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"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded, stomping after him.

"You need a different outfit for where we're going." He shrugged, tearing through my closet like a tornado. "Why don't you have anything appropriate?"

"All of my clothes are appropriate. What the hell are you even on about?" I scoffed. "You know what? Don't answer that. Just get the fuck out of my room, Leighton."

"No can do,Petit Démone. We're going to a fight." He turned to me and tossed a pair of jeans in my direction before pulling off his t-shirt.

"Wha–"

"My shirt with those jeans and…." He paused, spotting a pair of chucks along the bottom row of my built-in shoe rack. "Those shoes. I'll grab my leather jacket from my room on the way out to throw over it and you'll fit right in."

Infuriated, I stomped toward him and grabbed his ear like I was some sort of school marm. He cackled as I dragged him toward the door to my room, intent on tossing him out on his ass. I pinched his ear harder for good measure and jerked open the door to find Joey standing outside, poised to knock.

"What's going on?" He asked, his eyes flitting between me and Leighton.

"We're going to a fight. Wanna come?" Leighton grinned.

"Wearen't going anywhere. You're getting the fuck out of my room." I hissed.

Interest and confusion flashed simultaneously across Joey's face before he spoke.

"Actually, Sweetheart, I think you might like the fight. How about I go with to keep L in line?"

"Yes," Leighton cheered, fist-pumping the air and pulling his ear free of my grip. "Have her ready in ten, I need to grab another shirt and my leather jacket from my room. Meet you back here!"

I stood there, my mouth open in shock, as Leighton skipped out of my room and down the hallway. Joey gently placed a knuckle under my chin and pushed my mouth shut before guiding me back into my room by the elbow. His eyes scanned my room before catching on the open closet door. Dropping my arm, he strolled inside, and I heard him laugh.

"I don't think this will do." He chuckled, strolling back into my bedroom with Leighton's shirt in hand. "Why don't you find somethingyou'recomfortable in instead?"

"Et tu, Brute?" I sighed. "I would be more comfortable not going anywhere withhim."

"As strange as it sounds, Sweetheart, Leighton doesn't invite anyone to his fights. They're where he goes when he needs to do some real damage to someone and regain some control over himself. One of us always goes anyway, of course. Someone has to watch that psychopath's back."

"I'm not stopping you from going, Joey." I shrugged. "But I'm not interested in going anywhere withhim."

One of the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, and he stepped close enough to me that he could push an errant curl behind my ear. I had to tip my head back slightly to look him in the eye. The sensation of butterflies in my stomach was back. It was becoming a surprisingly regular feeling when I was around Joey or Craig.

"So, don't go with L. Come with me." The warm look in his eyes pulled me in. "I'd love to take you out again, so come see a fight with me, Sweetheart."

After a moment to get my heart rate back to normal, I nodded.

Leighton eased the car to a stop in front of an abandoned-looking warehouse. I'd never been this deep into the south side before. Buildings, streets, and even lawns were in total disrepair the closer we got to the warehouse, until nothing looked remotely functional or inhabitable. Even the building we were now parked in front of looked fit to collapse with a slight breeze. If it weren't for the number of cars and motorcycles scattered in the parking lot, I wouldn't have believed anything was happening inside, let alone some fight.

"Stick close when we get inside, Sweetheart." Joey murmured as he helped me out of the backseat.

I hummed in agreement, moving closer to his side. The dimly lit parking lot gave the place an ominous aura, and my instincts told me that even Leighton was a better option than being in this place alone.

We were met with bright lights and a boisterous crowd of people once we stepped inside. My jaw dropped open at the drastic contrast from the parking lot. As my eyes flitted around the space, I noticed the inside of the building was in much better shape than I had thought. It looked like an almost professional setup, right down to the ring in the center of the room.

"I'm dedicating my fight to you,Petit Démone." Leighton said, grabbing one of my hands and bringing it to his lips. "I want you ringside when I do."

I shot Joey a curious glance over my shoulder and found him staring at Leighton, perplexed.

"Uh, okay, I guess." I replied, peeling my hand from Leighton's. He grinned in response before slipping off into the crowd. Turning to Joey, I asked, "What was that all about?"

"That, Sweetheart, is the mac-daddy of all apologies coming from L. He's only ever dedicated one fight to anybody and it was to Rich when he'd fucked up so bad Rich was considering kicking him out of the family."

Before I could ask what Leighton had done, Joey slipped his hand into mine and led me through the crowd toward a bar on the far side of the space. He ordered us drinks, causing my stomach to flutter at how he looked me over once before ordering for me. The games I'd been playing to needle Az had resulted in me getting closer to both Joey and Craig and seeing the more in control side of Joey was doing all sorts of things to me I wasn't sure I was ready to explore.