Mitchell barked a short laugh in her face. “I will not give you his name. He did the cartel a favor by killing your brother. We’re all glad he’s dead.” He stared hard at her with no remorse.
Ria nodded her head. She could only imagine how many people he had hurt for so many to want him dead. “Mitchell, I’m no threat to the cartel. I won’t report anything because it would hurt Mom. I’ll do what it takes to earn my freedom.” Ria put as much strength into her voice as she could.
He handed her the folder. “Then you know what you have to do, Ariel.”
* * *
Nicholas called as she was getting out of the shower. She had missed him while he was away, but they had talked on the phone until late in the evenings. Nicholas only hung up to catch a few hours sleep before he had to be at his commercial shoot.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing right now.”
“Meet me downtown at the arena. Ty’s fighting today.”
“How’s Ty?”
“We’re cool. Emiliano isn’t going to come between our friendship.” Ria was relieved.
“Give me thirty minutes.” She hung up, feeling a burst of excitement. He had flown in this morning and was asking to see her this afternoon.
She didn’t regret having sex with him. She had wanted to experience her first time spontaneously and full of passion with a desire to please one another. And that was what she had been given. She knew each day with him was precious with her future so uncertain.
She pulled into the parking lot of the arena. This was her first time coming to a cage fight willingly. The last time she had come was as on-site medical staff in case of an injury.
She checked her make-up in the mirror, touched up her lip gloss, and fluffed her hair for good measure. She had dressed in jean shorts and a pretty, blue ribbed shirt. It was muggy today, and she wanted to feel comfortable. The looks Nicholas gave her made her want to look her best. She knew he found her desirable, and she loved the way he made her feel.
She frowned at herself in the mirror. Actually, Emiliano forcing her to go out with different men had boosted her self-confidence in dealing with the opposite sex.
She picked up the ticket waiting for her, looking at it to confirm her seat location. Nicholas had told her she would be sitting next to his sister and Zane. She was looking forward to seeing Melanie, and although Zane seemed hard, he had been nice to her and was friendly.
She could hear the roars from the crowd as she walked in. There was a fight already going on, and when Ria looked at the cage and saw a fighter throw a punch then watched the blood gush out of his opponent’s nose. She covered her face and quickly turned away.
What the hell am I doing here?
She kept her face turned away from the cage as she looked for her seat. She scooted past some men yelling, “Kick his ass,” and other obscenities. She was getting used to normal people turning bloodthirsty when they were goading their fighters on.
She finally found her seat, and saw Melanie and Zane watching her maneuver through the crowd. She also saw the quick glance of worry they gave one another before they both pasted smiles on their faces.
“Hi, Ria!” Melanie exclaimed. She jumped up to give Ria a hug. Ria felt awkward, but hugged her back. She wasn’t used to being greeted so warmly by anyone. Lacey was her best friend, but she would never hug her.
Melanie was attractive in a green top and shorts. Melanie seemed nice, but she also looked like a woman that would beat the hell out of a male or female to get her way. Zane was probably one of the few men that could handle a strong woman like her.
Ria nodded her head. “Hi, Melanie, Zane.”
“Ria,” Zane greeted her with a head nod.
Ria was afraid to look at the cage, but felt obligated to watch. As she looked into it, she saw the fighter that had blood gushing out earlier was on top, punching the crap out of the other fighter lying on his back. She saw spurts of blood with each punch and noticed the splatter on the floor.
“Hey, is this your first fight?” Melanie seemed to notice Ria’s discomfort.
“That I’m actually trying to watch, yes.” Ria didn’t want to explain that she had been forced to watch pit fighting for the last two months.
“I grew up around the sport, so this is nothing to me. But my best friend Trish, she can’t handle it. I’ve dragged her to a couple, but she finally admitted she hates them,” Melanie laughed.
Ria laughed with her. “Well, I want to try to enjoy the fight. I know MMA is important to Nicholas.”
Ria watched Melanie’s head nod in approval. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Ria and Melanie shared a smile of understanding.
When Melanie reached for her drink, a flash caught Ria’s eye.
“Are you two engaged?” Ria asked as she looked at the rock on Melanie’s finger.
Ria watched Melanie and Zane look at each other, the love between them clearly evident. It’s what every woman, including herself, dreamt of having one day.
“Yes. Zane popped the question this morning!” Melanie stretched her hand out for Ria to see.
“Congratulations to you both!” Ria said as she looked at the beautiful, princess cut ring which suited Melanie perfectly. “It’s a beautiful ring.”
“Thank you so much,” Melanie replied as she squeezed Zane’s hand and gave him a quick kiss.
Ria’s heart warmed at the obvious adoration they had for one another.
Before they could speak again, she heard a voice come over the speakers, announcing the winner of the fight. The man that she had seen get punched first had ended up winning. She was surprised since she would have thought a punch that forced so much blood to pour out would have put the fighter at a disadvantage. It was pretty incredible that he’d ended up winning.
“Ty’s fight is next,” Melanie told her.
“Okay,” Ria replied nervously.
She looked toward the ramp and saw Nicholas and Ty standing at the top. The sight of him took her breath away. He was so much taller than the rest of the men around him. His t-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, narrowing down toward his waist, and his biceps were clearly defined under the sleeves. He was incredibly handsome. All she wanted at that moment were those arms wrapped around her as he kissed her senseless.
She watched him speak to Ty as they walked. She took a moment to observe Ty. He seemed steady, as if this wasn’t his first fight. It definitely wasn’t, just his first one in a cage. She knew from Nicholas that he tended to get in many fights outside the gym. She didn’t think that the night she had seen him fighting in the pit was virgin territory for him either.
As Ty approached the opening in the cage, it looked like Nicholas was giving him a few more words as a coach. Ria watched him and felt the excitement when she saw him looking for her. When their eyes met, he nodded at her, and she smiled back. He turned back as the crowd watched Ty’s opponent walk down the ramp.
“That’s a first,” she heard Melanie declare under her breath.
“What is?” Ria asked with curiosity.
Melanie jumped. She must not have realized she’d said it loud enough for Ria to hear. “Oh, I was just thinking I’ve never seen Nick acknowledge anyone in the stands before. I think he really likes you.” Melanie grinned. “He’s never introduced me to a girlfriend before.”
As Ria felt herself blushing, she had no response. Melanie patted her leg with a laugh.
“In the black corner, participating in his third fight, weighing in at one hundred sixty-one pounds, Ty Cooper!”
Ria listened to the mix of boos and cheers for Ty. With him being new to the cage, she assumed he would have to win a few fights to win over this whacked-out-of-their-minds crowd. She still couldn’t believe she was here. She liked Ty and didn’t want to see him get beaten up again.
The announcer called out the name of the other fighter, but all Ria heard was his weight of one hundred sixty-five pounds. She wondered how the weight d
ifference affected the fight. Was one faster because he was lighter, or was it better to be heavier and able to hold off a take down? She would have to ask Nicholas later.
She watched as the announcer stepped out of the way and the ref spoke a few words before she heard the bell ring. Then Ty and his opponent started circling.
Ria sat at the edge of her seat without a clue as to how this fight would go down.
In the very next moment, the opponent went in for a punch, but Ty was quick to dodge and get in an uppercut to the man’s chin, quickly following with a jab with his other hand.
Ria jumped when Melanie screamed, “Nice combo Ty!”
Ria had to admit she agreed. Ty was fast.
The rest of the round consisted of much of the same. Melanie told her that Ty was more of a boxer, but had been improving on fighting while on the mat. She noticed Ty did look like a boxer with the relentless, punishing series of punches to his opponent’s head and stomach. The guy’s face was already starting to swell.
The bell rang to indicate the end of round one.
“This is an amateur fight, so it will be three four minute rounds,” Melanie explained to Ria.
“That doesn’t seem like very much time.”
Melanie grunted, “It seems like forever when you’re getting the shit knocked out of you.”
Ria grinned. “Yeah, I can only imagine.”
Zane leaned over. “That happens when you don’t listen to your coach,” he said while giving Melanie a look of disapproval, but obviously trying to contain a smile.
“Oh, God. Give it a break, Zane,” Melanie snapped then elbowed Zane in the ribs. Ria noticed Zane didn’t flinch. “It was one fucking time, okay! I still won the damn fight!”
They all laughed and Zane leaned in to kiss Melanie. All of Melanie’s disgruntlement disappeared. Ria tried to hide her smile. Yep, Zane could handle her just fine.
The bell rang to begin round two. This time, Ty’s opponent’s coach must have told him to take Ty to the ground. As the opponent tried to sweep Ty’s legs out from under him, Ty surprised him by throwing all his weight and taking him down to the mat instead. Ty maneuvered his body where he was straddling his opponent, punching the crap out of him while the other man tried to protect his face. It reminded Ria of the night Ty saved her.
Eventually, the man on the mat was able to thrust up and throw Ty to the side. Ty quickly rolled away before the man could get on top. Now both men were on their feet, and the opponent quickly threw Ty at the cage. Ria gasped when Ty lost his balance and fell back. His opponent quickly moved in and attacked with punch after punch, then pulled Ty’s head down and kneed him in the face. Ria cringed from the impact and shuddered when blood started dripping from Ty’s nose.
“Fucking move, Ty!” Melanie screamed. Ria saw Nicholas yelling at Ty from behind, but the crowd was too loud to hear anything.
Fortunately, the bell rang, stopping the assault.
Melanie turned to Ria. “If it had reached a point where Ty couldn’t defend himself, the ref might have stopped the fight. Now, Ty has a minute to recover, and knowing him, he won’t let that happen again.”
Ria nodded her head, but she was tense. She watched Nicholas coaching Ty, seeing the intensity on his face as he spoke quickly. Ria felt the nervousness, hoping whatever Nicholas was telling him would work.
The bell rang, and the crowd’s roar became deafening again. This would be the deciding round.
She looked at Ty’s face. He seemed determined and focused. It made her feel a little more at ease knowing that he was okay. She didn’t know how anyone could so quickly recover from a knee to the face.
Both fighters looked tired, slowly circling each other, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Ty’s opponent moved in first, and Ria held her breath, waiting to see how Ty responded. Before Ria could blink again, Ty struck him with a kick to the side of his head. The opponent hit the ground and stayed there. Ty quickly moved in to try and finish him off, but the ref stopped him as he checked on the man lying on the mat. In a matter of seconds, the ref ended the fight.
“Yes! He won by knock out,” Melanie cheered.
“Wow!” Ria responded.
The excitement of the crowd was contagious. She couldn’t help standing to cheer and clap along with the rest of them.
She searched for Nicholas and saw him in the cage with Ty. He was smiling, pride on his face. She smiled, too. She liked seeing him happy.
At that moment, he glanced toward her and their eyes met. She mouthed the words congratulations, and he nodded his head then stood next to Ty as they announced him winner by knock out.
When Melanie told her they were going to the back hallways to meet up with Nick and Ty, Ria followed them out. The crowd was still fired up, ready for the next fight. It took a lot of maneuvering to get around the fans, but they finally made it to the back where they saw Nicholas and Ty talking to some of the media outside one of the locker rooms.
“Nice finish, Ty. Congratulations again,” a reporter said as they approached the men from behind.
The reporter turned to Nicholas. “Nick, what’s the status on the arm? From the bruises on your face, have we missed that you’ve already returned to fighting?” The petite blond scooted closer to him, holding her notebook and pen in her hand as she gave Nicholas a clear view of her cleavage. Her intentions were obvious.
Ria felt herself taking deep breaths, doing everything in her power not to stomp over there, jerk that skinny bitch by the hair, and throw her to the ground. She needed to quit going to these fights. If she wasn’t careful, she would be asking Melanie for lessons.
“I’ve only been out of the sling for a few weeks, but the doctor recommends waiting a couple more before I start training again. I have a follow up appointment scheduled soon and will make a decision about training then,” Nicholas lied with a smoothness and polish that impressed Ria. He never let it slip that he was already fighting much sooner than the doctors wanted. She felt terrible he wasn’t following his doctor’s orders because of her.
She was starting to see why Nicholas was such a favorite; he knew how to work a crowd, and especially the woman journalist who was practically drooling as she looked up at him. She hadn’t written a single word in that notebook.
“I would love to have a one-on-one interview with you sometime. You’ve had a long, interesting career; it would be great to do a cover on your experiences,” the reporter tried to tempt him. “Maybe over dinner? My treat.” She blinked up at him in expectation.
“My story has been published numerous times. I don’t think it would be that interesting anymore. We have several up and coming fighters that have a lot of potential, and their stories are much better than mine. Feel free to contact them for an interview,” Nicholas smoothly brushed her off as he stepped away.
“Oh, okay. Well, thanks.” Her disappointed gaze followed his ass as he walked away.
“Congratulations, Ty. I’m proud of you, kid,” Zane said heartily and gave Ty a handshake.
“Thanks, Zane. I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t taken me in and trained me.”
Melanie reached in and gave Ty a hug. “Nice job!”
Ria took her turn, giving him a hug. “That was great! Congratulations.” Ria grinned at Nicholas. “And congratulations to the coach, too!” she said cheekily.
Nicholas laughed. “Thanks, Ria.” He turned back to Ty. “Way to come back. I knew you had him.”
“Thanks, Nick.” Ty seemed uncomfortable being the center of attention.
Nicholas nodded for Ty to go on into the locker room, and Ty did so, leaving the four of them in the hallway.
“Not one fucking member of his family came to watch the fight,” Nicholas said angrily. “His dad could have at least showed up. I guess, unless he’s the one using Ty as a fucking punching bag, he’s not interested.
“I’m glad you came, Melanie and Ria,” he continued. “At least he knows there are people that care for him and his success
.”
“Of course, Nick,” Melanie replied.
Ria nodded her head in agreement. Ty had saved her, but he was wrong. Others had shown up to watch and cheer for him. She had caught a brief glance of Emiliano and Mitchell leaving when Ty’s fight was over. She was beginning to understand what Mitchell had meant by telling her about Emiliano. Ty was a minor member in his organization, yet he had taken the time to show up. He had earned his place back in the cartel.
“And congratulations to the future Mrs. Phillips.” Nicholas pulled his sister in for a hug. “And all I can say is good luck to you, Zane.”
Melanie gasped. “Nick!” She punched him, but he was far too strong, and she couldn’t make any headway.
“I’m happy for you both. There’s no other man I would want you to be with, little sis,” Nicholas said sincerely, which calmed Melanie down.
“Thanks, bro,” Melanie replied then went back to stand next to Zane.
Ria smiled. They were a formidable couple, both strong and passionate. It was clear they belonged together.
Ty came out, and they walked to the parking lot where they said their goodbyes and congratulations one more time. Nicholas drove her to her car, which she had parked farther away.
“What did you think?” Nicholas asked.
“It was interesting,” Ria replied, not wanting him to know that it was painful to watch and she’d had to turn her head several times.
Nicholas laughed. “That’s a politically correct answer. Now tell me what you really thought.”
Ria sighed. They were both good at reading one another. At least neither one of them would ever be very good at bull-shitting each other.
“I’m happy for Ty. That was an awesome kick to end the fight. But I’m not used to watching a fight. I imagine the pain the fighters must feel each time they get hit, and it makes me cringe. And blood doesn’t bother me—I’ve seen plenty of it when I was out on runs—but watching a punch and then the blood… it’s hard for me to watch that for some reason.”
Nicholas interrupted her, “Ria, it’s okay. I like that you’re not bloodthirsty and not just looking to be with the next big name in MMA. It’s why I like you. Thank you for coming to the fight and trying. Knowing you are doing something that is new and uncomfortable for me means more than you’ll ever know.” He reached over and squeezed her hand.
Stand of Redemption Page 13