Walking Disaster

“Be smart!” Shepley yelled.

I leaned over to whisper in Brock’s ear. “I just want you to know I’m a big fan, even though you’re kind of a prick and a cheat. So don’t take it personally when you get KTFO’d tonight.”

Brock’s square jaws worked violently under the skin, and his eyes lit up—not with anger, but with stunned confusion.

“Be smart, Travis!” Shepley yelled again, seeing the look in my eyes.

The bell sounded, and I immediately attacked. Using every bit of force, I let the same fury free that I’d unleashed on Benny’s goons.

Brock stumbled backward, trying to position himself to guard or kick me, but I gave him no time, using both of my fists to run him into the ground.

It was an extraordinary release not to hold back. Relishing the pure adrenaline ripping through me, I forgot myself, and Brock dodged my blow, coming back with a right hook. His throws had a lot more bite than the amateurs I went up against at school—and it was f**king awesome. Fighting Brock brought back memories of some of the more serious disagreements I’d had with my brothers, when words escalated to an ass whipping.

I felt right at home trading punches with Brock; in that moment, my rage had a purpose and a place.

Each time Brock’s fists landed a blow, it only served to amp up my adrenaline, and I could feel my already powerful punches picking up more steam.

He tried to wrestled me to the ground, but I planted my feet in a squatlike position, stabilizing myself against his desperate movements to throw me off balance. While he thrashed around, my clenched hand made contact with his head, ears, and temple numerous times.

The once white tape around my knuckles was now crimson, but I felt no pain, only the sheer pleasure of unleashing every negative emotion that had weighed me down for so long. I remembered how relaxing it felt to beat the hell out of Benny’s men. Win or lose, I looked forward to what kind of person I would be after this fight.

The referee, Shepley, and Brock’s trainer surrounded me, pulling me off of my opponent.

“Bell, Travis! Stop!” Shepley said.

Shepley dragged me to one corner, and Brock was pulled to the other. I turned to look at Abby. She was wringing her hands together, but her wide smile told me she was okay. I winked at her, and she blew me a kiss. The gesture reenergized me, and I returned to the middle of the cage with renewed determination.

Once the bell rang, I attacked again, this time taking more care to dodge just as many times as I threw a punch. Once or twice, Brock wrapped his arms around me, breathing hard, and tried to bite me or knee me in the balls. I’d just push him off and hit him harder.

In the third round, Brock stumbled, swung or kicked and missed. He was running out of steam fast. Feeling winded myself, I was taking more breaks between swings. The adrenaline that had once surged through my body felt tapped out, and my head was beginning to pound.

Brock landed a punch, and then another. I blocked a third, and then, ready for it to end, went in for the kill. With my remaining strength, I dodged Brock’s knee and then swung around, planting my elbow straight into his nose. His head flew back, looking straight upward, he took a few steps, and then fell to the ground.

The noise from the crowd was deafening, but I could only hear one voice.

“Oh my God! Yes! Yay, baby!” Abby screamed.

The referee checked Brock, and then walked over to me, lifting my hand. Shepley, America, and Abby were all let into the cage, and they swarmed me. I picked up Abby and planted my lips on hers.

“You did it,” she said, cupping my face in her hands.

The celebration was cut short when Benny and a fresh batch of bodyguards entered the cage. I set Abby on her feet, and took a defensive stance in front of her.

Benny was all smiles. “Well done, Maddox. You saved the day. If you have a minute, I’d like to talk to you.”

I looked back at Abby, who grabbed my hand. “It’s okay. I’ll meet you at that door,” I said, nodding to the closest door, “in ten minutes.”

“Ten?” she asked with worry in her eyes.

“Ten,” I said, kissing her forehead. I looked to Shepley. “Keep an eye on the girls.”

“I think maybe I should go with you.”

I leaned into Shepley’s ear. “If they want to kill us, Shepley, there’s not much we can do about it. I think Benny has something else in mind.” I leaned back and slapped his arm. “I’ll see you in ten.”

“Not eleven. Not fifteen. Ten,” Shepley said, pulling a reluctant Abby away.

I followed Benny to the same room I had waited in before the fight. To my surprise, he made his men wait outside.

He held out his hands, gesturing to the room. “I thought this would be better. So you could see that I’m not always this . . . bad man that maybe I’m made out to be.”

His body language and tone were relaxed, but I kept my ears and eyes open for any surprises.

Benny smiled. “I have a proposition for you, son.”

“I’m not your son.”

“True,” he conceded. “But after I offer you a hundred and fifty grand a fight, I think you might want to be.”

“What fights?” I asked. I figured he would try to say that Abby still owed him. I had no clue he’d try to offer me a job.

“You are obviously a very vicious, very talented young man. You belong in that cage. I can make that happen . . . and I can also make you a very rich man.”

“I’m listening.”

Benny grinned wider. “I’ll schedule one fight a month.”

“I’m still in college.”

He shrugged. “We’ll schedule around it. I’ll fly you out, and Abby if you wish, first class, on weekends, if that’s what you want. Making money like this, though, you might want to put a hold on the college education.”

“Six figures a fight?” I did the math, trying not to let my surprise show. “To fight and what else?”

“That’s it, kid. Just fight. Make me money.”

“Just fight . . . and I can quit when I want.”

He smiled. “Well, sure, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. You love it. I saw you. You were drunk with it, in that cage.”

I stood there for a moment, mulling over his offer. “I’ll think about it. Let me talk to Abby.”

“Fair enough.”

I SET OUR SUITCASES ON THE BED AND COLLAPSED BESIDE them. I’d mentioned Benny’s offer to Abby, but she wasn’t receptive at all. Then the plane ride home was a little tense, so I decided to leave it alone until we got home.

Abby was drying off Toto after giving him a bath. He’d been staying with Brazil, and she was revolted with the way he smelled.

“Oh! You smell so much better!” She giggled as he shook, spraying water all over her and the floor. He stood up on his hind legs, covering her face with tiny puppy kisses. “I missed you, too, little man.”

“Pigeon?” I asked, nervously knotting my fingers together.

“Yeah?” she said, rubbing Toto with the yellow towel in her hands.

“I wanna do this. I want to fight in Vegas.”

“No,” she said, smiling at Toto’s happy face.

“You’re not listening. I’m gonna do it. You’ll see in a few months that it was the right decision.”

She looked up at me. “You’re going to work for Benny.”

I nodded nervously and then smiled. “I just wanna take care of you, Pidge.”