Stepping inside the cage, he put his hands in the air to the cheering crowd. I clapped along with them, full of adoration for him. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking because his poker face was on. He then began sparring and bouncing on the spot.
Jamie’s opponent, Laurence Montgomery, made his walk out, and again the crowd went wild at his production. Once he got inside the cage, I could see he was slightly taller than Jamie, but his build was different. Jamie was stocky, solid, and muscly all over, whereas Laurence was visibly slimmer, but toned nonetheless. The two men stood in their corners facing each other, and words were exchanged. Jamie said something to Laurence, which caused him to scowl, and Jamie smirked arrogantly at his reaction. I wondered what on earth he had said, but I knew it was something to wind him up. Shaking my head at him, I watched as they both started sparring on their own and bouncing on the spot, stopping to talk to their coaches when they needed to. Looking along our row of seating, I spotted Jamie’s family. I wondered how many fights they’d seen of his. I couldn’t even imagine their nerves watching him.
One of the booty girls climbed up onto the platform that surrounded the cage, holding a sign by her side, and the announcer got the two guys back together and talked with them. The girl did a walk around the outside edge of the cage holding up the sign that read Round One, and my nerves rose to a whole new level.
The announcer formally introduced each fighter, and we cheered and whistled for Jamie. Then he went through the rules and match rounds.
“You ready?” the announcer asked Laurence, who nodded.
“Are you ready?” He turned to Jamie.
Jamie dipped his head slightly and just stared at Laurence, which was quite uncomfortable to watch. After a long few seconds, Jamie eventually said, “Yeah.”
Both guys tapped gloves and the bell sounded.
CHAPTER TEN
The first round, Jamie and Laurence did a lot of grappling. Strikes were made, and Laurence pinned Jamie up against the cage wall and tried to lift his legs up to take him down, but he wasn’t able to. Jamie took full advantage of Laurence being down by his waist and put him into a headlock, forcing him to the ground. Laurence jabbed out at Jamie’s head and managed to free himself, and both men quickly jumped to their feet, where they both continued striking out at each other.
Jamie launched powerful kicks and sometimes aimed for the side of Laurence’s head, which made me wince. On either side of me, Leon, Cam, and Marc shouted encouragement to him. Jamie was definitely skillful, and it was really good to see his training put into action. My nerves had started to settle down, and the fight wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Yet.
During the first break, both fighters sat down in their respective corners. Kurt wiped Jamie’s face and squirted water in his mouth from a sports bottle. Kal was leaning into him, talking while Jamie nodded. The bell sounded, and the second round began. The two men came together again; both hands curled up protectively in front of their faces. Jamie wasted absolutely no time lifting his right fist higher and jabbed out powerfully to the side of Laurence’s head, causing his neck to whip back a little. Then he landed a forceful kick to Laurence’s side, which made me wince again.
The crowd roared, loving the contact. Then my heart rose up into my throat as Jamie was harshly thrown down to the floor with an almighty thud, and Laurence was on top of him, one hand on his chest pinning him down, trying to lay punches into his head with his other hand. I felt sick and began to panic; I wanted to pull him out of there. Bringing my fist to my mouth, I bit my knuckles anxiously. Laurence was launching tirade after tirade at him, and Jamie was trying his best to block them and get out from underneath him. He managed to wrap his legs around Laurence’s, twisting them and used an upper cut to Laurence’s chin.
Laurence tried his damnedest to keep Jamie grounded. At one point, they’d come to a bit of a stalemate and had their arms gripped around each other, not moving. I wondered whether they were using that short time to recharge their energy.
Next to me, Cam was getting agitated. “Come on, Jay!” he shouted.
When the bell finally sounded, the referee broke them apart, and I’d never felt so much relief before. Jamie sat in his corner, and I could see his face was red in quite a few places where he had been repeatedly hit. It hurt seeing him look like that. I hoped he wasn’t too injured. That round was more intense, and it was getting more difficult to watch. I knew it was just going to get worse as the pressure set in to win. Water was squirted into his mouth again, and his face was cleaned, with more Vaseline applied.
The guys were discussing the way that Jamie should play out the next rounds and were betting on which tactic they thought he would use to win. Cam and Leon went for a knockout, and Marc was sure he would win by submission with a chokehold. I sat there trying to hide my terror that something bad was going to happen to him and thinking we could be witnessing those tactics being used on him.
“What d’you reckon, Lauren? Knockout or submission?” Cam asked me eagerly.
“Knockout.” I shrugged.
Leon gave me a sympathetic look and put his arm around me, pulling me into him. “Are you finding it hard to watch?” he murmured into my hair.
“A little bit,” I croaked, looking over at Jamie’s face. I hoped Leon would stop mothering me because I was ready to cry and I didn’t want them to think I was being a pathetic girl.
“He’ll be all right. That’s the thing with Jay; his first few rounds are steady because he holds back and takes a few hits. Then, when he snaps….” He raised his eyebrows. “The rest are power rounds, and he’ll annihilate the guy. You watch.”
He sounded confident. I just hoped it was true. Round three began, and Jamie, for whatever reason, let Laurence punch him in the face. He blatantly didn’t make any attempts to block him. It was horrible to watch and my blood ran cold.
“Get ready for it!” Leon hollered.
Then Jamie made blow after blow on Laurence. His hooks were coming left, right, and center, and Laurence barely had time to block and recover from each one. He battered the hell out of him.
“Go, Jay!” Cam, Leon, and Marc yelled, almost in sync.
Laurence, by this point, was visibly wobbly on his feet, and the strikes he was aiming at Jamie were not well coordinated. Jamie kicked out at Laurence, connecting with his hip, and made him stumble, and then he threw his fist into Laurence’s cheek, causing his head to snap back and his eyes to roll. The crowd roared in excitement, and Laurence fell to the floor punch-drunk, and Jamie pounced on top of him. The referee ran over and literally shoved Jamie off him and knelt down by Laurence, putting his head on his lap. He didn’t look so good. The whole place erupted, and Jamie put his hands in the air, grinning from ear to ear.
“Knocked the fuck out. Boom!” Cam yelled, grinning and whistling.
The crowd was going mental. Lights started popping everywhere, and loud music filled my ears. It was all over. He did it. He won! I felt so proud of him. The guys high-fived and hugged each other then hugged me, before leading me down to the cage where we met up with Kal, who was ecstatic. Jamie’s family looked elated, and they were clapping excitedly, no doubt relieved their boy was in one piece.
Standing next to the cage, we all watched as the announcer gathered Jamie and a now fully conscious Laurence on either side of him. One of the officials stood behind Jamie with a huge gold belt over his shoulder.
“The winner of tonight’s WXC Michigan state welterweight championship is… Jamie O’Shea.” He stuck Jamie’s hand up in the air, and the belt was hung over his shoulder. Again, lights flashed from everywhere, and I was pretty sure I would end up with a migraine after tonight. Kal, Kurt, and Dale went into the cage and threw their arms around Jamie, congratulating him. He had the biggest smile on his face. The high I was feeling, I wished I could bottle.
Jamie’s family came walking over to us, and I suddenly felt nervous standing near them. Maybe it was because of my growing feelings for him.
I was self-conscious they’d pick up on it somehow. I stood back and watched as Kal came out of the cage and wasted no time shaking their hands and telling them how proud he was of their son. His family chatted back equally as proud, and his mom thanked him for all he had done for Jamie. That intrigued me because the heartfelt way she said it seemed to imply he had done more than just train and manage him.
I always felt that Kal’s relationship with Jamie was different to that of the other guys. He seemed tougher on Jamie, yet more affectionate in a fatherly way at the same time. He wasn’t totally obvious with the last part, but Jamie often stood with Kal when he’d finished his set, and I would catch them sharing a joke. And if anything went wrong in the club, Jamie would be the first one over to Kal. They had an unbreakable bond; that much was clear.
I did feel a bit sorry for Jamie’s father and wondered what his relationship was like with his son. I also wondered what he thought about the close relationship Kal and Jamie had. If he did feel any envy towards Kal, he didn’t show it. He was standing tall and shook Kal’s hand confidently with a smile on his face. Maybe it was a poker face. That was one look Jamie could certainly pull off.
Jamie eventually came out of the cage followed by his coaches and was swarmed by people wanting to congratulate him. He went straight over to the guys, who were beaming and embraced them. They were like brothers. I stayed way back, letting all the people he loved and who loved him have their proud moment with him. His family walked over to him, and he pulled the three of them close to him and placed a kiss on each of their heads, which again was touching to see. Releasing them, the smile that crossed his face after seeing how proud his family was of him was adorable.
His attention was soon turned to some of the booty girls, who sniffed around him and his family. They managed to pull him away and into a hug, wanting a bit of attention from the champion. I averted my eyes and looked around the arena. A lot of the crowd had dispersed, probably to refresh and get ready for the heavyweight fight that was taking place next. I was just glad we would be going home soon; I was exhausted.
“You not coming to congratulate me?”
I turned to face Jamie, whose grin was still as wide as I had ever seen it. His face was grazed and red, and his eyes looked a little puffy. But he still managed to look damn hot, especially in those shorts. “You did amazing. I’m so proud of you,” I said, smiling. I really was proud of him, and if I had to be honest, the fight was incredible, although it was tough to watch in parts.
“Everyone else gave me a hug….” He raised an eyebrow suggestively.
I laughed at the hint. Clearly, he was feeling the love. I reached up on my tiptoes and curled my arms around his neck to pull him in tightly. His head dipped into the crook of my neck and his arms wrapped firmly around my waist. My stomach somersaulted at the contact. The smell of him was doing crazy things to me, and the fact he was hot and sweaty didn’t bother me at all. I’d take him anyway I could get him. “Well done, Jamie,” I said quietly.
“Thank you. Thanks for coming to watch,” he murmured into my neck.
A slight shiver ran through me as his breath caressed my skin. This hug felt too nice, and everything started to disappear around me. I was in a bubble.
“Do you not want to let me go?” His voice brought me back down to earth. Instantly, I released my arms from him and he chuckled, looking down at me. His eyes lingered on mine before he shifted and swallowed. “Interviews to do.” He jutted his thumb toward the sea of people behind him. Behind his back, Kal was looking right at us, and dread filled my stomach. He really didn’t like Jamie around me, and the look on his face told me he still wasn’t happy about it.
“Better go,” he said, leaving my side, and he jogged back to everyone.
I walked slowly behind him to ask Kal if he wanted me to do anything. Jamie’s mom and sister eyed me curiously as I approached. Well, his mom’s gaze was curious; his sister’s appeared more suspicious. I wondered just how many girls she’d had to be cautious of, wanting to be with her brother for who he was and what he’d achieved. My feelings for Jamie were genuine, even though I knew deep down he would never be with me. I only had to look at the booty girls and the ones that hung around him back home to know I couldn’t compete with likes of them. And who could blame him? Walking past his sister, I nervously looked the other way and walked up to Kal. “What would you like me to do?” I asked him timidly, hoping he wouldn’t be cross with me for hugging Jamie.
“Go grab Jamie’s gear and take this back.” He handed me the medical bag, not bothering to look at me, and I knew I was in trouble. Was he seriously that upset over a damn hug?
I made my way back to the locker room, set the medical bag down, and grabbed Jamie’s duffel. I slung it over my shoulder and made my way back into the arena, dropping it off next to Kal. Unzipping it, I took out the other towel Jamie wanted, figuring he was so sweaty he may need it.
“I’ll take that to my brother.” His sister appeared by my side and took the towel out of my hand. She didn’t snatch it from me but was merely making a subtle point. She was, I would guess, in her late twenties. Wearing a plain navy shift dress, her dark brown hair was swept up in a loose ponytail, which emphasized the roundness of her face. Her makeup was kept simple, but it was her eyes that unnerved me. She had the same set of deep brown eyes as Jamie; they were identical. And just like Jamie’s was before I got to know him, her expression was difficult to read. She didn’t smile, but she didn’t glare at me either. I felt a little intimidated, and I knew from that moment that ‘look’ was definitely a family trait.
I let the towel go from my grasp, because I didn’t care who gave it to him, and I didn’t want to give her any more reason to add to her suspicion about me. She sauntered away from me, and Jamie watched as she walked over to him. His eyes quickly met mine then went back to his approaching sister. He took the towel from her and threw it over his shoulder then leaned in, talking into her ear. As he did so, she looked at me from the corner of her eye in a way that was clear she wanted to see if I was watching. What was her problem?
Between her and Kal, I got the feeling that more was being made out than it needed to be at this point, and it made me feel uncomfortable. I took that moment to disappear back to the locker room. I wasn’t needed, and I didn’t have a clue what to do, so I found a big comfy chair in the corner of the locker room, threw my legs over the armrest, and waited for everyone to return.
“Lauren?”
I was startled awake by someone gently shoving my shoulder. I opened my eyes to find I was curled up in the chair. Everyone was dressed and ready to go, including Jamie, who had showered and changed. Leon was smiling down at me. “Why didn’t you wake me before?” I said sleepily.
“If you were a guy, you would have had the ice bucket poured over you.” He laughed.
I stood up groggily, feeling embarrassed that I had been caught asleep. Jamie came walking over, and I frowned looking at his face and neck. The bruises and cuts were fully out now. He had scrapes and red marks all over the side of his face, where Laurence had hit him. “Look at your face,” I said, shocked. He just laughed and rubbed his cheek.
“Don’t mother him,” Leon teased. Jamie looked back at him smugly. “Drinks are on you tomorrow, man.” Leon slapped his back.
“Yeah, you wish,” Jamie retorted.
Cam’s words came back to haunt me from when he told Jamie at the diner that he could ‘bang a chick’ now that his training and the fight was over. I selfishly hoped he wasn’t going to. But who was I kidding? He was a male.
We made our way out of the building, and I decided to ride with Cam and Jamie on the way home. Kal wasn’t around, so I didn’t bother seeking his approval. Cam kindly offered to drive Jamie, which I was surprised he was okay with. He did seem kind of protective over his truck. I opened the door to the back of the cab and paused, looking at the back seats. I randomly wondered how many girls he’d had in there and whether the seats were sanitary
.
“What?” Jamie looked at me, puzzled, as he went to get into the passenger side.
“Before I get in here, are these seats clean?” I screwed my face up in distaste.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Girls, Jamie,” I snapped. I was still tired and cranky.
Cam burst out laughing.
“It’s clean,” he almost growled at me.
I raised my eyebrows in suspicion. I hoped it was.
“Why do you think I clean it so much?”
Cam loudly sucked in a breath and was wide-eyed, watching us both.
I gasped. I knew for a fact he spent no time at work washing the inside of it. “That’s disgusting.”
“Get in.” He pushed me in and shut the door, shaking his head.
Like his truck was the last time I was in it, it was immaculate, except for a jacket of his that had been tossed in the back. I curled up in the seat behind Cam and used the jacket as a pillow, inhaling Jamie’s scent again. I wished I could bottle it. The truck roared to life and we set off making the long trip back home. I lay there quietly for a while, and the two guys talked about the fight. I then remembered Jamie saying something that made Laurence scowl before the fight, and it intrigued me. “Jamie?”
“Yeah?” He shifted in his seat to look back at me.
“What did you say to Laurence in the cage before the fight?”
“Nothing.” He turned back around, but I could see his shoulders shaking like he was laughing. Cam was laughing along with him.
“Tell me.”
“I told him I fucked his sister.” He grinned.
“Nice.” Cam held his hand up to Jamie, and they high-fived.
“That’s a horrible thing to say.”
He shrugged, laughing.
“Why did you say that?”
Reckless Retribution (West Warriors Book 1) Page 11
