by T M Kelly
I shook my head and glanced back. “I’m here.”
Brooks grabbed my hands. “Remember what you practiced with Julian. Keep control of every limb. Keep focused on where you are at and how you are feeling.” He handed me my mouth piece.
I only nodded and watched him leave the octagon. April stepped up and started circling the ring like a caged tiger ready to attack her prey. She had this look that was hard to discern. The moment she stepped in front of me and gave me this devious grin, I knew she was in attack mode. Standing only a few feet away, she threw her arms up and soaked up the crowd’s intense screams.
The announcer introduced us, and then the referee had us tap our fists before starting the first round. We had three five-minute rounds to complete. My goal was always to try and complete a knockout in the first five minutes. My father became The Punisher for his knockout strategy.
As the bell rang for the start of round one, my body took over and fell into position. We had several moments during the five minutes where we were circling each other and not throwing as many punches. Then at what felt like the end of the round, April dropped her body and plowed forward to take me down to the mat. It was unexpected, and I knew better. My father always taught me to be ready for anything.
Right as she started to lay several punches on the side of my head and into my rib cage, the bell rang for the end of the round. I stood up and shook my head. Brooks waved me over, and I sat down on the little wooden stool. Julian stayed away, but I could see him leaning against the edge of the mat on the outside of the octagon.
Charlie handed me a water bottle. “Drink and spit.” She held up the bucket.
“You need to act on her weak spots,” Brooks said, wiping my face with a small white towel. “Remember what we talked about. She struggles with her high kicks. Don’t be afraid to lay a few on her.” The ref came over, and we had to wrap it up. “You’re looking good, Lily.”
I threw the mouth piece back in and stood up. April and I hit our fists again before starting the second round. She peered at me and mouthed, “You’re going down.” I didn’t expect that. My reaction was not planned, but I laughed and stepped away. Then the bell rang, and I surprised everyone by turning my body and landing a high kick in her direction. More specifically, the kick hit her squarely on her jaw. She didn’t have time to react, her bell was rung immediately. She tumbled back, and her body fell to the mat like a rag doll.
I stood there for moment unable to breathe. The screams around me got louder, and Charlie wrapped her arms around me. “Did I just knock her out?” I said still out of breath.
“Out cold,” she yelled.
My mind was racing. What had I done? I ran over and knelt down beside April. “Is she okay?” Then her eyes opened, and you could tell she was trying to figure out where she was at. “April.”
She reached her hand toward me. When we clasped our hands, she pulled me down close and said, “Good fight.”
Seconds later, I was lifted up by Brooks, and he helped place a T-shirt over my head. It had the Fight It Out logo on the front. Every time I would attempt to say something, I was moved in another direction. Now the referee had a hold of April and my hands as the announcer was giving the results of the fight. Right before he said the winner, I felt my dad standing next to Julian. It was almost as if he nodded his approval in Julian’s direction, which felt odd. Before I could dissect that image, my hand was raised high up in the air.
I had just won my first fight and with a knockout.
Dad would be proud.
“Where did you learn to kick like that?” Devon said as we walked back into the locker room.
“Holy shit, Lily,” Brooks said beside me. “That kick was gorgeous.”
“Um, confession.” I was pacing the length of the room, still wound up and unable to settle. “I have never thrown a kick like that before.” I stopped moving. “I mean, I have kicked but not like that.”
“Fuck,” Brooks breathed. “Well, we need to continue building on that hidden talent of yours.”
When I first started fighting, my father had me focus more on Jiu Jitsu style of fighting. My time down on the mat was where I was most comfortable. Which was why my struggle with the triangle choke pissed me off. Then later on, when I was around fifteen, Dad had me learn Muay Thai. It wasn’t my main style of fighting, but I understood it. That knockout kick surprised me even with all my training.
“I want more of that,” I teased. “That was fun.”
The room erupted in laughter at my statement. Julian smiled and walked over to where I was still pacing and burning a hole in the carpet. Right as he was about to wrap his arms around my waist, there was a knock on the door. He stepped back.
“Is Lily Waters available?” I heard a woman’s voice on the other side of the door.
Devon stepped out to see who it was and when he came back in glanced my way. “It’s the woman from MMA Journal.”
“Candace,” I scowled. He only nodded.
After my talk with Candace and her offer for an exclusive, I pretty much just dropped the subject all together. I wasn’t in the mood to discuss my relationship with Julian, and I sure as shit wasn’t ready to discuss my father with a damn reporter. My main focus over last few weeks was my fight. Everything else was just noise.
Julian grabbed my bicep and stopped me before my hand touched the door handle. “You don’t have to tell her jack shit.”
“I know.”
“Lily.”
I turned my body to face him. “I know. It’s okay, I promise.”
He didn’t say anything, and that was okay because I needed to get my head in the game. My goal was to keep a straight face, look focused, and not let her see when she struck a nerve. This life my dad helped me create was my own. I wasn’t about to let Candace tear it all down.
18
“Lily.” Candace held her hand for me to take. A part of me wanted to decline the gesture. “Congrats on the knockout win.”
“Thank you,” I said, leaning my back up against the cool brick wall. “I don’t remember accepting any interviews with the MMA Journal?”
She had this laugh that sounded condescending, which caused me to already feel pissed off. I was starting to question my decision to give her the time of day. Where I really should be is back in my locker room celebrating the win with my team.
“You didn’t.” She tapped a few times on her phone and brought up what looked like the voice memo app to record something. “I was in the audience and thought I would see if you could talk for a moment.” Then just as I thought, she hit the red button at the bottom of the screen, and I could see movement on the graph with every sound made.
“Candace, I don’t have time for this tonight.” I turned to head back to my team.
“Do you have time to discuss the relationship between your father and Julian Moore?”
It took less than a second to register I needed to avoid showing any emotion. “Julian and my father knew each other. Why do you feel that is some secret?” I wanted to pat myself on the back for that split-second reaction. Of course I didn’t; instead, I turned to complete the distance to my locker room and then placed my hand on the door handle. “Is there anything you wanted to chat about, Candace?”
She had this look on her face that was easy to make out. I had just thrown her off the Lily Waters train wreck plans she had so perfectly created. “No, that’s all, Lily. Go celebrate.”
I nodded my head and opened the door to screams. “Oh, I plan to party my ass off tonight,” I said, slamming the door shut behind me. “Does this mean I can share that Champagne with you? Or are you planning to drink it all?” I didn’t really plan to drink much, but a few sips wouldn’t hurt.
Julian stepped up beside me. “What did Candace want?”
“Oh, you know, the usual. She did congratulate me, though.”
“Shocking,” he teased.
“Right,” I leaned up on my tippy toes and kissed him lightly on the l
ips. “I won,” I whispered.”
He grabbed me around my waist and spun me around in a circle. “You fucking won.” He set my feet back on solid ground. “I knew you would.”
I reached my hands up and wrapped them around his neck. Staring into his eyes, I realized at that moment there were a lot of secrets between Julian and myself. Dad gave a few hints but avoided the full conversation. Julian never even initiated a conversation regarding the relationship between him and my dad or if there was one.
My body was still on high, and it was not ready to be brought down just yet. I knew whatever was between my dad and Julian, it could hold until morning.
Tonight was about celebrating.
“So,” Julian said in a husky voice.
“So.” I giggled. He had his hands wrapped around my waist and was forcing me to walk backward. “Should I be afraid of my legs running into a table or something?”
I decided back at the MGM Hotel and Casino where the fight took place that whatever happened between my dad and Julian was their story to tell. Well, Julian would have to tell me now. My dad was a good man and would never do anything to hurt another person. So in my mind, they were probably good friends. What could be so wrong about that, right?
“Let’s prevent that from happening.” He lifted my body up and threw me over his shoulder. I let out the loudest scream. “I want to hear you scream like that when you come for me in like twenty minutes.”
“You do, huh?”
“I plan to ensure you have a few post-win orgasms.”
My head was bobbing up and down. “You may cause me to have an orgasm on the way to your room.”
He stopped dead in his tracks. “What?”
I burst out laughing, reached my hands down, and slid them below his pants line. “You’re taking too long to get up to your room.” My voice sounded whiny, which was intentional. “We haven’t tested out that couch yet.” I pointed to the front sitting room where a long over-stuffed leather couch was pushed up against the wall.
“As tempting as that is, we are going up stairs for this main event.”
“No prelims needed?”
“All we need is the main show, baby.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled into my phone.
“Have your read the news yet?” Charlie said quietly.
“Um, no. Should I?” I sat up and reached my hand over to quickly realize the bed was empty.
“Lils, you may be pissed off. That’s just a fair warning.”
I stood up and grabbed one of Julian’s T-shirts to throw on. “Okay, hold on.” While Charlie was still on the phone, I opened the app for the MMA Journal. The first article that popped up on the screen had a picture of my dad and Julian at Fight It Out. The headline read, “The Punisher Helped Julian Moore Start His Gym.”
The air was sucked out of me. “Wait.” The phone was not at my ear, and I could hear Charlie agreeing with my reaction. I went back to the phone call. “I’m completely confused now.”
“Right? Me, too.”
Just as I was about to say something, Julian appeared in the doorway holding two steaming mugs of coffee. “You’re up.” He beamed.
Apparently he had not read the news yet either. In a split-second decision, I said, “Charlie, I will be right there.” I hung up the phone and made my way over to the top drawer in Julian’s dresser. For some reason, I wasn’t ready to get my own dresser yet. Maybe it was sign. My apprehension toward getting a dresser and now this news headline flashing across MMA Journal’s social media feed. “I’m going to run home.” I had no plans to tell him why. He could find out for himself.
He set the coffee mugs on the end table by the bed. “Do you want breakfast first?”
“Nah, I’ll grab some with Charlie.” I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled my leggings up. “She just has women talk that needs to commence the moment I step foot through the door.” I stood up and started heading out.
“Sounds important.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck.
My body ignited at his touch, even though I felt unsure if I could trust him. That thought caused my emotions to run in every direction. I needed to get out of his house. Give myself some distance to think.
I was careful and made sure to keep a calm face with a big smile and then kissed his temple. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’ll see you at the gym, right?”
“I think I may take an actual day off. Which is crazy, I know.”
He placed his palm on my forehead. “You feeling okay?”
“Ha ha, very funny.” I squeezed his hand and paused before letting it go.
“You okay, Lily?” This time you could hear the concern in his voice.
I threw my purse over my shoulder and looked back one more time. “Yeah, why?”
“I don’t know. You seem off but I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Julian, I won a big fight yesterday. I’m tired.” I smiled. “Stop overthinking. I’ll call you later.”
Before he could respond, I quickly made my way down the stairs. When I reached the door to leave, I glanced up and enjoyed his gorgeous frame towering over the banister. I smiled and blew him a kiss.
A part of me wondered if I would be back.
Would the information I found out be more than I was prepared to hear?
As I sat down in the driver seat, I sent a silent message to my dad, wishing he could’ve been more forthcoming about Julian.
19
“Is Candace Smith available?” I said, pacing the length of the living room. Charlie was close on my heels, trying to listen.
“No, ma’am. She’s off today,” a young woman said on the other line.
“How convenient.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Is there any way to get in touch with her?”
“I’m sorry. No, she’s not taking any messages at this time.”
I stopped suddenly, and Charlie plowed into my back. “Listen, tell her Lily Waters needs to speak to her ASAP. I’m sure she will take that message.” I rattled off my phone number and hit end before saying goodbye.
“So,” Charlie said, plopping down on the couch.
“So, we wait.” I sat down and rested my head on her shoulder. Just then the phone rang, startling us both. I looked at my screen and showed Charlie. “Guess we don’t have to wait too long.” I hit accept. “Candace.”
“Lily. So good to hear from you.”
It took everything in me to avoid making a gagging sound. “I’m sure you know why I’m calling?”
“No. Did you decide to do the exclusive?”
I hit mute on my phone. “Can I punch her now or later?”
Charlie patted my leg. “Let’s wait till after we hear what she has to say.”
I hit the mute button again. “Is this your end game, Candace?”
“I’m not sure what you are insinuating,” she said, lightly laughing.
Charlie had to know I was about to blow because this woman was pissing me off that much. She grabbed the phone, hit speaker, and cleared her throat. “Candace, this is Lily’s assistant.”
“Or is this her best friend, Charlie?”
“It’s both of us now.” I glowered at Charlie for trying to get involved. “Why did you post that article about my dad and Julian?”
“It’s a newspaper and we share news, Lily.”
“So how long have you been sitting on that story?”
“Sitting on a story?”
I let out a deep sigh. “Listen, I know how much you loved to hate on my dad back in San Francisco. Then after you moved, you started a new hate fest. Julian. Why?”
“Still not up for the exclusive?” she said. “You know that saying, give and take?”
I handed the phone to Charlie. “I’m done.”
At that moment, I knew I needed to figure this out on my own. Which meant a trip to San Francisco. I wanted to go by myself, but I knew Charlie would flip out at that request.
“Well that woman is completely insane,” Charlie said, standing up and walking toward me. “You have a look.”
“Remember how sometimes I just need to have some alone time?”
“Um, yeah. Do you want me to leave or something?”
I placed my hands on her shoulders. “No, I think I want to leave for a few days.”
“But—”
“Just say I needed talk to a friend of Dad’s about something in his will.”
“Lils.”
“Charlie, please let me have this time alone.”
After several times where we repeated each other’s names, she finally gave in. “You better call me the moment you arrive in San Francisco.” Right as I am about to say I will, my phone pinged with a notification. Charlie reached over and picked it up. “Oh fuck.”
“What?” I said, grabbing it out of her hand. Looking down at the screen, it took everything in me to not throw the device out the front window. “I’m done. Just keep where I’m going between us, okay?”
“I’m nervous to leave you alone.”
“C, it’s okay, I promise.” I pulled her in for a hug. “As soon as my plane lands, I’ll call you.”
“You better.”
I went upstairs to throw a few more items in my duffle bag. Right as I stepped out of my room, the doorbell rang. Then I heard Julian’s voice. So much for trying to leave like a ship in the night.
“Where is she?” Julian demanded.
“Calm down, I’m here.”
“Lily, I need to talk to you,” he said out of breath.
“I have a plane to catch, Julian.” That was a boldface lie. “Can we talk later?”
I could tell by the look on his face he was confused. “You’re leaving?”
“For a few days.”
“Where are you going?”
“Why are you out of breath?” Now we were asking a question with a question, so pretty much this conversation was going nowhere.
“I ran here.”
“You live five miles away?”
“Yeah, I know. Can I get some water?” Charlie ran out of sight. “Did you leave the house this morning because of the headlines on MMA Journal?”
