Page 21 of Unlucky You

“Fuck you, Joe. If I’m anything at all, it’s ethical. I earned every penny you paid me. I more than delivered.”

And I had.

Regardless of holding back the shots of Grand.

“Saniya, hold on…” I heard him protest just before I ended the call.

I liked Joe for the most part. He was a reasonable guy but I didn’t like being misled or used and that was how I felt. I couldn’t say for certain that if he had been honest I would have handed over the photos of Grand.

The guy didn’t want to be seen. Or at least not according to his cousin. Had Joe mentioned why he really wanted me on the inside, then maybe I wouldn’t have minded handing over the goods. A job was a job and a paid job would have been completed with interest.

Joe called back but I ignored him and instead navigated to the folder where I had Grand’s photos. I edited a few, but there wasn’t much work that needed to be done. The rawness of him, the dead look in his eyes, the strength in his stance even while taking blow after blow. It was all so perfect.

I clicked on the one I captured right before he knocked the guy out, studying his face. There was something about his expression—the tension in his jaw, the fire and fury in his eyes. The shot was only seconds before he landed the blow that ended the match. He had every intention of knocking the guy out. It was as if he waited until that very moment, when it was clear he was the better fighter. He allowed Levitt to hit him, wanted him to, and as soon as he received his fill of torture, he ended things.

“Why?” I whispered to myself. The photos staring back at me gave away nothing. And I knew I was about to travel down a road I had no business traveling. What little I knew about this man, which was basically nothing, was he’d potentially suffered something terrible in his life.

He was the type of man who had a past people whispered about. That past shaped him into whoever he had become. The walking weapon I witnessed a few nights ago and thoughts ofthat man had my heart beating faster. I needed to know him, needed his story, regardless of how every fiber of my being was screaming for me to stay away and forget I’d ever met him.

The next nightI found myself back at The Pit. I had no idea if it was a place he frequented or not, but I had no other connection to the man. No idea how to track him. This was my only hope of running into him again and I desperately wanted to.

I arrived at ten o’clock, sat at the bar, and by midnight there was still no sign of him. The two shots of liquor I had kept my seat at the bar but did little for my longing. I didn’t have the distraction of a conversation with the bartender who helped me find the fight. In his place were two women who openly flirted with their customers as they danced around each other.

I entertained myself, watching them for a while, trying to prolong my stay, but eventually disappointment settled in and I gave up. I placed three twenties under my glass and threw my hand up, motioning to them that I was ready to close out my tab. Once I had the attention of one of the ladies, she smiled and offered a nod when I pointed to the cash under my glass. I slipped off the stool and pushed my way through the crowd. It was thick, the music was loud, and my body was still humming from the alcohol in my system. But seconds before I reached the door, a spike of fear jolted through me. I felt pressure on my upper arm and I was dragged out the front door, narrowly missing the glass metal edge as the humidity kissed my skin and had me sucking in a thick breath.

Before I could break free, my back landed hard against the rough brick that began just beyond the entrance to The Pit. Myeyes widened as I attempted to unscramble my brain to make sense of the massive figure looming over me and blocking my access.

“Who the fuck are you and why are you asking questions about me?”

I opened my mouth to respond but swallowed thickly when his free hand knocked the hood from his head, granting me a shadowy view of his angry expression. It was eerily similar to the one he’d issued Levitt moments before taunting him into a battle Levitt hadn’t stood a chance at winning.

“Something wrong with your mouth? I asked you a question?”

My anger flared, granting me a bit of false bravado. “Nothing’s wrong with my mouth but if you want an answer to your question you might want to work on your delivery.”

I could barely see his eyes but I noticed the moment they narrowed and his jaw contracted. His fingers bit deeper into my arm and he inched closer. The threat of his body crept through me and I should have been afraid but my stupid brain registered a different emotion.

Need…

“You go snooping around in a man’s personal business, you don’t get pleasantries. You get exactly what I’m offering. A warning that you need to answer my gotdamn question…”

“Or…”

He delivered that same death stare he gave in the ring but the way his eyes danced with amusement had my abs tensing and flexing.

“You were here at The Pit a few nights ago, then you were at the fight asking questions. Now you’re here again tonight.”

“Who says I’mherefor you?”

“You just did.” He inched closer and I hated that my body betrayed me yet again by taking notice of the spicy, clean scentthat clung to his skin, the light hint of mint on his breath as it whispered over my face, and the effortless way he kept me imprisoned between his body and the wall. We were hidden from anyone that might potentially be curious about who he was talking to. Unfortunately there wasn’t anyone around besides the two of us.

“I told your cousin who I was.”

“Saniya Montgomery. A photographer.”

“Why ask if you know who I am?”

“I don’t know who you are. I know your name and what you do. I don’t know shit about you nor do I know why you were at the fight asking about me. How did you even get in there?”

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