I barely registered the surprised reaction of the people around me as I walked out of the ring. Alex was at my side, and he wordlessly handed me a bottle of beer. I took a swig, savoring the cold liquid as it slid down my throat.
“Are you okay?” Alex was eyeing my lip, and I wondered just how bad it looked.
“I’ll live.”
“And you’re lucky for that. That guy was a monster.”
“I think he prefers to be called a beast.”
“How can you make jokes after such a brutal fight?”
I shrugged. The truth was, I felt great. My adrenaline was still pumping, and I had let out some of my ever-present anger. Street fighting was a hell of an outlet.
“Let’s pick up my money and head to the Blue Dog,” I said. “I could use about five more of these.”
I held up the beer bottle, then took another big swallow.
Alex didn’t say anything else about the fight, but I knew that he had something on his mind. Everyone was starting to leave, with the few winners making their way to Luca’s man, Gino, who handled the betting. I went to Luca first, collecting my winnings.
“I gotta say, you surprised me out there,” he said while chewing on a toothpick and counting out my payment in twenty-dollar bills. “I can count on one hand the number of times someone has taken down The Beast.”
“Yeah, well, don’t be afraid to take a chance on the underdog next time,” I advised.
I only got a grunt in response. Alex and I collected the money we won, and I pulled my black t-shirt back on, as well as my black leather jacket. Then, I tossed my empty beer bottle in a trash barrel on my way out the door.
The night air was crisp, as it had gotten colder when the sun went down. It was springtime, and the trees were just starting to get their leaves back.
“You wanna tell me what’s on your mind?” I asked as we got into Alex’s pickup truck. It was one of the nicest vehicles in the parking lot.
Alex worked as the foreman for a commercial construction company in nearby Trotter Beach, so he made good money, and it showed in his choice of vehicle. He was lucky no one broke into the thing in this neighborhood.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked, looking at me with tired eyes.
“The fighting?”
I leaned back against the leather seat and felt my aching ribs. They hurt, but I was pretty sure none of them were cracked.
“Yes, the fighting,” Alex responded impatiently. “Don’t you see how dangerous this shit is? What if the big bastard had knocked you down, fracturing your skull on the concrete? Do you think your friends in there would have called an ambulance for you?”
No.
“I don’t have friends in there.” I shot him a smile. “That’s why I brought you.”
He didn’t look amused. “Yeah, well, it’s a one and done for me. I know you’re really fighting your own demons, but there’s got to be a healthier way to do that.”
I shook my head and looked out the window. There was a long moment of silence between us, but I eventually broke it.
“What the hell would you have me do? Go to some headshrinker?”
The idea was laughable. I wasn’t the sharing type, especially with some stranger. The fighting worked for me. I didn’t need to talk about my damn feelings.
“I think they prefer the term therapist.”
Alex pulled into the parking lot of the Blue Dog, and I was eager to get inside the bar. Even this conversation with Alex hadn’t brought me down from the high of winning, and I wanted to enjoy it. The Outlaw Souls were inside, and as a prospective member of the motorcycle club, I belonged among them. I stepped out of the truck, but when I turned to close the door, I saw that Alex hadn’t moved.
“You’re not coming?”
He shook his head. “I’m not in the mood tonight. Get one of your biker friends to give you a ride home.”
