by Kennedy Fox
“Liam, you’re doing that thing you do when you’re about to lose your shit,” she says, concern evident in her tone. I glance over at her and try to take deep breaths to calm down. She’s the only person on this planet who can bring me back to reality and settle my nerves.
I arch a brow. “What thing?”
“Your shoulders tense, your eyes narrow, and your lips twitch. You look as if the Hulk is going to break out and start smashing people.” I give her a look. “Please tell me you’ve watched The Avengers.”
This causes me to chuckle. “I’ve seen bits and pieces of it but never sat through all of them.”
Her mouth falls open. “What? Okay, add all the Avengers to our movie list.”
For a moment, it’s easy to ignore the fact that JJ stained our amazing weekend together. We shared so much in that little cabin overlooking the lake, and I’ll keep those memories in my heart for the rest of my life.
Once we finally make it home and I unload our bags, the two of us decide to conserve water and take a shower together. We’re both quiet the entire time as we touch and kiss, and I feel as if there are so many unspoken words drifting between us. After we’re dressed and downstairs cozied up on the couch, I decide to call Tyler.
“’Bout time you made it home,” he tells me before I go into the kitchen and grab a beer.
“Where’s mine?” Maddie asks with a smirk, though beer really isn’t her thing. I hand her mine after taking a sip, but she laughs, rejecting the offer.
Maddie gets up to make some tea, and I lower my voice. “We need to talk.”
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“JJ was outside of our cabin this morning.”
Tyler groans, and I can imagine him clenching his teeth. “Why was he there?”
“He said I still owed him. He was responsible for the G-Wagon, and he…” I pause for a second, trying to gain my composure because I feel as if I’m losing control. “He burned my father’s house down last night.”
“What the fuck?” I can hear the change in his voice, but I continue.
I run my fingers through my hair. “He told me we’d be even if I participated in an underground fight. What do you know about that?”
“You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
“I have to end this once and for all. I don’t want to constantly be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the O’Learys to strike. I don’t want to worry about Maddie when I’m not home. I don’t need you acting as our bodyguard for the rest of your life either. Seriously, I don’t want to live like this anymore. It’s the only way. I fight, and I win. There are no other options. Either you’ll help me or not.”
The line is silent for a while. “You’re a hardheaded motherfucker. You know that, don’t you?”
“Isn’t that a given?”
“When’s the fight?” he asks as if he’s actually contemplating it.
“New Year’s Eve.”
He lets out a controlled breath. “That’s three and a half weeks to train. You understand how this works, Liam? When you walk into that ring with your opponent, there’s a chance one of you won’t walk out. They fight to kill or be killed, and they don’t play by any set rules. It’s underground street fighting. If you want my help, I’ll help you, but you’ll need to spend every day on this. I’ll get in touch with a friend who trains here in Vegas closer to time. We’ll start the day after tomorrow, so it gives me enough time to book a flight and rent a truck.”
“Thank you. I owe you,” I say. “I’ll see you in two days.”
The call ends, and I sit there numb.
Maddie returns with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. I snag one, and she playfully slaps my hand. Noticing a change in the mood, she looks at me. “What you two talk about? Having a lovers’ quarrel?”
I laugh, finishing my beer, but Maddie waits for me to explain.
“Tyler’s going to train me. He’s a pro,” I explain but am gutted when I see her expression drop.
“Liam, please,” she begs. “I can’t lose you.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her as close to me as I can, until our faces are mere inches apart. “I have to do this so then we can have a future together. They will never let me go otherwise. I know that.”
A single tear drips down her cheek, and I swipe it away with my thumb. After a minute of holding her, she pulls away and looks into my eyes. “I was so hoping once the divorce was finalized, it would all be over.”
“I know, baby. I had hoped that too. Trust me, I hate this. I hate what it’s done to you and us. But I swear, if there were any other options, I’d take them, but I’m not running this time.”
“Are you absolutely sure about this? You could get really hurt, even if you win. The guy could break your face or bones or something.” I hear the worry in her voice, and it kills me. Our weekend was so special, and now we have another obstacle trying to tear us apart.
“Freedom is what I want, what we need. So yes, I’m sure that I have to do this. I know what’s at stake, and there are no options other than winning. Tyler’s well experienced on the ins and outs of fighting, even in illegal shit like this. I start training as soon as he gets here.”
Maddie sniffs, but nods. “I hate that you have to do this, but I also hope Tyler knows what he’s doing to get you properly ready.”
“Don’t worry, he is. He’s been training at gyms for years and knows all about what goes into underground fighting. If I don’t do this, JJ will come after you and hurt you. It was obvious what he was implying, and I don’t want him anywhere near you again. It’s not just my freedom I’m fighting for; it’s yours too.”
“I know,” she croaks, and I hate that I’ve put her in this situation. She grabs the remote and turns on the TV, but I can’t seem to pay attention to anything on the screen. My mind is in a different place but with reason. So much depends on me winning—my entire life and Maddie’s too.
After our conversation, we watch TV until our eyes are heavy, then we go to bed. I hold Maddie in my arms as we fall asleep, listening to her soft breathing, and allowing her to calm my racing mind until I drift off.
It’s been less than forty-eight hours since JJ reappeared in my life and shook it up like a snow globe. It’s day one of training, and when my alarm goes off at four-thirty in the morning, I force myself to roll out of bed. I place a soft kiss on Maddie’s forehead before getting dressed and grabbing a protein bar. Tyler arrived late yesterday afternoon and got settled into my room. It was almost like old times with him being here again, but I hate that it’s under these circumstances. I check outside and see his rental truck is already gone because he’s punctual as fuck, so I head to the gym to meet him. Once I’m parked and inside, I see Tyler in the kickboxing area eagerly awaiting me.
“We could’ve ridden together,” I say as soon as I’m near him.
“Good morning to you too,” he tells me. I notice he’s dripping with sweat and can’t imagine how long he’s been here. He would’ve had to got here at least an hour ago to get a workout in before I arrived. “Are you ready?”
“I guess.” I blow out an insecure breath.
Tyler forces me to run a mile and do several different stretches to warm my muscles. After I’m fully awake, he hands me a pair of gloves and puts some on, then moves toward me. He stands eye to eye with me, and I don’t even flinch when he pretends to go for the gut. It’s nothing more than a distraction. “They might not even give you gloves during the fight. If they’re doing street rules, you’ll get some tape on your knuckles, and that’s about it. I’d suggest you get a piece of wood and start punching the hell out of it at home so you can build up your knuckle strength.” He turns his back on me, and a second later, his fist slams straight into my gut. “Always watch your opponent.”
“Not fair, I wasn’t ready.” I clench my fist in my glove and blow out a breath.
Tyler smirks. “That’s the point. You need to be ready every second you’re in the ring.” H
e lifts his leg and tries to take me down, but I block him.
“What the hell?” I scowl.
“Street fighting isn’t just hits and punches, Liam. You’ll need to watch out for legs too,” Tyler explains.
“So basically it’s MMA rules on steroids?” I ask, taking a swing at him, feeling my bodyweight bounce on the practice mats.
“Pretty much. Mafia underground fighting has only one rule and one goal. No guns in the ring and kill you before you kill them.” His leg quickly comes up, hitting me behind my knee, and I immediately lose my balance. When his glove meets my face, my anger level rises, and I block his hits until I get to my feet. I go to Tyler, throwing calculated punches, but he redirects every swing I make. I finally connect; however, he’s two steps ahead of me and brings me down once again with another hit to the face. My heart rapidly beats, and my chest rises and falls as my adrenaline spikes.
“Do you wanna die?” he shouts, connecting his fist with my jaw, and that’s when I see red and lose control. “Time to get your shit together. Focus, Liam.” The anger takes over, and I’m fighting Tyler with all the strength I have, but he’s quick on his feet, and I barely make contact with him. It doesn’t surprise me, though. He’s a professional and has been doing this for years.
“Better,” he tells me, then sucker punches me right in the stomach. Taking a few steps back, Tyler calls a time-out, and we’re both heaving. “You need to hydrate.” We pull off our gloves, then walk over to his bag where he grabs a couple of bottles of water, then hands me one.
“You’re out of practice,” he scolds as I inhale my drink. “But I think we’ll be able to get you where you need to be, but it’s going to take a lot of work. You’ll be working out harder than you ever have in your life.”
I nod, trying to let my endorphins settle. I’m so goddamn worked up right now. “I can’t lose this fight. There’s too much weighing on it.” I finish the bottle and throw it in the trash.
“I agree. They play dirty. You’ll have to tune out everyone outside of the ring and focus on your opponent’s moves. I’m guessing there’ll be at least half a million dollars’ worth in bets, so if you lose and live, JJ will make sure you don’t walk away.” I grit my teeth as Tyler continues. “I made a few phone calls to some friends who are involved in that circle. I’m trying to find out more about the guy you’re fighting so we at least know what you’re up against.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it, man.” I wipe the sweat from my brow and look at the clock behind Tyler. We’ve been here for over an hour, but we’re just getting started. Once Tyler finishes his water, he slips his gloves back on, and so do I.
“Let’s work on technique. Since legs and feet aren’t illegal to use, anything pretty much goes. So, head, elbows, knees, and any other body part you can cause damage with is fair game.” Tyler moves his body around showing different maneuvers against one of the dummies, then asks me to do the same. Keeping my body tight, I stay light on my feet as Tyler calls out what to do. I use all the strength in my quads to kick forward, and the dummy falls to the floor with a thud.
“Damn, that was good,” Tyler says, picking it up and setting it in place. After I work on that for a while, he instructs me to take off my gloves and pulls the tape from his bag, then helps me wrap my hands the proper way to protect my knuckles. Once I’m set, he puts on some leather boxing punching mitts. “Now, let's focus on speed and output instead of power. Basic punches right in the center.”
He flips the mitts around, and I see two white circles where I need to hit. “Keep your hands high, and after each set, you’ll do a squat and increase two more punches until you’re swinging twenty times in a row. It’s a basic boxing drill to help with fast, consistent hand speed and endurance. We’ll go for two minutes, counting your reps, break for five, then start at the top. We’ll do this for the next hour.”
I chuckle. “You’re gonna wear me out before eight o’clock.”
“You better believe it,” he throws back. “It’s gonna be exhausting, but you need to get your momentum up before we get to the hard stuff. Don’t let your hands fall, and make sure you’re supporting your weight on your hips. The squat helps re-center yourself. Ready?”
I nod and step up, taking a deep breath. As I start, Tyler calls out how many throws I need to do. At first, I’m fast, and it feels easy, but when I have twenty seconds left, I’m ready to give up. However, I keep going even though it feels like my hands and arms will fall off.
“Faster,” Tyler calls out when there are only ten seconds to go. I find my second wind when he lets his mitts fall. “Good job.”
I place my hands over my head and try to breathe for a few minutes, sweat dripping down my face. “Fuck, that’s harder than I thought.”
“Right? Two minutes seems easy until you get going. How are your knuckles?”
Flipping my hands over, I show him. Fingers are red, but there’s no busted skin. I’ve made sure to keep my fingers in the correct position so I don’t break them before the fight.
“They say Bruce Lee used to punch metal to strengthen his knuckles,” Tyler tells me as I grab another bottle of water.
“Oh yeah? Is that tomorrow’s drill?” I mock.
Tyler snickers. “Don’t tempt me. When I was in the military, I used brick walls to condition my hands for fighting. That’s going to be your homework. Also, break’s over. Let’s go again.”
I let out a laugh before Tyler starts the timer, and then I begin again. We keep doing reps with breaks between. For the next hour, we continue techniques, but he doesn’t let me rest for long. Next, he has me working on more drills, leg kicks, and blocking. After three hours of working, I’m ready to pass the fuck out and beg for an oxygen line. My arms and legs feel like jelly, and I can already tell I’m going to be sore as hell tomorrow. Groaning, I lean against the wall with my palms on my knees, panting. Tyler laughs, looking like he hardly broke a damn sweat, and I stand, rolling my eyes at him.
“I went easy on you today,” he tells me as he stuffs the mitts back into his bag.
“Easy, my ass,” I say, my heart still racing.
He slaps me on the back. “It’s just going to get harder from here, so you need to stay focused and highly motivated. You don’t have time to slack off. I need you on your A game if I’m going to properly train you.”
Moving my head from side to side, I crack my neck. Every part of me literally feels stiff. “And how would you suggest I do that?”
“My first suggestion: staying celibate.”
I glance at him and chuckle, but his expression doesn’t change. “Wait, you’re serious,” I deadpan.
He nods. “I am. No sex means you’ll have pent-up aggression, and it’ll motivate you even more to win. You’re fighting so you and Maddie can have a life together. It’s a mental technique, but it works. Famous boxers and UFC fighters stay celibate before a big fight to keep themselves focused.”
My mouth falls open. “I’ll murder someone.” Or Maddie might murder me.
“And that’s exactly the point,” he quips, smirking. “Maddie will understand once she knows why.”
“No, she’s going to tell both of us to fuck off,” I argue.
“What else is new?” He grins. “Hey, don’t forget to ice your hands when you get home so they don’t swell. Take a painkiller or anti-inflammatory, too.”
“Okay, Mom,” I tease, though I know he knows what he’s talking about. I need to take care of my body while training for the fight of my life.
For the most part, I thought of myself as pretty fit and in shape, but Tyler proved me wrong. There’s a lot of work for me to do, and it starts with eating right, getting enough sleep, and conditioning my body to be a fighting machine. At least, I can use my strength when wrangling criminals who want to fight back. Typically my size scares them, and I’m strong and fast enough to capture them, but when Tyler is done with me, I have a feeling my entire body composition will go back to how it was when I was an at
hlete.
Before I go home, I stop and get a protein shake to replenish my muscles. By the time I pull into the driveway, Tyler is already home, but Maddie’s left for class.
“Doing alright?” Tyler chuckles when he sees me walking slowly into the kitchen.
“Kiss my ass.” I grab a couple of ice packs from the freezer, then go to lie on the sofa.
Tyler follows. “Your body is used to cardio and lifting weights, but it’ll adjust in a few days. Same time tomorrow morning?” He flashes a shit-eating smirk as he sits in the recliner.
I grunt, putting one pack on my shoulder and the other on my hand. “If I can even walk.”
“Take a hot shower after you ice and drink lots of water. You should know the drill from football,” he states.
“I graduated four years ago,” I remind him. “Pretty sure I felt better my first day of freshman year when I nearly twisted my ankle and broke a rib.”
“Well, good thing you won’t have to worry about straining a muscle during sex.”
“Pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to even if I could,” I say bluntly. “Maddie’s going to freak out when she sees me. Pretty sure you bruised my entire body.”
“And somehow, I doubt this is the worst she’s witnessed.” He flashes a wicked grin, knowing damn well what the O’Learys had done to my face.
“True, but I’d guard your nuts if I were you. She won’t think twice about coming after you for punching me.”
“Training you,” he corrects. “And I can handle Maddie. I did for two weeks and saved her life, so if anything, she owes me.”
I chuckle, though it hurts. “She won’t see it that way.”
Tyler stands, then purposely slaps my shoulder hard. “Quit being a pussy. Being in love has made you weak,” he taunts.
“Asshole,” I bite out. “I’m gonna get you back for that tomorrow.”