Dots formed in front of her eyes and she swayed. She gasped for air. The agonizing sounds in the background intensifying the memories. Making them real again.
A foot to the stomach. Curling up in a ball. Repeated strikes. Praying for help, for him to stop. The man she’d been dating for two years, living with for six months, was no longer recognizable. Just like a switch, he’d turned into a monster.
She couldn’t stay here. She couldn’t be here. She stumbled forward.
Fingers latched around her arm. She immediately jerked back. “No!”
“Kelsey.”
The use of her fake name jolted her back to the present. She inhaled sharply, blinking. Lance’s face came into focus before her, and a sense of relief, of being safe, washed over her instantly.
“Jesus. Are you okay?” Concern tightened his face.
“Yeah. Yeah. I-I’m fine.” She concentrated on her breathing to slow her heart rate, refusing to think about how Lance’s presence had immediately made her feel secure, especially since he was the reason she was here in the first place.
“You sure? You seemed upset,” he said, lifting a lock of her hair between his fingers.
The action soothed her even more. “I spooked myself out in my room.”
His brows furrowed. “Your room? Wait. What are you doing here?”
The question sharpened all her senses. The roar of the crowd. The smell of the smoke. The cage in the distance. The question wasn’t what was she doing here, it was what was he doing here. Why hadn’t it even crossed her mind she’d see Lance tonight? Maybe because it seemed like he was in trouble with the McNealys—not buddies with them.
Ignoring his question, she asked, “Do you usually hang out with people who order three men to jump you?”
He didn’t seem offended over the comment. “No. Not usually. But they offered me a deal I couldn’t pass up.”
And then it all clicked into place. “You’re one of the fighters.”
“Guilty as charged.”
She wondered how many times he’d been found guilty of something. Nothing in his behavior made her feel like he was forced here. He was relaxed and talkative, like being in an illegal fighting ring was completely natural. Maybe it was. She didn’t want to know. The less she knew the better. But this was just one more reason why she needed to keep away from Lance, no matter how much her body wanted to get closer.
“You didn’t answer my question,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
The McNealys’ warning to keep her mouth shut whispered through her mind. Lance might seem like he was in the “in” crowd, but she’d also seen him on the outs with the McNealys. For her mother and best friend’s sake, it was best to skip the whole coerced thing. “Gabe and Mitch hired me.”
For the first time, a frown turned Lance’s mouth. “Gabe and Mitch? Didn’t you just move to town? How are you on first name basis with them?”
“I did just move here, and I have you to thank for this job.” She gave her best attempt at a smile, to hide the jab behind those words. “Seems they looked me up after I jumped in the other day, found out I was a doctor, and offered me this position.”
“Wait. You’re a doctor?”
“Guilty as charged,” she parroted back his earlier words. “They seem like two nice guys.”
He worked his jaw back and forth like he was trying to figure out how to say something. “You really don’t want to get mixed up with the McNealys, Kelsey.”
“Oh. You mean the same way you’re mixed up with them?” At least he acknowledged this wasn’t the greatest crowd of people to hang with.
“That’s different.”
“How so?”
“Because I’ve known them for years. I knew what I was getting myself into. You don’t.”
Having known these guys for years meant that Lance hadn’t made a simple mistake that had ended up with him on the wrong side of a fist. It meant he’d known what the McNealys were capable of and still associated with them.
Not very comforting, and it only solidified the fact she didn’t want Lance to know anything about why she was here. She’d play dumb if she had to. “You’re talking about a guy who’s stoned out of his mind and the other one who couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Don’t underestimate them. They’ll use whatever means necessary to get what they want.”
He’d just confirmed what she already knew. “I’m just here to sew a few stitches and check for concussions. What I don’t understand is, if you know all this, why are you here?”
His eyes narrowed on her. “I’m not known for making the best decisions. In fact, you probably want to stay away from me, too.”
The confession stunned her speechless. He was confirming everything her gut had already told her. Lance was trouble she didn’t need.
The announcer came over the speaker. “Gals and gents, this fight is over by a brutal knockout.”
Lance sent her a tight smile. “Time for you to get to work.”