There is a soft murmur of cheering coming from inside and a loud boom from a speaker. Bailey curves an arm around my waist and pins me into his side. Riette rolls his neck and swings arms about as if preparing for a fight. Zane locks up the Jeep and stuffs keys into a pocket. He is the calmest and the most casual one here. Bailey is stiff and nervous while Riette is scowling.

"What are we doing here?" I whisper to Bailey.

"It's alright, baby," Bailey squeezes my hip and kisses my cheek, "Zane isn't fighting tonight, so you'll stay with him."

"Fighting? What is going on?"

"You'll understand in a minute," Bailey pulls me through a heavy metal side door and we are immersed with a wall of heat.

The whispering hum turns to a loud drone of hundreds of voices all speaking at once. The booming speaker announces names and hits or punches that I don't understand. Zane opens the last door after speaking with the two huge guys and we follow him into the orange hazy lighting.

No matter where I stand, it feels like I am right next to a campfire that I can't get away from. Bailey sweats around me and I can't tell who is perspiring more. I should have taken off the sweatshirt before coming in here. Bodies are all pressed together as Bailey weasels through the milling crowd, shuffling forward and back again all together like one big wave. Riette remains behind us easily and Zane clears the way with strong arms like swimming in the ocean.

"What the hell is going on?" I practically shout into Bailey's ear.

"This is what we do," Bailey presses lips into my ear, "we fight. Reynold and some other guy backed out tonight, so we have to fill in. The three of us usually only fight on Saturday night."

"Fight?"

"Don't worry, Max," Riette surprises me, leaning into my other side, "nobody ever lays a hand on Bay. Him and Zane are always fighting over second place."

"I guess that means you're the best fighter," I recall Zane saying that when he pulled Bailey off the guys in the parking lot.

Bailey pins my hip forcefully in his grip, trapping me so inflexibly I think I might melt into him. We funnel through the last of the crowd and walk into a wide berth. Connor is muttering into the ear of the guy speaking into the mic, who is nodding and watching the current fight closely. He continues to narrate the hits and listen to Connor at the same time. Zane smacks him on the shoulder and he spins around to face the group. I haven't had much interaction with him, but figure he's the one in control of all the illegal shit.

"Bay, you're up first!" Connor clamps a hand on his shoulder and hauls us forward, "uh..." He releases him when Bailey holds onto me, "are you two double teaming or something?"

"Fuck off," Bailey shoves him off and swivels with me to Zane, "don't you fucking let go of her, Z."

Zane wraps around my shoulders, bruising my bicep with his clutch and offers Bailey a firm nod. Bailey pecks the corner of my mouth and is out of my hands before I can make sense of what is about to transpire. Connor and Bailey disappear into the bodies and Riette presses in on my other side.

"He'll be fine," Zane assures me.

"How is this illegal exactly?"

"It's not legally sanctioned and all the betting," Zane mutters.

"Wagering on this sort of thing is illegal in Idaho," Riette adds.

I don't pay attention to the fight in the middle of the crowd that jostles, changing where the berth sits on the cement floor. As the fighters move around, the crowd opens and closes with them. I don't want to see anything that will make me nervous about Bailey fighting. Especially with all the concern the boys assume I will have.

Studying the crowd, there are a few guys from school and I might even catch a glimpse of Coach Parker, but she's gone before I can be certain. I am not surprised something like this has so many fans, particularly from school, but am surprised they can all keep their mouths shut. Then someone I would recognize anywhere falls in my sight and I step into Zane's side. He doesn't miss my move and trails my gaze to fall on Memphis.

"Don't worry, Sawyer," Zane growls, "he only bets. He doesn't fight and he knows we do. He's not stupid."

"He is stupid for fucking with Bay's girl," Riette barks next to me. Just a half hour before he was harassing us about our relationship and now, he's defending it again, "I can't believe he showed his face here tonight."

"We don't usually fight on Fridays," Zane keeps his murky green eyes glued on Memphis, who hasn't noticed us, "he thought tonight was safe."

"Con runs the whole damn thing," Riette stuffs hands in his pockets like he's strangling ammo, "fucker shouldn't be here at all."

Zane's hand on my shoulder squeezes harder, "he won't come near you, Sawyer. He's not that fucking stupid."

Someone wins the current fight and a loud rumble fills the crowd. Money swaps hands over and over, and even the mic guy broadcasting the fight, exchanges cash several times. He wads up a load of large bills and turns to face Zane. Zane takes the huge wad and fists it into a front pocket without looking at it. That must be Connor's cut for setting this whole thing up. They all trust each other with passwords and secrets, so money isn't any different.

Just as fast as the fight is over, Bailey and another guy make it out into the cleared circle, both shirtless and sizing each other up. Bailey stands at least four inches taller than him, maybe even five inches. He is wider and taller and his arms swell with more muscle. As selfishly as I admire his body, I have grown used to the size of him and the boys, so I forget how threatening they are to a regular guy.

I stopped seeing Bailey as this huge eighteen-year-old boy who outsizes me way too easily. I disappear beneath when he hovers over me in bed. The guy in front of him is the average height and size of a high school kid, but next to Bailey he looks like he is twelve.

"He's going to demolish him," Zane smirks, sparing a grin for Riette, who is still scowling.

I hate that I can't take my eyes off Bailey as he attacks the smaller guy. He is lithe and puts up a hell of a fight, but he never gets a hit on Bailey. Bailey's feet are quick and he dodges each fist so smoothly like he has eyes all around his head.

It's magical the way he is in charge of the situation and dances around the other guy so effortlessly. I should despise how smug he looks, shoving the guy from the back and drawing him in to plunge a fist into his jaw. The crack echoes from here.

Hissing, I cringe and finally peel my eyes off the display. Bailey is a fucking animal and it should be terrifying. It would be if I was a guy and had to go up against him. I've seen him fight guys at school whether to defend me or for many other reasons. Sad to find out that was literally nothing to him and he kept these skills under wraps. I had no idea he could move like this, and it pisses me off that it turns me on.

Abruptly, my knee starts to throb and ache. I haven't taken a pain killer since this morning and they are in my car, which is parked outside my house.

"Are you okay?" Zane mutters in my ear as I bury my face in his shoulder and keeps eyes pasted on the fight, "he hasn't been hit."

"I don't know..." I shield my eyes from the view when there is a snap of bones.

I start to shake when the crowd roars and Bailey is announced the winner. Zane moves his hand from my shoulder to my side to get a better hold on me as my knees wobble almost buckling beneath me.

"Sawyer, what's wrong?" Zane moves me through the mass of sweaty bodies and Riette shoves in right behind us.

"I-I... Just... I'm fine."

"What's going on?" Riette shouts over the ruckus of the crowd.

"She needs to sit down!" Zane hollers over a shoulder and suddenly the voices are muffled as a door slams shut, "sit here, Sawyer."

"I have my fight next," Riette touches my shoulder as I bury my face in my hands, "Bailey will be right the fuck out."

Heat pulses in my knee, and the agony is staggeringly unbearable. It's been bothering me since school started this year and the painkillers aren't turning my brain off to the discomfort of it anymore. Giving up hiding my face, I clasp my hands around the top of my knee as if I can cut off the circulation, the pain will cease.

"Your knee?" Zane stoops and presses his palm where my hands sit, "it's on fire, Max. When's the last time you took a painkiller?"

"This morning..." I wince, digging my thumbs into my leg, "they aren't even working anymore."

"They aren't working?" He frowns as the door suddenly crashes in and Bailey drops down next to him, "she said her painkillers aren't working anymore and she hasn't taken one since this morning. She's in a lot of pain, brother."

Bailey is covered in sweat, but wearing his shirt again. He presses a fiery hand into my forehead and then peels his sweatshirt over my head. He ties it around his waist as Zane stands up to scroll through his phone. I gasp as a strange vibration rings through my knee and up my thigh.

"Baby?" Bailey cups my face, "Riette has a couple fights tonight, but Zane can take us home if you're hurting too much..."

"Does anyone have something?" I don't want to be a complete wuss, "Ibuprofen would help a lot right now... Take the edge off."

"You won't find those kinds of pills here," Zane warns behind Bailey, "but let me see what I can find."

He's gone before I can ask what he means. My mind puts it together when the door bangs shut, comprehending that he's looking for anyone selling narcotics. I do not want to take anything that's not over-the-counter or prescribed to me.

"I won the fight," Bailey says, stroking his thumb over my cheekbone, "did you get to see any of it?"

"Yes... It was fun to watch," I confess, grimacing when I release my leg for it to flood with an immense pressure, "fuck... It's been a long day..."

"We need to get your knee up," Bailey cautiously grabs my ankle and moves it over his shoulder, trying to move my knee above my heart, "am I killing you?"

"I am not that flexible," I cringe at him, "but it helps a little. Now, it hurts my thigh instead of just my knee... It's a good distraction."

Bailey lowers deeper into a crouch and my hamstring slackens. I let out a breath and some of the throbbing in my knee dwindles. I reach for him and he intertwines our fingers, knowing I need his touch. He uses his other hand to hold my leg in place, so I can relax.

"I should have thought about your painkillers when I sent Riette to drive your car home."

"They don't work anymore..." I shake my head, "there's no point."

"That doesn't make any sense..."

I huff, "they haven't been working since school started or maybe sooner, but that's when I noticed."

"How do you fix that?"

"My dad is in charge of my prescription, and we haven't been getting along. He's been particularly grumpy. I can't ask him about a new pill because I'm in pain..." I hate to admit, "he'd just tell me I deserve the pain."

Bailey's jaw feathers, "he'd say that to you?"

"You heard what he said about me when you were there, Bay. Is it really so hard to believe?"

The door swings open again and this time Connor strolls in. He is the shortest in the group, but only an inch shorter than Bailey and Zane, at six-three. Blond, windswept hair waves to the right of his chiseled, model face. Slate blue eyes are calm and not as bright as Bailey's against his black hair. He is still intimidating as shit, wholly since I haven't spent much time around him.

"I've got oxy, but that shit's strong," Connor pulls out a baggie with several bottles of pills, "otherwise I have tramadol and some codeine."

"I take tramadol," I announce.

Connor digs out a pill and passes it to Bailey. He palms it right to my mouth before I can inspect it. My trust in Bailey allows me to swallow it anyway.

Fuck. That's a lot of trust.

Connor pats Bailey's shoulder and disappears. He's an enigma to me and the mystery that is the criminal Ghost Rider only becomes mistier.

Bay is friends with these criminals, girl.

I can trust him.

Zane pops back in, "Connor find you?"

"Yeah," Bailey lowers my leg to the floor, "how's the fight?"

"He's already on the second... He's working fast and still entertaining the crowd. They're trading bets on how long it takes him. Connor worked up the crowd to indulge it, so we can get the fuck out of here. He should be done any second now."

The crowd suddenly discharges with a deafening rumble and I have to cover my ears. Zane lets the door fall shut to soften the uprising. Bailey digs fingers into my hips and hauls me upright with him. I wipe my sweaty brow with the back of my hand as Zane takes his place in front and starts battling through the mob.

Before I know it, we are nearing the exit and Riette is tugging a shirt over his head, strolling out behind us. The night air is brisk and bites at my damp skin. Bailey unties the sweatshirt and slips it around my head. As I shove my arms into the sleeves, he fixes my hair down my back.

"How are you feeling, Sawyer?" Riette asks as we all clamber into the Jeep.

"Better..." I rest my head on Bailey's shoulder as fatigue hits me like a heavy weight.

My eyelids are weighed down like lead and I can barely move. It comes on so suddenly that I know the dose of tramadol I received is stronger than I am used to. I don't have to worry. Bailey will take care of me. The boys continue talking, though their voices sound like we are all underwater.

"How was the fight, Ry?" Bailey lowers my head into his lap.

"Fan-fucking-tastic, brother," I can hear the smile in Riette's voice, "I always feel great after a fight."

"We know it," Zane swerves on the road or I just can't hold myself right in the seat, "is she okay, brother?"

"Connor said it was tramadol, but she's acting like she's been drugged..." Bailey's tone drips with concern.

"Tramadol can affect systems differently," Zane offers.

"She says that's what she takes for her knee."

"Bay...?" Riette sounds weird either like he's being strangled or there's emotion in his voice that is never there, "have you seen the burn marks on her legs?"

"How did you...?" Bailey's voice breaks.

"When she wore those skirts all that week. Her spandex underneath didn't always cover... She hurts herself, doesn't she?"

"She said they're old," Bailey defends, "and I haven't seen any new ones. Why the fuck...?"

"Just making sure..."

"Burning, huh?" Zane joins the conversation, "most girls cut."

"Anyone who harms themselves tend to cut," Riette corrects, "burning is definitely a twisted fucking idea."

"You would know," Bailey grumbles.

"I know that's why I can say it!" Riette growls.

"She doesn't do it anymore..."

"Why would she do it at all?" Zane sounds far away.

I can't form a coherent thought long enough to think they are saying anything bad about me. Bailey is defensive and straining to not entertain them, but is reassuring them as much as himself with everything he does say. I wish I could wake up enough to let them know they don't know what they're talking about.

I don't know what pill Connor gave me, but he mixed up his stash. That's for sure.

"She lost her mom..." Bailey finally answers Zane, "freshman year in that stupid accident."

"Oh, right..." Zane must know it.

"Wasn't there another person in the car?" Riette asks.

"How do you think her knee got fucked up?"

"Oh shit... She was there?" Riette seems to think this is what puts all the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Her dad blames her for the whole thing," Bailey's fingers stroke through my hair, lulling me into the darkness of sleep.

"She told you that?" Zane questions.

"Her dad told me that," Bailey clarifies, "I went over there once and she won't let me go back. He was... A fucking asshole. The way he talks about her and to her... It's deplorable..."

"That's a big word for you, dark prince," Zane teases either to lighten the mood or just because he can.

"Fuck off," Bailey continues to twine fingers in my rosy blond tendrils, "it's all the writing for the English essay."

"She's pretty smart," Zane agrees, coming to a halt, "I'm surprised she isn't battling me and Taryn for valedictorian, to be honest."

"She's a bit distracted," Riette chortles.

"You two are dicks," Bailey slides me into his arms and lifts me around his frame.

I tangle my right leg around his waist the best I can, draping over his shoulders. He anchors my left leg and slams the Jeep door shut. He just told them all my family business, but he trusts them and it's not like it will cause any harm. Blackness swallows me before we get back to his room.