by JJ Knight
“Your phone is buzzing like crazy,” Maddie says. She walks it over to me, eyes still on a brochure for a rehab facility she picked up at the hospital that morning.
I take it from her.
“Got three,” Lily says, holding up the jacks. “I’m going to win.”
“When did you learn to count?” I say, snatching her up and tickling her belly. “You’re supposed to let your poor old daddy win some of the time.”
She giggles and squirms out of my grasp. “I can count to eleven!” she says and sits back in front of the scattered jacks.
I punch the phone on. There’s a bunch of messages from Colt. I scan them and laugh out loud. “That Jax is something.”
“What about the jacks?” Lily asks.
Maddie looks up from the brochure. “What this time?”
I show her the phone. Her eyebrows lift as she reads. “Really?”
“What about the jacks?” Lily asks again.
I take the ball from her. “Daddy is going to lose at them,” I say. My chest feels a lot lighter.
Striker got arrested last night, about the same time as Lani after attacking Maddie. Neither got out on bail, due to their histories.
Lani violated her probation from the attack on Colt. She’ll probably get out again, but not for a while.
Striker, though, got busted on four counts. His warehouse brawl got busted by the Vegas police. Illegal fights. Unregulated gambling. Drug dealing. And prostitution.
“Really?” Maddie asks. “The last one?”
I shrug. Jax probably did that one as a joke.
“There’s a link to an article about it,” I say. I take the pink ball from Lily and try once again to pick up a dang jack between bounces. The ball hits the edge of a tile and goes wild.
“Daddy, you’re just no good,” Lily says.
“They received an anonymous tip,” Maddie says. “And now his fingerprints are matching up to a dozen other crimes in the area.”
“Sounds like he’s in for some hard time,” I say.
Maddie sits on the floor next to us. “So what do we do now?”
“We can probably call off the guards.”
Delores walks into the room right as I say it. “What?” she asks. “Oh, no. They have to stay.”
Maddie and I glance at each other and laugh.
“What about the fight with Viper?” Maddie asks.
Lily bounces the ball and expertly picks up a handful of jacks. She’s got dexterity. And not from me.
“I signed a contract to do the fight,” I say.
“So you’ll do it?” she says.
“It’s a pretty big kill fee to cancel,” I reply.
“Where’s it going to be?”
“Here in LA,” I say.
Her shoulders relax. I can tell she didn’t want to go to Vegas.
“If you want me to stop, I’ll stop,” I say. “I can take out a loan, pay the kill fee, return the sponsor money.”
“Of course not.” She absently picks up a jack. Lily takes it from her and scatters the whole set on the floor again. Apparently we’re starting another game.
“I’ll just do the fight. If I lose, it’s over anyway. If I win, I’ll turn down the league slot.” Every time I picture that guy holding Maddie while Lani punched her, I know I’m not going to let Maddie go. I will do what it takes.
Maddie nods. “You’re not going to lose, though. You never lose.”
Lily holds up the pink ball. “He loses every time at jacks.”
And that’s when I know what I have to do.
Chapter 18: Parker
“You sure you’re ready for this, Power Play?” Buster’s bald head gleams yellow from the dressing-room lights.
I’m pacing like an animal. I’ve never been so anxious about a fight. And it’s not even over whether I will win or lose. I’ve already decided on that.
“He’s ready,” Colt says. “There’s a lot on the line.”
I glance up at the screen in the corner. It shows the arena and the fight going on. It’s another four-fight lineup, and this time my match with Viper is the main event. So we’re last.
“Is Maddie here?” Colt asks. “Jo can sit with her.”
“She’s supposed to be, but I haven’t heard from her,” I answer. I don’t have my phone on me. I’m already wrapped and ready. This match could end any minute, although the two flyweights in the cage are pretty evenly matched. It might go all three rounds.
I’m having a hard time looking anybody in the eye. What I’m about to do flies in the face of every athlete’s creed. I can’t tell anyone my plan. But it’s the only thing that makes sense. Maddie doesn’t want to be the reason I quit. I can see that. And I have to do this fight. I agreed to it.
So I’m going to have to lose.
It’s the only way. Losing solves everything. I don’t make the league. I retire. I will still have all my glory days to look back on. I had that huge win in Vegas.
I’ll be a security guard. Or else I’ll train kids.
I’ll have Maddie and Lily.
It will be enough.
“You sure are worked up,” Brazen says.
He comes up and massages my shoulders, then pounds at the tautness in my back. “You’re burning energy. You need to stay loose.”
I wish I could. But my brain whirs with how to throw the fight without being obvious. I’ll have to make a mistake. I’ll have to make sure Viper bests me in a convincing way.
Colt claps me on the shoulder. “You’re the better fighter,” he says. “You’ve got this.”
I have to turn away. He’s done a lot for me, and here I’m going to let him down on purpose.
The door to the dressing room pops open. I’m expecting it to be Doc or someone on the team. But a tiny figure runs into the room, dressed all in green except for her pink gloves.
“Daddy!” she cries.
I look up, feeling frantic. Maddie comes in, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “She was dying to see you before the match.”
I glance at the screen. “You’re going to let her watch?”
“Oh, no, no way,” Maddie says. “I thought we could stay back here.”
She sees the monitor and looks over at Colt. “We’ll be able to turn that off?”
He nods. He gestures to a guy in the corner, who snatches up the remote.
“Doc will let us know when you’re fixed up enough to let her see you,” she says.
“She can go out in the cage after the big win!” Buster says. “The fans will eat that up.”
“Would be a good publicity thing,” Brazen says.
“We’ll let Power Play decide that,” Colt says. “Let’s let them have a minute.”
Everybody files out except for the guy in the corner, who is in charge of letting us know when it’s time to go.
Panic is really setting in now. I’m afraid Maddie will see in my eyes what I plan to do. She’ll never understand. She’ll still think I’m quitting because of her.
Even though I am.
Shit.
“Look, Daddy, look!” Lily says. She points to the front of her shirt. It reads “Power Punch.” The nickname I gave her weeks ago.
She turns around. On the back, it reads “Just like Power Play, only with PUNCH.”
I kneel down to her. “That’s a great shirt, Lily.”
“Mama made it for me. She said green was your color.”
“It is.”
She wraps her arms around my neck. “I know you’re going to win. Because you’re a winner and winners win even if they lose.” She nods knowingly. “Because they try really hard.”
I remember the plaques in the halls at their house in New York. Failure is not an option.
But I’m choosing it.
What if Lily ever finds out? What if the announcers see through my plan and report it? What sort of example am I setting? And if I throw the match, haven’t Striker and Lani won?
Maddie watches us with a half smil
e. I know she’s torn about this. And I want her more than anything.
But being the right kind of dad matters more. I can’t act like it’s okay to kill one dream to get another.
Winners go for it all. They lose only when they are bested, not because they’re scared.
I’m going to have to fight.
Chapter 19: Maddie
It seems like we’ve only been with Parker a few seconds when a boy in the corner stands up and says, “It’s time.”
Parker’s trainer comes back into the room.
“It’s GO TIME!” he yells.
Parker gives Lily one more squeeze and stands up. Brazen and Parker jog in place for a moment. They pantomime some punches. Parker jabs at Brazen, then shifts right and left as Brazen takes shots back at him.
Lily gets all excited at this and begins working her arms, punching at the air. Parker sees her and jogs over, bumping his gloves into hers. She squeals with glee.
“Time to GO!” Brazen roars and they move toward the door. Parker keeps up his bouncing jog as they head into the hall.
“Can I go can I go can I go?” Lily pleads.
“Let’s get some cookies!” I say. I already have deflections planned, anticipating this moment. “Then we’ll go see Daddy!”
Colt appears in the door. “You want to bring her in the cage if he wins?” he asks. “I can come get you.”
“I don’t know,” I say. “It’s so public.” Striker and Lani might be behind bars, but who else is out there?
He nods knowingly. “Gotcha. We’ll let you know when we’re coming back.”
“Thank you.” I wait until I hear the roar of the crowd through the open door, knowing that means Parker has made it into the arena. When I get into the hallway, I steer Lily the opposite way to the green room, where I’ve made sure there will be treats.
“Is Daddy going to be in there?” Lily asks.
“In just a few minutes,” I say. I’m glad MMA fights are short.
Her eyes get big when we enter the room. A low table has been set up just for her with a pink-and-green-striped tablecloth. On it are graham crackers shaped like teddy bears, bowls of colorful candy, and at least six types of cookies.
“Oh, boy,” I think, wondering how long this sugar rush will take to wear off. There’s another screen in here, but the sound is off and Lily doesn’t even look up.
Parker and Viper are in the center of the cage. The ref leans in, saying something to them.
I’m glad my bad-luck streak was broken in Vegas, or I wouldn’t be here at all. This night is important. I’m still trying to make peace with the idea that Parker will be fighting for a long time, and that our lives will have less privacy than I like.
I glance over at Lily to see her trying to scoop up M&Ms with her boxing gloves. “Let’s take these off,” I say.
She hides her hands behind her back. “I can do it!” she insists.
A twentyish girl comes out from a small room off to one side. “Can I help with anything?” She’s wearing one of the tiny ring-girl outfits that’s basically a boy-shorts bikini.
Put on some clothes, I think, but I just shake my head no.
She plops into one of the chairs and watches the screen. When the real ring girl comes out, holding up her sign for the start of the round, this one’s face crumples into disgust. It makes me want to laugh. This girl must have gotten passed over for the fun job. Now she’s stuck with me.
Still, I have to drag my gaze away from her flat belly and perfect tan. I never looked that good even before I had Lily. Doubt flashes through me. These are the sort of girls who probably fall over Parker all the time. I can’t travel with him often due to Lily. Will he mess around with these girls?
I can’t think that way. That worry is the same for any couple. I have to trust him.
The fight has started. Parker and Viper circle for a moment, then Viper strikes with a hard, fast jab. I look away.
Lily has her face in the M&M bowl, sticking out her tongue to snatch the candies.
“Lily!”
She pulls her head out. Her upper lip is covered with streaky color.
“I guess that’s your bowl now,” I say.
She smiles triumphantly and picks it up with her gloves.
“Come sit over here,” I tell her and pat the sofa. “We’ll wait for Daddy.” I position her so that her back is to the screen. I turn a little so I can still watch it.
Both of them are pounding into each other. I have to look away. If Parker’s too banged up, I’ll come up with an excuse to take Lily home. Although if we’re in this for the long haul, she’ll have to get used to how he looks after fights.
This is so hard.
I think, just for a moment, about rushing out of there. Going back to New York and not looking back.
But I’ve tried that. And it just didn’t work. For better or for worse, for broken noses and bruises, Parker and I are going to have to figure out how to make a life together.
Chapter 20: Parker
By the time round one ends, I know my nose is broken. The ref comes over, asks me if I’m all right. Doc rushes up the stairs. “He’ll be fine,” he tells the ref.
He places one hand on either side of my nose and straightens it. I barely register the pain that shoots through my skull. My adrenaline is high. Doc does other stuff, sticks something up my nose, sprays something. I watch Viper on the other side of the cage.
He looks fine, bouncing in place, working the crowd. I’m definitely outclassed by him. Maybe I wasn’t as ready for the big leagues as I thought. The idea of losing on purpose is way out the window. I’m having to fight to my last breath just to avoid getting clobbered.
The ring girl rounds the octagon holding her giant sign with the number two.
Time to do this again.
The second round isn’t quite as intense. For all his big show between rounds, Viper’s running out of steam. His punches aren’t as quick and his kicks can’t knock me over.
We spend a solid minute in a grapple on the cage floor, both of us trying to preserve our energy. I’ve watched a whole lot of his fights. This is one of his tactics, which tells me he doesn’t have a lot of stamina.
Not that I’m doing much better.
I finally knock loose and get to my feet. Somewhere back in my mind I know I’m going to look a mess for Lily and Maddie. But I have to focus. That’s later. This is now.
Viper goes on full press attack. It’s got energy and drive, but I’m able to defend against it. I block a kick and spin to make the jabs fall flat.
I have a lot of momentum coming out of that circle and the knock to Viper’s face forces him to stagger back.
I go after him without mercy, feeling that surge I get when I used to bring down the opponents. This is it, I think. I’ve got him.
But my best, hardest attack isn’t enough on a fighter of this class. He takes it and he just keeps coming back. The crowd is deafening, screaming like nothing I’ve heard before. Their shadows beyond the searing lights are crazed, jumping up and down, hands in the air.
The buzzer sounds for the end of the round.
Bloody hell.
I glance up at the jumbo screens and wince at the video feed of my own face. One eye is partially swollen and my nose is barely recognizable. It will go down quickly, but I probably shouldn’t see Lily until morning.
I think of the ring that is in Brazen’s pocket, ready to be transferred to me, and I wonder if it’s a good idea.
Damn it. Focus.
Brazen sprays me with water and bangs on my muscles. “You’re hanging in there,” he says. “Keep him tired. He’s losing steam.”
I nod.
“Take it to the end. You’ve got more gas in the tank,” he says. “Go after him at 4:30 and you might still get a TKO.”
He wipes me down and heads back out.
Viper isn’t jumping in his corner. He’s listening to his trainer’s last words too. Definitely more tired.
&n
bsp; The ref motions for us.
One more round.
This fight isn’t about winning or losing now. It’s just about the clock, the minutes ticking down. It’s about honor and pride and doing what you set out to do.
Viper taps my gloves with his. That’s one thing that feels different. It’s almost as though he’s on my side. That neither of us is out to embarrass the other, or trash a career. We’re here to entertain a crowd with athleticism and intensity, to do what they would never dare to do themselves.
For the first time in the cage, I realize this isn’t just about me. It’s about the sport. And I know I’ve made the right decision to take this to my personal max.
The round begins.
Viper hesitates so I come out swinging. He defends, circling the way we’ve trained for years to do on the Muay Thai bags. Six years I’ve been doing this. And just now do I get why.
I’m an athlete. I’m here to perform.
I back off for a moment, winded. Viper comes at me with a takedown move. He wants to go to the floor again, probably to catch his breath, maybe try for a pin.
No way.
I wrestle out of his grasp and get a few feet away. As soon as he’s upright, I attack again. I know Brazen has said to wait until 4:30, but I think I have to do it now.
Viper’s defense is still solid, but slow. I speed up, get ahead of his blocks, and now his face is taking the beating mine got in round one.
I know the minute he gives. It’s a sense I have that the balance of power has shifted. I haven’t been stronger or faster or delivered harder hits.
I’ve just wanted it more than he has.
Viper rallies for a few seconds, sweeping my legs with a kick that almost brings me down.
But I don’t go.
And when I come back around, I show no mercy. The crowd is frantic again, and I feed on their energy. I hear Lily in my head as my jabs strike him. Pow pow pow.
But I don’t crack a smile.
Viper goes down, but I know I can’t stop. Not yet. Not until the ref calls it.
And Viper won’t tap out, calling the match himself. Not on his last match in the league. I wouldn’t either.
