“More,” Jude says flatly.
“How much?”
“Five hundred grand.”
That’s insulting. “I’m not throwin’ a fight, Jude, no fuckin’ way.”
“No one’s askin’ you too, man. Calm the fuck down.”
“This won’t go past one round,” I spit.
“Salvation, you can anticipate every move and punch he’ll throw, give us at least five rounds before this guy is picking his teeth from your knuckles.”
I follow Jude closer to the crowd and Ridge slaps me on the back. Lux simply stands next to Ridge and says nothing. The look on his face is stoic, impassive. Lux gives nothing away, ever. I’ll give this guy a few cheap shots before I lay him out cold and not feel the least bit sorry for it.
I climb through the fence and Jude seals it shut, giving us the go ahead. Somewhere among the crowd a bell rings. Immediately, the spectators begin yelling and heckling. There are no ring announcements listing off our skills or chicks in bikinis with cardboard above their heads informing the onlookers of what round this is, it’s just good old-fashioned fighting.
I bump knuckles with my opponent who thinks he’s already won, and we square off, staring one another down. We circle each other a few times before he throws the first punch. I let the dick have it, but dodge the next two, taking my turn to pop him in the face. My upper cut right to his chin has him tripping backward, but he shakes it off.
He takes a lunge at me, hitting me in the side of the head; it rattles my vision for a few seconds and I come back hard with a hit to his jaw. He stumbles and falls, but immediately pops back up like one of those tire commercial Gumby things. He charges me and throws his shoulder into my stomach. I grunt as I take the hit. The force sends me backward and I land on my back, giving the fucker enough time to jump on top of me. His knees press into my shoulders as he throws punch after punch into my sides. I lift my legs, crossing my feet at the ankles; pushing them against the dude’s chest to get him off of me.
I laugh internally because in his mind, he thinks he’s winning, but all I’m doing is waiting for him to get tired. His thoughts are hysterical and it’s difficult not to laugh out loud. I’m gonna draw first blood. He won’t get back up. If he keeps throwing punches like he’s trying to stop an asteroid from hitting Earth, he’s gonna get tired. I know this arrogant ass will definitely lose the steam behind his punches and go down like a cement block. Guys like this one, try to take out their opponent hard and fast and end up tiring out before the second round. They take swings like they’re expecting to get laid after this but always end up leaving on a gurney instead.
For four rounds we trade punches. Blood smears through the wrapping on my knuckles when my left fist collides with the guy’s mouth. First blood’s been drawn by my hands, which is how it usually happens, and now I’m going in for the knockout. I can tell he’s tired. When he runs at me one more time, I grab him around the neck, locking him to me with my forearm, and take shot after shot at his face. When he stops moving in my grasp, I loosen my grip, letting him fall face first onto the canvas.
Jude begins the ten-count outside the fence and that damn bell rings, signaling the end of the fight and me the winner. Let’s be honest, was there ever any doubt? I push the fence open, stepping out into a sea of people hitting me and congratulating me.
A bald dude extends his hand to me and I shake it firmly. “Nice job.” He hands me a stack of rubber-banded bills, nods to Lux, and strides off back to the party. I have no idea who the dude is, and I don’t care. I’m now two hundred thousand dollars richer than I was this morning, but instead of keeping the money, I hand it to Lux.
“Here, bro,” I say, laying the bills in his hand.
“No, Salvation, this is yours, you earned it.”
“No, man, the club earned it. Put it in as part of the treasury.”
Lux takes the money from me, cramming it into the pockets of his kutte and jeans. “If you need this, you let me know. When do you plan on headin’ out to find this woman who’s been on your mind for these last few weeks?”
I wipe the sweat from my face, unwinding the tape from my hands. I shrug casually, not really knowing the answer to his question. “Next few days, I guess. Her voice is getting louder.”
“How do you know this isn’t a trap for somethin’, Salvation?” Ridge asks, following Lux and I to a picnic table so we can sit down.
Andi brings over a few beers and takes a seat on Ridge’s lap.
“I don’t know if it’s a trap or not, but her voice is so damn loud now. I’m not sleeping at night anymore, and the inside of my head has never been so noisy. She’s all I hear. I can feel all of her too, bro.”
“How you plan on gettin’ to wherever it is you’re headed?” Lux asks.
“I’ll take the Harley as far as I can, and when I get as far as I’m able, I’ll phase and go the rest of the way.”
“You find her and bring her back but watch your six.”
“Always.”
“Come on, guys, let’s party,” Jude says raising his beer bottle in the air before taking a long drink.
I’m not really in the mood for a party, all I want to do is get out of here, but I sit around and talk shit with my club. I’m not really sure what the party is for, but it’s always a damn
