I could do this. I could confront Anderson.
Mason landed another hit, the sound of fist meeting bone snapping me back to reality. The crowd roared, but I barely heard it as Aiden stepped closer to me.
A flicker of movement caught my attention across the ring and behind the crowd, a sharp suit that stood out in a sea of shirts and hoodies.
I needed to look for Anderson—I even needed to check if the man in the suit was him.
Aiden brushed against me, warm and steady, his fingers brushing mine, his grin daring me to linger. I could stay a few more minutes, feeling him edge closer, letting the world shrink to just the two of us.
And then I’d act.
Chapter 30
Aiden
The crowd pressed in around us, full of noise and heat and the metallic scent of blood on concrete, but none of it mattered as Evie leaned a fraction closer.
“You’re staring,” she murmured, eyes still scanning the packed room like she wasn’t cataloging every face here.
I should’ve looked away, but I didn’t. “You’re imagining things.”
She arched a brow, lips quirking like she knew damn well I was full of shit. “Right. Because you’re the king of subtlety.”
God, I was fucked. Absolutely fucked. One look at her and every decision I’d been clinging to for weeks—the ones where I kept my distance, kept her safe by not letting this go further—crumbled like they had never existed.
Evie was everything.
She was my chaos, the thing I looked forward to every day, the one who always pushed me to do better.
She wasmyeverything.
But Evie wasn’t here for me. She was here for answers. Her gaze swept the underground fight club like it was a crime scene, every muscle in her body pulled tight with tension.
“See anyone you recognize?” I asked, low enough for only her to hear.
She shook her head, strands of hair brushing her cheek. “Notyet. But Anderson’s supposed to show up at these fights. If I can just”—she gestured vaguely toward the ring—“catch him in the act or hear a name drop, I’ll finally have something.”
Something that could get her killed.
I wanted to grab her hand, haul her out of this cesspit of sweat and fists and danger, lock her somewhere no one could touch her. But she was already risking everything for this lead. And the truth was, I’d risk everything to keep standing here with her like this.
“Evie—” I started, unsure what the hell I was about to confess, but the announcer’s voice boomed over the speakers, drowning me out. Mason was climbing into the ring, and the crowd surged forward, separating us by a few bodies and forcing my hands back to my sides.
I let her go. For now. But the hollow in my chest stayed, aching.
“I’ll be back in a second. I want to check on Mason.” I needed a break, a moment of clarity before I touched her again.
The room erupted again while Hero and I talked with Mason. These fights could get serious to some, but for us it was always a way to relax and blow off some steam.
Tonight, Mason seemed particularly focused, but I wasn’t sure why.
My eyes found Evie again, not able to help myself, and with one look my entire world was back to revolving around her.
The air shifted and—because of whatevergodforsakenconnection we had—I knew something was wrong with her.
How the hell could I know she was upset from one look?
I tried to refocus and watched Mason’s footwork as he moved around the ring. It was better now, more sure at each step. In his first few fights, he had been more like a baby deer, each stepclumsy and off. I followed each step, each swing, and didn’t miss the grin on his face as the guy went down.
