Diablo went back inside, tilting his chin at the doorman. As he walked toward the crowd, his gaze went to the wall where he’d seen the woman. She was gone. A tinge of disappointment ran through him.Where the hell is she?He scanned the room, but she was nowhere to be found.
“We’ve got a winner here! Fuck, that was a surprise,” the wiry-haired man boomed in the microphone.
Diablo looked at the ring. With his nose bleeding and his eyes swelling, Freddie’s skin glistened as he lay on the floor defeated. Toque, mouth bloodied and brow swollen, hoisted his arms in the air. The crowd roared as they celebrated his win. Sweat mixed with blood poured down his back as he left the ring.
For the next few hours men pummeled each other, blood was washed away, and some people made a hell of a lot of money. Diablo kept his eye out for the woman from earlier, but for the rest of the night, he didn’t see her. After the last fight, people poured out of the venue, some happy with their wins while others glowered and shoved their hands into their pockets. Army, Skull, Sangre, and Brutus each had a woman wrapped around them as they bumped fists with Diablo. Chains had a wad of cash in his hands and grinned broadly. “I made a ton of dough. Damn sweet. Watching all the fights pumped me the hell up. I wanna punch the shit outta someone.”
Diablo laughed. “You should show up to be one of the fighters.”
“Maybe I will. I’d love to take out some aggression on some punk. Show the eight-to-five fucks what it means to live it rough all the time.” He chuckled.
“If you do, let me know ’cause my bet’ll be on you,” Army said before he slipped his hand onto the blonde woman’s breast. She giggled and snuggled closer to him.
“Even though bouncers aren’t allowed to gamble, I’d place money on you,” Diablo said.
“I can’t wait to party at your clubhouse,” the busty redhead who was glued to Sangre’s side said. The other women agreed.
“We’re gonna have all kinds of fun,” Brutus promised as he tugged the woman with him closer.
“We’ll see you back at the clubhouse,” Skull said as the brothers went out the door.
Out of the corner of his eye, Diablo saw Bloody Knuckles coming toward him, a curvy woman half his age hanging on his arm. “Damn good night,” he said as he came up to Diablo. “You handled those two assholes real good. I got another fight planned for next Saturday. Can I count on you to be here?” He pulled out a load of cash.
Diablo nodded. “Same time?” He ignored the bleached blonde who kept pulling her top down and sighing loudly.
“Yep. Everything’s the same.” He counted out ten one-hundred-dollar bills in Diablo’s hand.
“You promised to take me to Colorado Springs next weekend,” the blonde whined.
The promoter turned to her and kissed her quickly on her shiny lips. “The weekend after. For sure.”
“That’s what you said last weekend.” She pushed away from him.
“Don’t be like that, baby. You like all the fancy clothes and jewelry I get you, don’t you? Well, if I don’t make money, how am I gonna keep you in the lifestyle you love?” He nuzzled her neck. She stared at Diablo and smiled.
Diablo cleared his throat. “I’ll see you next Saturday.” He walked away knowing the busty blonde was staring at him still. She was wasting her time; she wasn’t his type. He swung his leg over his blue metallic Harley and pushed the ignition button. The iron beast sprung to life, purring loudly.
Before he turned onto the old highway, he looked back. Andhersparkling eyes watched him. He tipped his head to her. She didn’t move. When he turned back toward the venue, she moved away from the window. Then the lights went off, blackness shrouding the small warehouse.
He circled around the parking lot; then, with a hopeful glance backward, he roared down the empty highway, the reflectors glowing eerily when his headlight hit them. The inky sky shimmered with thousands of stars as the warm air caressed him.
When he went to his room later and lay on his bed, he didn’t doubt for a moment that the woman’s shining hazel eyes would dance in his head.They’re already dancing around in my mind. Next week, I gotta find out who she is.Since she was still in the place when he left, he knew she was part of the staff and not a spectator or crazed fangirl. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to talk to her. Wanted to get to know her.
He breathed in deeply. He loved riding alone on quiet roads in the dark. It made it seem like he was the only person in the whole universe. The solitude wrapped around him like a comfortable blanket.
He craved quietness. A lot of people feared it, but he’d become best friends with it. That wasn’t the case for most of his life. Before he came to Alina, he’d lived amid chaos, noise, and turmoil. His childhood was fraught with grief, fear, and anger.
He shook his head as the memories of a past he wanted to forget faded into each other. He concentrated on the road and relished in the silence the night brought as he headed to the clubhouse.
