My heart sank, knowing that couldn’t be a good thing. “Go on, then.”
“There will be a fight in Seattle, one week from today. It’s a small affair, but a sentimental one. Mr. Frisk will be in town, and he has some business acquaintances he would like to entertain. He remembers your animal passions quite well and feels you would provide the perfect entertainment for the night. Show up, win the battle, and your debt will be forgiven.”
I gripped the neck of the bottle in my hand, torn over whether I wanted to chug it down or smash it over his head. I could probably get the guys out of the motel and on their way back home before he woke up from the attack. Considering how thoroughly I had beaten down the last guy, though, I could only assume there were a few more of his colleagues waiting off to the side as reinforcements.
“Why would I go into a basement with a guy who already tried to have me beaten up? It would be like walking into the lion’s mouth.”
The man scoffed, clicking his tongue in mock disappointment. “Surely, Brick, you can see an opportunity when it is presented. You’re still one of the best fighters we’ve ever seen. It’s one match, and you’ll walk away with your debt repaid and your sins forgiven. Considering the alternative, it seems like a very fair deal.”
“The alternative?”
The man laced his fingers together, then folded them out, his knuckles cracking and popping one at a time. “If I can find you here, Brick, we can find you anywhere.” He reached into his breast pocket, and I nearly lunged at him, expecting a gun or a knife to emerge. My muscles relaxed slightly when he pulled out a business card instead, placing it in my hand.
“The location and other details are on the back. I trust we’ll be seeing you soon. And Brick?”
I looked down to the card, then back up to him. “What?” I snarled.
“I strongly advise that you win the fight. The penalty for losing is almost as bad as the punishment for trying to run away like a coward again. See you next weekend.”
He stepped back after saying it, and a black SUV drove up, swooping him away. I fingered the card in my hand for a minute, reading over the address and time until I finally realized it was all real.
It was a crock of shit, that was for sure, and I knew I didn’t owe those men a damn thing. But the game wasn’t about who you owed or what was fair. All that mattered was strength and power, and I was backed into a damn corner.
At least I knew one thing for certain. If I was going to have to show up for one last fight, I intended to win it.
