“You’re joking, right?”
“I’ll even pay.”
“You can fuck right off.” Without sparing him another look, I trudged off and headed for the pits to gather my stuff and get out of this hellhole. Now, I needed to find another way to earn the money I’d lost tonight. And I had no idea how I was going to do it.
My savings were gone. I had enough for this month’s rent and enough credit to see me through the next month, but the rest?
Nothing.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Times like this made me wish I had taken the path Mom wanted for me. As much as she’d hoped I’d do better than her and find a steady 401k job, I couldn’t sit behind a desk. Working a nine-to-five was Hell on Earth in my book and not my thing. So, I got my money by doing more unconventional things.
I winced as the next step sent jarring pain racing up my back to the base of my skull along with memories of some of my more unconventional jobs. I’d even worked as a phone sex operator but got too creeped out and quit after two weeks.
Fighting was the only thing that stuck for me. And when the payout was good, I could go weeks between matches.
It was a win-win for me.
Well, until tonight.
Now the dizzy spells threatened to take my livelihood from me. I’d never had a fainting spell during a fight before, but with it happening more and more, how was I supposed to fight? And no fights meant no money.
After changing my clothes and cleaning the grime and blood from my face under the flickering dull lights, I emerged out of the Underground’s secret entrance. Not many people knew about the fight club hidden in the basement of the abandoned bottle factory, but that was the point. It hadn’t stayed under law enforcement’s radar this long by accident, after all.
Hiking my duffle bag higher onto my shoulder, I walked down the dark and smelly alleyway toward the road. Even at night, the air, still sticky and warm from the hot summer’s day, clung to my skin. My tank stuck to my torso and my track pants made my legs feel like they were in some sort of sauna torture device.
The sudden tickle of my hindsight made me pause. I scanned the shadows, but nothing leapt out at me. The roar of an engine coming to life made me jump, and the flare of a headlight faded away as a motorcycle passed.
Not completely odd, since we lived in a city, it was a humid night, and the Underground was filled with all kinds of people. So then, why did the biker make my Spidey senses tingle?
My gaze swept the alley again. Two of the Underground’s security guards smoked near the entrance, but they were too occupied in their conversation to bother with me. Otherwise, the alley was empty.
Hmm… Maybe whatever was going on with my health affected my sixth sense, too. Wouldn’t surprise me. I seemed to have the worst luck in the world.
With a deep sigh, I continued walking. An ice bath and some ibuprofen called my name.
I can’t believe I lost.