Reese

We walk over to the picnic table, where I see Dwayne with his arm around a blushing Kenzie.

“Hey, guys. How are things?”

“Good, Malice. Real good.” Dwayne grins wildly as he turns to look at Kenzie, who blushes even harder.

“Now that’s what I like to hear. Grab something to eat, and I’ll catch up with you in a few.”

He nods and leads Kenzie over to the paper plates as Graves hands me one already filled.

“You, Graves, are a god.” He chuckles as I take the plastic fork from his hand and scoop up a mouthful of potato salad. I eat it with a happy hum.

We head for a patch of grass, listening to everyone chat around us as I happily eat my food.

Vega , Blink, and Law join us. Each of us enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

“You guys move so effortlessly together,” Law says, looking at Blink and me. Blink gives me a wicked grin, and I know he’s thinking of the shower.

I finish what’s in my mouth before speaking.

“We trained together for years. Even with our time apart, I never forgot how much fun it was to spar with him.”

“He doesn’t hold back,” Vega states.

“It’s one of the things I love the most. Inside that ring, I’m not a girl trying to prove her worth. I’m just another fighter to Blink. No better or worse than he is.”

“Well, it was amazing to watch. I feel like you two could probably win this thing without the rest of us.” Graves laughs.

“Yeah, no. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“I got a call earlier from one of my friends at the precinct. A couple of kids from Derby House have gone missing.”

“Derby House? That’s the halfway place on the other side of the city, right? For kids with a record?” Vega asks him.

Law nods. “Kids from juvie mostly, who aged out of foster care or group homes while they were inside. The aim is to help them adjust to being an adult in the outside world, get them jobs and obtain their GEDs and shit.”

“You ask any of our kids if they had heard anything?”

“Yeah. Nobody knows anything, which isn’t a huge surprise since there are a few years between them.”

“And still no sightings of Bill?” I ask hopefully, but I slump when he shakes his head.

“No, sorry.”

“Not your fault, Law. I just wish I knew where to look for them.”

“Speaking of looking for people, has Lollie mentioned if anyone has targeted Hank at all?”

“Nothing so far. And with her security team being as on guard as they are, they’d have noticed if they were being followed. Sugar has been digging, but there is not much else on this Mr. T than we had before. She thinks it could be Titus too, but there are still pieces that don’t fit.”

“Maybe because we think like normal people instead of psychopaths. Sometimes things don’t fit, at least not to us, but they make perfect sense to others,” Law grumbles.

He’s right. We are going around in circles, trying to make everything fit. But what if it just doesn’t?

“There are a handful of other fighting gyms that have had a run-in with this Mr. T, or rather his goon, Duncan. Some have closed down. Others are tight-lipped and not talking, which makes me wonder if they have been paid off.”

“Maybe he’s trying to control the flow of fighters entering.”

“With this guy, anything is possible.”

Vega’s cell chimes, so he whips it out and checks the screen before looking up at us all.

“Got a date for the final battle. It’s one month from today.”

“Does it say where?” Law leans forward.

“No. Says we will be given more information at a later date.”

“So now what?” Graves asks, looking around at all the kids laughing and joking.

“We train hard and remember exactly what it is we’re fighting for.”