FIGHT Part 1

by M Dauphin

  The woman finally lets go of Eddie and looks at me and smiles. She is pretty, with a lighter shade of red hair than mine. Mine is box color, but I’m pretty sure hers is natural. She reaches her hand out to shake mine but Eddie won’t let go of mine long enough for me to accept her hand.

  “Chill, I’m not stealing her Eddie.” She laughs as he reluctantly lets go of my hand.

  “Hi,” I say, hoping the smile on my face doesn’t look as fake as it felt. I am so confused at what was going on and suddenly regretting not asking more questions about this trip.

  “Hi, I’m Molly. This is Tatum. You look insanely confused.” She laughs and hits Eddie in the chest. “You brought her along without telling her!”

  “Telling her what!?” He exclaims as he rubs his chest where she hit him. At his exclamation, she turns to look at Tatum, still standing there smiling at her.

  “That I would be here! We are getting married tomorrow, dummy!! What did you think this was!?” Again the squeal, wow she’s one happy person.

  Eddie’s jaw tightens before he takes my hand again and pulls me back from them. He walks me a short distance then stops and turns me to him.

  “I’m so fucking sorry, if I’d known that’s what this was I would have told you.” I laugh at his panicked apology. It’s fine with me, I don’t care. Weddings don’t scare me, I wonder why he thought they would.

  “It’s okay. I may have to go shopping for a dress, though. And do you think we can talk them into an Elvis impersonator? I’ve always wanted to see that.” I smile and the tension leaves his shoulders as he laughs at my smartass remark.

  I’ve never been a rule breaker, I wasn’t a chance taker. With Eddie I feel like I could do it all, though, and it doesn’t bother me at all. Bring on the Vegas chapels.

  Chapter 26

  Eddie

  God dammit.

  Of course he would do something like this. Just as I thought this was going to be a fun trip to Vegas, Savage goes and pulls something like this. I’m happy for them, but a fucking warning would have been great. At least then I could have given Red an option to join me as my date or not, now she was just stuck. Not that I minded. I keep replaying the plane ride in my mind and find myself having to distract myself a few times on the taxi ride to the hotel so it didn’t get too obvious that I was getting insanely fucking turned on. When she flipped over and presented me with her ass I about came right there. Jesus the things I could do to her.

  I let my mind wander to the ropes back at my apartment. The ones I used with the girls that weren’t scared. The ones that were more...advanced. The black rope would look fucking perfect twisted around her tiny ass, her porcelain skin. Fuck I need to stop thinking about this. Tatum slaps me on the leg, bringing me out of my fantasy, and starts talking about his bachelor party night.

  The girls are going out today, then said they would meet up with us for dinner and drinks later. Molly is not shy one bit with Red, and they seem to be hitting it off, talking all about the different dress shops they have to visit. I shake my head at her, so eager to make new friends.

  When Tatum met Molly she was kind of a recluse, staying in her tiny town, keeping to herself and her close friends. Being with Tatum was really brought her out of her shell. I’m fucking happy for them, the two of them are perfect for each other. When he lost her he almost lost himself. I’d known him for years, but when he met Molly he went from being a party boy to a one girl type of man, and he was completely smitten with her. At first I thought it was weird seeing him with her, but now I know that it was meant to be. They fixed each other. The thought crosses my mind that maybe Red can fix me, make me the man I want to be rather than the one I’m bound to be. I laugh it off, though. This isn’t long term. I fucking choked on my words earlier when I moaned that I loved her, but damnit I do. She didn’t respond, which tells me she probably (and hopefully) didn’t hear it. It doesn’t mean I am going to spend the rest of my life with her. I can’t do that to a woman. Not with what I’m capable of becoming. Doesn’t make me feel any different about her, unfortunately. Also means it’s just going to be harder to walk away from her when the time comes.

  Walking down to Tatum’s room I realize I left the TV on in our room so I turn around to shut it off before it gets left on the entire day. I don’t really know why I care, but I do. Old habits die hard, I guess.

  “Don’t miss it! Happening tonight!” the announcer says as I walk into the room. I look at the screen to see two female faces put next to each other, each boasting fight scores, mean poses, and winning numbers.

  I sit on the bed, trying to envision Red on that TV, and the thought hurt. It hurt even more the second I realized that I really can’t be with her. I can’t be with a fighter, what was I thinking? They are showing videos of previous fights of each of the fighters tonight. Each hit I watch brings me back to my house, before my mom was gone. Each snap of the head, each twist of the arm. My gut churns with the images running through my head. I try looking way from the TV, putting my head between my hands while sitting on the edge of the bed, I find myself in complete misery because I let myself break so many of my fucking rules. Rules that I lived by and loved before her, rules that I threw out the window when she walked into my life.

  “Hey man, thought you were coming down.” I hear Tatum’s voice in the doorway.

  “Sorry dude...got caught up. This shit...this shit’s just stupid,” I say, waving at the TV.

  “Yea?” he walks over to the whiskey I left on the counter and pours himself two fingers. “Why’s that? They are doing something they enjoy, looks like they are good at it, too.” He shrugs off his jacket and sits on the chair facing the tv.

  “Look at ‘em, dude. Fuckin bruises, blood. Why the hell...I just don’t get it.” I sigh, and stand up, pacing the room. Unable to figure out why my brain let me totally and completely fall for a chick that went against everything I believe in.

  “Something tells me there’s more goin’ on up there than just what’s on TV. How are you the one freaking out...I’m the one who’s fucking getting married tomorrow!” He laughs and takes another sip.

  I shake my head and laugh off my nervousness. He’s right, I shouldn’t be the one with the drama right now. He is the one who is eloping with his girlfriend without ever speaking to her parents about marrying her. He is screwed in that department, he just didn’t realize it yet. Tonight is his bachelor party in Vegas, of course it’s his night. I can deal with my bullshit when we get back to Texas.

  We head down to the casino shortly after that. Tatum doesn’t want any strippers and I can’t blame him. He has the perfect girl, why piss her off with stupid, pricey, dirty Vegas strippers? After an hour at the blackjack table and still no winnings, we leave, hitting up a few bars. Tatum used to be such a partier, but he’s calmed down so much that it’s different hanging with him now. It’s easier, not as insane as it used to be.

  “Dude, look!” He yells over the music, and points towards a curtain in the back of the bar with two bodyguards standing on both sides of the door, and people flowing through it in a single file line. “What the hell you think that is?” He’s curious in his drunken state, and a curious Tatum is never good.

  “Nope...no. We are leaving.” I try pulling him out the door to go sleep off the alcohol. Molly will be pissed if he’s too hung over tomorrow. Instead of following me, though he hightails it to the curtain, flashes a wad of money to the guards, and slips behind it. “Son of a bitch,” I mutter as I go to find him.

  “Hey...my buddy just went in there. I just need to go get him out, he needs to leave.” I try talking to them but they are about as stone faced as a Buckingham Palace guard. “Shit...listen. How much did he give you? I’ll double it when I get him out of there.” I raise my eyebrows and wait for a response. They exchange a look, and then the bigger of the two nod and open the curtain for me to pass by.

  Walking in, I hear the cheers and saw the lights, but it takes me a minute before I realize wh
ere I am. A fucking fight, and Tatum is nowhere to be seen. I walk around, pushing through the crowds of people, and before I know it I’m right next to the ring. It is two women, both larger built, going at it in the cage, beating the shit out of each other and again I had a flashback to the time my dad beat my mom so bad we had to have our neighbor, who was also a doctor, come over to patch her up. The excuse was that she fell down the steps. I think our neighbor knew, but he just smiled sadly at me and my sister, did his job, and left us alone in that hellhole. His kids weren’t allowed to come over to play with us after that night.

  People all around me are screaming and cheering. I hear the crunching of bones and grunting and cringe. This was what Red does for fun? I can’t believe it, I won’t let myself accept it. She can do so much better than this!

  Pushing through the people, I finally see Tatum talking to someone, but I can’ tell who. Shit, I need to get him out of here before he makes a huge ass mistake. I walk over towards him and immediately notice that he’s talking to Molly, but Red is nowhere to be seen.

  “Hey...what’s going on?” I ask, worrying that I can’t find Red in this crowd.

  “Molly here was just informing me of your girl, Eddie. She’s a fighter? That why you were freaking out earlier?” He grins a knowing smile at me. Fuck. Even drunk, Savage is a brilliant man.

  “Dude, where is she? You know I can’t be in here...this is just. DUMB!” I yell a little too loud and get some angry glares from the onlookers.

  “I’m sorry Eddie...I didn’t know she was a fighter. We are in fucking Vegas...I couldn’t stop her!” Molly keeps rattling off excuses, but everything inside me shuts off when I hear the announcer announce the next fight.

  “...and in this corner, from the state of Texas, Gwynnie the Great!” He bellows as she hops around in her corner, no trainer behind her like the other fighter. The clothes have to be borrowed since they hang off of her. She doesn’t even have a mouth guard in, no gloves, but she looks ready. Focused. I see red, and not in the good way.

  “What. The Fuck. MOLLY!?” I turn on her, ready to rip her a new asshole, and Tatum steps between us.

  “Dude, chill. Go grab a beer if this bothers you, don’t blame Molly.” Tatum knows I can’t watch this. He didn’t know how I felt about Red, but damnit he should have!

  “I’m sorry, Eddie. They had a fighter drop out and she was so awe-struck by the lights and the crowds that she volunteered!” She whines behind Tatum. SHIT!

  “You two were supposed to be fucking shopping for dresses!!” I yell and clench my fists by my side, feeling myself tensing as it gets closer to start time.

  “We found them right away...and she wanted to check out the strip. It’s my bachelorette night so I thought it was a great idea before we met up with you boys.” She shrugs. This isn’t Molly’s fault, it’s mine. It is my fucking fault for falling for a fighter.

  I hear the bell ding and can’t stop myself. It is like watching a terrible train wreck, you just can’t look away. I turn to see the fight start, both fighters ready to strike. The other girl get the first lick in and I cringe when she went for the area on Red’s stomach that was bruised just a few days ago. My Red doesn’t show pain, though, just anger that the other girl got first hit in.

  The match doesn’t last long, fucking Red has this chick pinned in a matter of minutes and before I know it the crowd is cheering for ‘Gwynnie the Great’ and I’m so nervous I’m about to hurl.

  She comes bounding down the steps, the most beautiful smile across her face, fans clapping her back as she makes her way to us.

  “Fucking stupid, Red,” I mutter. At least I thought I did, but when Molly gasps behind me I realize I said it a lot louder than I thought.

  Gwynn stops in her tracks and the look on her face broke.

  “What?” she growls at me, pissed at my comment.

  “Nothing...I’m outta here,” I say as I make my way to the outside door. I can’t pass the bouncers without Tatum, so I have to find a new way out.

  Making it outside, I find myself in an alley behind the bar. Letting the door shut behind me, I lean against the wall trying to find my calm, but I can’t do it. How the hell did I fall in love with a fighter? How the hell did I fall in love period?

  “DAMMIT!” I yell and pound the brick wall behind me.

  “You know...you seem to have pent up anger at me for something...but I’m not sure why...” her voice echoes in the alley and I realize she must have followed me out.

  “Go back in there Red...” I growl, not wanting to have this fight. Dammit, I should be with Tatum tonight, celebrating with my friend. Not pissed because I let myself break all of my fucking rules.

  “Nope. You have a problem with me, I need to know why.” She demands. Got this girl is feisty.

  “I just...” How am I going to explain to her why I have a problem wither fighting? That isn’t the type of conversation one typically has in a dark alley in Vegas.

  Before I can get any words out, I hear a shuffling coming from behind us. Turning, I see a man walking towards us, smiling a very creepy smile at Red, and I immediately go on alert. She must be feeling the same way because her stance suddenly becomes more tense next to me.

  “Hey you two.....not lookin’ for trouble...but dayum that girl fine...you pay for her?” His voice purrs as he moves closer to Red.

  “Go inside Red,” I growl at her but she doesn’t budge, standing right next to me with her fists clenched and ready to strike. No fucking way she is fighting this dude...he’s three times her size!

  “She ain’t goin nowhere....you take your hillbilly ass back inside....and we won’t have any problems here...” He moves to touch her but she steps back, ready to strike.

  “There will be a fucking problem if you think I’m leaving her here for you to rape her,” I growl at him.

  As soon as the words leave my mouth he turns like he’s going to strike out at me, and I swing. I’ve never fucking had the urge to hit anyone, but when it comes to protecting her I don’t think twice about it. Dude puts up a good fight, gets a few good hits in, but I’m more stable than him and had him down after a hit to the side of the face that sent him backwards into the wall.

  I stand there, staring at the damage that I just caused to a stranger, suddenly afraid of myself. I am able to turn into him that easily? That fast?

  “We need to go...” her voice is trembling by now, her hand grasping my arm. Her touch brings me out of my shock, and I take her in my arms, hugging as tightly as I can. What the hell just happened? I lost it, I broke the fucking code I set for myself so I DON’T turn into him! All for a fucking chick. I shake my head at that thought...she isn’t just a fucking chick and I know it. Damnit.

  I take her hand and lead her to the street, heading back to the hotel room. I need to be with her tonight, I don’t know how much longer I have with her but she’s like a drug I can’t get enough of. I have to get enough, though. This thing can’t go on. She sends Molly a text that we are calling it a night, obviously shaken up by the recent events.

  Back at the hotel room, we walk in and I pin her to the door the minute it closes, something I am getting all too used to doing with her. She kisses me with everything she has left in her, wrapping her body around mine as I carry her to the bed and lay her down.

  “Fuck, Red. Every damn rule.” I murmur as I nibble on her neck, feeling the goose bumps rise on her skin.

  “What?” she pushes back from me, and that’s when I realize I said it out loud. Shit. “What do you mean..’rule’?” she narrows her eyes at me, and I can see in them that we won’t be having as good of a night as I originally hoped.

  “Shit I didn’t mean to say that....it’s just been a stressful night.” I sigh and roll off of her, effectively killing the mood. I feel a fight coming, which pissed me off even more than the fact I just beat the shit out of someone for the first time in my life and I don’t regret it. I’d do it all over again if it meant keeping her safe. The thoug
ht scares me and pisses me off. I shouldn’t be dealing with this, I shouldn’t have had to do that. All because I fell in love with a fighter, breaking the two most important rules of my life.

  “No, you did. And you need to tell me what you are talking about, Eddie. Every time my job comes up you turn into a fucking bastard, spouting off nasty shit about how it’s stupid. Then you go and say something as cryptic as that right after what we just went through? I think I deserve an explanation,” She demands. She has a point, but I can’t do it. I can’t open up to her, tell her my stupid reasoning for all of my fears in life. Hell, I’d only opened up to one other person about my past, and that was after knowing him for years.

  “This isn’t something that’s up for discussion right now, Gwynn.” I sit up, ready to get off the bed when she speaks again, angry this time. Damnit she’s sexy when she’s angry.

  “The fuck it is. You pull me half way across the fucking country and then when all hell is about to break lose you cut me off. That easy, huh?”

  “No not ‘that fucking easy!’ You just don’t get it do you!?” I yell. She doesn’t move when I yell at her, and all I can imagine is the way my mother would flinch every time my father yelled. Red doesn’t flinch. She isn’t afraid of me, but maybe she should be. Did she not see what I am capable of doing tonight?

  “Then enlighten me!!” she yells back, giving just as much to this argument as I am. I groan, pacing the room. If I stay, if we try to make this work, I’d be putting the woman I have fallen in love with in danger the rest of her fucking life. If I walk away, I’ll be miserable the rest of my fucking life. There’s no easy way out.

  “FUCK! This is why I don’t do..THIS..” I motion between the two of us and her face falls, broken almost. “Because it fucking sucks, and I’m not built for this Red! I can’t fucking turn into him!”