Page 100 of Blackwood

His eyes turn to me. “And you must be Bella.”

He takes my hand and kisses it with obnoxious flair.

Cade grumbles, “Bella, this is Dam—I mean, Rez. Lex’s cousin. Co-leader of the Hollow Kings.”

Rez flashes a grin. “Guilty.”

Then he jerks his chin toward the disaster on stage. “Look, I’ll just get right to it because I’m up soon. First, per your request, he is in the dark. Completely and utterly clueless.”

I look at Cade and smile.

“And like I said on the phone,” Rez continues. “We’ve been trying to hype this place back up. Fight Nights used to be insane. Now? Fights are still good, but… let’s be honest.”

Knox leans in, grinning from ear to ear, all cocky and smug as hell, “You mean you want Row-level shit up in here.”

Rez sighs. “As much as I hate to admit it, yes. I’ve seen your Row parties on the live stream. That’s the kind of energy we need. The lighting, the music, the fights, and the girls. We’ve got a major donor event in the fall and if we can’t blow it out of the fucking water, it will not look good on me, or Lex. Do you think you are up for the challenge?”

I smile sweetly, “What all do you need from me?”

“We pull in the same fighters each week to fight The Hollow Kings. We need bigger names, bigger fighters. No offense to the schools around here but it’s not cutting it. That and entertainment between fights.”

“I think we can work something out. I have a few fighters in mind.” I say getting a side eye form Knox.

“Glad to hear it, Izzy,” Rez says.

My entire body goes still. “What did you just call me?”

Rez raises a brow, unfazed. “Izzy?”

Knox sits up straighter, muscles taut like he’s ready to launch across the floor. Haley immediately drops a hand to his thigh, calming him. Ellie suddenly cannot sit still, eyes narrowing with razor precision.

Even Cade’s looking around now completely confused. “Uh, am I miss—”

“Her fucking name is Bella,” Knox’s voice cuts him off.

Rez shrugs, all casual arrogance. “Eh. I like Izzy better. Has bite. Like you.”

Cade grabs my leg again, clearly unimpressed. “Careful, Rez.”

“Relax, Whitmore. I don’t poach. Just admire.” He winks at me. “You’re a lot more interesting than Maddie Rae made you sound.”

I cross my arms, “Let me guess. She said I’m crazy, slutty, and not Hollow Kings material?”

“Pretty much. But now that I’ve met you…”

He steps a little closer, just enough to test boundaries. “I’m thinking Maddie Rae might be even more full of shit than usual. Can’t wait to see what you girls bring. Who knows…”

His mouth curls into something that toes the line between a smirk and a dare. “Maybe I’ll let you girls replace The Revenants in The Pit. We could think of tonight as your official interview.”

He winks, then adds, “I should go get ready. We’ll be in touch about the fall, I’ve already got your number. Try not to get too distracted by all this.” He motions vaguely to himself, then turns and disappears into the back.

The DJ’s voice booms through the speakers. “How about those Revenants, huh? Give it up for Northvale’s finest!”

Cade leans in, warm breath against my ear. “Hey, sweetheart. You okay?”

I force a smile. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

“What fighters are you thinking, Bells?” Knox leans over and whispers.