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Malik cursed under his breath, shaking his head before seeing me and giving me a little chin-lift.
I didn’t respond, just put my mouth in a flat line.
He looked back to Kunz.
The big guy was also looking at Kunz, and he threw a hand out toward him. “You want to join in this conversation? Since you’re the one with his balls all twisted up because my guy wouldn’t take a dive in his last fight for you?”
A girl gasped next to me.
A couple of guys shouted.
“Shit!”
“No way he just said that.”
I heard one guy near me mutter, “That’s just wrong.”
Kunz lifted his head from his phone and began looking around. His eyes got hard. “What do you want me to say? I never asked him to take a dive. I just asked if he thought he was going to lose. There’s a difference.”
“Yeah, man.” The guy near me muttered again. “There’s a real big difference with those two.”
“You asked me to lose, you dipshit.” Scout stepped forward.
The crowd quieted.
This was a whole different world, with different rules and different dynamics. A whole different culture.
Kunz turned his way. “That was your interpretation.”
Scout went still, eerily still. “We both know how that conversation went down.” Danger.
He didn’t seem mad, but Scout was getting there.
Someone bumped into me, and I looked over, annoyed, but it was Theresa.
“Hey—” I started to say, but she stepped out of the crowd.
I went with her by accident, falling forward.
“You asked him to take a dive?” She shook her head, a gurgling sound coming out of her.
“Theresa—” I’d reached for her when I was plucked up before I could register what was happening.
A strong arm wrapped around my waist and carried me away. “Hey!” I twisted around enough to see Scout scowling at me. He was not happy.
“Put me down.”
“Hey! Ramsay!”
I yelled back at Theresa, “Um, okay—”
“You came with her?” he clipped out. He walked into the crowd. They parted, all eyes following us as he strode toward the street where he was parked.
“Put me down. It’s fine.”
“Garcia is fine.” He scoured me with another look. “You are not.” He set me down once we reached the truck, only to unlock his door. Then he opened it and put me inside.
“Hey!” I reached for him, but he shut the door and locked it. “Hey!” I tried to open it, but whoa—did he have child locks on his front passenger door? That was . . . then I cursed myself. Of course he didn’t. I just wasn’t pulling the handle the right way. Figuring it out, I opened the door and started out, but Scout wasn’t far. He’d just turned to talk to a bunch of people who’d followed us.
He whipped around, slamming his arm against the door, trapping me in.
I ducked, trying to go under his arm, but he used his legs to cage me.
“Scout.”
“Get back inside.”
Some of his friends edged back a step. The girls gave me nasty looks. One was blinking back tears. Another guy had moved forward to stand just behind Scout.
“Get back inside!” he barked. “I’m not fucking around.”
I eased back, eyeing him and brushing a hand over my forehead. “Theresa,” I croaked.
He gritted his teeth. “Get inside while I figure shit out.”
I nodded because really, what could I do? I only knew Theresa and he seemed to know everyone else here. Plus, what was the point of making a scene? Once I realized this, the fight left me, and my entire body felt ready to drop.
I got back into his truck.
He stood there, watching me until I sighed and just sat there.
He left the door open and turned his back to me, blocking me in.
“Kunz took off with their girl with them,” said the guy who’d stepped forward. “Now we just need to know what you want done with her?” His gaze switched to me.
Scout glanced back at me, folding his arms over his chest. “You came with Garcia?”
I nodded. “To the fight.”
His eyebrows twitched.
“Then here,” I added.
“You guys here with anyone else? Gem?”
I shook my head. “Kunz and Malik were in the car with Theresa and me. That was it. We were going to leave when I came out and saw your confrontation with him.”
His mouth tightened, and he raked a hand over his hair before looking at his friend again. “Nice of them to leave you behind.” He turned back to me. “You ready to go?”
Theresa took off? Just like that?
I sank even lower in the seat. “Yeah.”
35
RAMSAY
“Don’t start,” I warned Scout.
We shot forward in the truck, and Scout drove just as fast as Kunz had. His knuckles were white as he held the steering wheel. I settled back, just waiting for him to light into me. It was inevitable.
“What the fuck were you thinking going anywhere with Kunz? Do you know anything about him?”
