Page 13 of Hold 'Em Tight

Cobbler's barking in my room, and I'm glad he was kept away from this madness.

“Stormed out. I'm worried about him, Donny. He's not eating, or sleeping, and he's been drinking…”

We finish cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, and I throw the busted TV out in the dumpster, while Colt tries to call Teo.

We're all spiraling. Some more than others. When I hear flip-flops smacking along the concrete behind me, I turn around.

“Here. I even threw in a hot dog for Cobbler,” Ursula says, handing me my plate of food.

My stomach twists and I wince. What once sounded delicious now makes me want to hurl.

“Thanks. Hey, did you see Mateo leave?”

She shakes her head. “I can ask the others, if you want?”

“No. Don't worry. Enjoy the barbecue.”

I give her a shaky smile, then head back to our place.

I hand the plate to Colt, and walk down the hall to let Cobbler out. He barks and jumps all over my legs, bringing a real smile to my face.

“Hey, buddy,” I coo, bending over and scooping him up. His little tongue licks all over my face and I laugh, petting his head.

I hold him like a baby and return to the living room.

Colt seems to be in his head, so I leave him to his thoughts. I sit on the couch and feed Cobbler some bites of hot dog. The burgers remain untouched.

My phone rings, so I set Cobbler beside me and dig it out of my jeans pocket.

I answer immediately and put it on speaker.

“Never thought I'd hear from you again,” I sneer.

“Yeah, well, your boy is down here throwing a fit. Come get him or I'm calling the cops.”

He ends the call and I look at Colt. “Did Angelo really just mention the police at an illegal underground MMA fight?”

He shrugs and stands up. “I don't know, but at least now we know where Teo went.”

It doesn't take us long to put Cobbler back into my room, change, and walk to the car. I pause before starting the engine. “Is this what our life is going to be like now? Rylee, lost and distant, taking comfort from someone else. Lennox gone, and Teo off the rails? I don't know how much longer I can keep going like this, Colt,” I whisper into the night.

He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze, sighing. “It's only been a few weeks. Things will get better.”

“Yeah.”

I turn the engine on and head toward the warehouse, where Teo used to fight for his uncle.

The parking lot is packed, and I can hear the music blasting. We exit the car and walk toward the side door.

Angelo is there waiting, and he doesn't look happy.

“Take him and never come back,” he shouts with a sneer on his lips.

I nod, then shove through the door. We have to push our way through the crowd to reach the cage.

“How the hell are we supposed to grab him?” I yell over the roar of the crowd.

I watch as Teo stumbles around. His opponent gets another hit in and he grins. His mouth’s already bloody.