The shark stumbles forward, giving me hope that Zac can do this. That Zac can be the David to this Goliath and win.
Biting my lip, I watch silently, wanting to yell out and cheer but knowing that the sound of my voice will distract him. I can’t risk that.
Zac and the Great White Shark, circle each other again, a punch lashing out occasionally from the both of them as they watch for an opening to give them the edge.
Great White strikes out with his right and turns his body, giving Zac his opening to punch him in the kidneys then go in for another chokehold. This time, he gets a better grip, the muscles in his forearm cording with the strain.
Great White gasps, struggling to breathe under Zac’s grip. He turns his body from side to side, trying to shake Zac off. Then he reaches up, grabbing a hold of Zac’s arms as he tips his body forward with a force that sends Zac flying over his head so he lands with a thud on his back.
“Holy shit,” I gasp, my eyes going wide as I watch Zac try to get up as fast as he can. He barely gets the chance to stand before Great White crouches down and wraps his arms around the back of Zac’s thighs. As much Zac tries to elbow and punch him in the back, Great White brushes it off then lifts Zac off the ground like he weighs nothing.
“Oh no. No, no.” I gulp, my hand covering my mouth as my eyes bug, watching helplessly as Zac tries to get down. He swings his arms, trying to hit the Shark in the back of the head. But it doesn’t stop him. He’s moving too fast.
In a few quick strides, Great White arches his back then slams forward, throwing his body weight straight into Zac’s middle. As they both hit the ground, Zac takes the full impact of the slam across hit waist as he’s crushed beneath the Shark’s hulking weight.
I see Zac’s eye’s bulge as the air is knocked out of him, and in my mind, I see it all happen in slow motion–the bounce of his head against the ground; the pained expression on his face; the spray of blood as it shoots out of his mouth; the vacant stare as he just lies there.
“No!” I shriek, jumping the barrier and rushing the cage. “Zac!”
What was meant to be the end of Zac’s time on the Rumble Circuit has just turned into an absolute nightmare, and I’m petrified that this is the end and I’m losing him.
“Get up, Zac!” I cry, but he’s not responding. “Get up!”
The ref gets in between them and makes Great White back off to give Zac space.
The crowd roars.
My heart refuses to beat.
The crowd chants.
My lungs refuse to breathe.
A countdown begins and I shake my head.
It can’t be over yet.
This can’t be the end.
Then the crowd joins in. 3…2…
One.
The Great White Shark throws up his arms in triumph, grinning whether the crowd cheers him or boos him as I make my way around to the entrance of the cage, my eyes glued to Zac’s unmoving form as Jason and both of Nelson’s thugs rush in and check on him.
Oh God. Please let him be all right.
I’ve never prayed before, but in a time like this, I’m calling upon the power of every god I’ve ever heard about.
I’m praying that he’s ok. I’m praying that he can be fixed. I’m praying because there is nothing else I can do. I’m trapped on the other side of the cage, watching this nightmare unfold.
Lifting Zac between them, the men begin to carry him to the fighter’s tent. I run after them, tears falling from my eyes as I call out for him.
“Zac!”
Arriving at the tent, I rush over to the gurney as they lay Zac on it, and some guy, who I’m assuming is a doctor, steps in and looks him over.
Zac groans and I close my eyes, grateful that he’s still conscious.
“Zac,” I whisper, moving over to take his hand in mine. “Oh god, Zac.”
I cover my mouth with my hand, listening to the rasp of his breathing as he fights for air, his eyes wild and afraid.
“Evie,” he gasps, looking around, his eyes barely focusing as he calls for me.
The sound of his voice gives me hope, but I still fear for him. He’s hurt bad. I can tell. Otherwise, a guy like Zac, he would’ve gotten up.
“I’m here. I’m here,” I gasp desperately, trying so hard not to cry at the state of him.
“Don’t leave me,” he whispers, before coughing and spluttering, blood shooting from his mouth, just as he loses consciousness.
“No,” I cry.
“He needs a hospital,” the doctor says, and as my eyes scan Zac’s body, I see the blood pooling under his skin. I hear the struggle in his breathing, and I know that none of this is any good.
“Please don’t leave me,” I whisper.
Forty-Five
Zac
When I awake, it’s to the beeping of machines and the smell of disinfectant. The last thing I remember is fighting The Great White Shark. I remember trying to weaken him while he lifted me in the air. And then I don’t remember anything at all.
“Argh,” I moan, my mouth feeling dry and my body hurting like it’s been crushed under a building. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” I groan, my body aching with the smallest of movement.
“Close. You were hit by a great white shark,” Evie responds, her voice sounding tired and worn out.
“You’ve been up all night?”
“Yeah. You needed surgery. When he slammed you, he broke your ribs and your lung collapsed. Scared the shit out of me.”
“So, I guess I didn’t win?” I joke.
“No. You didn’t win. Still, second’s great, and the Rumble Circuit isn’t so bad now that we know what the deal is.”
“Starting to like fighting random guys in crowds?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Just trying to look on the bright side I guess. But Zac, you need to take care of yourself next season. The doctors said your ribs were a mess. They’d obviously been damaged for a while and they don’t know how you were fighting like that when you would have been in so much pain. Why didn’t you say something?”
I let out my breath slowly. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t see the point. I needed money and the best way to get it was to fight. So I kept going.”
“But why didn’t you at least tell me that you were in pain? I would have been more gentle with you.”
I grin, smoothing my thumb over the back of her hand. “Evie, the last thing I wanted was for you to go gentle with me. I have years of fantasies about you to work my way through.”
She smiles in return. “Well, you’re going to have to rest this time. You have internal injuries that need healing and you’re stuck in here for a few days.”
“Oh, come on, babe, I’m sure we can figure out some way to fool around.”
Letting out a laugh, she leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “You’re incorrigible,” she murmurs.
“I’m in love,” I counter.
“Zac?” a voice asks from the hospital room’s doorway.
As I look up, a smile spreads across my lips. It’s Meg and she’s with the kids.
“Hey guys.” I grin happily. I feel like I haven’t seen the kids in such a long time, and despite what she did, I’m also happy to see Meg. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you all.”
“We missed you,” Tash says as she rushes toward the bed and stops at the foot of it, looking at me with her big blue eyes as I lay propped on pillows with drips and wires coming off me. “Are you going to be ok?”
“Yeah, Tash, I’m going to be just fine. How about you? How are you holding up?”
Robbie answers for her. “We got put with a family. All of us together.”
“Is that so?” I ask, patting the bed to let them know they can come and sit next to me. Tash jumps up immediately, the weight of her on the bed, causes a small about of pain but it’s totally worth it when she reaches over and gently pats my hand with hers.
“Yeah,” she answers, being careful not to p
ull the pulse monitor off my finger. “They’re real nice. Said you can see us whenever you want.”
“That’s cool,” I say. Looking over at Will, who is being his usual stand-offish self, I can tell he probably isn’t happy that I have been gone for a month. “What about you, Will? What do you think?”
He shrugs and sticks his hands into his pockets. “They’re ok. They said we might be able to do some classes for fighting – like karate but different. I can’t remember the name.”
“It’s Kiko!” Tash shouts.
And my brow furrows a little. “Kiko?”
“Aikido,” Barry says from the doorway where he places his big hand on Meg’s shoulder. “I told them all they can learn Aikido if they’d like to.”
“Holy…” I start, not wanting to continue the thought out loud in front of the kids. I can’t quite believe what it is I’m seeing right now.
“Grandad?” Evie says, sounding and looking completely perplexed. “What’s going on?”
“Well, your grandmother feels like our house is too empty, and when she heard there were some kids who needed a home, she decided to offer up ours. And you know your Nan when she decides she wants to do something,” he explains.
“I’m relentless,” Jan, Evie’s grandmother says as she pushes past Barry through the door. “There’s a kinship initiative that allows family friends to take on children to help minimise the disruption to their lives. They’ll be able to go to the same school and still see Zac on a regular basis because of his connection to our family. And Barry here, is surprisingly, an upstanding member of society.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “I don’t know what to say?” I breathe, looking between Barry and Jan before I turn to Evie. “Did you know about this?”
She shakes her head. “I had no idea.” She looks just as shocked as I do.
I turn back to Barry and Jan. “Thank you. I don’t know why you’re being so good to us but thank you. This…” my voice cracks a little emotionally, I’m so happy that the kids are all together and with someone I know and respect. “This is more than I could have dreamed of. You’ve just given us all the world and I am so incredibly grateful. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Barry says. “Like we’ve said, you’re part of the family. Family sticks together and helps each other.”
I press my lips together, blinking rapidly to keep back my emotions as I just shake my head, I still can’t believe it but I am so incredibly grateful right now.
Evie stands and moves over to her grandparents, hugging them both and thanking them profusely as she cries with happiness, completely understanding what this gesture means to me.
Barry moves to me and shakes my hand. “I saw the video from last night. You did good, kid. We’re proud of you.”
“I’m glad you pulled through,” Jan says, leaning down to kiss my forehead and stroke my hair in a motherly fashion that touches my heart and makes me even happier that the kids are with two such caring people.
Then, leaving my side, she walks over and says something quietly to the kids about giving me the chance to get some rest. Then they all say goodbye and Tash smiles and says, “Oh, and Zac, they have a pool!”
“That’s awesome, guys, I’ll come and see it soon,” I promise.
“Get well soon, Zac,” Meg says, about to turn away and follow everyone out.
“Meg, wait,” I call, not wanting her to leave without talking to her a bit more.
Meg stops and shakes her head. “Our conversation can wait, Zac. For now, I’m staying with Barry and Jan. They’re good people. So, just get better, ok?”
“Sure,” I say, nodding my head and watching as they all wave and leave. “She still hates me, you know,” I say to Evie once they’ve gone.
“I think she hates herself more. But she’ll work it all out.”
“You seem pretty sure of that.”
“Well, she’s your sister, and she’s in love. You think she’s going to forget that so easy?”
“You’re pretty fucking sexy when you try to talk sense into me you know.”
“Is that you’re way of saying that you love me for my mind?”
“Your mind. Your body. Your lips…”
She leans down and presses her lips to mine. “Don’t give me words, give me more than words,” she whispers. Then, as much as it hurts to move, I wrap my arms around with her and kiss her with everything I have, loving her with all of my heart and all of my soul and vowing to keep her with me always. Because when you know, you know. And with Evie Rhodes, I’ve always known. She is mine and I am hers. Together, we’re complete.
Epilogue
Zac
Six Months Later
“I need to go to uni,” Evie groans, rolling over and sitting on the edge of the bed. I reach out for her, pulling her back against my chest and nibble lightly on her neck.
“Surely you have ten minutes to spare, just enough time for you to…” I slide my hand down her stomach and cup her mound, feeling the pulsing heat settling there, urging me to do exactly what I want with her.
She slides her hand through my hair and lets out a light moan. “I want to. I want to spend all day of every day in bed with you. But you also have training and if you’re late…”
I withdraw my hand and groan, rolling on my back as I release her and she slips out of bed and walks naked to the ensuite bathroom.
“Your father is the ultimate cold spoon.” I call out, earning me a laugh as I hear the shower turn on.
“Well, you’re in the league now. He wants you to do well.”
“He is brutal. I’ve never worked out so much in all my life.”
“Which reminds me, the junior Aikido class is at four this afternoon. Dad wanted me to ask you if you’d teach it for him because he has a client at Custom Flesh that he has to work on.”
“Sure. I love teaching those guys. Will is loving it, and so are Robbie and Tash.”
“Yeah, all of my brothers and sisters loved it too, although Rose doesn’t do it anymore, but at least she knows the basics.”
Since Barry and Jan took on Meg and the kids, life has been pretty great. I don’t worry about them so much anymore, and I don’t feel like I failed them. They ended up in a loving home, and I have as much contact with them as I want. They are all happy, loving life, and feeling loved in return, and that’s all I ever wanted for them – to feel like they matter.
Evie and I are going strong. We spend almost every waking hour together besides the time that I train and the time that she’s at uni doing her Fine Arts course. She isn’t officially living with me, but she’s rarely at home, and we’re happy with our relationship this way. We’re not ready for the big official commitment of marriage and moving in, as we’ve got so much we need to do first. But when we’re ready, I don’t think either of us will hesitate. Life and love is good.
In other news, I’m not on the Rumble Circuit this year. Some promoter was following the last Rumble and at the end, he offered Nelson a deal to take me to a sanctioned circuit and get my professional career on the right path. Nelson accepted and now I’m represented by John Everette, and training to fight all over the state in matches that are actually legal.
It doesn’t make me as much money as the Rumble Circuit did, but I have plenty in savings so I’m not worried. I just want to fight for a living. It sounds like the best job in the world to me.
Meg still isn’t really talking to me. Things are a little strained between us right now because I told Barry and Jan about Sparks and they’re in agreement that she should wait until she’s eighteen, and if it’s the real deal, he’ll still be waiting for her.
Well, Meg is just about to turn eighteen, and when that happens, I know she’s going to move straight out of Barry and Jan’s and straight into Sparks’ arms, despite the fact he bet on their relationship.
But I guess that’s another story, for another day, because right now, I have a shower to crash…
“Zac!” Evie squ
eals, as I step into the shower behind her and wrap my arms around her middle, giving her a surprise.
“I changed my mind, the extra hard workout will be worth it,” I murmur in her ear. And it will be. Everything about Evie is worth it. If I hadn’t found her again, I’d still be the same guy I was before, stressing about the next ten years of my life and how I was going to raise four kids on my own.
At first, I had thought that winning was everything, that control was every thing. But one thing coming second and having my control slip from my life taught me was that there’s something way more important than winning and control. And as mushy as it sounds, it’s love. There’s nothing more important in the world.
THE END
Next in the Drawn to Fight series, Hugo & Meg. Find out more at www.lillianaanderson.com
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