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Same, little dude. Same.

I don’t mean to pay attention, but it’s hard not to when the group goes silent as Law walks up to his daughter. I think they’re getting closer, but I’m still not sure if he remembers her. Not that I care.

“I was going through some boxes and found this,” he says, pulling out a small bear from a bag. It looks old and ratty but still has a leather jacket and goggles on its head. A bear that’s ready to ride.

Figures. I can barely contain my snort. But it’s the gasp from Ruby that has me turning back after rolling my eyes.

“Old man,” Ruby says, grabbing it quickly. “Where did you find this?”

“Like I said, I saw it in some boxes we were going through from when we packed up the house but never unpacked afterward. I… I couldn’t get rid of it.”

“I used to carry this around with me for years. Everywhere I went. Said it was my old man.” She shakes her head in wonder as she looks at her dad, and I notice a tear slide down her cheek. “I thought I lost it.”

“No, I had it. It was in my room at the old house. I didn’t know it was yours when I left the hospital till I saw it the other day. And then I just knew your kid needed it.” Law reaches out and grabs the little boy’s hand, letting him claw at his finger. “Everyone should have someone looking out for them, no matter how old they are. And with the way his last hearing test went, I think this guy might need a little extra friend right now.”

With a sniff and a shoulder swipe of the tears, Ruby grumbles, “Thanks, Dad.”

“Always, kid. Might still be fucked up here,” he says, pointing to his head, “but I know this much: I love you. And I know you deserve good things.”

Rumors are going around, and since this place is more like high school than not, I suspect they’re true. Drake might have taken his time coming out of his mom, but it didn’t help much with his CMV. He passed the hearing test—barely, they claim—and is apparently at a significantly higher risk for developing hearing loss as he grows. He’s going to be monitored often and for a while, but at least he has a support group looking after him and to be there for him.

I look away and try not to envy the new kid. Or Ruby. Both have more love in this moment than I ever got as a kid after Mom died. Hell, Drake has more friends than I ever had, and he’s not even a month old.

I swear he’s already been introduced to more people than I’ve met in the last three years. Sure, I had a sheltered life, mostly thanks to my family keeping me locked away, but still.

Domino and his girl, Menace, are here, along with a few other guys from different chapters. But from what I can tell, Menace is here to look at the underground fighters more than Drake, who’s currently spitting up on Izzy. Apparently her… boss? Benefactor? Whatever the guy who pays the bills by betting on her is called, he asked her to bring in some fresh blood to “represent” his brand. It seems Tommy Leone is looking at expanding out of the Michigan underground into a national circuit.

I’m sitting in my normal area, far from the interaction of the others. Ruby and I still haven’t spoken, which is fine with me. If she thinks I’m going to seek her out, she’s dead wrong. I wasn’t the one who made the mistake that ended whatever it was we had between us. I thought she was my friend, my one true one, but that was false. Had to be if it ended so abruptly.

I don’t have much experience with the true friendship rules in life, but if one breaks so easily and doesn’t get repaired just as quickly, was it even a real friendship?

The movies say no. So do the books. Guess there’s my answer.

“Where are you headed, prospect?” Bass asks with a voice loud enough to pull my attention to the table two down from me.

“Gym.”

“Forgetting something?” Bass raises an eyebrow and looks in my direction.

“Man, come on. I need to work out. I get fucking antsy, and this chick ain’t doing nothing.”

Bass shrugs. “Don’t give a damn. You know the rules. Atom wants her looked after.”

“Can’t someone else do it?” he whines, and I seriously wonder how long he’ll be here.

“No.” Bass’s face turns red as he stands quickly. As far as I can tell, the guy’s been itching for a fight since his woman’s visiting her brothers for a bit. He doesn’t seem to be good without her. Some say he used to be fine before he had a woman. But once he got an old lady and married her, he got possessive to the point that his mood relies on her happiness and proximity to him.

With her in New York, his ass ain’t happy right now.

I don’t know why he doesn’t just go see her. Seems stupid to sit here and wait if it makes him this pissy.

“Take her to the gym with you,” Walker says. Another brother, but one who sits alone more often than not and at a different table.

The prospect snorts. “How the hell am I going to get my shit done and watch her, huh?”

Walker raises his own eyebrow at that and shakes his head. “Boy, you’re stupid.”

Bass just grins. “Looks like your free time is up. Follow me.”