Fight of Life (Perception Book 3)

by Shandi Boyes

  I love it, thank you.

  Your welcome.

  I miss you Jacob.

  I miss you too C.T.

  “Who has you grinning like a cat that caught the mouse?” questions my dad as he walks into the lounge room and sits down on his favorite reclining chair.

  “A girl” I reply, trying my hardest not to grin but I can’t help but smile. I knew that Lola would have understood the gift the instant she opened it.

  “Is it the same girl that you have mentioned a few times the past month? What was her name again?” my dad questions while peering over at me.

  “Lola” I advise while smiling “Yes it is the same girl”

  “Is it serious?” my dad asks sternly and I can just tell by the look on his face that he is preparing himself to give me one of his long lectures on safe sex.

  “I don’t need the safe sex lecture again dad. If it hasn’t sunk in by now, hearing it for the fiftieth time isn’t going to make any difference” I reply while chuckling.

  “You should be thanking me” my dad replies sternly as his dark blue eyes stare deep within mine.

  “I am the reason no girl has turned up here announcing that you are their baby’s daddy” he replies sternly while his eyes squint at me.

  “You’re welcome Jacob” he states sarcastically, before he opens his latest book and commences reading.

  I initially chuckle at my dad’s statement, but when I really think about it, my dad’s lectures were drummed into my brain that often that anytime I was sampling a cookie jar, I always made sure I used adequate protection. So I guess I could thank him for the fact I haven’t become a father before I wanted too.

  “Thanks Dad” I chuckle. He grunts and nods his head as he continues reading his book.

  “Can I ask you something?” I question.

  My dad raises his index fingers as his eyes roam over the open page of his book. He then slips in the bookmark, closes the book and places it down on the coffee table.

  “I needed to finish the paragraph. Now what did you want to ask?” he replies, as he adjusts himself so that he is sitting in the reclining chair like a proper therapist.

  “What was your relationship like with Mom at the start?” I ask. When my eyes peer over to my dad, he is smiling brightly and his eyes flicker like he is recalling fond memories.

  “Well I know you probably don’t remember much about your Mom, but when she walked into the room it was like the sun rising in the morning. She had a heart of pure gold and it shone from deep within. Now don’t get me wrong Jacob, that doesn’t mean she was a push over. That woman was a strong as they come. She had to be for what she endured when she was a child” he responds, his voice slightly faltering towards the end of his statement.

  “Did you know straight away that you loved her?” I question into my dad’s sad eyes.

  “From the instant I met her, although she took a lot longer to realise it than I would have liked” he replies while smiling.

  “But you already know all of this Jacob, so why are you asking about it again?” My dad questions. I scratch my eyebrow and then run my hand over my face.

  “She got to you didn’t she? And now you can’t get her out of your head?” Dad asks as he moves to sit on the edge of his reclining chair.

  “You have no fucking clue” I reply quietly.

  My dad eyes stare firmly into mine but he doesn’t say a word while he waits for me to continue.

  “She is different from any other girl I have ever met. Half the time I have known her I have wanted to strangle her, but the other half I want to wrap her in a cocoon and keep her safe and protected. But she is one of the most stubbornest girls I have ever met. Even though I know she cares for me, she fights tooth and nail to keep our relationship in the ‘friends’ zone” I confess.

  “Is what she is giving you enough?” Dad questions, causing me to pull my eyebrows together tightly.

  “If what she is offering you is enough, then you take it Jacob and you enjoy it while it lasts. Then when it isn’t enough anymore, you let her go. Not every love story is an epic love story. Some start slow, some rage out of control and some dwindle over time. But don’t let anyone dictate to you what your relationship should or should not be like. Only you can decide what you are happy to accept” my dad informs.

  I look up at my dad and slowly start nodding my head.

  “Not every relationship is meant to last a lifetime” my dad replies sullenly before he rises from his chair and walks out of the room.

  I know my dad’s last statement was more about him and my mom, than Lola and I. He loved my mom with all his heart and he only got to have her in his life for eight years before she died. I know I love Lola. I have from the moment I laid my eyes on her and I am going to treasure every moment she is willing to share with me, even if she only classes me as a friend.

  Chapter 34

  Lola

  I nervously take in a large deep breath, before I slowly release it. The atmosphere tonight is crazily electrifying, but I still can’t control the nervous butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. You would think over the past few months I would have caught on to the fact that I don’t need to be so nervous, since I have never seen Jacob be defeated. But at every fight my nerves always get the better of me.

  I still remember the excitement I felt when I opened the Christmas present Jacob had given me a little over six months ago……

  Emily’s eager eyes kept trying to take a peek at the contents inside the envelope as I was opening it. The first thing I noticed when a gold necklace fell out, was the initials CT on the pendant. I chuckled loudly as I clasped the necklace around my neck.

  “It’s pretty but who is CT?” Emily questions confused as she lifts the pendant off my neck.

  “That’s my little secret” I reply laughing, while waggling my eyebrows at her.

  I sent Jacob a text telling him that I loved my gift, before joining the rest of the family to continue opening presents. The look on Noah’s face when I gave him the tightest pair of leather pants was priceless. I snapped a picture of his mortified face to share with Jacob later. I didn’t let on to Noah or Emily that the idea of the leather pants did originally come from Jacob. He even made sure we ordered them one size too small so if Noah ever did decide to wear them they would be as tight as possible.

  Later that night as I was heading to bed my mom handed me the original white envelope that Emily had delivered for Jacob earlier. I look at her confused, before I cocked my eyebrow.

  “There is a piece of paper inside. I didn’t read it; I promise” my mom whispers softly.

  I peer inside the envelope and realise there is a thin piece of paper hidden inside. I gently pull it out and spot Jacob’s handwriting scribbled on the white piece of paper.

  Merry Christmas Cock Tease

  Saturday night 10pm.

  Jake the Giant vs The Snake.

  I’ll see you there?

  Jacob xx

  Finally, I chanted silently to myself. I had been nagging Jacob for months to watch him fight and he always refused my request.

  Now, I have been to nearly every fight he has attended in the past six months. It is a little different than the UFC fighting I had seen Jacob compete in on YouTube. For one, there is no cage, it is a standard old boxing ring. But the main difference is, this fighting is done in secret. There are no big promotional campaigns, no flyers are printed and only invited guests are allowed to watch the fights. Normally the room is full of super wealthy people who pay top dollar for the seats close to the action. When Jacob told me the fighters have ‘owners’ I laughed loudly thinking he was joking. It soon died down when I realised he was being serious.

  Isaac is Jacob’s ‘owner’, well he was until the original contract Jacob signed became null and void once the twelve-month agreement was over. I don’t know how long Jacob plans to continue fighting for Isaac as it is never something we have really discussed. Actually, we don’t really discuss
anything, but things between Jacob and I have been going great the past twelve months. We enjoy each other’s company without having to live in each other pockets twenty-four-seven. He has his life and I have mine and this type of arrangement seems to work well for both of us.

  The instant I hear Rage Against the Machine’s hit song ‘Killing in the Name’ being blared over the speakers, I promptly jump to my feet to cheer on Jacob as he walks into the arena. His normal carefree attitude is on full display as he quickly strolls down the centre aisle with Isaac and Hank following immediately behind. The instant he enters the ring; his gaze seeks mine. I give him a quick seductive wink and I am awarded with his cheeky grin, before he moves over towards Hank who is the corner of the ring.

  “Hello Lola” states a deep voice to my side, just as the bell dings announcing the start of the first round.

  I instantly recognize the menacing tone of Curtis who sits in the empty chair next to me. I immediately jump to my feet and attempt to move away from him, but he grabs my wrist roughly and forces me back down into my seat.

  “Sit down” he whispers venomously.

  My sudden movement captures the attention of Jacob, distracting him from his opponents’ imminent attack on his unprotected face. I hear Hank yell out to Jacob for him to put his fists up, but Jacob’s confused gaze stares directly at me, as his opponent connects his glove covered left fist harshly against Jacob’s right temple.

  I narrow my eyes at Jacob, giving him a clear warning to pay attention to his opponent, but his confused gaze stays pointed directly at me and Curtis.

  “Oh this is even better than I had predicted” laughs Curtis as Jacob is once again struck hard, but this time on the left side of his face. If I don’t get away from Curtis right now, Jacob is going to get slaughtered in that ring.

  I raise my free hand and slap it hard against the side of Curtis’s face as I pull my wrist out of his grasp. I swiftly make my way past the spectators, who announce their irritation at me for blocking their view of the boxing ring as I scurry past.

  “Sorry, excuse me, sorry” I apologized as I continue moving along the stadium seating with Curtis following closely behind me with a condescending smirk on his face. The instant I move it into the corridor, I take the stance that Hank had been teaching me the past year. When Curtis notices my fighting stance he starts laughing.

  “Are you fucking kidding me” he mocks as he steps towards me with a look of disgust on his face. Curtis instantly stops laughing when my right fist connects hard against his nose. His eyes pop open wide in shock at the fact that I had just hit him.

  “You fucking bitch” he sneers angrily while he wipes under his nose to stop the blood that is now dripping down onto his white dress shirt. I can see the fury in Curtis’s eyes reaching boiling point as he takes a step closer to me.

  “If you touch one hair on her head, I will kill you” Jacob furiously declares as he moves and stands next to me.

  My gaze darts from Jacob’s dangerous blue eyes to the boxing ring, where I can see his opponent is sprawled on the floor in the middle of the ring. He appears unconscious as his trainer and medical team flurry around him.

  “You already had your shot and look where that got you. Throwing in the towel and announcing your defeat” Curtis responds cockily as Jacob moves in closer to him.

  Isaac swiftly places himself in between Jacob and Curtis, as I stand watching their exchange completely confused. I didn’t realise that Curtis and Jacob knew each other.

  “Let it go Jacob” Isaac says firmly as his dark grey eyes stare firmly at Curtis.

  “You name the time and the place and I will more than happy to kick your ass” Jacob retaliates.

  “And lower myself to your standards. I am the UFC heavyweight champion in our region and you expect me to fight you in a second rate match just so I can teach your dumb fucking ass a few more lessons” Curtis states arrogantly, before his eyes slowly roams over my skinny jeans and tight fitted shirt. Curtis always has a creepy façade that makes my skin crawl.

  “Lola, always a pleasure” he mocks, before he turns to walk down the stairs. Even though he is being held back by Isaac, Jacob manages to grab a fist full of Curtis’s shirt as he walks past him.

  “Your just scared, as you know that I will beat you this time around, even if you do cheat” Jacob whispers roughly into Curtis’s face. When Curtis’s eyes narrow at Jacob, you can see his jaw ticking in anger, before he flicks his gaze towards Isaac.

  “I will be in contact” he advises as he pulls himself out of Jacob’s grips and recommences walking down the stairs.

  “We can’t legally organise a fight against him Jacob” Isaac informs the instant Curtis is no longer in the arena. “You can’t legally fight in the UFC and he is contracted to only fight for them”

  “Organise it Isaac and I will sign another contract agreeing to be your fighter for another twelve months” Jacob declares firmly. Isaac smiles at Jacob, before he nods his head.

  Jacob then grasps my hand within his and swiftly walks us to the locker room located at the back of the arena. I have to jog just to keep up with Jacob’s long strides. The instant we enter the locker room; Jacob lifts me to sit on the bench while he moves over to a large white chest in the corner of the room. As he walks back over towards me, I observe that he is wrapping cubes of ice into a cloth. Once he reaches me, he holds out my hand that had just struck Curtis’s nose and places the ice on top of my red and swollen knuckles.

  “You did good pretty lady” Hank declares proudly as he enters the locker room.

  “Thanks, I was taught by the best” I reply while smiling.

  “But my hand is throbbing like a bitch” I inform, causing Hank to chuckle as Jacob looks at me with concerned marred all over his face. Hank moves over closer to Jacob and I as he lifts up the cloth to look at my knuckles.

  “I might have to start tapping your hands at the start of every fight too” he chuckles, forcing Jacob to exhale a deep breath, before he lowers back down the icepack.

  “How do you know the ‘Constrictor’?” Jacob questions roughly. His voice is the deepest I have ever heard it.

  “Who?” I reply as my eyes dart between Hank and Jacob.

  “The guy you just punched in the nose” Hank advises.

  “Oh, that’s Curtis. Callum’s brother” I inform. Hank looks at me confused but Jacob takes an even angrier stance as the veins on the side of his neck start to bulge.

  “Can you give us a minute Hank?” Jacob requests firmly.

  Chapter 35

  Jacob

  5 months later….

  “What’s a guy got to do to get a beer around here?” I question angrily. Maggie’s angry blue eyes flick over towards mine, looking like she was just about to rip someone a new asshole. The instant she spots my mischievous grin, her face morphs into her usual greeting.

  “How the hell are you Mags?” I question as I move around the bar to give her a hug. I have gone from seeing Maggie once or twice a week at a minimum, to only a handful of times the past few months since Noah’s band no longer performs at Mavericks.

  “Alive, unlike you if you call me Mags again” she responds firmly before she returns my hug.

  “It’s been too long Jacob. You need to start visiting me a little more often. Come, come and sit down and tell me all the gossip” she instructs as she motions for me to sit down on the barstool and moves around the counter to grab us both a cold beer.

  I spend the next hour telling Maggie everything that had been happening the past few months. How Noah’s band just hit the number one spot on the billboard charts. Emily and Noah’s little break up incident. Jenni and Nick having a baby and how Noah’s mom tried to make contact with him through the media. Maggie sat and absorbed everything little detail as the words continued spilling out of my mouth, until I had nothing left to say.

  “And what about you Jacob?” she questions as her blue eyes stare into mine.

  “You just sat
there the past hour telling me about everyone else, but what about you, what’s happening in your life?” she continues.

  “Well I am still fighting” I respond, triggering Maggie to huff in annoyance, before she motions for me to continue.

  “I found out the only person that has ever defeated me is Callum’s brother Curtis” I continue, causing Maggie eyes to open wide in shock.

  “Yeah, I was surprised too. Lola didn’t have any clue that Callum’s brother was a UFC fighter. It appears that he purposely orchestrated to fight me back in my early days as he found out that Lola and I had started hanging around each other. I guess that is why he used such dirty tactics when he fought me. I am still waiting for my opportunity to fight him again” I advise as I take a sip of my beer.