After about ten minutes, like he promised, we pulled up to an old building in a sketchy town.

"You need to come in with me." he stated.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Because I don't trust this side of town so I'd prefer you stay by my side where I can see you rather than staying in the car." he explained.

"Okay." I agreed.

We got out of the car and I let him lead the way inside.

When we walked in the lights were dim and it sounded like a lot of noise downstairs.

"Hey, boss man." said one guy that came out of an old office room.

He and Eli shook hands.

"They're downstairs." the guy said while looking at me. I hid further behind Eli.

We walked off and headed down the stairs where the noise was continuing to get louder. When we reached the last steps I noticed maybe a hundred (if not more) people down there and three boxing rings. Everyone was cheering, the boxers banged on the fence that held them inside and some of the crowd members grabbed onto it and shook it if not climbed up them.

"Stay close to me." Eli instructed as he began walking towards the back of the very large room.

"Damn."

"Hey, how you doin'?"

"Damn, baby."

"When did he get a girlfriend?"

And a few whistles were all sounds I heard as Eli and I walked through the crowd. The noise made me nervous and I could feel my hands start to shake so I picked up speed and grabbed onto Eli's hand and hoped that he didn't mind. He held mine as well.

We finally reached a door and he opened it. In there sat three men. One with so much product in his hair it would probably catch on fire in summer heat. Another with a body covered in tattoos and piercings. And the last was a big guy, about the same size as Eli but he was a combination of fat and muscle like a defensive tackle where Eli was all muscle.

"This shit better be good." Eli demanded.

"Who's that?" The big guy asked and gestured his head towards me.

"I didn't tell you to ask me questions. Did I tell you to ask me questions? When I walk in here I expect you to start talking about the shit you called me down here for." Eli illustrated.

"Sorry." The big guy said and looked upset.

"It's okay." I assured him with a soft voice and everyone looked at me. I just didn't want the guy to be upset. Their gazes frightened me and I hid behind Eli again.

"Anyway..." the greasy haired guy began. "There's a leak." he claimed.

"Well did you find them?" Eli asked.

"Yes, and he doesn't know we know. We just haven't decided on what to do with him yet. That's why we brought you here." answered the tatted guy.

"You idiots get on my nerves. Hand me a cigarette." Eli demanded and all three whipped out a cigarette box.

He went to the greasy haired man since he was the closest and grabbed a cigarette then took a lighter from his back pocket and lit it.

"Well, I'll take suggestions. What do you wanna do about it?" he asked.

They all except for Eli shot a look at me.

I looked at Eli and he looked at me then back at the other men and rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Can you do me a favor, love? Go stand outside the door really quick." he instructed.

I was a bit nervous because of how many random men were out there and I think he saw it on my face.

"Teddy." Eli called.

"Yes, sir?" Teddy was the big guy.

"Go with her. I'll give you details later."

"Yes, sir." Teddy agreed. He got up and walked towards me so we could head out the door.

"And, Ted?" Eli called again.

"Yes, sir?" Teddy answered.

"If anyone touches her while you're guarding? I'll kill both him and you." Eli said then took a hit of his cigarette.

"Yes, sir." Teddy replied and we walked out of the door.

I can't say I'm shocked at Eli's behavior. I did already believe he was intimidating, this just further proves my point.

The main area smelled like sweat and blood and men were still fighting. One knockout occurred in one of the rings and the winner walked out while the loser had to be pulled out.

'So he owns an underground fight ring. Great.' I thought.

I turned to Teddy and saw him standing next to me stiffly.

"Hello." I greeted him and received no response.

"Teddy? Right?" I asked.

"Yes, ma'am." he replied.

"Oh, no, you don't have to say that to me. Leyla is fine." I told him.

Teddy gave off the same energy as his name. A teddy bear. He seemed very sweet contrary to this environment and his size. He had a bald head and a full red beard and freckles.

"Teddy?" I called.

"Ma'am?"

Gosh.

"Does he always talk to you like that?" I wondered.

"No, ma'am. He's actually very nice. I'm sure he's just a bit angry because he told us not to interrupt him tonight and we did it anyway."

Good.

Eli opened the door and came outside. "You can go back in Teddy, they'll explain it to you. Thank you." Teddy nodded then walked back into the room and closed the door.

"You okay?" Eli asked and I nodded. "I have to do one last thing and then I promise we'll leave." he said before climbing into the empty ring.

The room cheered even louder as they saw Eli in the ring and a mic slowly dropped down from the ceiling.

He grabbed onto it and said, "Relax, I'm not fighting...yet."

Poutings, aww's, and boo's filled the room.

"We have a special guest here with us tonight. Sammy, can you come up here, buddy?"

The crowd looked around and finally some average sized man walked through the crowd and crawled into the ring with Eli.

Elijah slung his arm over the guy's shoulder and held him close while his other hand was still wrapped around the microphone.

"Now, Sammy here has been o-so-generous enough to give away information about the ring." The crowd grunted, boo-ed, and growled and panic shown on Sammy's face. He quickly tried to run from Eli's arm until Elijah grabbed onto the back of his shirt and pulled him back. Draping his arm over Sammy's shoulder again.

"Where ya goin, Samuel?" Eli asked in a low and creepily calm voice.

"Please! I'm sorry! It wasn't my fault!" Sammy started shouting.

"I just needed extra cash! They gave me a good deal I'm so sorry!" he continued to yell and began crying.

"Cash for what, Samuel?" Eli asked but he was looking at the floor.

"Umm..." Sammy began.

"Sammy, I've known you for a while now, buddy. You aren't married. You have no kids. No family in contact. What could you have possibly needed extra cash for?" Eli asked and finally looked at him.

Sammy stayed silent.

"Nothing? Okay." Eli began and grabbed back onto the mic.

"Who was our champion for this ring tonight?" he asked the crowd. One man raised up his fist and the crowd cheered.

"You tired yet, champ?" Eli asked with a mischievous grin. "No sir!" said the winner.

"Good. Win one more time. I don't want him to be able to leave this gym conscious." Eli commanded and the winner hurriedly hopped into the ring.

"Wait! No! Can we talk about this?! Please!" shouted Sammy.

"Shut up, Samuel." Eli demanded and climbed out of the ring.

"You're a pretty little thing." said a man from behind me. I turned around and was immediately creeped out by what I saw.

Some man with a sloppily unshaved beard, a dirty shirt in sweat stains and...hopefully mustard, and a terrifying smile. "You're not gonna say thank you?" he asked.

"Umm..." I began nervously.

"I'll teach you a lesson on manners." he smiled. "You'll learn sayings like 'please daddy', 'yes sir', and of course, 'thank you'." he says and it makes my skin crawl.

"God, your body is perfect," he kept going and his eyes trailed down me. "I just want those long legs wrapped around my-..." he stopped talking and I felt a hand wrap around my waist then to the front of my stomach and pull me back into something hard.

"Wrapped around your what?" Eli asked.

The man chuckled. "I was just joking around, sir." he said and kept his eyes on Eli rather than my body.

"I don't like that joke. I don't find it funny." Eli grunted. His emotions were different from when he was in the ring. Now he just radiated annoyance.

"Oh, sorry, sir." The man uttered.

"Next time let's not joke about shit that'll get you killed." Eli insisted.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

"Leave." Eli demanded and the man scurried off.

He turned me around to look at him and held my face in his hands.

"You okay?" he asked and I nodded.

"Alright. Let's get you out of here."