Subject Me To Life [Book One] ✔️ *EDITING*

Chapter Fifteen

*Not edited* Not proofread*

Chapter 15– That wasn't funny:

        I don't know the man standing before us, but it's obvious that Dakota knows exactly who he is.

        He has bronze skin, old, sunken grey eyes, and some wrinkles around his face. He looks to be in his mid to late forties, divorced, and the father of sixty kids he doesn't know about. His teeth are perfectly straight and pearly white, most likely veneers— I know what they look like as Jace has them. His attire is neat and tidy, clad in a black suit with a red tie. His fingers sport a selection of gold rings, his tattooed wrist has a gold watch wrapped around it.

        "Mac," Dakota greets stiffly, his demeanour changing completely. I wait for him to continue saying the rest of the man's name, but he never does. Mac... is that it? Is that his fucking name? Mac.

        The man smiles, but it isn't warm or friendly like Lilah's, nor is it wide and boyish like Zeke's. Hell, Dakota's grimace of a smile is even kinder than Mac's. "And who's this lovely young lady?" His old eyes dart towards me, his head tilting slightly. I almost snort at his words, 'lovely young lady'. Fuck off.

        The blonde tenses up beside me, the side of his arm touching my own at his close proximity. "None of your business, what do you want Mac?" Dakota spits defensively, hissing the man's name like a bad taste on his tongue. I agree, though, it's a shit name. It sounds as if someone was in the middle of naming him but died before they could finish.

        The man chuckles hoarsely to himself, sounding more spiteful than humorous. I stare at him with a bored expression, my arms folded over my chest, while Dakota glares at him, sitting rigid in his chair. I'm still confused as to who he is, why he's here, and how he knows the blonde boy sitting beside me, but keep the questions to myself, knowing now isn't the time to ask.

        "You haven't been around for a while. People were starting to think their favorite fighter had dropped out," the man smirks, clearly amused, "But I know you're smarter than that, aren't you Dakota?" His voice is very condescending, almost to the point I want to rip his fucking throat out.

        I turn to the boy beside me who is too busy glaring at Mac to acknowledge my stare. His jaw is clenching and unclenching, his fists shaking at his sides ever so slightly, his eyes narrowed into slits. I have never seen him so angry before, not even on Saturday. I can almost feel his hatred radiating off of his body, coming off him in waves. "Yeah," he grumbles stiffly, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

        The man laughs, "Good, I'm glad that's all cleared up. I'll see you at Friday's fight. Don't let me down," he becomes serious, "because you know what happens when you do."

        My eyes follow Mac as he walks away, watching him stop at the side of the ring. He begins conversing with one of the boxers and that's when I advert my attention to Dakota, not interested in whatever it is that creepy fuck is doing.

        We stare at each other for a few minutes, neither one of us saying a word. I open my mouth to ask about what the fuck had just happened, but unfortunately I'm interrupted before I can.

        "Hey man, who was that?" Gray asks as he sits down beside the blonde, Lilah following behind him with a bag of McDonald's in her hand. Freckles and Landon are walking up the steps side by side, holding a bunch of drinks in their arms. Zeke is as enthusiastic as always and Landon is looking less than amused with his friend.

        They don't know?

        "No one. He accidentally tripped over Kody and was apologising."