Blue never would have dreamed that he would prefer the desert hills of Afghanistan to Snowbird. But here he was, yearning for his days in the Army when bullets whizzed past his head every day. That was somehow more preferable than what was currently happening now. He had left one war and come back to another one, only this one was personal and dangerous and Blue had to fight it alone.
The sad fact was he had almost believed his father. After all of the letters and calls and care packages Terrance had sent, Blue almost believed his father had a change of heart and that he had become a better person. What a fool he had been. Terrance only wanted Blue to fight again. He didn’t actually care about his son or his son’s health, only his own wallet.
At least in the war he had his buddies next to him. He never had to ambush an enemy stronghold on his own. Blue had been used to being alone. He had always been alone growing up. There had never been any siblings and other than Chelsea and Paul there hadn’t been a lot of friends, either. He had trained for the fights alone, gone into the fights alone, and he had fought alone.
In the war his brothers had his back. They watched out for him and he for them. But back in Snowbird he was on his own. He was on his own and he had a lot of people to protect. Chelsea and her family were all depending on him. If he slipped up, they would be the ones who would have to pay.
It wasn’t fair how beautiful Chelsea had become. She had always been pretty, but somewhere after high school she had blossomed into something beautiful and strong. She was Chelsea Riley and she wrote and performed these stunning songs and all the men in his battalion had a crush on her. But he was the only one who had actually met her, the only one who knew her and could call her a friend.
But he had never let himself actually contact her. He could have tried harder. Other than asking his father to pass his number along, Blue had foolishly left it up to fate. In truth he had been worried that the new, famous Chelsea Riley would have forgotten him or, worse, laugh at him when he asked if she remembered him. But then he had seen her in that bar and she had been even more amazing than he remembered.
Then he had been with her and it had been everything he had always hoped it would be. He cursed all the times he held himself back when they were in high school. His fantasies of Chelsea were nothing compared with actually having her. He wanted to be with her every moment of every day; he had wanted to leave this town with her.
He thought he could control his father and protect her, but he had overshot the mark. And now Jamie was gone and Blue couldn’t stand by and do nothing. How could he live with himself if he was the cause of Chelsea’s misery? He hated to see her cry; it physically hurt him and he would do anything to fix whatever was wrong.
So now here he was on the way to the new training ring his father had so graciously set up for him. It was the same place Jamie was being held. Terrance had offered for Blue to actually see Jamie and see for herself that she was all right. There was a price, of course. Terrance did nothing for free. The price was a blindfold. Blue had been wearing it for what felt like a long time.
“You kept in good shape in the Army, right? They keep you boys tough over there, don’t they?” Terrance asked. With the blindfold on Blue had to focus on the sound of his father’s voice and he could hear the eagerness mixed with a tinge of desperation. “I put a lot of money on this fight, Blue, a lot. But hey, remember that means more for you. A bigger cut, more than you’ve ever seen. Don’t say your father doesn’t treat you right.”
Under his blindfold Blue rolled his eyes and continued to remain silent. He was fine letting his father sweat it out a little longer. Besides, what kind of stupid question was that? Did the Army keep him tough? It certainly hadn’t made him weak. Blue was stronger than he ever had been before. He worked out for hours every day and his instincts and reflexes were sharp. He never doubted or second-guessed his decisions; his body told him to punch, he punched.
Finally, Blue felt the car jostle as they left the main road. He heard the rumble of gravel underneath the car’s wheels and the air was thick with the scent of pines. They were far from town now, way up north where the pines grew thick in the winter.
“New location,” his father explained. “It’s a great spot, Blue. This old hedge fund manager out of New York built it. Then 2008 eight happens, the guy loses everything and hangs himself. I got the place for a steal. Go ahead, you can take your blindfold off now.”
Blue ripped the fabric from his eyes and squinted into the darkening sky. They were far from the main road and all around him all he could see were the green needles of a thousand pine trees and hard brown earth. But up ahead through the trees he could see the outline of a large wooden house.
“It’s like a hunter’s cabin if a king stayed there,” his father explained eagerly as they stepped out of the car and walked towards the house. Blue could see that the craftsmanship was well done. There were long wooden beams running across the house, a large porch, and big, bright windows. “Everything is marble and hardwood, everything in the bathroom is ceramic, and there are fireplaces in every room. I got the whole set-up Blue. The out-of-towners come for the fight, where are they gonna stay, the Holiday Inn? No way, they stay here, at my lodge. I get some girls to come work as bartenders and as other things and I charge them a mint and then, get this, they thank me for it. What a bunch of saps. I’m making a killing, Blue. We’re gonna make a killing.”
How many times had he heard that? His father was always giddy with excitement when he had a new venture. He made big promises to Blue about how much money they would soon have. But then when it came time to actually spend the money, his father would cry poor and make up some hidden expense. He always kept everything for himself and Blue knew this time would be no different.
His stomach sank with each step he took towards the house. He remembered the way Chelsea told people Blue would never fight again, that she wouldn’t let it happen. He wished she had been right. But this was bigger than Chelsea Riley; it was meaner and nastier than anything she had ever dealt with. She couldn’t protect him. He needed to protect her.
He needed her. He needed someone who knew him, who knew what he had been through. He had always been himself with Chelsea and somehow that had always been enough for her.
“I got a whole training room set up for you. Weights and a punching bag and there are some guys who’ll spar with you. But I don’t want you overdoing yourself in training. The fight is in two days and I don’t want you sore the day of.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Blue said, not bothering to look at his father as he took the steps two at a time and opened the huge French doors. The lodge inside was cold, but had the potential to be cozy. There were bearskin rugs on the floor, large comfortable looking couches, and several fireplaces. There was a large bar in the back and lots of table. Yeah, Blue could see a handful of rich guys hanging out here before they went into the basement to watch one man kill another solely for their amusement.
“Come on,” his father said leading the way down a set of stairs. “Upstairs is for guests only, you know that. We belong downstairs.” They walked down a dark stairwell that led to a wine cellar. In the corner of that wine cellar was a locked door. Terrance entered a number into a keypad and the door unlocked to reveal a second room with a desk and a chair and computer that looked about five years old.
Then, looking over his shoulder to make sure Blue was watching, he slid over a panel of the wall to reveal a secret second door. This led to the main basement, the real basement. There was a large dirt floor, just as always and there was a circle of chalk in the center; it was the ring.