I deepened my frown. “You’re fired.” I turned taking another step for my car.
She sucked her teeth and ran to get in between me and my vehicle. “You can’t fire me. We have a contract, remember? Anyway, today’s session went well.”
“How the hell do you figure that?”
“It gave me more insight into the key areas you’re lacking and what we need to work on. Your left leg’s weaker than your right. Your right shoulder is more dominant than your left, which means when you go to the ground, you’ll want to favor a particular side.”
“You got all that from a one hour dance lesson or did you just read my fucking bio and find out I had a torn ACL in my left leg a few years back and a jammed shoulder two years ago?”
“Both, honestly. Dancing is going to teach you how to move with the confines of your body to fight better.”
“I already know how to fight,” I yelled, and ran my hand through my hair.
“You know how to fight but you’ve forgotten how to win.”
I blinked.
Syd moved closer. “I didn’t pluck this out of my ass, Luke. I’ve studied you and I’ve studied Rodriguez. He knows what he’s doing and yeah, you can stand with the best of them, but you get sloppy. You rely too heavily on your old skill set. And I can promise you, as much as you might be watching and studying Rodriguez, he’s doing the same to you. He’ll know your game inside and out. You need something new. You’ve gotten stale.”
I snorted and narrowed my eyes.
“You know it’s true. It’s why so many of your fights have gone to shit, lately. You’re a good fighter. But don’t rely on your past to get you to the next level. You’re letting the fact that you’re good get in the way of you being great. Get out of your own way, Luke.”
Glancing up and around the parking lot, I pressed the button to unlock my car door.
My heart hammered in my chest and I refused to look her in the eyes. I didn’t know what the hell she said that stirred something deep inside me, but I knew I didn’t like it.
“Move,” I said.
Syd stepped out of my way without another word. She stood there staring at me as I climbed in my car and pulled out of the parking lot.
Chapter 7
The Peach Pit
Luke
“What are we doing here?” Lenny asked as I approached his seat at the bar.
We were at a local sports bar.
“I needed a drink after training,” I said, waving the bartender over, taking my seat on the stool next to Lenny.
“You don’t drink during training. And I thought you were only doing your early morning training with Syd still.”
“I am.” I went to say more but a feminine giggle behind me plucked at my last nerve. Glancing over my shoulder, I caught sight of a bleach blonde giving fuck me eyes to a dude seated two stools down from me.
She peered up and caught her gaze with mine. She winked at me over dude’s shoulder. He turned around and leveled a look at me.
“Sean, I’m trying to tell you about my day,” she whined, turning his face back to hers with her hand. Her high-pitched voice grated my insides, like nails on a chalkboard.
I shivered and turned back to Lenny. “What were you saying?” I quickly held up my hand to Lenny when the bartender approached. “Two beers and a Coke. With lemon.”
“I asked about your training,” Lenny continued once the bartender left. “And what are the two beers for if you’re not drinking?”
“Training’s whatever. And beers are for you.” Smirking as the bartender placed my drink order on the bar, I pushed the bottles in Len’s direction before taking a sip of my soda.
He looked at the beers and then back to me before shrugging. “Whatever. How is it working out with Syd? Is she holding up as your trainer?”
