Chapter 14
Xander
I pull up at the fight tonight and rush out of my car. The clock on my dash told me I still have a few minutes to spare but Cole is still going to kick my ass for cutting it this close.
I head around the back of the building to find Caden and Luke waiting for me. The moment they see me, matching looks of relief and anger come over their faces and I know they are dying to give me the ‘this isn’t good enough’ speech but we all know we don’t have time for that shit.
“Thank fuck,” Caden says as he practically claws at my arm to get me inside quicker. “That was too fucking close.”
“Don’t I know it,” I grunt. Kind of hating the way he pulls on my arms which send a shooting pain right down to my broken rib.
We rush down the hallway while Luke spurts out every last detail I should know about my opponent but I’ve seen the guy before. He is the kind who likes to go for the kill, so as annoying as it will be, I’ll have to fight with my weaker side so he doesn’t get an opening on my ribs.
I enter the fighter’s room and find Cole speaking with some official, trying his luck at delaying the fight but we all know the rules around here. If you’re not here at your scheduled time, you forfeit.
Cole clocks me the second I enter and a heavy scowl sets itself on his face. Yeah, I’m fucked.
He storms over to me, after telling the official not to worry. He pulls the tape out of his pocket and I tune him out while he begins wrapping my hands and adding extra tape to my ribs. My eyes connect with another fighter across the room and the guy gives me one hell of a nasty look but all I can do is smirk.
‘Pitt Bull’ is pretty much the favourite to take out the competition with me closely behind him and to be honest, the guy is bad news. He apparently got his name because that’s the way he fights. Like a fucking dog. I’ve watched his last few fights and the guy is brutal. Every single person he has fought so far has been rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. He is nothing short of dirty but I’ll get my day with him and I’ll put the fucker right in his place. All I know, is that it’s going to be the hardest fight I’ll have to suffer through but on the other hand, if it’s the finals, it’s rumoured the winner is set to take home something like two hundred grand, so you can bet that I’ll be giving it my absolute all.
I snap back to reality to find Cole rushing through the taping job so I get a few minutes to warm up on Caden. He grunts and whines as I take him down instantly, but he doesn’t complain too much, after all, he knows I need it right now.
Two minutes later, the same official comes in and calls me to the ring. I hate being unprepared for a fight, but even with my injury and lack of warm up, I’m still pretty confident I can win this one. The guy I’m against is only 18 and a little too cocky for his own good. He usually wins by KO but so do I.
I have to admit, he is a strong contender but he still has a lot to learn about what his body can do, so maybe in a few years, I might see him in the professional circuit, that is, if the guy can keep himself out of trouble. Hell, I don’t know why someone as young as him would even be in the underground yet.
I step out into the arena with Cole and Luke heavy on my heels. Cole is still majorly pissed at me but its game time, so he shelves it for now. “Alright, kid,” he says as we wait for the announcer to call me into the ring. “The guy is shorter than you so remember to keep low, he isn’t good with footwork so keep him on his toes and remember he is going to be aiming for the ribs, thinking it’s an easy takedown, keep your left side forward and don’t let him in.”
I nod my head as I keep my mind focused on the fight ahead.
The announcer calls me in and I come out, music blares and the crowd screams for ‘The Widow Maker’. I strut around, putting on a show and doing my usual strip down for the ladies. I throw my black robe over to Cole which is when it gets serious.
The music dies down and I face my opponent who instantly looks down at the bandaging on my ribs. A smirk comes over the fuckers face and it’s damn obvious what his game plan is. The idiot. Everyone knows you don’t give away your secrets, no matter how obvious they are. Always leave them guessing which I guess he will have to learn the hard way. After all, he is only 18 and has a few years to learn all the tricks of the trade.
The fight gets started and just as expected, his first punch gets aimed right at my ribs. I turn away and use his momentum to grab his arm and flip the idiot onto his back. I stand back with a grin and watch as he scurries to his feet, figuring I may as well have a little fun with this one and teach him some of those lessons he truly deserves to know. I mean, I could have taken him out while he was down but apparently, the crowd enjoy a show.
He scowls at me, clearly pissed for having made a fool of him in front of a crowd this big. The anger radiates but it’s no secret that you don’t fight in anger, you fight with your mind in the game. Rookie error number three for the kid.
He comes at me with fists flying but I block each and every one which only manages to piss the kid off more. He pushes forward to try and get me in a headlock so he can single out my ribs but once again, all attempts fail when he tries to play with the big boys.
I land a few combinations, all of which he is to slow for but credit to the kid, he can take the hit. I see the moment he starts to get his head in the game and it turns into a decent fight for a little while but he wears out quickly. My blows have him backing up step by step and I start growing bored of this game of cat and mouse, so I put him out of his misery and take him down.
I push forward with a kick to the chest that his stumbling backward, quickly followed by a combination punch then a sweep which has him knocked to the ground. The kid would never have seen it coming with my speed but either way, he is down but not for long.
I flip him to his stomach and pull his arm behind his back and put him in a headlock. He struggles for a bit but knows he can’t get out of it. He can continue struggling all he wants but we all know if he waits too long, he is going to pass out so instead, he taps out, helping me to make the easiest money of my life.
I get to my feet and help the kid up two moments before the ref comes out to hold my hand up, declaring me the winner.
I strut out of the ring, pretty damn pleased with myself, wondering why the hell I didn’t get in the ring years ago. I would have been out from under my parents long ago. Hell, with the money I’m pulling in right now, I’ll be buying my own place pretty soon, though, I might wait to see just how far I make it in this competition before purchasing anything, after all, if I win the final, it will change what kind of place I’ll be buying or should I say, Charli and I will be buying.
The second I’m out of the ring, Cole is launching himself at me, along with Luke and Caden who all beam and boast about how great that was, though to tell the truth, it seemed too easy to boast about. When I get further into the competition and actually earn the win, then I’ll be happy to brag about it. Hell, beating this guy was almost easier than taking Caden down during the warm-up.
The guys lead me back out to the fighters room and put me through a cool down.
“See you later, kid,” Cole says as I pull my jeans back on and shove my fighting gear into my bag.
“Yeah, see you,” I say as I turn to the door.
“Don’t think I’ve forgiven you for being late,” he reminds me. “There will be hell to pay tomorrow during training.”
Great. I nod my head, I guess I deserve it.
I say goodbye to the boys and a few of the other fighters who I’ve gotten to know over the past few weeks and make my way out, dying to get home and fall asleep.
I’m nearly at my truck when I realise someone is leaning against the hood. What the fuck? Who would be waiting for me out here? As I get closer, I recognise the guy and my whole world comes crumbling around me.
Shit, game over.
Aaron leans against the side of my truck with his foot propped up on the tyre and his hands in his pockets looking as casual as ever but after being on the team with the guy since the beginning of the year, I know the pose isn’t casual at all, in fact, he is damn pissed. “Hey, man,” I cringe as I throw my gear in the back.
He doesn’t say a word, just looks at me with anger and betrayal pouring out of his eyes as he continues leaning against the truck. His head tilts slightly and I know he is ready. “You could have told us, we wouldn’t have said anything.”
“Seriously? You get why I can’t tell anyone about this, right? It’s the fucking Underground. It’s illegal. If anyone found out that you guys knew, you’d all be going down, right along with me,” I explain. “Each and every one of you can kiss your NHL dreams goodbye.”
“Really? That’s the explanation you’re going with?” he scoffs. “We’re not fucking idiots. No one would have said a word. Hell, we probably would have been here after the games, cheering you on, instead of getting fucked up at some ridiculous house party.”
“Sorry, man,” I grunt. “I’m prepared to risk my future, not the whole teams.”
He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Fuck,” he grunts as a hand comes up to scratch the back of his neck. “I don’t know whether to be fucking pissed at you or impressed with how fucking good you were,” he says.
“Yeah,” I grin, “I don’t suck.”
“A guy in there said you could win this thing?” he questions.
“Do you think I would be doing it if I didn’t think I could win?” I ask.
“Who fucking knows?” he snaps. “It’s not like you’ve allowed anyone to actually get to know you.”
Yeah, I deserved that. “And now you know why.” I sigh as a question pops into my head. “How the hell did you know I was here?”
He grins at the question and looks guilty as shit. “Dude, you're shady as shit. I was suspicious.”
The meaning hits me immediately. “You followed me from Micky’s?” I ask.
“Eh,” he shrugs. “I was curious. You keep disappearing saying you have things to do but seriously, what kind of normal person has shit to do in the middle of the night? Then you show up to training covered in bruises and it’s not like you were going to hand out answers to questions so really, you didn’t leave me a choice. It was like you were daring me to figure it out.”
I let out a sigh. I guess he is right which means it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the guys work it out. “You’ll keep it to yourself?” I ask.
“Yeah, man,” he says. “But honestly, the guys know something is up with you. You’re like a puzzle they haven’t been able to work out yet and they are damn curious. It won’t be long before they put it together.”
“I know,” I say, “I feel like a dick not being honest about it but if I were, I’d be off the team.”
“Yeah, I get it,” he says with a forgiving smile. “Come on, while we’re here we may as well enjoy the night.”
“Fine,” I groan as he convinces me to head back inside, “But then I’m going home to my girl.”
“What the fuck?” he practically shrieks. “You’ve got a girl? How did I not know this? Fuck, I bet it’s that chick from the bar. Isn’t it? Man, she is fucking hot,” he says, hardly giving himself a chance to breathe. “Shit, I feel like I hardly know you at all.”
I can’t help but grin. Tonight is going to be interesting.