“Nobody hits like you do, Sensei!” Sophia was yelling. Eden turned in her chair and gave her sister a frown.
“It’s true. Xander’s fast and pure, but Dane’s got all that plus the sheer brute force that will knock you flying when he connects.”
As if Sophia scripted it, the “Wildman” hit the canvas after he staggered backwards. It looked like his feet had lost coordination or something. Dane was following him to the canvas and the other man was scrambling trying to regain his balance and keep Dane off him.
I’d seen them rolling around in that training session last weekend. Grappling they called it. It looked more like a game of Twister on steroids if you asked me.
“What’s happening?” I turned and asked Eden. Cathy was up and yelling, there was no asking her.
“He’s trying to get a lock up on the mat. So far the “Wildman” has managed to escape.”
They rolled over again and I watched them crash into the side of the cage once more. The whole thing rattled with the force.
Then I saw his opponent get a hand free and punch at Dane’s face. The way he was positioned, he didn’t have much distance to allow his arm to gain force through the punch. The punch connected on the side of Dane’s face. I winced without thinking and jolted, that had to have hurt. I’d been punched in the face many times and every single time it hurt—badly.
“He’s fine. Look at how he’s gone after the shoulder.” Dane had used that little bit of room to snake his arm up and under his opponent’s shoulder, trapping his arm and trying to push the shoulder against its natural plane of movement. Somehow, the “Wildman” got loose and once again managed to back away.
I glanced up at the giant screen that was giving close ups of the action. The time remaining in the round was ticking down in the right bottom corner. Just over fifty seconds remained.
So far, Dane was more than holding his own and I could still breathe.
Dane
The “Wildman” was a slippery son of a bitch. Reed had told me to go with strikes and that’s what I was going to do, after the fucker had slipped out from the hold on the floor. Not too many guys got up when I unleashed a full blooded ripping punch.
He’d taken enough fire from me that he was starting to soften up nicely.
We moved a few steps back towards the wall of the cage again, right near my section. Reed and Xander were screaming at me; I could see them in my peripheral vision as I focused all my attention on Warren.
I had him against the cage wall. His options were limited. He could defend, attack or try to take me to the ground. What was going to limit him more was the busted ribs he had and the cork to the thigh from early in the round. There was no way he was going to last with those injuries.
I advanced, leading with a couple of left jabs and some fast footwork. The second jab landed just on the corner of his right brow bone and split the skin open. Crimson started to run.
His hands turned from a guard into a reach for a grapple and he gripped at my shoulders. Then his knee struck upwards in what was almost a half-hearted attempt. He was done and we both knew it.
This was it. I watched his knee advance as if in slow motion. I used the opportunity to thrust my hips to the left, out of harm’s way, and take his legs out from under him at the same time.
When we hit the canvas this time, I was in the perfect position. I had a mount. He was on his back and I was over his hips. Now it was time to rain down on him with strikes.
When I landed the first few punches on his face, the hard contact of the leather turned his skin red before my eyes. I could feel him faltering for breath. His damaged ribs were being pressed hard against my thighs as he tried to expand his rib cage.
The hands that he had up trying to protect his face and head were now no longer coordinating at all.
Come on ref call it, I pleaded in my mind.
He was done and I didn’t want to hit him anymore. I kept up the speed, but backed off on the impact weight.
Killing him wasn’t part of my plan.
Two long seconds and another four hits later, the referee finally saw what I already knew and waved me off him.
It was over.
I had my first professional win by TKO and a title to boot.
That would do me.
I rolled off him and sprung to my feet. Energy still flowed though me and I was hellishly pumped. The feeling would pass when the adrenalin left my body, but for now I was going to enjoy it.
The cage was suddenly flooded with people. The “Wildman’s” crew went straight to him and helped him to his feet. Then the referee was beside me and holding my arm aloft. No sooner did he step back than my crew converged on me. Xander and Seth had me wrapped up in bear hugs.
“Way to go, man! TKO first round. Fuck, what a fight!” Seth yelled and jumped up and down.
“Jesus Christ, Dane you did that easy,” Reed said slapping me on the back hard. “I can’t believe how easy!” For once, he was actually chuckling.
Xan made it into my face. “Well done, mate. Classy fight and incredible win. I always knew you could do it.”
He bumped his fists against mine. “Thanks for believing in me, man.”
“Never doubted you.”
Then the referee and the announcer were all over us and strapping the title belt to my waist and officially announcing me as the winner.
That quickly—less than five minutes was all it took.
I went from not knowing, to being absolutely certain—not just about the fight, but other things as well.
Chapter 35
Arianne
“He’s done it. He’s done it.” Cathy was jumping up and down, alternating between hugging Gary then I. Eden had latched onto my back and was hugging me too.
Shit, everyone in our group was hugging, everyone. The only guys that weren’t excited were Mr Obnoxious and his mate. Nothing was going to dampen our spirits. My man had just won his fight!
“Whoo hoo!” I let out a yell and grabbed onto Eden again. She was giggling madly.
“First round TKO.”
“He seriously kicked butt and took names!” Tori and Sophia were talking over the top of each other.
“You should get up there, Ari. He’s going to be looking for you.” Eden pushed me towards the barriers and yelled at the security guard. He seemed to immediately realise who she was.
“I’ve got Dane Robert’s woman here. He’s going to want to see her now!” The security guy moved a barrier and we were free to go through to the platform and cage.
I couldn’t help it. I started running across the floor and up the steps. At the top, I was met by a wall of people. They might be marital arts folks, but I was well schooled at getting to the best bargains of a Myer Boxing Day sale.
Elbows, it was all about the elbows and getting under people’s arms. I glanced back at one stage and Eden was hot on my heels. Although, she seemed to have no such problem with parting the crowd.
In fact, I soon realised it was easier to move in behind her. Her face, through no fault of her own, was now well known in the community and nobody wanted to stop Xander Todd’s wife from getting through to him, it seemed.
Finally, we reached the centre of the cage and Xander spotted Eden. He then grabbed Dane’s attention and a second later, I was being hauled up against that hard body I loved so much.
“You did it,” was all I managed to get out as he kissed me with a closed mouth. This surprised me, then I realised why.
Not only did we have an audience; he also most likely had blood and the plastic taste of the guard in his mouth.
When he pulled away, he was grinning down at me and I knew just how pleased he was with himself.
He’d done it, more importantly he’d proved to himself he was more than good enough. I was convinced there was nothing he couldn’t achieve if he put his mind to it.
He kept me wrapped up against him as more and more people flocked in to congratulate him. Eventually, security decide
d to move us all out of the cage and the auditorium.
The press were swarming everywhere, as we made our way from the platform that held the cage back to the dressing rooms.
It was a mission.
“I think that was harder than the fight,” Dane joked as we finally closed the door on the crazy out there with just his crew inside.
“They’re never any different, fucking animals,” Reed snarled as he started to work on getting Dane’s gloves off.
The fight was done, but I wasn’t. “Reed,” I called out. A hush descended and every eye in the room was on me. “Cathy and Eden both assured me your disposition improves after your fighters’ win. I realise, I know jack shit about MMA but hey, I thought that gaudy arse belt around my man’s waist means he won? Did I miss something?”
Everyone cracked up, including Reed. “Nope, you didn’t get that wrong. He won!” Reed held Dane’s arm in the air once again in victory. “Now we need to figure out the next fight. Shit that was nothing tonight. You’re primed and ready you could go again in a few short weeks.”
Dane put up both hands. “Whoa there, Reed. I signed up for one fight. I haven’t decided what I’m doing next.”
There was a heavy knock at the door; Seth opened it. “Ah, Mr Cook would like you to address the press, Mr Roberts.”
“Where?” He glared at the security guy.
“There’s a press conference room set up just down the corridor. The press has been assembled you can address them now.” The security guy ducked his head out and closed the door.
For the first time all night, Dane looked less than focused. Fatigue was starting to set in. It had been a huge day. A huge prep.
“Guess I’d better get a shirt, because I think a shower’s out just yet,” Dane grumbled.
“Good thing you barely worked up a sweat.” Xander slapped him on the back.
Dane grabbed a shirt from his duffle and announced to everyone. “Let’s do this so we can get down to the drinking! I’m hankering for a beer.”
A few minutes later Dane was back on the stage with Parker Cook beside him.
We were all standing off to the side. I really needed to check on Isaac. I leant over to Cathy who was standing beside me. “I need to check on Isaac. Have you spoken to Maddie?”
Cathy patted me on the arm. “All good, Arianne. I spoke to her while you were with Dane before. I wanted to let her know Dane was fine and the result. She and Isaac had been watching it on the internet apparently, so they already knew.”
“Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. She pulled out the sofa bed in the lounge for him. Apparently, he’s tucked up in that and they’re just about to watch Jurassic World. They ordered pizza and ice-cream from room service before.”
I chuckled. “Isaac will happily watch Jurassic World on repeat until the end of time.”
“Maddie might grumble, but she’s happy to have the cash Dane’s giving her to go hit the shops in the city tomorrow—Melbourne shopping, say no more. Apparently, Sophia and Tori are going with her. Tonight you need to relax and help my son enjoy his win. I’m sure he’ll want to cut loose a little.” Cathy gave me a knowing look.
“Ha, what makes you think he actually stopped?” I returned back with a tease.
She laughed. “I’m not surprised. He is his father’s son.”
We turned our attention back to the questions.
“Dane, you’ve not said much about the whole fight in the lead up or now. Did you have any idea that it would go like this?”
I watched Dane wriggle a little in his chair before answering. “Look, I’ve been training for years and done a lot in the amateur scene. I just didn’t know if I wanted to make the commitment to step up to the big game. I just didn’t really have a reason to.”
The room burst out in laughter. Kind of a, “You’re joking” tone.
The reporter that asked the question went on. “Surely, tonight’s cruise to victory was enough of a reason? The bookies are already trying to figure out what your next fight will be and who the hell is good enough to give you some trouble. Have you got a plan for that?”
Dane looked uncomfortable and my stomach tightened again. We hadn’t talked about another fight past tonight. What did that mean?
Parker jumped into the silence. “I’m looking at opportunities for Dane right now. After tonight’s display, I’m confident we’ve found a potential World Championship contender.”
The room erupted again and Dane’s face looked dark.
Something was wrong.
A reporter down the front was given a turn. “What do you think of Parker’s comment? Do you think you can win a World Championship?”
Dane looked at the reporter, then his eyes moved over to me and held. They held mine for so long that every head in the room turned to look at whom he was staring at.
Then he spoke. “After this fight I’m confident that if I believe I can do it, I can. So yeah, I’m confident I’d have a serious shot at a World Title. Problem isn’t the belief, though.” He left that hanging in the room and you could have heard a pin drop.
“What’s the problem?” someone yelled from down the back.
Dane was still looking at me. “Problem is I don’t want to do it.” The place erupted into cries of “What?”
“I don’t like what the fight prep or all this circus does to my family. I don’t want it enough to put my family through it. When I’m in a prep they only get part of me. They see me at my absolute worst—hungry, grumpy, exhausted and irritable. No fight or belt is worth putting them through that time and time again. I love them too much for that. Sure, I know they’d support me if fighting was what I wanted to do. It’s not. For me, it’s all about the discipline and the various arts that make up MMA. It always has been; I just needed someone special to point that out to me. I’ve done what I set out to do and I’ve made the decision that it doesn’t work for me, for us. So I guess as well as talking about my first professional win, I’m letting you know I’m also officially retired.”
He stood up and Parker stood up as well—shock written all over his face. Dane reached for Parker’s hand and shook it.
“Thanks for the opportunity, man. I appreciate it.”
The room was in an uproar.
Dane walked to the edge of the platform and dropped down, then he was striding across to me.
It was so much to take in.
He was giving up his dreams for me.
Dane
I could see it written all over her face. Don’t do it for me. She didn’t even need to speak.
“I’m not, Ari. I don’t want it enough. I know I can do it. That’s enough for me. It was all I needed, to know that I could if I wanted to. I need you and Isaac more. You’re my future. This doesn’t make me happy. You and Isaac do.”
She hugged me tight and I held her head cradled to my chest. Cameras were clicking everywhere. Dad was patting me on the back and Xander and Seth were grinning at me. Xander knew.
Reed was standing there looking gobsmacked. I’m not sure how long it all went on for. Arianne eventually pulled her head back and looked up at me, oblivious to all the ruckus around.
“Are you sure? You don’t have to decide now,” she whispered.
I nodded. “I’m sure. In fact, I’d already decided days ago, when I found myself being grumpy and irritable around you and Isaac. I didn’t like that me at all; I saw how much it hurt you and I hated myself for it.”
Her face said it all. “Oh, Dane.”
“My problem was how to get in the headspace I needed, to get through the fight. That was what was really playing on my mind the last few days. I’d already made my decision and I really had no business stepping foot in that cage, but there was no way out of it. You were who got me through it. You got me into a headspace I could work with. Thank you, Ari. You helped me achieve my dream, even though it had changed.”
Her bottom lip was trembling and I knew she was about to burst into tears. That d
idn’t need to happen with this audience.
I stretched up to my full height and looked around at everyone milling around. “We’re out of here. All my crew you know where we’ll be. Drinks are on me.” There were a few cheers and we moved out of there.
Half an hour later, I was sitting at a table in the bar, off the casino floor, which we’d organised for the celebrations.
We’d kind of taken over the place.
Somehow, my crew turned out to be close to a hundred people. Tonight, I didn’t give a fuck. I had my girl sitting on my lap because chairs were conveniently in short supply and I had a beer in my hand.
Life was good.
It was so good just to relax and hang out with the people that were closest to me.
“I still can’t believe you’re walking away. You could make a motza fighting.” Mark was sitting at the table talking to us.
“I could, but it’s only money. I don’t need it to be happy. I’ve got all I need right here.” Ari blushed at my words but snuggled closer.
“Says the man that just earned a million bucks for less than five minutes work tonight, plus endorsements and didn’t even raise a sweat doing it,” Reed said shaking his head.
“Hey, I’ve sweated oceans for you over the last few months. If memory serves me correctly, just over a week ago you thought I was a quitter.” I reminded him. “You were certain I’d quit.”
“You have!” Seth piped up.
“Yeah, but let’s get it right; it was after the fight.”
“You just don’t like all the hard work,” Reed grumbled.
“Fucken’ oath I don’t. No surprise there! I hate coming home and being so damned tired I can barely make it from the sofa to bed. Screw that shit. That’s not how I want to live my life. Xan can have it. He seems to live to be tormented by you.”
Xander good naturedly laughed. “It’s only for a few weeks, but seriously I’m not sure I’ve got many more fights left in me either. I think there’s a good chance the World Championship will do me.” He gave Eden a knowing smile.
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