"Oh." He eyed her for a moment before he finally extended his hand. "Nice to meet you." I could tell by the tone of his voice he didn"t like her one bit, probably because I quit because of her. But he held his tongue and wasn"t rude to her.
"You too," she said. "I"m glad Liam has a good guy looking out for him."
"I always got his back." He turned to me. "There"s a lot of money on the table so you better win."
"Thanks," I said sarcastically.
"I"ve been trying to get that Jaguar. If you win this, I can buy that baby in cash."
"Again, thanks," I said sarcastically.
He clapped my back then walked out. "Be ready in five minutes."
"I"m always ready," I said without looking at him.
When he was gone, I returned my focus to my gloves and made sure they were fitted just right.
Keira walked behind me then her small hands were on my bare skin. I tensed at the feel of her hands on my shoulders and back. Then she rubbed her fingers into the muscle, loosening all the knots and aches. My head dipped while I enjoyed the feel of her ma.s.sage. My body was constantly tired and it was nice to be pampered once in a while. After a few minutes, I was so relaxed I forgot about the fight altogether. All I felt were her hands on me.
This was exactly what I wanted, her beside me before a match. Silently, she took care of me and kept the nerves away. Her hands glided across my skin with just the right pressure. Then they moved to the back of my neck.
"Don"t fall asleep," she whispered.
I moaned quietly, telling her I was still awake.
The guys came into the locker room.
"Dude, you"ll never guess who your opponent is-oh, hi, Keira." Bran stopped in his tracks and shut his mouth. Judging the guilty look on his face, I knew he was about to say something she probably shouldn"t know about.
Tony was beside him and he looked away from Keira, his hands in his pockets.
Scotty eyed Bran, wondering what else he would say.
"Who is it?" I asked calmly.
"n.o.body," Bran said with a shrug. He stepped away and averted his gaze. "You need some water, man?"
I gave him a firm look. "Bran, who is it?"
Keira stopped rubbing my back, her hands resting on my shoulders.
"Uh...some loser," he said vaguely.
"You can say anything in front of Keira. I have no secrets from her." I stared him down, waiting for him to come forward.
He eyed her warily then sighed. "It"s Crow..."
I figured I"d run into him eventually. "He"ll lose just like everyone else."
"But he wants to kill you," Bran argued. "I"m sure he"s been prepping for this fight for months."
"I"ve been out of the game for a while, so I doubt it," I argued.
"He still wants to rip your head off," Bran snapped. "He"ll play dirty."
"If he plays dirty, I play dirty." I would never be afraid of anyone else.
"Who"s Crow?" Keira asked.
Bran looked at me, unsure if he wanted to tell the story.
I stood up, letting her fingers fall from my back. I faced her, looking her straight in the eye. "He had a girlfriend a year ago. I met her at a bar, and not realizing she was dating him, I f.u.c.ked her at my place. When he found out what happened, he came after me but I crushed him. Now he wants another piece of me."
Keira didn"t react. Her face was stoic. "If it was a year ago, you think he"s still upset about it?"
Bran nodded. "He was in love with her. He blames Liam for losing her. But, if she cheated on him with Liam, imagine who else she has screwed. That relationship was doomed to fail from the beginning. He just blames Liam because he was caught in the act."
I watched Keira, seeing if she would get upset or lash out at me. She knew about my past. I never hid that from her. It shouldn"t be an issue, but hearing such a vulgar story about the man you love is never easy.
She shrugged. "It doesn"t matter how mad he is. Liam will kick his a.s.s anyway."
I smiled, loving the sound of those words coming out of her mouth.
Bran and Tony exchanged a glance then looked back at me.
Johnny came back into the locker room. "Get your a.s.s out here, Liam."
"He sounds nice," Scotty said.
"Yes, a real sweetheart," Bran added.
"He gets right to the point," I said. "Which is why I like him." I grabbed Keira"s hand and pulled her to my side as he left the locker room. The stands were packed and the aisle was crowded with people. I kept her beside me while I walked forward, ignoring the sound of cheering and clapping. Keira looked around, mesmerized by the excitement.
I finally reached my corner then turned to her. "I have to go."
"Okay." She cupped my face and kissed me, making it long and slow. "I"ll be in the front row."
My hands gripped her hips, bringing them to my pelvis. "That means a lot to me."
"Romeo, save your love ballad for later," Johnny snapped.
I smirked and kept my eyes glued to Keira"s. "I"ll see you when it"s over."
"Okay." She kissed me again. "Whether you win or lose, you"re still my hero."
My eyes softened at her words. "I know."
She released her hands and stepped away. "Good luck."
I watched her join the guys before I climbed into the ring and moved to my corner.
Johnny came to me, turning his back to Crow. "He had surgery on his right arm a few months ago. It seems to be back to normal but it might be a little weak. Hit him hard there."
"I don"t play dirty unless they play dirty first."
He rolled his eyes. "I"m just giving you a tip. Now win, Liam." He patted my shoulder and left the ring.
When I looked at Crow across the ring, he looked like a serial killer. The dark hatred flashed in his eyes. His body was flushed with pumped blood and his muscles were tense. The fury was heavy in every limb. It was pretty clear he wanted to rip me apart piece by piece.
He mouthed words to me. "You"re going to die, motherf.u.c.ker."
I didn"t say anything back. It wasn"t worth my time.
The ref moved to the center of the mat and blew the whistle. "Begin."
My hands were close to my face as I circled him. He bounced on his feet, his gloves under his chin. His eyes searched my body, watching every move I made. The determination was in his eyes. He wasn"t going to leave this ring until he was the victor.
We"ll see about that.
He sprinted at me and aimed a blow directly to my head. I ducked and stepped away, leaving unscratched. He quickly turned around and kicked me right in the quadriceps.
Maybe I underestimated him.
I quickly moved out of the way and faced him.
He didn"t slow down. He launched another attack at me, his fists aiming directly for my jaw. The punch stung and filled my mouth with blood. He already hit me twice in the span of seconds. He really did want to kill me.
The victory was in his eyes. "Looks like Liam isn"t up to par. Maybe that pretty girlfriend of yours is distracting you."
The mention of Keira made my blood boil, which was a very, very stupid thing to do on his part.
"I wonder how she is in the sack...maybe I"ll find out."
A rage descended over my sight. All colors blended together. My fist lashed out and hit him directly in the eye, feeling the brittle crack of his cheekbone. Without giving him a chance to react, I kneed him in the stomach then headed-b.u.t.ted him, making him stumble back. "Mention her again and I"ll kill you where you stand." Spit flew out of my mouth.
"Looks like I hit a nerve." He wiped the blood from his face. "Did you steal her from someone too?" He circled me, waiting for an opening.
"It"s not my fault you couldn"t keep your girl satisfied."
His eyes widened in a blood rage. "f.u.c.ker." He rushed me and made a punch directly into the side of my head. I took the hit and used the opportunity to hit him in the collarbone, making him wince in pain. I hit him again, making him step back.
Blood seeped from his mouth and his eye was starting to bruise. "You aren"t going to win, Liam. And I will inflict as much damage as possible until you go down."
I charged him then twisted his arm back, making him cringe as I stretched his arm at an odd angle. I landed a kick right to his stomach and forced him to lean over. Then I pressed my foot to his a.s.s and kicked him to the ground. He landed with a hard thud.
I stayed on alert, prepared for him to pop back up.
He spit blood then jumped back to his feet. Savage blows were directed at my head. He hit me over and over, making blood spill from my nose. I blocked his. .h.i.t then hit him in the jaw three times. His eyes closed momentarily and the dizziness descended. I knew I had him.
"I"m undefeated for a reason," I hissed. I shoved him to the ground and watched his body collapse. The sound of the crowd cheering played on my ears. I breathed heavily, watching him stay down. The ref came over and started counting. The victory was mine.
The ref blew the whistle, ending the match.
I turned around and headed to my corner, not at all surprised at the outcome of the fight. It was clear he loathed me with every fiber of his being, that he would never forget what I did with Laura, but that wasn"t my problem.
An arm hooked around my neck and began choking me savagely. I was pulled down to the floor then tossed and turned, my cervical spine exposed to injury. I tried to kick him away but it was no use. He had me in a vulnerable position. I couldn"t breathe and I couldn"t fight. He jerked me back and forth, practically snapping my neck.
"Die, you piece of s.h.i.t," he yelled into my ear.
Security rushed onto the stage and dragged him off of me. When I could breathe again, I inhaled a deep breath and coughed my lungs up. I stayed on the floor, my vision still blurry. When I could see again, I blinked my eyes and saw Keira"s face. The concern shined in her eyes but she didn"t touch me.
"Penalty and suspension for Tim Crow," the ref announced over the intercom.
Johnny was by my side. "I"ll make sure he isn"t in the ring for at least three months. That s.h.i.t he just pulled was low."
I wasn"t listening to him.
Keira came closer to me and put her hand over my heart. She didn"t say anything, just reminded me she was there. I finally found my bearings then sat up. She didn"t ask me if I was okay. I was glad she didn"t. The medics rushed up but I dismissed them.
"I"m fine," I said quietly.
Bran came to my side. "Dude, are you alright?"
I was growing irritated by the crowd swarming me. "Give me s.p.a.ce."
Everyone backed up. Keira moved away from me.
"Not you," I snapped.
She flinched then came back to me. Her fingers moved into my hair then ma.s.saged me.
I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of her touch. It calmed me down.
"I"m glad you"re okay," she whispered.
"That guy is a coward," I muttered.
"I saw that." She came closer to me then kissed my forehead. "Can I get you anything?"
"No."
She stood up then extended a hand to help me to my feet. I took it but used my own strength to stand up.
"Are you sure you don"t want to see a doctor?" Johnny asked.
"I"m fine," I snapped. I put my arm around Keira then led her out of the ring. The crowd booed Crow because he was a worthless excuse for a man, and they cheered for me as I walked back to the locker room.
"Your check," Keira reminded me.