Everly
After the meeting at Mateo’s office, Zane left to start training. Everly wandered around his rental for a few minutes before digging out her tablet and doing some research.
She coughed in shock when she saw the purses for the BKB cage matches were in the multiple millions of dollars. If Zane took one last match, they’d easily be able to buy out Fannie’s share and set up a homestead on the remaining ten acres around the house.
Unable to resist the temptation, she pulled up the video of his last match. The crawl at the bottom indicated Zane “the Hurricane” Dixon against Seth “Laying Down the Law” Law.
Everly couldn’t help a little snort at the fight names these guys came up with. Her humor, however, was short-lived as she watched the fight unfold.
The official uniform of the fighters was a pair of shorts that barely covered anything but stretched and returned as they switched from animal form to human. Everly didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed that a rear naked choke hold wasn’t actually done in the nude.
“Oh, that’s a game changer. Look at the way Hurricane has Law pinned down. Will he be able to break Hurricane’s guard? Or be forced to tap out?” Rico, the commentator, mused.
Law shifted into his bear form, throwing Zane into the edge of a cage. Zane shook his head before changing mid-stride. Two huge bears, in the peak of shape and strength, met in the center of the octagon.
“And Law goes on to fight. How many points does he lose for this shift?” one commentator said to the other.
“Well, Rico, as you know but some of our fans tuning in at home may not, per BKB rules, the fighter who shifts first loses points. The earlier in the match, the more points they lose,” Sonny, the color commentator said.
“Remember when T-bird Rodriguez fought The Scottish Cat?”
“That would have been in last year’s regional champions,” Sonny responded. “It came down to a split decision in favor of the Cat.”
“T-bird didn’t seem to want to stay in his human form which severely impacted his score.”
“But of course, none of that would have mattered if T-bird had won by a KO.”
Everly shivered. She supposed she knew cage fighting was dangerous but there was something that upped the ante as she witnessed two grown bears clawing, mauling, and biting at each other.
“Think Hurricane’s wrist injury is going to impact him?” Sonny asked.
Everly sat up a little straighter. “What wrist injury?” she whispered to the screen.
“He’s already limping on it. Reports are out he doesn’t shift much these days. As a human, Hurricane is unstoppable in the octagon. But going bear puts too much weight on that weak wrist.”
“How did I not know this?” Everly demanded, feeling sick to her stomach. This was the reason Zane had retired. She was sure of it.
And as Sonny and Rico continued their blow-by-blow, Everly sat numb. She shut down the video and contemplated her next move.
Zane was willing to get in the ring. He was willing to sacrifice his title. Possibly his health. His ability to shift. All so she wouldn’t have to sell her Granddad’s land and split it with Fannie.
Win or lose, Zane was guaranteed a high six-figure purse. She didn’t know whether to be grateful or angry over his actions. But maybe there was another way.
Everly picked up the cellphone Zane got her and dialed her cousin.
“What do you want?” Fannie said by way of greeting.
“To talk. To see if we can work this out.” Everly didn’t really know what to say or do, but if she could prevent Zane from hurting himself, she had to try.
“Aw, does your big bad animal husband not have the money to pay me off?”
“Stop calling him that, Fannie!” Everly felt her temper rise at the blatant disrespect Fannie was exhibiting.
“Maybe you can get your degree in animal husbandry.” Fannie sneered and laughed at her own joke.
“I don’t hate you, Fan. We used to be friends. I’d like us to be, again.”
Fannie’s sigh was overdramatic and fake. “What makes you think I’d want to be friends with a dummy like you?”
Everly ground her teeth trying to remain calm. If she could reach an agreement with her cousin that didn’t require Zane to enter the octagon, it would be worth it. It would.
Except Fannie refused to make it easy.
“Maybe that’s the real reason Granddad gave you everything. Because he knew you were too stupid to make it on your own.”
The breath came out of Everly’s nostrils like the snort of a raging bull. “I am the only family you have left Francine Miller. And like it or not, dyslexia can be genetic. That means if you do happen to have children, your own child could inherit it.”
Everly couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard Fannie gasp.
“You have been horrid to me for years. Ever since my parents kicked me out of the house, you have been gloating and lording it over me.”
“You took too long to graduate from school,” Fannie pointed out.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to get good grades when the words jump around, and some letters appear backward?”
Everly waited, not wanting it to be a rhetorical question. She wanted Fannie to respond.
“I’m waiting,” Everly prompted.
“Ugh, okay, fine, I suppose it would have been hard,” Fannie conceded. “But let’s not get all maudlin about it. These things happen.”
“That’s true. I’m not the only person in the world with a learning disability. I may not even be the only person in this family who has difficulty reading. But I’m the one you’re tied to for the sale of this land. Now, for Granddad’s sake, can we work something out?”
Fannie fell silent so long, Everly had to look at the display to make sure they were still connected.
Finally, Fannie spoke. “I really don’t know what I want,” she finally admitted, sounding small and contrite.
Unwittingly, Everly felt sympathy for her cousin but pushed it to the back burner. One little word of apology was not enough to undo the harm Fannie had done.
“We can’t both have the house.”
Fannie laughed, her first one Everly had heard in ages. “No, we’d probably kill each other if we lived together.”
“And it would be pretty crowded with Zane and me.”
Fannie fell silent again. “You really love him?”
Everly smiled. “I really do.” She made a special note to tell him that, too.
“Then I’m sorry for the terrible things I said about him.”
“Not just him, Fan. All the shifters.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t hate them. Just the one that taught you to have a backbone.”
“You hate him?”
“No,” Fannie said slowly. “I don’t hate him. I don’t even hate you.”
And with that, the first tentative steps toward a friendship were formed.
Zane
Sweat poured from every pore in Zane’s body as he ran on the treadmill in one corner of the gym. In the practice ring they set up, Jason Fox sparred with another member of the Bear Knuckled Brawlers, Seth Law.
They had come to the make-shift gym Zane carved out of an old warehouse to train. To fight. To occasionally shift and have fun with an old-fashioned bear brawl. Unfortunately, those days were now over. At least until after the fight.
Zane flexed his wrists, muscle memory already reminding him of the last fracture he’d had. He didn’t mind training with the guys coming up, sparring, or even teaching some of the Jiu-Jitsu moves he was known for bringing into the octagon.
But, between his manager’s calls and the size of the purse, Zane was already having a hard time turning down the offer. Throw in Everly’s need to have the freedom to make a decision, and it was a no-brainer.
Within twenty minutes of agreeing to the fight, his manager had called Seth Law in to be his trainer and sparring partner. The problem was, for as good as Seth was, Zane’s upcoming opponent was better.
And, as the saying goes, you’re only as good as the last man you defeated.
As the hour drew to a close, Zane slowed down the treadmill to cool down. Seeing he was finishing up, Seth broke away from Jason and approached.
“When is the fight?”
“Six weeks,” Zane said, his lungs heaving like a bellows as he slowed down.
Seth whistled. “You’re going to need a bigger badass than me to train you.”
“Kingston?” Zane asked. The treadmill came to a stop, and Zane got off. After cardio, there were weights to do.
Seth nodded and got his phone out of his duffle bag. After scrolling through the contacts, he made a call.
“Hey, King, this is Seth Law,” Seth greeted when King picked up the phone.
“Yeah, still in North Carolina. Uh, yeah, what’s up? About that.”
Seeing Seth waver under the angry drill-instructor voice, Zane took the phone from his friend. “Hey, King. I need a favor.”
“As I live and breathe,” King said, his voice booming and loud against Zane’s sensitive hearing. “Zane ‘the Hurricane’ Dixon. What can I do for you, son?”
Zane grimaced. King was only a few years older but always acted like an aging Richard the Third. “I need a trainer.”
He heard King mutter to himself as he pulled something out and began rustling through it. A datebook, if Zane had to guess. Leave it to King to not do anything digitally.
“I have some stuff going on the next few weeks. When is the fight? I can fax you a meal and exercise regime. Law can do until I can get there.”
“See, that’s kind of the thing,” Zane began. He sat down and started doing bicep curls. “The fight is in six weeks.”
King laughed. “Oh, you had me going for a minute there, Hurricane. No, really. When is the fight?”
“Six weeks.”
The one thing Zane always appreciated was a man who knew how to swear. Not just drop eff bombs into sentences. Any fool could do that. But King was a master at the insult.
“You dirty son of a cholera-ridden goat,” King began in a conversational tone. Zane grinned. King did love, for whatever reason, insulting the poor animals.
“Yeah, it’s complicated,” Zane admitted. “I got married, and my wife inherited some land. We need to either sell the land and split it with her cousin or buy the cousin out.”
“From the mother of all manure droppings, are you telling me you found a woman crazy enough to marry your nomadic ass?”
“Afraid so,” Zane said cheerfully. “She’s beautiful, and I want to keep her happy.”
King grumbled again, but Zane already knew the deal was in the bag. King wasn’t overjoyed with the timeline, but he’d be there.
“Does your wife know about your wrists? Or your fists which are more like fragile flowers at this point in your career?”
Zane flexed his hands, considering King’s words. “What are you talking about? Punching someone is the easiest thing in the world. Just make a little ball like shape with your hand and hit the guy in front of you.”
King chuckled. “If it ever works out like that, let me know.”
The reality both Zane and King knew was that hands were pretty delicate body parts. There were at least as many ways to break a fist with your opponent's body as there was to throw one.
Align your fingers ever so slightly wrong? Too bad, so sad. They’re broken now. Hit your target with the wrong knuckle? Enjoy that dislocation. Get the angle wrong? Congratulations, you now have a broken wrist!
“I need you. We both know that. I’m hardly old but, as you pointed out, I’ve had my share of boxer’s breaks and jammed wrists.”
King sighed, and Zane imagined him running his fingers through his hair. “Okay. I’ll re-arrange some stuff. But we are working on your ground game, you hear? Stay in human form as much as possible.”
Another thought occurred to him. “Do I even want to know who you’re fighting?”
“You may not want to know,” Zane cautioned.
“Look, kid, I am pulling up fight lists as we’re speaking. I need to see him in action, so I know what to work on.”
“Kai Valentine,” Zane admitted.
King whistled. “Holy fuck, man. Hurricane v. The Valentine? That will be a match for the ages.”
“That’s why the purse is so high and why I need you on an airplane like yesterday.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m already packed and on my way. Have Law pick me up at the airport. I’ll text him the details.”
“On it.”
“Start working your diet. Practice your holds. And whatever you do, try to keep him in human form. Valentine is under six feet. It’s a no-brainer with your reach and grappling skills. But his bear outweighs yours.”
“I’m aware,” Zane said. He switched sides with the hand weights.
King was still muttering about crazy men and wondering what kind of a woman would marry a guy with less brains than goat dung when he hung up.
“Is King in?” Seth asked, taking his phone back.
Zane nodded. “Now, all I need to do is win this thing.” He stood up. “Hey, Fox, you want to practice some passing drills?”
Jason took a last swig of water and nodded. “Whatever you need,” he said.