his breath again, but turned and started talking to one of the big fuckers he normally brought with him as security.
Mack headed toward the scarred door, pulled it open, and took a moment to stare at the crowd. Tanner hadn’t been kidding when he said it was a full house. The bodies were shoulder-to-shoulder, and the scent of sweat and booze filled the air. Some people saw him standing there and started going crazy in their excitement. Tonight they were about to see a lot of blood cover the mat.
****
Jane knew the smell was something she would never get used to, no matter how long she was in the rundown, decrepit building. The stench of body odor, spilled beer, and sex filled the air, slammed into her nose like a freight train, and wasn’t stopping its onslaught anytime soon. She had followed Taylor into the building, where she had been exempt from paying the astronomical cover charge because Taylor had told the bouncer, “She is with me.” He had steered her toward the front where a crudely erected cage stood, one where chain-link made up the walls, and the mat, which looked like it had once been white, was a nasty shade of off-white, with splatters of rust colored stains on it. She swallowed roughly, instantly knowing what those stains were.
The people were packed into the basement of the building like sardines in a can, but they didn’t seem to care that there was hardly any breathing room. Their hands were raised, their beers sloshing over the rims of their plastic red cups, and their voices were so loud in unison that it was earsplitting. Jane felt like she was in some kind of culture shock. The people that surrounded her were like a different breed. They kept chanting for blood, broken bones, and violence. Was Mack somewhere in the crowd, wanting to see what was clearly an illegal fight? No way could she find him, and Taylor had disappeared well over ten minutes ago after he had all but deposited her near the front of the cage next to one of the beefy, frightening looking security guys. Through the parting people—swaying as if they were a living ocean, moving with the current—Jane had spotted several closed doors in the far back of the room. Taylor might have gone through one of them, or maybe he was somewhere in the crowd. But why leave her here when she was more than likely to be trampled to death when the fighters came out? As it was they were already about to charge toward the cage. God, it didn’t matter, because all she wanted to do was see Mack and get out of here in one piece, but she didn’t see how that was going to work seeing as there was no damn way she could find him in here.
The sound of a speaker turning on, and of static filling the air, had the noise level dropping to about half, but still it was damn loud in here. “Well, look at all you motherfuckas ’.” The crowd went wild once more, and Jane clutched her purse to her chest as she was pushed forward from behind. “Full house we got tonight, but then again you are in for one fuckin’ show.” There was a string of screams from the females in the crowd. “That’s right, ladies. I bet your panties are all fucking wet for the Russian with the rep for his one hit KO, right ?” The announcer screamed the last word, and Jane was shoved forward once again, this time so forcefully that she fell forward, connected the side of her face with the edge of the cage, and felt her skin part. A hiss of pain left her, but she righted herself so people didn’t start stepping all over her, cupped her cheek, and forced her tears from the pain to not fall. Damn, she hadn’t even been here for twenty minutes, and already she was hurt. She backed up until she was several feet from the cage, and people filled in the gap. She just needed to get the hell out of here. She would try to talk to Mack another time. This place was definitely not her scene. But the crowd surged forward once more, and she had to brace her hands on the back that was in front
Mack headed toward the scarred door, pulled it open, and took a moment to stare at the crowd. Tanner hadn’t been kidding when he said it was a full house. The bodies were shoulder-to-shoulder, and the scent of sweat and booze filled the air. Some people saw him standing there and started going crazy in their excitement. Tonight they were about to see a lot of blood cover the mat.
****
Jane knew the smell was something she would never get used to, no matter how long she was in the rundown, decrepit building. The stench of body odor, spilled beer, and sex filled the air, slammed into her nose like a freight train, and wasn’t stopping its onslaught anytime soon. She had followed Taylor into the building, where she had been exempt from paying the astronomical cover charge because Taylor had told the bouncer, “She is with me.” He had steered her toward the front where a crudely erected cage stood, one where chain-link made up the walls, and the mat, which looked like it had once been white, was a nasty shade of off-white, with splatters of rust colored stains on it. She swallowed roughly, instantly knowing what those stains were.
The people were packed into the basement of the building like sardines in a can, but they didn’t seem to care that there was hardly any breathing room. Their hands were raised, their beers sloshing over the rims of their plastic red cups, and their voices were so loud in unison that it was earsplitting. Jane felt like she was in some kind of culture shock. The people that surrounded her were like a different breed. They kept chanting for blood, broken bones, and violence. Was Mack somewhere in the crowd, wanting to see what was clearly an illegal fight? No way could she find him, and Taylor had disappeared well over ten minutes ago after he had all but deposited her near the front of the cage next to one of the beefy, frightening looking security guys. Through the parting people—swaying as if they were a living ocean, moving with the current—Jane had spotted several closed doors in the far back of the room. Taylor might have gone through one of them, or maybe he was somewhere in the crowd. But why leave her here when she was more than likely to be trampled to death when the fighters came out? As it was they were already about to charge toward the cage. God, it didn’t matter, because all she wanted to do was see Mack and get out of here in one piece, but she didn’t see how that was going to work seeing as there was no damn way she could find him in here.
The sound of a speaker turning on, and of static filling the air, had the noise level dropping to about half, but still it was damn loud in here. “Well, look at all you motherfuckas ’.” The crowd went wild once more, and Jane clutched her purse to her chest as she was pushed forward from behind. “Full house we got tonight, but then again you are in for one fuckin’ show.” There was a string of screams from the females in the crowd. “That’s right, ladies. I bet your panties are all fucking wet for the Russian with the rep for his one hit KO, right ?” The announcer screamed the last word, and Jane was shoved forward once again, this time so forcefully that she fell forward, connected the side of her face with the edge of the cage, and felt her skin part. A hiss of pain left her, but she righted herself so people didn’t start stepping all over her, cupped her cheek, and forced her tears from the pain to not fall. Damn, she hadn’t even been here for twenty minutes, and already she was hurt. She backed up until she was several feet from the cage, and people filled in the gap. She just needed to get the hell out of here. She would try to talk to Mack another time. This place was definitely not her scene. But the crowd surged forward once more, and she had to brace her hands on the back that was in front
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