by London Casey
Dalton was coming in as I was leaving.
We bumped fists and he asked, “You fighting tonight?”
“Look at my face,” I said, pointing to a yellowish bruise. “Do I look like I need to take another punch to the face?”
Dalton smiled. He still had perfectly white and straight teeth.
Give it time, kid. Make that money while you can.
“Where you off to?” he asked. “Can we train?”
“I can’t, brother,” I said. “I have a thing.”
“Mob stuff?” he whispered.
“Take it easy with that movie shit. I told you before, nothing in life is like the movies. Except that there’s a beginning and an end. But in life, the ending ain’t always good.”
“Shit, I know that,” Dalton said.
He then gave me a sad face, like a kid with a packed bag waiting for his deadbeat father to show up.
“I’ll call you,” I said. “Okay? Go in there and have at it. You know my locker combo, right?”
“Yeah. But I brought my own gloves this time.”
“There’s five hundred bucks in a sock,” I said. “Take it. Keep yourself out of trouble, Dalton. Get some food. Buy a video game. Take a woman out on a date.”
“I thought you said women were nothing but trouble.”
I laughed. “They are. Only if you invite them to stay.”
Dalton shook his head.
We bumped fists and I walked to my car.
Before I could start it, my phone rang.
“Seth,” I said.
“Get the fuck over here right now,” he said.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Marcos… he has a gun to my fucking head. Because of what you did.”
I opened the office door and was grabbed by two huge men. They threw me into a wall and one of them thrust their chest into my back, keeping me tight against the wall.
“What the fuck?” I screamed.
“They’re going to check you,” Marcos said from behind his desk.
“For what?”
“The reason why we’re here.”
The second guy patted my sides. He touched my waist and moved down to my legs. He touched my legs and then I felt his right hand get close to my balls, pressing up, and that was it for me. I kicked my foot back and hit the guy in the mouth. He yelled. I turned my head and saw the first guy getting ready to put his forearm to the back of my neck. I hurried and swiped my right arm away from the wall and threw an elbow. Right to the bridge of the guy’s nose, it must have felt like getting hit with the ass end of a hammer.
The guy stumbled back and I turned, pushing him, letting him trip over his friend.
They then pulled out guns and I slowly lifted my hands.
Marcos stood at his desk with a gun right to Seth’s head.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
“You tell me,” Marcos said. He was calm, collected, his black hair slicked back, his pretty boy face showing more and more of a roughness as he gained controlled of his family. The gold watch that hung from his wrist was worth more than anything I’d ever owned in my life. “And don’t you fucking lie to me, Noah. I had to kill my own uncle once. Blood. I have no shame in killing a couple Irish pricks.”
“I know that,” I said. “I don’t doubt your ability to kill someone, Marcos. Why do you want to kill Seth? Or me?”
“These fights,” Marcos said. “Why so many?”
“What?”
“You heard him,” Seth said. “Don’t fuck this up, Noah.”
“Can you tell these two bloody goons to back off?” I asked.
Marcos nodded. “Leave the office.”
The two guys left the office.
I approached the desk and put a hand out. “Can you take the gun away from Seth?”
“I want to know why you’re fighting so much,” Marcos said.
“I love to fight. I keep winning, so what’s the difference?”
“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Seth said. His was stone faced. He knew how to shut his emotions off when he was terrified.
“I appreciate your need to fight,” Marcos said. “But you know how it works. You get cocky. You put yourself out there too much. Then you slip up. You’ve fought how many times in the last few weeks?”
I swallowed hard.
Yeah, he’s right.
“Imagine how that looks to me,” Marcos said. “You’re good for a fight here and there. You win. You earn. Now all of a sudden you’re demanding fights. That signals something in my head.” Marcos took the gun away from Seth and pointed it at me. “Are you fucked up on drugs?”
“What?” I asked.
“Answer him,” Seth said.
“Are you two serious? Holy shit. I’m not on fucking drugs.”
“Then what is it?” Marcos asked. “You have debts? What is this?”
“I…”
It all played through my mind. I understood how it must have looked to Marcos and Seth. There were a lot of guys with a lot of problems money helped to aid. You fought to earn and if you fucked up and lost, you were out.
“What?” Marcos asked. “Tell me.”
I couldn’t tell Marcos the truth. Or Seth. That I was fighting with the hopes of seeing a woman there? That’s all I knew about her… about Penny. She liked to come to the fights. She liked to sip some vodka, watch me destroy someone, and then let me fuck her in the bathroom while I was still sweaty and bloody.
I didn’t like her or anything like that, I liked the sex. I liked it raw and wild. I liked the way she touched me, touched my cuts and bruises. I liked the way she bit my neck and moaned my name when I filled her.
“Jesus Christ,” Seth said. “Noah…”
“What the fuck does it matter?” I snapped. “I fight. I win. Everyone earns. You want to check me for drugs, go ahead. You want my piss?” I unzipped my jeans and pulled out my dick. “Give me something to piss in.”
“Put that thing away,” Seth said.
“He gets jealous,” I said with a grin.
“I can see why,” Marcos said. “But if you don’t put that away, I’ll cut it off.”
“What do you want from me?” I asked. “I fight. Okay? I’m not drinking. I’m not on drugs. I don’t owe any money to anyone. Jesus Christ. You pay me to fight, Marcos.” I looked at Seth. “And you’re supposed to be a brother to me. Do I seem like I have a problem?”
“Marcos wanted to talk to me,” Seth said. “Things got a little heated.”
“Why?”
Marcos sighed and slowly sat down. “You’re on the ticket for tonight, Noah. You know that already. But this is a no lose situation here. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
“There’s a series of events that have to happen,” Marcos said.
“Why?”
“None of your business.”
“He won’t even tell me,” Seth said.
“And we’re just supposed to trust you?” I asked.
Marcos opened his drawer and took out a stack of cash. He put it on the desk. “I call this a trust payment.”
“What the hell are you up to?” I asked Marcos.
“You need to win,” Marcos said. “You need to take this out to five rounds.”
I looked at Seth. He nodded at me. “Listen to him, Noah.”
“Okay,” I said. “Not a problem. Who am I fighting?”
“Some punk,” Marcos said. “Another Irishman like yourself. Timmy something. It doesn’t matter. Truthfully, Noah, you could tear through him in about four punches. But I need you to stand back and let the fight work itself out naturally. Just don’t get tagged by him.”
“Marcos, look me dead in the eye,” I said. “Nothing is wrong with me. We’ve known each other for years now. Don’t fucking pull this shit with me.”
Marcos gritted his teeth and his eyes went wide. “You know, Noah, if anyone talked to me like you just did… even my own family… I would kill them.”
“Don’t fuck this up,” Marcos said. He looked at Seth. “You neither.”
“We won’t,” Seth said.
With that, Marcos signaled us to the door.
I tore open the door and was met with a hard punch to the gut. One of the goons had been waiting for me. I felt like my stomach had shot out through my back. I instantly dropped to my knees as I scrambled to find air. My eyes filled with tears but I kept the guy in view, in case he tried to throw another punch.
What did the guy do wrong? He didn’t throw another punch.
I jumped to my feet and sprung forward, burying my shoulder into his stomach. I lifted him up and put him against the wall. With my head tucked, I threw a right fist up and hit him in the jaw. I pushed back and while he was focused on the left side of his face, I hit him on the right side of his face. I grabbed him by the throat and spun the big son of a bitch around. I shoved him back and was ready to knock him out. I had him all lined up. In my mind… it was beautiful. As beautiful as the feeling of Penny’s pussy sheathing my dick.
“Wait!” a voice yelled.
Seth grabbed my jacket and pulled. He then ran the risk of me hitting him.
A second later, Marcos appeared in the hallway, gun in hand. He lifted his weapon and shot the goon right in the heart. The big guy stumbled two steps and toppled to the ground.
Marcos looked at me, his eyes full of rage.
There were no more words to exchange.
“Come on,” Seth said. “Let’s get out of here.”
I walked with Seth and looked back at Marcos. He stood there, staring me down as I walked. Gun in hand. A dead body behind him.
He was a powerful man. More powerful than I was or ever would be. Hell, he could kill me and have me buried within the hour. And nobody would give a shit. I was merely a ghost in the world I fought to survive in.
But tonight meant more than just survival… I had a feeling my life was going to change forever.
Chapter 5
(Penny)
I thumbed the open letter, looking at the scribbled words of a little girl with a broken heart. I folded the letter and stuck it back in the envelope. It was addressed to Heaven. That was all there was written on it.
I put the letter away and took a shower, eager to get to the fight. Tonight I was going to take this thing with Noah a little bit further. Yeah, sure, I’d met up with him in the bathroom. Yeah, we’d fool around. But then I had bigger plans. He was coming home with me. Or I was going home with him. Whatever.
I knew one thing… no matter what, we were going to wake up in the same bed together.
Chapter 6
(Noah)
Marcos was right.
This Timmy guy wasn’t worth a damn in the circle. The only thing he had was a huge reach with his arms. He wasn’t very tall but his arms were long. Shit, with a little decent training, he could be lethal. His problem was that he relied on the length of his arms but had no power behind them. Think of it this way, what would hurt worse… getting hit with a rubber ball or a rock?
All Timmy had were weak punches that took a mile to get to me. What he should have done was keep me at a distance with some solid hits and then he could lay on with a heavy attack. Instead, I was able to read his punches, knock his hands out of the way, and work up and down his body and face like an artist painting a masterpiece. Each bruise and open wound was like another stroke of my paintbrush.
There were seven times he left himself wide open for a knockout hit.
Two of them were so wide open, people started yelling about it. The guys betting money weren’t just there to drink and fuck strippers and hookers. They put serious money behind the fights, and they bet everything. Who would win, when, how. So watching me leave Timmy go after giving me some openings, they were going to revolt. The last thing anyone needed was a riot at an underground fight.
I put my hands down to my sides. I stood there, the crowd yelling, boo’ing, getting annoyed. I stepped toward Timmy and pumped my chest to his.
“Come on,” I said. “Do it. Take your shot at me.”
Timmy threw a right and tapped my jaw. I called him out on it. So he punched me again and again. Ribs, jaw, eyes, he started to walk me back. We were in the fourth round of this thing. The crowd turned, realizing that Timmy could knock me out with any punch and a little luck.
When Timmy got me to the edge of the crowd, I grabbed his throat with both hands - the son of a bitch gave me another opening - and swung my left foot and tripped him, putting him on his ass. I stepped forward, ready to knock him out, when someone called the round over.
I didn’t even bother to get a drink or take a break. I just stared at Timmy the entire time. I wanted to finish this and find Penny. She got bold for this fight. I took the initiative and met her at the bar before the fight. I bought her a drink and told her we were going to skip the bathroom tonight. I wanted her all night. I told her I’d find her. Meet her at her car and steal the rest of her weekend.
All I could think about were those perky tits of hers. They were small but a perfect palm full for me. I still had yet to taste them. Same for her pussy. I was going to devour her. Eat her alive.
Timmy looked at me, knowing his fucking fate. He was better off somehow taking himself out.
The fifth round was called to start.
I approached slow, step by step, like a killer in a movie. Timmy couldn’t escape me. He put his hands up. They were already shaking. I watched his shoulders and his feet. He was weak all around. I could feel the fear coming off him. Hell, if it wasn’t for Penny and her tight body waiting for me, I would have stalked him like prey until he passed out.
But I had to make my move.
When I did, all it took was one good right to his jaw. I felt his jaw break like a twig.
Before he hit the floor, I was already turned around and pushing through the crowd.
I won my fight… now it was time to fuck.
Chapter 7
(Penny)
“You’re fucking right… we warned you.”
All my instincts were present, they were just completely frozen. I hesitated long enough that a hand clamped over my mouth. That’s when I decided I should scream.
Good fucking luck.
I had been in some bad situations before with stories. Getting in the mix of crime and police work, nosing my way into a riot once, and even getting too close to a fire, but nothing like being taken.
Kidnapped.
Holy shit, I was being kidnapped.
I was supposed to be waiting for Noah to come get me. We were going to go to his place for the night. A chance to really be alone and really… you know… so I could get information for my story. That was barely half of what I wanted out of Noah.
He made me feel stupid, and stupid was a dangerous thing in my line of work.
A hand wrapped around my belly and I was lifted into the air. I tried to kick and thrash but it was no use. Whoever had me had some strength to himself. I tried to turn my head, figuring if I could get a look at him and had the chance to escape, the prick could get caught.
His jaw touched right next to my ear. It was like a pressure point, leaving me with no choice but to stare straight ahead.
“You’re fucked, bitch,” he growled.
I wasn’t going to talk back to him. I knew better. Just keep my mouth shut and figure this out.
As long as he didn’t cover my eyes, I was still okay.
I saw the building. I saw the door I came out of. I saw the old windows, two of six of them broken.
I’ll be fine.
I wanted to believe that Noah would come rescue me, but why would he? He knew nothing about me. I was just some woman that showed up after his fights and fucked him. He’d be like a lost puppy looking for a leg to hump… and he’d find another
one. Easily. They were everywhere in the building.
I was then turned from the building.
I saw a car.
A black car.
I tried to strain my neck to see if I could find a license plate number to memorize. I was going to get this asshole in trouble.
I couldn’t see a license plate number.
He opened the back door and put my feet on the ground.
I felt a very small window open and I tried to take it. I tried to break free and swing at my attacker, but he was ready. He grabbed my wrists and secured them with something metal.
Then he put something over my head.
I was officially kidnapped as he threw me in the backseat of the car.
Part of me wished it was some kind of wild fantasy that Noah was into.
It wasn’t Noah. It wasn’t a fantasy. I was in serious trouble.
Chapter 8
(Noah)
I waited like a damn fool and she never showed up. I went out to the parking lot and waited some more. She was nowhere to be found. The building had mostly cleared out. There was that last rush of these asshole guys trying to find someone to jerk them off or whatever. They’d start offering more and more money to women for a night out. It was pathetic to watch, but then again, I was pathetic as I stood there, waiting for Penny.
Maybe something had happened.
Maybe she had an emergency.
Maybe she had come to her senses and realized messing around with a guy like me would only get her into trouble.
