“Bash McDaniels, you said?”
I gave him a curt nod. Judging by his accent, he wasn’t new in town, which meant my initial assessment was right. He knew who I was. The fighting community was small and the McDaniels boys were largely thought to be up-and-comers. The only question was whether he was a take-the-initiative kind of guy who would see this as an opportunity to impress his boss, or a mindless grunt…a worker bee who’d been given his orders and would stick to them no matter what the circumstance.
A tense moment passed before fake-Thor surprised me and snatched the cell phone off his hip. He punched out a quick text and then we waited in silence. Less than a minute later, his phone chimed and he peered down at it.
He pushed open one of the metal doors and jerked his head toward the left. “Down that hall, third door on your right.”
A hot dump of adrenaline coursed through me but I kept my cool, thanked him, and stepped inside.
The place smelled antiseptic, which I knew was a short-lived state. In the next few hours, the stench of sweat and blood and desperation would drown that out completely.
I followed the long, dark hallway to the closed door I’d been sent to, and knocked twice. It opened a second later and four men—all packing, unconcealed—stood, blocking my entry.
A smallish guy with a hollow-looking face and sad eyes stepped forward and patted me down from shoulders to ankles. I wondered briefly if he was the one Liv had dubbed Shorty, but then pushed the thought aside. If I let that thought simmer, I’d be too busy wanting to kill him for threatening my brother, my girl, and my gym to do what I needed to do.
Charm Mickey Flynn into letting me fight tonight.
“Bash McDaniels. To what do I owe this pleasure?” a jovial voice boomed from behind the wall of men blocking the back half of the cramped office. I waited until they parted to make room for me before I answered.
“I hoped you could spare a few minutes to talk to me.”
I’d seen Mick a few times before around town in person, and a few other times on the news, but I’d never seen him up this close. He was younger than I’d thought. Somewhere in his early forties, and his green eyes sparkled, like he had a secret and he’d never tell it. He wore a dapper gray suit that was totally out of place for the gritty, industrial environment and even more so for the brutal entertainment scheduled for the night.
“Sure thing, kid. Boys?” He motioned for them to go, but one—the biggest one—didn’t move. “Pete stays with me. You understand, given the situation, I can’t be too careful.”
Right. Because that was the big plan. When those guys closed the door, I was going to jump over the desk and kill their boss with my bare hands, then miraculously walk out of the room without being gunned down and taking enough lead to look like a slice of swiss cheese.
What did he think this was, a Vin Diesel movie? But I nodded. “Sure. Of course.”
He motioned for me to sit, but I stayed on my feet. This would be a very short conversation. No point in getting comfortable.
“I want to fight tonight.”
He steepled his fingers together and rocked back on his chair, unable to hide his satisfaction. Satisfaction that was immediately replaced with excitement. His eyes went even brighter as he leaned forward and put his elbows on the scarred desktop.
“Tonight? Here?”
I folded my arms over my chest and held his gaze. “Yep.”
“You realize this isn’t boxing, don’t you, kid? This is bare-knuckle, balls-out street fighting. There’s no throwing in the towel unless you’re knocked out or half-dead. No rules.”
He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know, and I nodded.
“Right.”
“What makes you think you have what it takes to give my audience a good show? Because that’s what this is about, Bash. The betting is what’s important to me. That’s my business. But the fans?” He shrugged and shook his head. “Ninety percent of them don’t give a shit about the money. It’s what they would’ve spent on booze and blow for the night. They want to see a show. They don’t want to see two guys prancing around the ring. They want to see blood.”
I didn’t hesitate. “I spent half my life in the ring and the other half on the street fighting. I got the goods.”
He nodded slowly. “And I’m guessing you want to post the purse for this fight against your brother’s debt?”
The word debt made my jaw clench, because we all knew full well this wasn’t a real debt. This was a flat-out shakedown, pure and simple. Part of me even wondered if this hadn’t been in the back of Mickey’s mind all along. To get us under his thumb so one of us would come to his little underground fight club and climb into the ring.
But I couldn’t think about that right now. I had to play the game.
“That’s the plan,” I said with a grim nod.
“The main event usually pays two grand to the loser, eight to the winner, but that’s for guys who have a long-standing track record here at the club. Guys who have worked their way up and earned the slot.”
His eyes went crafty and I knew he was about to bend me over a barrel. I steeled myself for penetration.
“I’m sure your name will generate some interest, but without a chance to promote it, I’m not sure how much it’s going to affect my bottom line. Here’s what I can do. I can guarantee you twenty-five hundred, even if you lose. Over and above that, we’ll play it by ear. If you win, I’ll add another twenty-five hundred, minimum. If my numbers look good and the crowd likes you? I’ll see about the rest.”
I pretended to consider his offer long and hard but we both knew I had no choice.
“If that’s the best you can do, I guess I’ll take it.”
He bared his teeth in a shark’s grin and banged the desk with his palm.
“Excellent.” He turned to his muscle. “Pete, tell the girls in the betting cage to pull Leo Stewart from the feature fight and add Bash’s name to the card. Tell Leo I’ll pay him five hundred cash for his trouble and he can have the same spot next week. If he bitches, tell him to fuck off.”
I said a quick, silent apology to whoever Leo Stewart was for getting him bumped from the card. Hopefully the five hundred would be a good enough consolation prize. It sucked, but I had to worry about my own situation first and foremost. And who knew? Maybe he’d be glad for a paid night off from getting pummeled in the ring.
“The boys will show you around, set you up in back with some shorts, and tape you up. You can come out front and watch the first few bouts if you want to. It pumps some guys up. Others?” He threw up a hand. “Not so much.”
The pack of thugs led me from the room and back down the long corridor. I was relieved that the first part was over. Getting in was half the battle, albeit the much less dangerous half.
Now I had to settle in for the wait.
I followed along in silence, taking in my surroundings, getting the lay of the land while also trying to dial back the adrenaline. To get Zen and stay calm, because in two hours, give or take, I was up.
Five rounds.
No rules.
I was going to need every ounce of energy if I wanted to walk out a winner tonight.
…If I got to walk out at all.
Stay tuned for the final book in Bash and Olivia’s story, coming May 20th
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About The Author
Christine Bell is the USA Bestselling Author of Adult and New Adult contemporary romance novels. She and her handsome hubby currently reside in Pennsylvania with a four-pack of teenage boys and their two dogs, Gimli and Pug. If she gets time off from her duties as maid, chef, chauffeur, or therapist, she can be found reading just about anything she can get her hands on, from Young Adult novels to books on poker theory. She doesn’t like root beer, clowns or bugs (exce
pt ladybugs, on account of their cute outfits), but lurrves chocolate, going to the movies, the New York Giants and playing Texas Hold 'Em.
Writing is her passion, but if she had to pick another occupation, she would be a pirate...or, like, a ninja maybe. She loves writing romance, but also hopes to one day publish something her dad can read without wanting to dig his eyes out with rusty spoons.
Christine loves to hear from readers, so please feel free to get in touch with her via her website contact page, on her Facebook page, or on Twitter@_ChristineBell
Other Works By Christine Bell
The McDaniels Brothers Series
Fix You: Bash and Olivia, Book One
Dare Me Series
Down on her Knees
Down the Aisle
Down and Dirty
Down for the Count
For Hire Series
Guardian for Hire
Wife for Hire
Dirty Trick
White Lie Christmas (with author Riley Murphy)
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale
YA Books by Christine Bell writing as Christine O’Neil
Chaos
Table of Contents
Copyrights
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
About The Author
Other Works By Christine Bell
Fix You: Bash and Olivia, Book 2 of 3 (McDaniels Brothers) Page 7
