Fight It Out Series Box Set

by T M Kelly

  She squealed and held the book up to her chest. “Tell AFC to get on board. You’re a fucking amazing fighter.”

  Her words caught me off guard and caused a lump to form in my throat.

  “That was so fun,” Charlie said from behind me. “Why didn’t you stay?” I turned around and she stopped talking. “What happened? What did I miss?”

  I burst out laughing. “Someone just gushed over me and asked for my autograph.”

  “Oh great, is the building big enough for your gigantic head now?”

  “Shut up,” I said, grabbing her arm before pointing to the window with the skirt. “Help me find something to go with that.”

  “Oh, you are so going to get a contract. That’s stunning.”

  30

  It was like déjà vu as we stepped foot into the AFC business office. This time I was prepared for the worst. No one was going to blindside me.

  Julian grabbed my hand and led me to the front receptionist desk. “We’re here to see, Chuck Anders.”

  The woman grabbed the phone and punched a button. “Your three o’clock is here to see you.” She hung up the phone. “He said he’ll be right down.”

  My eyes were locked on the big poster-size image of my dad. The gigantic photo was both overwhelming and emotional. “Hey,” I squeezed Julian’s hand. “I have a wacky idea.”

  “Tell me,” he said, leaning against the receptionist counter.

  “Creating a memorial fund in my dad’s name. It could be for young fighters. Maybe even fighters that are only using the streets to fight because that’s all they know.” I realized I had rambled and maybe my idea was crazy. Dad started as a street fighter, and I knew this could be really special if we approached it right.

  “Lily, that’s a great idea.”

  “You think?”

  “I love it, too.” Chuck stepped up beside us. “Sorry, I overheard some of the conversation.”

  “Spying on us,” I teased and then threw my hand over my mouth. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

  He placed his hand on my shoulder. “This is why I look forward to working with you, Lily.” He pointed toward the stairs. “Let’s go up to my office and talk more. Looks like we have a lot to discuss.”

  Did he just say he looks forward to working with me? That was all my mind could focus on at the moment.

  As we stepped into his office, he closed the door. “Would you both like a water?”

  “Sure,” I said, sitting down in the chair by his desk.

  “Come on over here,” Chuck said, pointing at the couch. “Let’s keep this more personal, less business.”

  “Um, okay.” I was completely confused. Julian placed his hand on the small of my back and let me sit closer to Chuck. I slid down to the end of the couch and adjusted my skirt.

  “Lily, if you start a memorial fund for your father, I want AFC to be a part of it.”

  I cleared my throat. “It’s hard to find the right way to do it.”

  He scowled. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, on one hand I want to keep my father separate from my career. On the other hand—”

  “You want to honor your father?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  He leaned back in the leather chair. “Let me propose this to you. Fight with AFC. Win the Bantamweight championship. Let it leak that you are The Punisher’s daughter.”

  I sat there for a moment, letting everything he said sink in. “You’re assuming I win the championship fight.”

  “I usually have a good eye for who will be the next champ,” he said, glancing past me. “Julian remembers this conversation I bet. What was it, ten years ago?”

  “This year it will be ten years,” Julian said, squeezing my hand. “He does have a knack for finding winning fighters.”

  Now I was curious. “I can’t just be put on a championship fight ticket right out of the gate, though?”

  “Why?” he countered.

  “Well, there are fighters who have been waiting for months to get on the ticket, right?”

  “If they are waiting, they are not delivering in some way.”

  His words caught me. So he saw more in me then some of the fighters already with AFC. “I just met my contract obligations with Spartacus last month, so I’m wide open. They tried to sign me on for five more fights.”

  “I’m glad you said no,” Chuck said, taking a drink from his water bottle.

  “Well, to be fair, I didn’t say anything yet.”

  He stood up and walked over to his desk. “Let’s see if I can sway you.” Grabbing a file, he walked back over and sat down. “In here I have written up a contract I think is fair and would lock you in with AFC for five years.”

  Whoa, I had never agreed to anything that went over one year. Now I would have to think about if I wanted to stay in Las Vegas and fight with the AFC for five years. The offer had to be worth it.

  “How does two million per year for the next five years sound? We have you fight two times a year. Then the rest of the year you are promoting and doing speaking engagements for AFC. If you win the title, the number changes.”

  My body fell back against the couch. Did he just say two million per year? I was unable to move. Somehow a vision of Dad popped into my mind. I silently asked him what to do, and he let out his classic laugh. Then I could hear Dad say beside my ear, Don’t stop fighting, Lily Bug.

  “You okay, Lily,” Julian said, touching my leg.

  I sat up. “I am.” Then I looked over at, Chuck. “That’s it?” The words popped out before I had a chance to think about what I was saying. “I mean—”

  “Well, we could do two and half million per year. If that’s better?”

  I burst out laughing. “Yes,” I stood up and twirled in place. “Yes, yes, yes.”

  Chuck reached for my hand and spun me around. “You’re just like your father, Lily.”

  I stopped in my tracks. “I am?”

  “Your dad always wanted more,” Chuck said, grabbing a pen. “And he won the fights to back up his ego.” He handed me the pen. “We look forward to having you a part of AFC. If you’ll have us?”

  I quickly grabbed the pen and scribbled my signature on the dotted line.

  Now I had to prove I was good enough to win the Bantamweight championship.

  31

  “Stop falling forward,” Julian yelled from the side of the ring. “Lean up. Take control. You know better, Lily.

  I was grappling with Charlie in the ring at Fight It Out. My best friend currently had my head locked in place, and I was unable to get out of the fucking triangle choke. “Fuck,” I breathed.

  “Lily, lean up,” Julian barked again.

  “I can’t,” I screamed back.

  Charlie almost loosened the hold when Julian ran over and stopped her. “No. Stay put.”

  “But—”

  “She needs to figure this out if she wants to take home the belt.”

  “I hate you right now,” I said with my head pinned between Charlie’s chest and left leg.

  “Good,” he said, kneeling beside me. “Now use that anger and get out of the fucking hold.”

  Charlie had my head locked in place pretty tightly. I let out a deep sigh, closed my eyes, and released my anger running through my veins. Instead of warning them, I found a way to pull my body up which in turn made Charlie loosen her hold. As I pushed my arm back to give myself space to maneuver out of the hold, Charlie tried to tighten her grip, but I found a way out and jumped back.

  Before anyone could cheer after I released myself from the damn hold, I sprang forward and pushed Julian down onto his back. The room erupted in laughter instead of cheers.

  “You’re mean.”

  “You need to get this right.”

  I bent down closer. “Thank you.”

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  I jumped up to my feet. “I love you more.”

  Everyone in earshot gagged and walked away. “Guess you just found a way to
clear a room,” he teased.

  Charlie was sitting to the side, catching her breath. “When you lifted up, wow, I lost the ability to hold on anymore.”

  “Let’s hope Cheyanne hasn’t perfected her hold.” I sat down beside Charlie and reached for her water bottle. “I can’t believe my life is taking a full circle.” My last fight with Dad was the one against Cheyanne, and she won because of the triangle choke submission.

  “Well, the upside is you know what to expect with her,” Julian said, reaching for his towel. “The unknown can be worse.”

  “One week,” I moaned.

  “One week and everything changes.” Charlie rested her head on my shoulder. “I talked to a few organizations about the logistics of putting together a memorial fund.”

  “You did? Already?” I knew we needed to find out the answers. A part of me was worried we were putting the cart before the horse. “Should we wait till I officially win a championship fight?”

  “Why?” Charlie sounded confused.

  “I don’t want you all to run it by yourself, and I don’t know how to put my name on it.” Standing up, I started to head toward the locker room. “I know, I know, I’m overthinking again.”

  Julian pinched my ass. “You do love to do that.”

  I swatted at his arm. “Fine. I’ll stop overthinking, but you all can’t talk about it with me until after the fight.”

  “Deal,” Charlie yelled from the receptionist desk.

  “Deal.” Julian grabbed my arm and pulled me against his body. “I have just the thing to help with all that overthinking.”

  “Oh? And what is that?”

  “Swimming.”

  I scowled. “Swimming?” Personally, I would much rather have sex than go swimming.

  “Yeah,” Julian said and pushed open the door. “Did you have something else in mind?” He stepped into the men’s locker room.

  I snuck my head around the door and noticed two men walking my way completely naked. They quickly covered themselves and moved out of sight. “Yeah, I do Mr. Moore,” I yelled from the doorway. “And the second letter does not start with W.” Then I let the door close and headed into the women’s locker room.

  I heard two ladies gasp. Before I could turn around, Julian pushed his body up against me. “And the third letter is not an I?”

  “You play dirty,” I said in a hushed tone. My body wanted him, and there was nowhere to go.

  “Come here.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me all the way to the back of the gym.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “You’ll see.”

  There was a door at the end of the hall. He opened it and led me inside. “Is this a storage room?”

  “Maybe.”

  He opened another door where a bed and night stand sat in the corner. “What is this? Why is this here?”

  “I stayed overnight several nights during the construction process.” He pushed me toward the bed. “I left it just in case anyone needed a place to crash.”

  “Or let go of some pent-up rage.”

  “See, it serves its purpose perfectly.”

  “Julian,” I whispered.

  “What is it, Lily?” He tugged my sports bra up over my head.

  “Do you really think I can win the fight on Saturday?”

  He dropped his hands to the side. “Honest?”

  “Is there anything else?”

  He pushed me down onto the bed. Leaning down, he looped his fingers around the waistband of my leggings and pulled them down slowly. With each tug, Julian would kiss the freshly exposed skin. Finally, I lay there in the nude. “Lily, baby, I see a Little Punisher emerging.”

  “What?” I giggled, reaching for the hem of his shirt to tug it up over his head. “Did you finally decide on a nickname for me?”

  “You fight like your dad, Lily. It’s amazing to watch.”

  I wrapped my legs around his waist. “Little Punisher, eh?”

  “Oh yeah, and I know you will live up to the name just like your dad did.”

  32

  “Have you heard of pork rind nachos?” Charlie said, grabbing a chip and dipping it into the queso sauce.

  “Wait. What?” Zoe set her chip back on the plate and turned to Charlie. “You didn’t just say what I think you said, right?”

  “It does sound disgusting, C,” I said, digging my fork into the guacamole. “I mean, pig skin as my nacho heaven. No.”

  “How can you judge something you’ve never had?” Charlie rolled her eyes and continued eating.

  “Oh, I can judge.” I grabbed my water and took a sip. “How’s training going, ladies?”

  I couldn’t have the nachos while I was cutting for the upcoming fight. Girls night, though. No one could deny me that. Four days and I would be making an appearance in my first AFC championship fight. Freaking out was the least of my worries. Which was why I was currently drooling over their dinner and eating guacamole by the forkfuls.

  “Good,” Zoe said, sitting back in her chair. “You probably know Tyler pretty well by now, right Lily?”

  “No, not yet. He hasn’t been coming over to Julian’s place since we started living together. Brooks said it’s because he’s busy.”

  “Julian feels differently?” Zoe asked.

  “Yeah, I guess Tyler is not very social and keeps his life private.”

  Charlie waved our server down. “Can I get a refill?” She glanced around. “Actually, can we all get a refill?” She rested her arms on the table. “Sure. I mean, he is super sweet. Yet, I don’t know jack about him.”

  “Exactly,” Zoe said, holding her glass out for the server to pour some more water. “He’s supposed to be my trainer.”

  “But is he doing a half-assed job?” I was a little concerned because I knew Julian would want to know about this conversation.

  “Nah, not that bad. He is present a couple days out of the week. Then Devon jumps in the rest.”

  “If you need me to talk to Julian, just let me know.” I reached for her hand and squeezed it.

  Zoe moved into the house Charlie and I rented. I was so thankful Charlie was not living alone anymore. Several months ago, Charlie suggested we start a weekly girls’ night. Since then, we have been pretty much inseparable. I was still getting to know Zoe, but she meshed with Charlie and me perfectly.

  “Excuse me.” A young girl who looked around ten years old tapped me on the shoulder.

  I turned to face her. “Hi, sweetie.”

  The girl held out a napkin. “Can I have your autograph and picture?” she said in a whisper.

  Her question made me stop for a moment, and then I smiled and stood up. “Of course. Should we show my good or bad side?”

  The girl’s eyes lit up. “Bad side.”

  There was a woman taking a picture who was more than likely her mom. I knelt down beside the girl and put out my fists in front of me. “On the count of three,” I said. “Let’s give our best mean face.” When her mother counted to three, the girl and I scowled. “Now a nice happy picture.” I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her beside me. Her mom said, “One two three,” and then we both smiled.

  She jumped up and down. “Thank you so much.”

  I gave her a high-five. “Are you into fighting already?”

  “I am. I want to be just like you someday.”

  As they walked away, I let her words tumble around in my mind. If Spartacus had made me a rising star, what was AFC about to do to my life? Whatever it was, I couldn’t wait.

  I took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly as I sat back down. “This is all too surreal.”

  “Seriously, the look on the little girl’s face will be etched on my mind forever,” Charlie said, handing me her phone. When we were supposed to scowl, I was but the girl was looking at me in awe. “She looks up to you.”

  “That’s so much pressure,” I said, shaking my head.

  “It’s only going to get worse,” Charlie said, reaching for m
y hand. “You ready?”

  “I want it all.”

  “I need more than guacamole,” I teased, reaching into the refrigerator. “Want a burger with me?”

  Julian had his head bent, looking at something on his tablet. “Uh huh,” he mumbled.

  “With a side of dirt?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “And top it with a fried grasshopper?”

  “Uh huh.” Then he looked up. “What?”

  I burst out laughing. “I knew you would catch that one.”

  “Sorry, I was reading this article.” He passed me his tablet. “Did you see this?”

  “Where is Lily Waters’s family? Does anyone see who comes to her fights?” I scowled. “What’s this shit?”

  “The tabloid paper that I never give the time of day.”

  “I see that.”

  He pointed at one line. “This is why I grew curious.”

  I read the part he was pointing at out-loud. “Her mom may be in jail, and there are rumors her mom is tied to organized crime.”

  “Well, fuck.” I sat down next to him. “Guess that was bound to happen sooner or later.”

  He grabbed my hand. “Listen, I respect your decision to keep your fighting life separate from your real life. Authors do it all the time. Sometimes it’s just safer.”

  “I’m sensing a but here.”

  “What if those pieces of information help your career?” He turned to face me and pulled my legs on his lap. “Hell, just think about what people will do when they find out The Punisher is your dad. They will go nuts.” Before I could continue, he held his hand up. “Your fight is in four days. We have so much riding on this fight. Just let it all soak in before you say anything.”

  I leaned back. “Okay, first the fight. Then we think about my path.”

  33

  “Fuck.” I breathed and threw my towel against the wall.

  “Hey, it’s one pound over,” Julian said, grabbing my shoulders. “We can get that off before the weigh-in.”

  “Dammit. I’ve been so careful.” I stepped up onto the treadmill and hit the increase button. As I started to run at a good pace, Julian hit the button to increase it some more. “Are you trying to kill me?”