I shook my head. “I’m not looking for a clean fight.”
“Oh shit! That’s Luke Skullcrusher McConnell,” someone from the audience yelled, causing the rest of the onlookers to reply with a series ofoh shitsandwows.
I ignored the audience.
“You heard it, Skullcrusher. Your rep’s on the line now,” Buddy taunted.
“I’ve got no problems taking down a washed up NFA fighter tonight,” Tiny charged.
Heat filled my belly at the sound of his laughter. I glared at Buddy, willing him to get whatever announcement he needed to make over with, so I could wipe the floor with this motherfucker.
“Listen up, you know the rules, Tiny. Skullcrusher, down here, we only have one rule. No hitting in the face, unless a son of a bitch absolutely deserves it. Then all bets are off. Everything else is basically a free for all.” Buddy turned to Tiny. “You ready?”
He nodded while intently staring at me.
I returned the favor.
“McConnell?”
“Ready.”
“Fight,” Buddy yelled before leaping out of the way, allowing Tiny and I to move in closer.
He took a few bullshit swings at me, which I was easily able to dodge and move out of the way. As he moved, I took in his speed, which hand he let dominate his movements, mobility issues he had. All of this gave me insight into the ways in which I could easily and quickly overpower him.
The first blow I was able to land was a sidekick to his knees, forcing him down to a kneeling position. Then, I rained a series of hooks and jabs to both sides of his body, landing in his ribs. Unfortunately, I got sloppy and he recovered quicker than I thought, landing his own punch to my right side. I’d been working on my balance and coordination with Syd, and when I stumbled, instead of falling, I merely took a few steps back.
“That’s all you got, you fucking pussy?” I challenged.
He made a deep noise at the back of his throat before charging me, obviously pissed.
That was when I side-stepped him and pushed him from behind, sending him into the ropes, but I didn’t back off there. From behind, I grabbed him by the throat, forcing him down to his knees again. I struggled to get my arm firmly around his throat from behind, to effectively put him in a headlock. He wasn’t in the mood to go down easily.
He was able to break free of that hold by twisting my arm around. He had me by the arm, an effective arm lock, but I was no stranger to this move. Nor was I a pussy about to give up this fight.
Instead of giving in like he’d expected apparently, I stepped one foot up on the corner poles that held the ropes together and used the momentum to propel my body into a backflip. Thereby twisting my arm around so it was right sided again. At the same time, Tiny lost the hold he had on my arm and let it go, allowing me to maneuver.
As soon as I landed on two feet, I sent a jab to the center of his chest and then a right hook to his left ribs. The howl of pain he let out, let me know this was his sensitive spot. So instead of letting up, I kept going—another sidekick landed at those same ribs.
Tiny grunted and barked in pain, but he didn’t quit. Which, if nothing else, I could respect an opponent who’d fight until the end. We kept at it, blow for blow. When Tiny got pissed, he took a swing at my face. That made me laugh out loud, right in the middle of the ring. My cockiness earned me an actual blow to the face when he swung again, landing a hook to my jaw. As soon as it landed, I felt the blood start to fill the inside of my cheek.
“Motherfucker.” I spit the blood out onto the floor of the ring, before charging Tiny. The taste of my own blood propelled me. I side-swiped Tiny’s leg, plunging that behemoth to the ground before landing on top of him and wailing on his ass. He tried to counter but it was useless. All I saw was red until I felt hands pulling me off.
“Get the hell off of me,” I snarled, still wanting to take my pound of flesh.
But as I was pulled off, Tiny stood, breathing hard and staring across the ring at me. A cut from over his eyebrow caused blood to trickle down the side of his face.
“You’re done, McConnell. Good fight.”
I turned to see the guy known as Buddy giving me a hard glare. His eyes were telling me it was finished. And though, tension still moved through my veins, I knew this fight was over.
I nodded. “Who’s next?” I challenged, looking around.
Buddy’s eyebrows raised briefly. “You want to go again?”
I nodded. “That’s what the hell I came here for. To fight.” That and to forget the woman at the hotel I stayed at. If I was down there fighting, I wouldn’t be in close proximity to her. That was exactly what I needed.
Buddy shrugged. “It’s your career on the line. Who wants a chance to take on NFA’s own Luke Skullcrusher McConnell?” He looked out to the audience, questioning.
