here?” I asked, preparing to find my brothers and get us the hell out of there if necessary.
“It means, as with any event of this nature, friend or foe may be in attendance.” My brows wrinkled in confusion. “For starters, you’re an O’Shea sitting beside a Peccati. Look around, Sloane. Who else do you see?”
Reluctantly, I raised my head and let my eyes slowly sweep over the faces filling the bleachers. The first thing I noticed was an abundance of men who were obviously working as security, though I didn’t know if they worked for the club or were personal guards for some of the people attending the fight. Unless they all belonged to Luca. I stiffened at the thought and forced myself to focus on the task at hand.
“Is that Nikolai Volkov?” I whispered.
“Indeed it is,” he confirmed.
“In the next section to the right, that’s Gabriel DeLuca and Pietro,” I breathed.
He cleared his throat. “Do you understand now?”
It finally hit me. I was in an underground fight club, and judging by the crowd in attendance, it was a high-dollar one. “Oh,” I said. “Well, thank you for bringing that to my attention.”
“Why are you here?”
“I was supposed to be meeting a friend, but I think I’m in the wrong place,” I lied and pointed to the door. “Is it okay for me to leave?”
He shook his head. “No. Once the door closes and locks, it remains locked until the end of the fight.”
“Why?”
“There’s a number of reasons, but one is to prevent people from trying to sneak out and cheat the system by placing a large bet on the winning fighter halfway through the match. Everyone in here placed a bet on one of the fighters before they entered this room,” he explained.
“I didn’t,” I blurted, causing his eyes to widen before they narrowed sharply.
“Then, you shouldn’t be in here. How did you get in?” he asked in a way I knew it was best to answer with the truth.
“I told the doorman I was here to surprise Declan,” I admitted. “And I told him I knew where I was going.”
Luca sharply nodded his head once. “I see. Well, Ms. O’Shea, it would be in your best interest to secure a bet with me right now before the match begins.”
There was no doubt in my mind that he was dead serious, literally. “Fine,” I relented. “I want to place the lowest bet you’ll take on the fighter you think will win.”
He chuckled. “You’re lucky that I won’t take advantage of such a vague bet because I know your father. Others would not be so thoughtful.”
“Dad has always spoken highly of you,” I said offhandedly before my curiosity got the best of me. “Why is a bet required?”
“That’s not information you’re privy to,” he said sharply, then softened his tone. “Even Maxim and Pietro placed bets in order to enter with Nikolai and Gabriel.” He paused when the lights flickered. “Ah, it’s about to begin.”
I turned to the ring and watched quietly as the two fighters squared up in the center. There was very little fanfare before the two large men started pummeling each other in a barbaric fashion. The sounds of their taped fists slamming into each other’s flesh almost had me throwing up. It seemed like it went on forever before one of them finally fell to the floor in a bloody heap.
As people got up and began to circulate, Luca stayed planted in his seat. “Am I allowed to leave now?” I whispered.
He shook his head, but the corners of his lips tipped up in a small grin. “No, dear, there’s one more match scheduled for this room tonight.”
I felt my face turn green. “I’m not sure I can sit through another one of those,” I confessed, causing him to chuckle.
“I can assure you this match will not be as long as the first one.” He snapped his fingers in the air, and a man suddenly appeared at his side. “I would like a drink. And bring Ms. O’Shea a fresh one as well.”
The attendant returned several minutes later, magically refilling my drink correctly without asking what it was. The crowd had thinned out, and the room started to fill with new people. Luca turned to me. “Now, tell me why you’re really here.”
I decided to see if part of the truth would satisfy him. “I saw someone I recognized come in here, and I wanted to say hello.”
He nodded slowly. “Nice try, Ms. O’Shea. Now tell