* * * *
“This is insane. Look at all the people and photographers and media, as well,” Flynn said to his brothers. They got their tickets and were slowly making their way through the crowd and the stands to sit.
“Hey, there’s Ice,” Knight said to them. Flynn saw him waving them over. There were a bunch of seats and small groups of women and men scattered about. Flynn recognized several of them.
“You guys here to see Jo compete?” he asked as they all started shaking hands hello.
“We are, is she going to be on the mats right down there? We want a good view,” Knight asked.
“She sure is. That’s why the ladies and the guys are separated about in this area. Her brothers are down below to the right,” Ranger told them.
“Yeah, I can see Blade and Vetter,” Flynn replied.
“Those are her cousins right there,” Roman pointed out as Danny Flemming and his brothers began to make their way through the crowd and toward them. Brick and Saber waved at them. Seems to Flynn that a bunch of her friends and family were here to support her. He and his brothers took seats by Ranger and his brothers. Then some women friends of Joanna’s arrived. He felt nervous and he didn’t understand why.
Maybe because them being here for Joanna was a tell-all that they were interested in her and making a statement. It was one that some seemed encouraging and happy about, but not others. Just then Joanna’s brothers arrived. Their death stares were enough to let everyone else know how they felt.
Ranger whispered. “Don’t worry, they’re very protective of Joanna. She’s their responsibility and they are away a lot and always worry. Now you guys are staking a claim being here. They’re good men, just like you are. You and your brothers can handle them.”
Flynn gave a nod, but then Blade approached. “What the hell are you doing here?” he barked.
“What do you think?” Knight replied as Flynn moved his forearm in front of Knight before he did something stupid.
“We’re here to support Joanna. We understand she’s worked hard for this day and we wanted to be here for her,” Flynn said.
“She invited us, as well,” Cavanaugh added.
“Hey guys, it’s so good to see you. I saved some seats up here with us,” some pretty woman said, and the guys looked at her as she came between them and his brothers.
“I’m Jo’s friend, Melina. She said you might be coming. It’s so nice to meet you.” She shook each of their hands and seemed very friendly. Then she turned to look at Morris, Blade, Trek, and Vetter.
“Come on up, Amber, Francesca, and London are up there and they have some questions for you guys.” She ushered them away and Ranger chuckled.
“This is better than the event,” he teased.
“Cut it out, Ranger,” Afina reprimanded, and then gave Flynn and his brothers an empathetic smile.
From there on out it was pretty calm, until Joanna’s event started.
* * * *
“So, from what I gathered online, these two women Joanna is determined to face and beat, are pretty intense individuals on and off the mats. There are twelve competitors in each weight class, the six winners then face one another in a round robin style. The final two with the most scored points in total will compete for first and second place,” Leif explained to them.
“This is the first one of those women Jo is so eager to face coming up now,” Brick told them.
Leif looked at his brothers and then toward the mat. The crowd was roaring already and this weight class just got started. Leif looked around for Joanna but didn’t see her anywhere.
“There’s Donny,” Knight pointed out. They saw the woman, Nova Kvark, do consecutive moves on her competitor, so quickly and so hard the other woman fell onto her back. Nova slammed a fist into her stomach and got a series of points from the combined moves.
He heard a high-pitched whistle and turned to see Blade standing. He made the sound and immediately Donny looked up from where he was. He headed toward them, glancing at the clock and the mat as Nova won and the crowd cheered.
Donny gave them all quick hellos as he came up in the middle of the crowd.
“How is she?” Morris asked. Donny shook his head and ran his hand over the back of his neck.
“What’s wrong?” Blade asked.
“She’s pissed, but she’ll be fine. Got a little rattled about ten minutes ago.”
“What do you mean rattled?” Leif asked.
“We were heading out to the arena when Slava Yan, and her crew of dirty shits were passing by. She made a snide comment at Jo, which she ignored, but it angered Slava as she yelled at her to show respect, and said she was going to wipe up the mat with Jo.”
“Seriously?” Vetter asked.
“Oh yeah, and Kudo taps Jo’s shoulder and says ignore her, and Slava starts yelling at him and gives him a shove. Next thing we know, their people are pushing us and Slava takes a cheap shot at Jo right in the stomach. She fell to her knees.”
“What? Holy shit, can’t Slava get disqualified for that? Did you guys report it?” Ace asked as Cliff, Corona, Briar, and Danny all moved closer.
“No need to. Your crazy cousin is on her knees, holding her stomach when Slava goes to kick her and Jo grabbed her ankle and then Slava is on her ass, and Jo jumps up no hands over her and points down into her face and says, “bring it on, bitch.” The entire hallway is in a roar and chanting Jo’s name.”
“Holy crap,” Cavanaugh said, and they started talking about it when Donny said he needed to get back. Before he left, he looked at them.
“She wants her in the final, or even before that. I don’t trust Slava at all. It’s personal now and that just makes that crazy woman even harder to beat. Fingers crossed all. Jo knows you’re here. Said to tell you thank you.” They watched Donny walk away.
“I can’t believe this is like this,” Flynn said to them.
“It’s like karate kid and shit,” Cliff said, and everyone laughed.
“She’s tough. She wants this. Jo will be fine,” Afina said to them.
“Anyone else nervous after hearing this?” Cavanaugh asked, and everyone mumbled yeah.
Leif continued to look for Jo. He was worried about her, and one look at his brothers, at everyone in the crowd who were supporting her, and they were worried, too.
* * * *
Jo was fired up and went through her first two matches like a pro. She was so pissed off at the scene Slava made. When someone else reported the incident, Jo was told that she and Slava would lose points or even be disqualified if they continued to act in an unsportsmanlike manner. Meanwhile, Slava started it all. Kudo spoke to the admins, and things were cleared up, but of course that put a negative vibe in Jo. She was pretty sure that another fighter was the one who reported the incident. She couldn’t believe how scared these people were to just fight, to put all the training out there and let it happen. Instead, they looked for ways to cheat, to break down their opponents mentally in order to win. Well, they didn’t know her story. What she went through. Mentally, she was pretty damn solid, especially with martial arts and the mentality necessary to win. She really needed to get back into her zone and stop thinking about Slava or whoever reported the incident and just focus on winning. That’s why she came here.
Jo glanced up toward the crowd of people in the bleachers. She could see her friends, her brothers, cousins and of course she spotted Leif, Knight, Flynn, and Cavanaugh, and they were all staring right at her. She raised her hand up, not giving a wave and moving it, but more like a gesture showing she saw them and she was staying focused on the next match.
“When this one’s over, I want you rehydrating, getting some food in you and resting while we massage these tight muscles. Are you still feeling the cramps in your thigh?” Kudo asked her.
“A little, but the rest in between will help,” she said.
“Okay, so I want you to go out here and do your thing. Just like you have been.” They were watching the match
between Slava and Contessa, another great athlete.
“She’s good, and fierce,” Jo whispered to him.
“She lets her emotions get in the way of her technique. You chip away at that attitude she has, at those moves she thinks are so fast and accurate, and you’ll break her down mentally and she’ll lose it,” Kudo replied.
“And the cheap shots?”
“I’d say you handled her cheap shot pretty damn good in the hallway. Be you, Jo, and remember you’re here because you wanted this so much you trained hard and committed yourself to the training. You deserve to be here. To be a champion.”
They both watched the competition and saw the cheap shot by Slava to the other fighter’s stomach. The crowd gasped but then Contessa countered, but it wasn’t enough and Slava took the last few shots to win the match.
“Okay, focus on this one. Mya Miller is tough. She’s been around two years longer than you, but she frustrates easily. Pull out some of those moves of yours and you got this,” Kudo said.
“Ready?” Donny asked, joining them and carrying their things for the match.
“Ready.” She waited for her name to be called and approached the judges’ table, gave her name, confirmed and signed, and then headed out to the mat. The crowd went wild when they called her name, and they did the same for Mya. They shook hands, bowed, and then began the match. Joanna was determined to go as far as she could. To take it all and place first. It wasn’t going to be easy, and as she started to falter and Mya pulled ahead a few points, Jo feared she could lose it. But as the match went on she could hear the crowd chanting her name. Her friends and family were there, and she could hear them and she used that as encouragement to go on and to win this match. It was tied now and they both battled for the win. If she won, she would face Nova Kvark.
As they countered one another’s moves, Mya went in for a kick and Jo made her move. She struck forward and hit her in the chest, scoring the winning points. The crowd cheered and she shook Mya’s hand before heading off the mat and into Kudo’s arms, then Donny’s. They exited the arena and went right to the area set up for their stuff.
“I want you hydrating and cooling down. We’ll grab what we need to start working those muscles. You have about an hour before the next match,” Kudo told her.
Donny answered his cell phone. “Yeah. I know. Yes, she is. She’ll face Kvark next. One match at a time,” he said, and walked to the side.
Jo took off her martial arts jacket and stepped from the pants. She wore a sports bra and short spandex shorts.
“You got this, Jo. One match at a time. You beat Kvark and you have a chance to win it all. You don’t, and you place third,” Kudo told her.
She nodded her head.
The door opened and there were her brothers.
“Holy shit, you’re doing awesome,” Morris said.
Trek, Blade, and Vetter came in. They gave her kisses hello and hugs and then she leaned against the table.
“She needs to rehydrate and then get a rub down. Her thigh was tightening up two matches ago,” Kudo told them as he prepared the things he needed.
Blade gave her shoulder a squeeze and he looked concerned. “You okay?”
She took a sip of the protein shake and nodded her head.
“I’ll be fine. How is everyone out there? I can’t believe they all came.”
“They did, and want to come stop in,” Morris told her.
“Okay, have them come in quickly. I really need to rest up,” she told them, and they gave her kisses and hugs, wished her good luck, and headed out.
A few of her friends came by then her cousins, as well, and when she was getting ready to lay on the table to get the rub down, the door opened and there were Leif, Cavanaugh, Knight, and Flynn.
“Hey, what are you guys doing here? How’s it going?” Donny asked them, and they exchanged pleasantries, and then looked at Jo. “We came to see Joanna,” Knight told him. He scrunched his eyes and looked at her, and then back at them.
“No fucking way. No fucking way?” Donny repeated, and then smiled and shook their hands.
“When?” he asked, and walked over to Jo and gave her shoulder a light punch.
“We’re friends, Donny,” Jo said, and he nodded.
“Kudo, let’s give them five minutes before that rub down,” Donny said, and winked. “Five minutes only. Save the making out for later after she wins,” Donny teased, and he laughed, but Jo stared at Knight, Flynn, Leif, and Cavanaugh.
Kudo chuckled and they walked out of the room.
All four men gazed at her body. She put down the shake and took a bottle of water, added some electrolyte packet to it, then shook it.
“You look fantastic out there,” Leif told her, and stroked her cheek. She was afraid he might kiss her in front of his brothers and then start a whole thing. Did she want him to? She definitely thought “kiss me” when they all came in.
“Thanks. The toughest part lies ahead of me,” she said to them.
Flynn stepped closer and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “It’s good to see you again, Joanna,” he said, and she held his gaze.
“You too, Flynn. Are you guys enjoying the other matches?” she asked, and moved toward the table. She leaned against it.
“We came to see you,” Knight told her.
She closed her eyes. “I appreciate that,” she said, and the next second she felt his hand on her hip. She opened her eyes, and stared up into his dark blue ones.
“You look tired.” He caressed her cheek and jaw with his finger.
“I just need to rehydrate, get a little rest, the worst is ahead of me,” she told him.
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek right by her lips. “You’re tough, and seem very focused. You’ll do great.”
She gave a soft smile. “Thank you, Knight.
“You got the crowds fired up out there,” Cavanaugh added, coming over to kiss her hello, she thought, but he took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. His eyes roamed over her breasts and her abs and legs. She was wearing very little, but felt so hot.
“I appreciate the support. You can never have enough friends. Thanks for coming. I need to lay down,” she said, and she did, with her forearm over her eyes.
Leif walked closer, and caressed her hair and head. “We’re here for you. You want this win, you take it. It’s yours. Remember that,” he said, encouraging her, and it touched her heart that he cared so much. That they came here, have been sitting for a few hours already and they weren’t even dating. Never mind they sat in the stands with her brothers and cousins, who weren’t happy about this potential relationship at all.
The door opened and Kudo and Donny reentered. “Sorry guys, but she needs a rub down. We can’t have those muscles tightening up out there,” Donny said, and then he and Kudo walked over to the table.
Kudo pointed at her. “I want you resting, eyes closed and relaxing for the next thirty minutes and then we hit the warm-up room,” he said.
“Got it.” She adjusted her position on the table, exhaled and kept her eyes closed, and the men watched as Donny began to use some thick lotion to massage her muscles and a special tool to scrape them so she wouldn’t cramp up. One look at Leif, Cavanaugh, Knight, and Flynn, and she could see that they didn’t like Donny doing this.
“I’ll be fine. You guys head back and enjoy the other matches,” she told them, and then laid back and closed her eyes.
Kudo walked them out.
* * * *
Knight did not like the fact that Donny was rubbing his hands all over Jo and giving her a massage. First of all, she was wearing hardly anything. Just a sports bra and tight spandex shorts that barely covered her ass. Her breasts poured from the sports bra and her body was exceptional.
“She’ll be okay. She needs to stay focused. Keep your eyes on the next match between Slava and Orvani. Whoever wins the match there, will fight the winner of this match for first place in the finals,” Kudo told them.
“Keep her safe, Kudo,” Knight said to him.
“You got it.” He walked back into the room and they headed down the hallway and back to the stands.
“The woman is exceptional. Holy God what a body on her,” Flynn said as they walked.
“Anyone else want to rip Donny a new one for massaging our woman?” Knight asked. They chuckled.
“Fuck yeah, and I swear he started that shit while we were there, on purpose, Cavanaugh.” They laughed.
“You know he did. We would do the same thing. Come on, she’s safe with them and she referred to us as friends. Tonight we have some convincing to do,” Flynn said, and they all agreed.
* * * *
Beating Kovark wasn’t easy. In fact, Jo was feeling exhausted, beaten up, and uncertain if she had what it took to take on Slava Yan. But as Slava broke Orvani’s nose, which seemed accidental, and was ruled accidental, it changed the atmosphere in the place. Also, Slava antagonized Orvani, getting the crowd to go wild. There was a mix of fans of Slava’s who encouraged the dirty fighting, and fans who booed her. It was a pretty intense waiting period.
Jo knelt on the floor with her hands on her thighs and her eyes closed. She was doing a relaxing technique, preparing mentally for this final match. She wanted to win. Not only because all her friends, her family and the Fordom men were out there and had stayed all day to see this, but because this tournament had been her focus, her motivation to train the last six months intensely. Right now, her body felt weak. She felt sunken in from losing weight and definitely losing more from the competition, the exertion of energy and sweating so much. She wanted this. Made the decision to do this and wasn’t forced to.
Healing Hearts 10: The Scars That Bind Us Page 9