“I’ll find them.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to see you after the fight. Depends on a lot of things, I guess. Including how much ice I need.”
She didn’t seem to find that very funny, judging by the look she gave him. “Brittany will probably be arriving at the hotel sometime after the fight, anyway. I know she’ll text me when she gets here, no matter how late it is.”
And then she’d be wrapped up in her friends, he thought. They were there to celebrate Kate’s upcoming wedding, and as tight as the three of them were, there wasn’t much chance of her being able to sneak away to see him.
“Speaking of texting, you should give me your number. So I can check and see if you’ve changed your mind about never seeing me again once you leave the hotel.”
“Oh, really?” The corners of her mouth turned up. “I guess it’s hard to give the I’ll call you line if you don’t have my number.”
“I will call you.”
She walked past him to pick up her cell phone, still managing to hold that damn blanket up with her elbows while she pulled up a new contact page. When she looked at him expectantly, he told her his number, a little surprised he remembered it off the top of his head.
Thinking he hadn’t heard any notifications for a while, which was surprising considering everybody had to be wondering where he was, he picked up his phone. The screen didn’t light up and he realized it had been a long time since he’d plugged the thing in to charge. And he’d turned the Wi-Fi off because moving in and out of the hotel and casino hot spots was a pain in the ass, which meant it had been trying to maintain a cellular signal inside the massive building. It had probably died sometime during the night.
“Battery’s dead. I guess you’ll have to write yours down for me and I can put it in later.”
Five minutes later, with her telephone number tucked safely in the pocket of his jeans, Brendan reluctantly kissed her goodbye and did the walk and elevator ride of shame back to his room.
He plugged in his phone before jumping in the shower and, by the time he was done, it was ready to turn on. As he scrubbed a towel over his hair, he heard the thing start going crazy with text chimes and voice-mail tones. They weren’t very happy with him.
The first thing he did was enter Del’s number into his contacts, and then he tucked the paper into his wallet just in case. His manager and trainer were sharing a room, so he ignored the notifications for everything he’d missed and tapped Jonathan’s name in his contacts list. His manager would probably put him on speaker, anyway, so his trainer would be able to listen in and give him hell if his manager stopped to take a breath.
Jonathan answered on the second ring. “Where the hell are you?”
“In my room. Just got out of the shower.”
“You weren’t in your room last night.”
“Nope.”
“You realize you’re getting in the cage with Bryan Lavaud tonight, right?”
“Yup.”
“Tell me you weren’t with a woman,” he heard Eric demand, his voice getting louder when Jonathan hit the speakerphone button. “What did I tell you about having sex the night before a fight?”
“I don’t know. I probably wasn’t listening.”
“Protein and celibacy, kid. And don’t tell me you weren’t listening.”
Since he’d only eaten a chocolate chip cookie for supper because he didn’t want to delay getting to Del, and then he’d spent the night making love to her, his listening skills had definitely been lacking yesterday. “I’m ready for tonight, guys. I’m always ready.”
He heard Jonathan’s sigh, but he knew they couldn’t argue. Brendan kept himself in fighting shape even when he wasn’t in the gym every day to train. That’s why they’d called him when they ended up with an undercard scratch.
“Listen,” he said. “An old friend of mine might show up tonight to watch me fight. Her name’s Adeline Kendrick, though she might use Del. I want her to sit with you, Jonathan.”
“Is she who you spent the night with?” his manager asked.
“All you need to know is that she’s an old friend of mine and she’s important to me so I want her treated with respect.”
“No,” Eric said. “Oh, hell no, Brendan.”
He tossed the wet towel over the back of a chair. If he went into the bathroom to hang it up, he’d lose the signal. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve been training you since the beginning, kid, so don’t bullshit me. She’s the girl you were so fucked up over when you first joined my gym and you want her in the front row for a big fight?”
“That’s what I said.”
“It’s a bad idea.”
So was asking her to meet him for a coffee and holding her hand in the elevator and spending the night in her bed. He should have left her well enough alone. Instead, he was going to grab every minute he had with her, because there was a chance they could recapture what they’d had before.
“I already sent a text to Janie to get her a pass. It’s happening.”
“Your head better be in the game,” Jonathan said. “Give the network and the people in the seats a good show.”
“Don’t worry about my focus,” Brendan said. “I could probably use a steak, though.”
“Jesus,” he heard Eric mutter.
Brendan grinned as he hung up the phone, because he wasn’t worried. He knew how to give the local crowd a good show.
Chapter Four
Del couldn’t have felt more out of her element if she’d donned a space suit and launched herself out of orbit. At least she was dressed for the crowd, she thought as she followed the woman named Janie toward the front row of chairs. She’d been able to buy a Brendan Quinn T-shirt from a vendor near the event venue’s entrance, which technically wasn’t shopping without Kate and Brittany since she hadn’t gone into a store. She’d packed a pair of jeans and her favorite black leather ankle boots, so she didn’t feel as if she stood out from the other fight fans.
Except maybe for her flinching as two guys pummeled each other on an elevated stage surrounded by fencing in the middle of the arena. Brendan had told her not to bother showing up at the advertised start time. Instead he gave her an approximate time and asked Janie to send her a text giving her a heads-up when it looked like they were about a half hour from his fight. Luckily the fights were being televised so even if they had a run of bouts that ended quickly, they’d space them out to fill the allotted time.
“We can sit here,” Janie said, pointing to a few empty seats. “The others are with him getting ready, but it won’t be long. Needless to say, Eric will stay with Brendan, but his manager will probably sit with us.”
“You don’t have to stay with me if there’s something else you should be doing.”
“Nope.” Janie gave her what looked like a genuine enough smile. There was a funny knocking sound and her escort looked toward the cage, as Brendan had called it. “Won’t be long now.”
Del sat back and watched what was going on, not wanting Janie to know she had absolutely no idea what was going on. There was a short delay, during which whoever was on the PA system talked about a commercial break. Then he urged them all to go nuts as the cameras zipped around on tracks suspended from the ceiling so the people at home could see what a great time they were missing by not being at the casino.
The noise was deafening, but Del had to admit the energy in the place was infectious. She took a sip from the water bottle she’d brought in with her as the two fighters met the announcer in the middle of the cage. He announced scores and then lifted one guy’s hand in to the air. Del assumed that if nobody got knocked out or choked until he said uncle, they went to the judges, who’d been keeping score of...something. Technique, maybe. And probably who got punched the least.
“Brendan’s next,” Janie said, leaning closer so Del could hear her over the noise. “He and Bryan are the top of the undercard, before they switch over to the pay-per-view fights. There’s going to
be a break while they do some commercials and go over the stats and everything, so if you need anything, now’s the time.”
“I’m good, thanks.” She was thankful she’d eaten earlier because her stomach was utterly tied in knots and she didn’t imagine watching Brendan fight was going to ease the anxiety any.
“Even though he’s got the hometown crowd, Brendan will come out first because he’s the challenger. Bryan’s the favorite to win, not that predictions matter once they’re in the cage.”
The wait seemed endless. Then lights started flashing and music boomed through the speakers, causing the crowd to go wild. She recognized the Irish rock band from Boston, though she couldn’t remember the name. She knew their music was used for sports events a lot, and the people in this arena certainly responded to it.
They were all on their feet, Del and Janie included. She couldn’t see him from where they were, but the cameras tracked Brendan’s entrance into the arena, so she was able to watch him on the big screen suspended over the cage.
When they zoomed in on his face, she shivered. He looked so cold and hard. He looked like he had in the hallway the night before, with his hood up to shadow his face and the wires of his earbuds visible. He nodded his head in time to the music, and she wondered if his earbuds were even connected to anything. There was no way he could hear anything but the song being blasted to the crowd.
He looked so emotionless, she thought. It was as if he were chiseled from stone, and Del decided she didn’t like this aspect of his sport. This wasn’t really her Brendan. This man was a stranger, performing for the people screaming his name.
As she watched the screen, he pulled back his hood and unzipped the sweatshirt. After pulling out the earbuds, he handed them over to an older man who was wearing a Brendan Quinn T-shirt. Then he pulled his own T-shirt over his head—his muscles rippling as they had last night when he took off his sweater—and the screams of the women in the crowd summed up what she’d been feeling pretty well.
An official patted him down like he was about to be put in the back of a police car, even checking behind his ears. Brendan bared his teeth, showing off his mouth guard, and then he knocked himself in the crotch a couple of times with his gloved hand.
“Why did he do that?” she asked Janie, her curiosity stronger than her desire to hide her cluelessness.
The other woman smiled. “Showing that he’s wearing his cup.”
“Do they think a guy would really try to sneak in there without one?”
Janie laughed and then the noise level in the arena surged again as Brendan climbed into the cage. She dropped her gaze from the screen, able to see him without the help of the cameras now. He walked quietly around the perimeter inside the cage, his expression never changing as the announcer told them he fought out of Boston—which resulted in noise decibels she hadn’t thought possible—and then yelled Brendan’s name in long, drawn-out syllables.
Del cheered with the rest of them and when Brendan made a second lap, she knew the instant he saw her. He didn’t pause, but she practically felt the sizzle as he took in the T-shirt stretched over her breasts, and she saw the heat flare in his eyes before he moved on.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed before another song blared through the speakers. She recognized Bryan Lavaud from the autograph session poster, and he had even more people with him than Brendan had. He bounced his way down the walk, pumping his fists for the crowd. Where Brendan had been cold and distant, this fighter played up to the crowd and it was obvious they loved him. But not quite as much as they loved the local boy.
After his pat down and introduction, the referee gave them some rules and they tapped gloves. And then it started. As Del watched, her stomach knotted so badly she didn’t think she could even manage a swallow of water, the men circled each other. They threw out some testing jabs, and then Lavaud swung for Brendan’s head. Brendan dodged it and they circled some more.
Janie’s elbow poked her in the side. “Stop holding your breath or you’ll pass out.”
She nodded and tried to breathe normally, but then she covered her mouth as Lavaud kicked Brendan in the thigh and his leg almost buckled. He retaliated by throwing punches, landing a couple, but then his opponent managed to sweep his leg out from under him and they were on the mat.
Del yelled at him to get up and then balled her hands into fists as they wrestled. She remembered Brendan telling her Lavaud would try to choke him and she had to tell herself to stop holding her breath three times before Brendan managed to free himself and stand up. He landed a vicious kick to the side of his opponent’s head and Del gasped again.
They went back and forth, trading blows and kicks and sometimes grappling with each other against the netting before the referee pushed them apart. They went to their corners, and even though she could see Brendan, she looked up at the screens so she could get a close-up.
He didn’t look too awful, she thought. There was a little bit of blood at the corner of his mouth and it looked like his cheek would be bruised. The camera didn’t show much below the neck, but she knew from watching he’d have some bruises on his body and she didn’t even want to think about what his left thigh would look like. Lavaud had kicked him there several times, trying to make him fall to the mat.
“He’s doing great,” Janie said.
“Really? It’s so hard to know who’s doing better.”
“If I was a judge, I’d score that round a draw.”
“How many rounds are there?”
“Three for the undercard. The later fights go five. So they’re pretty much even after one of three rounds.”
That sounded okay, Del thought, since Brendan was the underdog. He wasn’t winning yet, but he wasn’t losing, either.
She forced herself not to tense up when the men stood and faced off in the center of the cage again. This round they didn’t waste any time circling. They exploded at each other with fists flying, both of them landing punches. Then they were on the ground and Del yelled for Brendan to get up. Lavaud was trying to twist him up like a pretzel, but then Brendan managed to make a sharp jab with his knee and his opponent’s head snapped back.
Brendan scrambled backward and found his feet before Lavaud did, and as the crowd roared, he kicked hard at the side of the guy’s head. Lavaud spun. Staggered. And then he dropped, struggling to get up.
Del covered her mouth with her hands as Brendan moved in, but he only got two punches in before the referee shoved him away. Lavaud dropped to the mat, the referee waved his hand and she raised her arms in the air as she realized it was over.
Brendan had won.
He stood off to one side while Lavaud’s trainer made sure he was okay and, after a minute, helped him to his feet. He looked down the row of seats until he found her and winked, which couldn’t have been easy since his eye looked a little puffy. She blew him a kiss, unable to stop grinning.
Once the men had exchanged words and a quick hug, then slapped each other on the back, Lavaud left the cage. The announcer did a short interview with Brendan in the center of the cage. It sounded like a standard sports victory speech, but when he kissed his fingertips and pointed out to the crowd, he aimed at her.
“I can’t believe he won by knockout,” Janie said. “I thought he had a good chance at a split decision, but I didn’t expect that.”
Del wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but she knew what a knockout was. “What happens now? Does he fight somebody else? Like, somebody better?”
Janie shrugged. “That’s what usually happens. It’s kind of the point for most of them. But Brendan’s stayed local the last couple of years. He doesn’t chase the bigger fights. What’ll probably happen is the promoter will push some story line about Lavaud for a while and get him a good fight. They’ll build him up and then, if they come back here, offer Brendan a fat paycheck to be part of a revenge thing.”
Del wondered why Brendan didn’t go after bigger fights, but she didn’t want to ask Janie. Sh
e wanted to ask him herself. But she wasn’t sure she’d get to see him tonight, since he was probably going to need quite a bit of ice, after all.
The crowd seemed to be shifting around a lot, and Del picked up her water bottle before somebody could kick it or step on it. Unscrewing the top, she took a long drink and watched the screen flashing a replay of Brendan’s knockout.
“There’s going to be a break and then they’ll start the pay-per-view event,” Janie told her. “Did you want to stay and watch that?”
“Will Brendan sit and watch it?”
“No, they’re going to go back to the dressing room. He’ll cool down and they’ll make sure he doesn’t need X-rays or anything. There might be some press stuff. Then they’ll go up to one of the hotel rooms and rub him down. Ice him and give him ibuprofen and all that.”
“Oh, so he’ll be with the rest of them?”
“Usually. Eric will want to look him over better and Jonathan will want to talk business, which Brendan will probably ignore.” She shrugged. “Or at least that’s how it goes with most of them, anyway. This is only the second fight I’ve been assigned to work with Brendan, but they seem pretty typical.”
Del didn’t think there was anything typical about Brendan, but she was probably biased. “I’ll probably leave. I don’t have much interest in watching anybody else fight.”
“How about we go get a drink somewhere and hit the restrooms? Then once they’re done down here, we can go upstairs and crash the party?”
That sounded like a good plan. “They won’t mind?”
“The others might, but Brendan’s the fighter and I saw him look at you. He won’t mind at all.”
* * *
The adrenaline rush had Brendan pacing the room as he washed ibuprofen down with half a bottle of water. It wouldn’t do much for the aches and pains he was going to suffer, but the pills would hopefully take the edge off enough so he could sleep. He knew he could get his hands on something stronger, but he hadn’t succumbed to the temptation in the past and he didn’t intend to start now.
A Fighting Chance Page 5