylyn.” He started.

“Can you just take me home, Abraham?” I growled, curling up into myself. “I’m tired and my neck hurts.”

“We will talk about this later.”

“Fine by me.”

The car ride was filled with awkward silence, Abraham’s tight grip on the steering wheel causing his knuckles to turn a ghostly white with strain. I didn’t offer much in the way of conversation, but the anger I had felt at his disbelief still ebbed on the edges of my mind. If I were to speak to him, no doubt he would not choose his words wisely and I’d end up snapping. I rolled my eyes to myself as he pulled into the dorm parking lot.

“Is your neck okay?” He finally asked.

“It’s fine.” Lie. It was currently searing pain along my spine.

I barely got my fingers wrapped around the handle to get out before he spoke again.

“It would explain so much if you were Smoke.” He mused under his breath.

“Excuse me?” I turned to glare at him.

“I was just saying.”

“I am Smoke, you blithering-asshole.” I growled. “And whether you believe it or not is irrelevant. I know who I am and so does only a handful of others, now including you. I’d like to keep it that way.” I applied heavy emphasis in my words and his brows raised in response.

“Did...did you just threaten me?”

“That’s up to you.” I challenged.

He visibly swallowed but only stared at me.

“Now, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to go salvage what I can with Ryker and maybe get some sleep.” My tone was clipped, but I didn’t care.

Abraham was a complete tool. I cursed his name as I slammed his truck door closed and trotted inside. The entire way to my apartment was blissful solitude and I paused right outside the door, trying to listen for any movement inside. I could faintly hear the television playing in the background. So, either Ryker stayed up or he fell asleep waiting for me to come back. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves and opened the door, setting my phone and duffle down on the side table so I could bend over to take off my shoes.

I could feel Ryker’s eyes on me, but he said nothing. It was a tangible motion as he looked me over from head to toe, no doubt inspecting my entire person for any hint of what I had been up to. I offered nothing and ignored his obvious glances. I really didn’t want to talk at the end of it. Ryker was beginning to get too close, and I didn’t exactly like it or feel it necessary to explain to him everything about my life.

I almost made it to my room without a hitch before he came sauntering over. He stopped my door from opening by encasing his hand over mine against the doorknob.

“Are you not even going to talk to me?” The fumes were slowly leaking from his pores.

“Well, I was actually planning on trying to sleep.” I met his glare full on.

“First, you can explain to me what was so goddamn important that you felt the need to practically run out of here.” His nostrils flared. “With Abraham, of all fucking people. You can’t fucking stand the guy, yet now you’re going out on joyrides with him?”

“It wasn’t a fucking joyride, Ryker, for fucks’ sake.” I shot back. “Honestly, it’s none of your fucking business what I do in my own time anyways.”

“I’ve been trying to fucking take care of you, but you’re making it fucking impossible.”

“I never asked you to do that for me.” I snarled. “I can take care of my damn self, Ryker. I have been doing it for years before you ended up in my lap. I don’t need you; I don’t need anyone.” My eyes began to swirl with unshed tears. “The last thing I need it someone who is too emotionally available. So, if that’s how it’s going to be between us, maybe you should give Emma a call.”

The look on his face was completely burned and I instantly regretted it, but my anger was boiling over, and I didn’t have time to deal with that and Ryker’s jealousy at the same time. His hand fell away from mine and I made a swift exit into my bedroom, leaving him standing in my wake, utterly shell-shocked.

Not exactly the way I wanted that conversation to go.

I threw my duffle in the closet, hissing under my breath at the pain shooting down my back. Reason number one on why I was being such a bitch. I popped a couple of pain killers and changed into a t-shirt, noting it was a used one of Ryker’s, but I didn’t mind. As much as his growing attachment to me pissed me off, in my own fucked up way I was growing attached to him as well. And that was what I didn’t like. There was no room for connections in my life.

I curled up into my blankets and tried to calm my mind from all the wandering thoughts storming through my brain unchecked. The war raging in my chest demanded that I go apologize and make things right, while the other side of me was fed up with whatever Ryker was expecting from me. My eyes began to droop with the beginnings of sleep as the painkillers began to work their magic. Just when I hit the most comfortable spot, Ryker poked his head into my room.

“Jaylyn, are you awake?”

“What do you want?” I tried to hold back the bite in my tongue.

“I just wanted to apologize.” He seemed sincere, less crazy.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“I made you some food.” He offered.

I couldn’t deny that as tired as I was, I was also hungry. “Alright.” I slowly sat up as he came in with a plate sporting a sandwich cut into triangles and some chips. I scooted closer to the edge of my side of the bed so that he could side down. He held out a piece of the sandwich and I took it gently.

“You don’t have to take care of me, you know?” I took a small bite and chewed.

“I know that.” He sighed. “But I enjoy it. I enjoy looking forward to coming home to see you and spending time with you.”

“Ryker...” I looked over at him.

“Look, I know you’re not on the market for anything serious. If I need to hold back some for you, I will. You won’t be so distant all the time, and I’ll still be there waiting patiently when you’re ready to let me in, okay?”

“Okay...” I looked down at my hands.

There was something fundamentally wrong with me.

“So just eat, so we can maybe get some sleep tonight.” He smirked. “Unless you had other plans.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and my face turned a slight shade of red.

“Maybe another night.” I tried hiding my laugh.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.” He shrugged. “Do you want me to sleep in here or are you still pissed?”

I rolled my eyes. “I would rather you stay with me, if it’s not asking too much.”

“Done.” He took the plate into the kitchen and returned with his blanket from the couch, laying down directly beside me. I looked between our pillows before I curled up next to him, appreciating the warmth he offered.

Just like that. I was out.