Page 180 of Withered

What’s so special about this place that it needs bodyguards?

“How do you know about this door?” I whisper. I scrunch my face in disgust when I smell something awful, like old socks.

“I’ve been here before,” he answers.

Before I could ask him when, we enter a huge room filled with people yelling at the top of their lungs. I hate this. We can barely go in since there is nowhere to put our feet.

My eyes take in the scene, which includes largely men in their 30’s and a few women in their late 20’s. Some people are sitting at the table, while others are standing. The room stinks of smoke and sweat. The tables are piled high with smoking pipes, drinks, and a white substance that could be drugs. This is the last place I ever want to be, but here I am. I look around the mostly dark space, but my focus is now on the center of the room, where a large crowd has gathered, hence the source of the noise.

I’m sure more than half of the people in this room are drunk or high on something. So I stay alert.

Now that I’m here, the last thing I want is for someone to force themselves on me. We manage to make it through the crowd, pushing and squeezing our way in.

In the center of the room is a ring where two people are fighting, throwing punches at each other. Bile rises in my throat at the scene, and I have to cover my mouth to stop myself from puking. I hate every second of this. I hate blood and violence. I’d rather treat a person covered in blood than this.

“What is this place?” I shout through a muffled hand so Caleb can hear me. However, I believe I know the answer.

“It’s calledRumble,” he answers in my ear. That’s the name of this place. But it’s an illegal fighting club. Hence the deserted location and the bodyguards at the front door. I need to get out of here. The police can raid this location at any time.

The fight comes to an end as one of the players falls with blood pouring from his mouth. People rise from their chairs, and the entire room shakes, from the walls to the earth beneath me.

A guy who looks oddly familiar appears with a microphone. “Now for our next fight. Please welcome-”

I don’t listen to him; instead, I look at Caleb. “You think Jake is here?” I ask him, and he nods.

Nonsense.Jake couldn’t possibly be in a place like this. “I’m leaving. This is a complete waste of time.” I turn around to get out as soon as possible.

“And now our next fighter, J.H.” The announcer goes on. The crowd starts chanting the same thing.

Caleb grabs my wrist to stop me, but I turn back and rip my hand off him.

“Just let-” I start but can’t finish my sentence as my gaze is drawn to the ring and, more specifically, to the person standing there.

My eyes widen, and my heart sinks. All of a sudden, my feet are knocked off balance, but I manage my wobbly feet by trying to stay still.This can’t be happening, not to me.

J.H.Jake Henderson stands there with a devilish smirk. I close my eyes for a moment, hoping this is just a bad dream and I’ll wake up soon. But, no. The whole room ceases to exist for me. The world stops for me.My Jakeis there. The only difference is that this isn’t the Jake I know. The one in the ring is dangerous—the polar opposite of the one I’ve been getting to know over the last few months.

If he is the Jake everyone warned me of, I’m scared. This is not the one I fell for. This is not the one I love.Dammit.

I gave my heart to someone I knew wouldn’t hurt me, but he is the danger here.

Everything that didn’t make sense before comes flooding back to me. He was hurt several times, and he was here the entire time. He meant it when he said he fought with guys. This is anillegal ring.

In the corner of the room, I notice the same guys we met after the fundraiser event. So they knew. Jake must have told them to stay away from me, so they wouldn’t tell me the truth. I cannot believe this. I cannot believe he hid this from me. I cannot believehim.

“Please, don’t cry.” I hear Caleb’s voice, but my eyes are on Jake.

Jake’s eyes meet mine, and color drains from his face. The eyes that once held warmth are now cold to me. The soulmate in his eyes is now replaced by a stranger.

I’ve heard people talk about love. Love can soothe and hurt you at the same time. A picture can tell a thousand stories. But the scene in front of me is making me question so many things. I want to forget this night. I want to erase it as if it never happened.

Just why? Why did he hide this from me? Why me? Just when I thought I could fall in love, I find out the guy I fell in love with isn’t the one I was hoping he’d be.

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