Page 54 of Craving the Player

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sierra

The crowd is terrifying. Countless gruff, loud voices scratch at my eardrums as we slowly venture further into the warm bodies, Sophie’shand still clasped in mine.

The cement floor looks cold, but the air is hot and sickly humid. Ifeel too exposed in my current clothes. My skin crawls as several pairs of greedy, dull eyes drag their way up my body when we begin pushing our way deeper into the mob.

We follow Clay as best we can, but it’shard to keep him in focus while being shoved around. At this point, the only thing keeping me from turning around and running away is that Braden wouldn’thave been okay with me being somewhere that Icould get hurt. Or Ihope not, at least. He has faith in me, and Ihold onto that like alifeline.

Sophie gives my hand ahard squeeze and Iquickly realize that we’ve lost Clay in the mess of people around us. Tugging my lip between my teeth, Iattempt to stand on my toes and search the gym. But in an entire building full of mostly tall, brown-haired men, searching for Clay is like searching for aneedle in ahaystack.

“Just keep going straight!” Sophie shouts, capturing my attention again. Her eyes are wide as they move over the people pressed up against us with seemingly no sense of personal space. With ahuff Istick out my elbow and push, leading us even further into the crowd. Iduck my head down and yank Sophie’shand, forcing her small body to follow me. But when along, buff arm pushes out in front of me, nearly hitting my cheek, Ifreeze. The arm presses against my collarbone, forcing me to stay still.

My heartbeat picks up, and nerves start to twist my stomach into aboulder sized knot. Ifollow the length of the arm until my scared gaze lands on astrong jawline. The thick scar trailing the length of the bone only fills me with even more unwanted fear.

“Are you lost?” the stranger asks, his voice so hoarse that it causes ashiver to run up my spine.

“No,” Irespond quickly, filled with anewfound desire to leave. The stranger’sdark eyes light up with humour as Ilie to him.

“You sure?” He looks past me to ask the question to Sophie this time. Her grip on my hand tightens.

“We’re fine. Thanks,” Ishoot back, my tone more assertive than Iintended. Go me.

He cocks his brow, serving me with alook that makes me feel like gum beneath his shoe. “Let me take you—”

“Fuck off, Tavares. They said they’re fine,” adifferent intense, aggressive voice says, this time flowing from the mouth of astern-faced, tatted-up man.

The arm drops from in front of me as the asshole takes astep back, jaw clenching fiercely. Clearly, he doesn’tlike to be told no. Fancy that.

“Always walking around like you own the place, Tyler,” he spits.

The two brawny men stand firm and broad in front of each other, but Idon’tmiss the way our tattooed saviour shifts himself in front of me. “Always walking around harassing women, Tavares,” Tyler replies, not taking his narrowed gaze off of the asshole. Thankfully, Tavares doesn’tseem to want to make ascene and spins on his heel with amumbled curse before walking off.

“Where the fuck is Clayton?” Tyler moves to face Sophie and me, growling acurse under his breath while running alarge hand through his head of short black hair.

Ishrug both shoulders. Tyler’stowering height, slim waist and wide back instantly remind me of Braden, and Inearly smack myself upside the head when Iremember where I’ve heard his name before.

“You’re Braden’sbrother, right?” Iask him and the knots in my stomach begin to unravel. Tyler dips his chin and sends me amegawatt grin, looking as if the past few minutes have already been forgotten. He’shappy to be introduced as Braden’sbrother. Ithink Ilike him already.

“You’re Sierra and Sophie, right? Iknow that my brother may be afucking idiot most of the time, but he wouldn’tbe stupid enough not to have somebody here with you. So tell me where Clayton is and I’ll knock him around abit for the lot of us.”

“That’sus. And Iwouldn’tfight you on that one. We’re lucky that we ran into you. It’sinsane here. Is it always so crowded?”

He tilts his head side to side in an “eh” gesture. “Mostly just when Braden fights. The guy’sgot quite the fan club.”

For some reason, Idon’texpect to hear jealousy in Tyler’stone, and am relieved when the only thing Ipick up on is pride. Knowing that Braden is surrounded by people who care for him so deeply spears me with awarm and fuzzy feeling.

“As great as it is to meet you, Tyler, Iwould really love to get out of this crowd,” Sophie cuts in, anote of frustration in her voice. I’mreminded of where we are and wince, taking astep closer to Sophie and clutching her elbow.

“Follow me,” Tyler says with afirm dip of his chin, and Iwatch in awe as the crowd parts for him, leaving more than enough room for us to catch our breath. Any other time, Iwould hate the eyes that watch Sophie and me as we follow closely behind Tyler, but Ieasily brush them on, too focused on not getting lost again.

He leads us through avast archway that separates the front half of the gym from the back half. There are two men standing in front of the entrance but they let us through with aquick nod in Tyler’sdirection. Ilook back at the crowds behind us and feel asurge with momentary relief. The burly men blur together to form an angry grey cloud, their silhouettes dark and dangerous, threatening adangerous storm.

Agasp gets stuck in my throat as Itake in the new space. It’smuch bigger than where we just were, and painted with dark lighting that barely manages to highlight the giant, elevated boxing ring that’sbeen placed in the middle of the room. There’san empty hallway to the right of us that Iassume leads towards alocker room, and two others, each one on an opposite side of the ring. There are large square lights around the platform that are turned off, leaving it dark and emanating afeeling of fear that slithers up my skin.

Anger fries my nerves when Ispot Clayton leaning against the thick velvet ropes lining the edges, his cellphone pressed to his ear. His body is completely relaxed, not acare in the world as to where Sophie and Imay or may not have ended up as he continues chatting with whoever’son the other end of the call.

“Forget something, Clay?” Tyler asks, stalking towards him with athick sense of power. Isnicker when Tyler brings his hand up and smacks it against the back of Clayton’shead. The angry man seems to pull Clayton’shead from the clouds as he spins to look back at us, eyes wide with worry.

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