Twenty Five

Mack shrugs. “It might. It might not. But I’m guessing you probably haven’t eaten a decent meal in a while if you’ve been driving for hours to get here. The diner in town can give you a chance to eat and rest.”

Is he being serious?

By now, even Shane, who’s stopped a few feet away, is looking as stunned as I feel. I’ve long since abandoned my mission to drag Mack inside, to observe him instead.

I consider pinching myself because I’m becoming increasingly convinced that I didn’t wake up from my nap and none of this is happening.

Shane blinks. “Are you suggesting I rest and eat before I come back and kill you?”

“No,” Mack says, still in the same calm tone. “I’m saying that tonight when we fight, I wouldn’t want you thinking for even a second that the reason you lost was because you weren’t well-rested. This way, you’ll know you had just as much rest as I did.”

I stare at the back of Mack’s head with my mouth hanging half-opened. Slowly, I lift one hand to my arm and pinch myself. I don