by Kendall Ryan
Shit. He was right; I was a total dick. Not that it made what he did okay, but I’d been after his girlfriend since day one. I was no kind of friend.
“Why the fuck didn’t you say something?” I asked. “Confront me! Punch me! Why play like you never saw it?”
“Because if I’d confronted you, you would have still won. She still would have gone home with you.”
“But she chose you.”
“You still think that?” Chris laughed as he pulled himself back on his feet. “What a joke. When she came to break up with me that day, I knew what she was up to. I saw the fear in her eyes. I also saw how much she cared about you, how much she wanted you to fight here in Vegas.” He shrugged. “All she needed was a little motivation to stay with me. I gave her that motivation.”
His broad smile was begging me to punch him. What the hell had he done to her?
“I may have suggested that the only way I wouldn’t pull you from the fight was if she and I were still together.”
“No way.” I didn’t believe him. There was no way Kenzie would do that. Stay with someone for me?
He continued. “I suggested you might not recover from your injury soon enough. After that, she couldn’t keep her slutty hands off me.”
My fist flew at him, but he saw it too late. His eyes widened as my knuckles made contact with his jaw. His skull was thick, but I hit him fucking hard. He spun backward, landing on the floor, and his eyes fluttered closed. He was breathing, but he was out.
Good, because I couldn’t listen to one more second of his bullshit lies. There was no way Kenzie would sell herself for anything. She was smarter than that. If he’d been blackmailing her, she would have told me. We would have figured it out.
My knuckles hurt. Fuck. I’d taped up my hands but didn’t have my gloves on yet, and I had hit him really fucking hard.
Jonah glanced over at Chris, then turned to me. “You okay?”
I flexed my hand and moved my fingers. I’d definitely fucked up my right. Fuck. I shook my head.
“Is it broken?” His eyes were wide. Fighters broke bones often enough during a fight, but going into a fight with a fracture was sheer stupidity.
But I needed this fight. And I needed to win this fight. So I was about to do something seriously stupid. “Let’s re-tape it.”
“Shit,” Jonah said, giving me a knowing look.
He grabbed the tape, and we fixed up my hand as best we could. It still hurt like crazy, but I could deal with the pain. I just needed a whole new fight strategy.
“He’ll expect you to come in fighting with your fists,” Jonah said, apparently already on it. “So wear him out with kicks and your left. Make him dance around for a while. That way, when he pulls the fight to the mat, he’ll be tired. Then use all that shit we’ve been working on for the last few weeks. Listen to me, I’ll help you find your openings. He wants the fight to be about submission. Let’s make it all about his submission.”
I nodded and started visualizing the fight and the new strategy. It might work. It had to.
Determined, I pulled myself together. I could still win this thing. I started hopping again, the blood already rushing through my veins.
“Yeah,” I yelled.
There was a knock on the door before it opened. A man with a headset and a clipboard came in. “It’s time.” He glanced down to where Chris lay on the floor. “What’s wrong with him?”
Jonah shook his head. “He tried to force himself on a woman last night.”
The guy smirked and toed Chris, who stirred a little. Then the guy said, “Must have been some woman.”
Jonah laughed, but the guy was right. Kenzie was some woman.
Cade found us in the hallway and joined us as we headed to the arena entrance.
Forty-Six
MacKenzie
The stadium seating was something to behold. Rows and rows of seats stacked up on one another that stretched up and back in all directions from the single cage in the center of the floor.
I followed Alexa down the aisle to our seats. I’d traded my VIP ticket in the second row with Cade so that I could sit with Alexa. It turned out that Cade didn’t even need my ticket. He’d gotten a text from Ian asking him to stand in as a coach, so my ticket would go unused. But it was better this way. I could sit with Lexa, Ian wouldn’t see me, and thus wouldn’t get distracted.
Their tickets, however, were not as far away as she’d promised.
“How is fifteen rows back considered nosebleed?” I asked. We were barely outside the VIP seating.
“He won’t be able to see you from here, you’ll be fine.” She waved me off. “Sit.”
I sighed and obediently took my seat. It was good to have Alexa here. She might be annoyingly bossy, but at least I knew it was coming from a good place.
Although we’d only gotten there a few minutes before the fight was supposed to start, it still felt like hours until the lights finally dimmed and the stage lights came to life, dancing around the empty cage and over the full audience.
Music blared and the announcer began. “Ladies and gentlemen, our first fight of the night, Hayden ‘The Gator’ Jones versus Ian Leclaire.”
Spotlights spun around the arena, and I cast my eyes over the audience. The place was packed.
I tried to imagine what it would be like for Ian when he came out after being introduced. Would he be nervous? Would he be excited to see so many people here? Would he even notice the people, or would he be so fixed on the fight that he had tunnel vision?
Gator was introduced first. He came down an aisle on the far side of the stadium, making his way toward the cage with his entourage.
As they approached the door of the cage, Ian was introduced. I searched for the spotlight that would follow him down to the cage, finally finding it just up the aisle from where we sat. Ian was in the spotlight, wearing his fight shorts, his gloves, and a look of determination. His muscles, normally bulging, were fully flexed. He was pumped up and ready to kick ass.
So effing hot. I regretted having passed up the chance to lick his eight-pack abs, and pushed away thoughts of their salty taste on my tongue as he walked within feet of me and I had to duck back behind Alexa. He continued toward the front, followed by Jonah and Cade.
“Where’s Chris?” I asked.
Alexa shrugged.
I searched the VIP section and the people up front near the cage, but he wasn’t there. Crap. This could not be good. Or could it?
Crap. I didn’t know what it meant, but at least Ian was still fighting. I’d have to wait until later to find out what happened to Chris.
Ian
The stadium seating with the cage all lit up was just as insane as I’d imagined it. The crowd cheered as I came in, and I ate it up. I let each roar, hoot, and whistle inflate me and make me stronger as I made my way to the stage.
This was real. This was my day. Nothing could stop me. I thought you needed to take drugs to feel this high, but I was wrong. I’d made it here, to the place I was supposed to be. To the place I’d waited years for. It was finally my time.
On my way up to the cage, I searched for Kenzie. Knowing what had happened last night, I wanted to see her and make sure she was okay. Her seat was in the VIP section just feet from the cage, but it was empty. I tried to tell myself that she was okay. She wanted to leave, and Alexa would have gotten her on the plane safely. Hell, Alexa might have even gone with her back home since Cade had joined me up front.
Regardless, I’d already decided I would win this match for her. I’d promised her I would, and the anger I felt toward Chris would be enough to make it happen. Anger channeled correctly would help me pummel my opponent.
As I climbed up the few steps to the cage, the roar of the crowd and the heavy music followed. But when they closed the gate, the rest of the world faded away, and it was just me and my opponent. I was focused and I was ready.
Gator was a few inches shorter than me, which if I didn’t know better
, would have given me a false sense of security. But his shorter stature meant his muscles weighed more. He was stronger. This was also not his first big fight. His record was nine and three; he knew what he was doing.
I needed to be careful. All my moves had to be instant and deliberate. And he absolutely could not know that my right hand was totally fucked. He already knew about my shoulder injury; knowing about my injured fist would give him everything he needed to finish the fight in seconds.
The ref gave us his instructions, demanded a clean fight, and we touched gloves. Gator started off with his fists going at me. Which wasn’t what I expected, but I was a boxer, so I easily avoided all his jabs. It was clear he’d spent a lot of time working on his footwork.
Still, his moves were practiced and I was a boxer first. I could anticipate every move before he made it. I ducked out, then faked with my right, jabbing him hard with my left.
My gaze fell on Kenzie’s empty chair. She knew how much this fight meant to me.
Gator stumbled from my strike and shook it off. He came back at me. I blocked, then came back at him with more lefts. We only went on this way for a while before he started becoming weary of my left fist. He shook off my advances and landed a hit to my body. I fell back, and as he pursued me, I glanced at Kenzie’s empty seat again.
She had to have stayed for the fight.
Maybe she was just running late.
MacKenzie
The minute Ian stepped into the cage, I knew something wasn’t right. His stance was almost normal, but I would swear he was holding his right fist closer to his body, almost like he was guarding it.
“Does he look okay to you?” I asked Alexa.
“Yeah, why?”
“I’m not sure,” I said.
“He looks like he’s pumped and ready to kick some ass, if that’s what you mean.”
I shook my head and shrugged. “Maybe it’s nothing.”
When they started the first round, Ian and Gator exchanged punches, and everything seemed normal. Ian connected several times with Gator’s face, and once in his gut. Meanwhile, Gator kept on missing his targets. It got to the point where he started backing up toward the wall of the cage. Gator was dazed and on the retreat. All Ian needed to do was give him one swift right, and he’d fall. But he wasn’t using his right fist.
“I think there’s something wrong with Ian’s hand.”
“How can you even tell from this far away?”
“I don’t know. He just looks like he’s hurt.” My heart sank. If he was hurt this early, he might not be able to win.
“He looks fine,” Alexa said. She nudged me and smiled.
I forced a smile and turned my attention back to the cage. Gator was coming out of his haze. He shocked Ian with a kick to the thigh, and Ian staggered.
“Shit.” My hands went up over my mouth. “Come on,” I whispered. “Please.”
Ian swung around with his leg, aiming high, but Gator saw him coming, blocked him, and came back with a foot to his side.
My fists clenched. What the hell was going on? Ian was supposed to be the best on his feet, and Gator was taking him to school.
Ian was backed into a corner and took several hard hits to the face. He leaned in, grabbing Gator by the waist as if he was holding on for his life.
“Kenzie,” Alexa shouted over the crowd’s cheers. “You okay?”
I nodded and clenched my fists tighter, feeling like I was going to throw up. Ian had to win this fight; he just had to.
Forty-Seven
Ian
This wasn’t how the fight was supposed to go.
Fuck. I held on to Gator, but he continued to jab me in the gut, so I pulled away and kicked his thigh.
Contact.
Fucking finally. He stumbled just enough to give me time to regain some ground, as well as my footing. I came back at him again, but he blocked with his arm. I was getting winded. I was also getting pissed at myself. I needed to turn things around if I was going to win this thing, but I couldn’t find a fucking opening. I blocked more and more of his advances until the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the first round.
I went back into the corner, and the guys cleaned me up. I allowed myself to glance over at Kenzie’s still empty seat. She had to have gone home. Damn it. I hoped she was okay.
The second round was more of the same. I made a few good hits, but he kept me on the run for a good bit. When the second round was over, I was starting to fucking hate myself.
I met Jonah and Cade, who brought water and helped wipe all the blood from my face. I was bleeding from a few different places.
Unable to stop myself, I glanced over to Kenzie’s empty chair again.
Cade saw and followed my gaze. “She’s up in my seat with Alexa. Row fifteen.” He pointed over and up a little. I scanned the area he’d indicated until, at last, I found her. The arena was dark, but I could recognize her features in the soft light that touched the crowd from above.
She’d stayed to watch the fight after all. It was all the fuel I needed. Pride rushed through me, and adrenaline filled me.
I could almost hear her sassy pep talk. You’ve worked too hard to start doubting yourself now. You’re here because you’re one of the best. Now start acting like it.
I shook my head. I was supposed to be here. It was time to focus. It was time to finish this shit.
The bell rang and I came out swinging my left, then kicking. Gator blocked my fist, but I hit him on the side hard with my foot. I kept at him, throwing light jabs with my right, and following with quick lefts. He backed up into a corner and I held him there, punching and kicking.
The crowd roared, and for the first time that night, I knew they were cheering for me. It fueled me and I went at him harder, making contact several more times before he finally dodged his way out of the corner and grabbed me in an attempt to pull me down.
I held on to him, and he twisted and lifted. He wanted me down on the mat so he could get to work with his real skills. I was willing and ready, but made him work for it. He grunted and yelled, pushing past his threshold of strength, and kept fucking going. But my feet were square and I refused to budge.
“Make him your bitch,” Jonah shouted from the corner.
And I did. Gator was pushing so hard against me that when I stopped resisting and twisted, he rolled over me, landing on his back. I jumped on top of him and started pounding his face. He tried to block me, but his face was red. Blood red.
He finally covered his face and managed to twist around, pulling up. We struggled on the canvas for several minutes. I couldn’t get him in a good hold, and he was too busy on the defense to make any headway. But then he slipped out, landing on top of me, and grabbed my left arm and bent it back.
Fuck. He pulled and I scrambled, pushing myself up with my legs, trying anything to get out of his hold.
“You’ve got this!” Jonah shouted.
He was right. He’d shown me how to get out of this, but it was going to fucking hurt like hell. I bit down hard on my mouth guard, pushed up against him with my legs, swung around, then came at him full force with my right, connecting so hard the pain was unbelievable. It shocked through my entire body and I growled, thinking I might actually bite all the way through my mouth guard from the agony. My head was dizzy, spinning from the shock of my throbbing fist.
Gator let go of my arm and I spun around, wrapped my legs around his body, took his arm, and ripped it back.
He tapped out.
I let go and fell back.
Forty-Eight
Ian
“C’mon, Ian. You need to get that hand looked at,” Cade nagged as we made our way back to the dressing room.
“Are you my mother now? I told you, I’m not going anywhere until I see MacKenzie.” I held a bloody rag to my eyebrow with one hand and pulled up my phone messages with the other. I’d called and texted her, but she wasn’t responding. “Cade, find out where she is.”
“I’
m sure she’s fine. She’s with Alexa. Your hand could be broken, we need to get that looked at.”
I stopped in front of the dressing room and gave him a pointed look. I didn’t have time for this shit. Kenzie had been through something horrible last night. She might have lied to me about it, she might not want me to know about it, but I did. And I wasn’t going to rest until I saw her again and made damn sure that she would be okay.
Cade sighed and pulled out his phone, sending out a quick message.
We went inside, and I got cleaned up as well as I could with bottled water and rags, then changed into some clothes. I was still a sweaty mess when Cade heard back from Alexa that they were in their room, but since MacKenzie had been running away a lot lately, I wasn’t going to waste time with a shower and a doctor visit.
MacKenzie
Alexa looked down at her phone again and typed in a message. I tried to get her to go meet up with Cade after the fight, but she’d insisted on following me back to their room, where we now sat on one of the beds.
“I told you, I’m fine,” I said. “I don’t need a babysitter. Go celebrate with the guys.”
“Come with me,” she said.
I shook my head. “Can’t I just have some alone time?”
I was glad I’d gotten to see Ian’s fight. I was through the roof about him winning. But I’d made my decision, I wasn’t going to be a distraction for him anymore. And as proof that I’d made the right decision, he’d won his fight, all while thinking I’d already left town. How much more proof did I need that I was bad luck?
The door of the room clicked as someone unlocked it from the outside, and I looked over at Alexa.