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It’s my first time on a motorcycle. Maybe I should be nervous, but when he takes off and I hold on tightly to him, laughter pours out of me. This is fun.
It’s a short ride to the old bottling plant that closed down years ago. We used to ride our bikes here as kids and dare each other to go inside. A small crowd of people mill around the crumbling parking lot, and Alden pulls the bike up near a trio of men I don’t recognize. They’re bikers, judging by their vests. The two women with them both give me a disdainful look when I pull my helmet off. I’m not sure what their problem is. They’re both way older than me, early thirties probably, like the men.
“Watch your leg. Don’t burn it on the exhaust pipe,” Alden warns, helping me off the bike. “Wait here for a second.”
He doesn’t have to tell me again. The daggers coming from the eyes of those women would keep me away even if the bikers weren’t big and scary. Which they are. How does he even know these guys?
More people are showing up, on foot and by car. While Alden talks with the three bikers, I watch a group of women open one of the doors and disappear inside the factory.
When my attention returns to Alden, one of the bikers hands him some money, and they laugh. Then he starts back toward me.
“Ready?”
“Was he making a bet too?”
“Nope. Just owed me some money.”
He’s full of shit. “He owed you some money and loaned you his bike. The bike with no plates on it.”
Alden chuckles, shaking his head. “He owed me the money for the bike. I built it.”
My eyebrows jump up. “You built a motorcycle?”
“You impressed?” he teases, taking my hand.
“Yes, actually. You could be a mechanic.”
“I’m shooting higher than that. I’m going to build custom bikes. Start my own business and rake in the money.” He pauses by the door of the factory. “Okay, listen up before we go in. Stay right with me. It’s a maze in there and easy to get lost in the dark.”
“Got it.”
My hand tightens on his, and we step inside. He isn’t kidding. Glow sticks and makeshift lights line the halls but don’t push back the dark completely. There’s a damp, musty smell and broken glass crunches under our feet.
A murmur of voices grows louder while we wind our way through the old hallways, then push through thick hanging strips of plastic to enter a large open room.
Wow.
There are easily over a hundred people here and more streaming inside. They surround an area that’s been roped off for the fighters. As we make our way through the crowd, Alden gets stopped constantly. Mostly by people who want to place a bet, but also by women who bat their eyelashes and hit on him while practically sneering at me.
I shouldn’t be surprised. He may be young, but Alden is always the best looking guy wherever he goes. Watching women so much older than him giggle and grab him to talk into his ear sends a spike through my stomach. How could I ever compete? They must be experienced.
Maybe Alden notices my reaction, because he slings his arm around me and pulls me close. “Ignore the chicks. They’re fighter groupies.”
We arrive at the edge of the ropes as a man steps out and starts to introduce the first two fighters. “What are the rules?” I ask, talking right into Alden’s ear. It’s the only way to be heard over the crowd. “Is it boxing?”
Alden shakes his head. “Street fighting. No biting or eye gouging. No going for the crotch. That's it. Loser taps out or doesn’t get back up in fifteen seconds.” He points to two guys standing on the opposite side. “Each fighter has a backup that can forfeit on their behalf if they think it’s too much.”
I’m no stranger to violence. I’ve seen plenty of neighborhood and school fights. But this is different. The first bout is between high school boys.
It doesn’t last long. One is much bigger than the other and he gets the smaller one down quickly. A few punches and a broken nose later, it’s over. The loser is consoled by his friends while the winner soaks in the accolades from the crowd.
One of the bikers he was talking to before walks up and slaps Alden on the shoulder. “Told you they shouldn’t let you fetuses fight. Didn’t last two minutes.”
“Fuck off, old man. Mine was four minutes.”
They both laugh and Alden nods at me. “This is my girl, Ella.”
His girl. My heart rate doubles.
