Reese

His jaw ticks, and he nods. “I know. I don’t like it, but I understand what I’m getting myself into.”

I’m not sure he does. Knowing something in your head and experiencing it are two entirely different things.

“Well, it’s the day after tomorrow, so we need to make sure we are all ready,” Blink comments, reading over the invite.

Vega pulls me farther back against him while I sit quietly and eat, my eyes on Law.

He must feel me watching him because he looks over at me. “I know what you’re thinking, Mal, but you don’t need to worry.”

“He’s right, Mal. I’ve seen him fight. He’s good. Real good. It’s why he came to the gym to begin with.”

I toss the crust back in the box before sliding the box back onto the table.

“It’s not that I don’t think you’re capable. It’s that everyone else will use underhanded tactics that—”

He holds his hand up and shakes his head.

“Remember what I told those kids about where I came from? I might have become a cop, but I wasn’t born one. I’m going to need you to just trust me on this one.”

“Fine.” I pout as Vega rubs his hands up and down my arms.

“We’ll spar tomorrow at the gym if it’ll help to reassure you,” he offers.

I smile. “Yeah, that would help, actually.”

“Then it’s a date. I figure it’s the last chance we’ll all get to fight together before the match.”

I nod, knowing he’s right, then I sigh and say, “I think I’ll have Hank close the gym during the fight.”

“Why? We have enough bodies to cover our absences.” Blink frowns.

“Call it woman’s intuition, but something doesn’t sit right with me leaving the place without any of its best fighters there. It’s probably nothing, but it could also be the perfect time for someone to cause trouble.”

“Something that would be distracting as hell during a fight,” Law adds, understanding my concern.

Vega tenses beneath me, so I turn to look at him. “I’m not saying there will be. It could just be me being paranoid, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“Alright, Mal. If it means your head will be in the game, then let’s do it. Once we are in that ring, we can’t let anything else break our focus. We get no second shots.”

Blink changes the subject after that, so we sit and chat, eating crappy food we really shouldn’t while pretending not to think about what’s to come.

“You okay?” I quietly ask Graves later when I realize he’s been largely silent.

He looks at me and nods. “Yeah.” He doesn’t offer anything else, and I don’t push, not while the others are within hearing range.

“Well, I think it’s time I call it a night if we are going to be at the gym early.” Law stands and stretches, revealing a tanned slice of skin when his T-shirt rises.

“You’re more than welcome to crash here, especially since we’re all going to the same place tomorrow,” Graves offers.

“You sure?” Law looks around at us all. “I don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not. You have workout shit at the gym, right?”

Law nods.

“Then don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks, man.”