Chapter 31

thirty-one

. . .

Romeo

I was ready.

I had my boys beside me.

My coach and my trainer were with me.

And my girl was in the audience.

I thought I’d be pissed that she was there, but I wasn’t at all.

She was stubborn and full of fire, and that was one of the things that I loved about her.

I was glad that Leo hadn’t been behind what happened, but it didn’t change the way I felt about getting into the ring. Leo had pushed for this fight, and he’d dragged my name and Demi’s name and the people that I loved through the mud.

I’d kept my head down.

I’d done the work.

I may not have had control of how tough Leo Burns was, but I was not going down without a fight.

I knew that I had the heart to go further than everyone thought. Leo had claimed I’d go down in round one.

The Las Vegas books had given me three rounds max.

Other fighters and sportscasters had agreed with that.

But I planned to stay standing for longer than that.

I’d trained to go longer than that.

“You ready, brother?” Lincoln asked as we waited inside the tunnel to be introduced.

I’d never experienced anything close to the magnitude of this fight. I glanced out to see a packed arena, and I nodded. “I’m ready.”

I’d wondered for months what this would be like. If Leo had been right and one punch would do me in. But standing here, taking it all in—I was going to try like hell to take the punches he threw at me.

“Damn straight. You’ve got this. We’re here. Everyone is rooting for you, brother,” River said as he bumped me with his shoulder.

“Ride or die. Brothers till the end. Loyalty always. Forever my friend.” Kingston clapped me on the shoulder.

I nodded, and Joey shook his head and laughed. “Your dad is watching you right now, and he’s probably shitting himself that you got yourself into this mess, but if anyone can handle it, it’s you.”

The announcer took to the mic. Most of what he said was a blur, but the crowd roared, and a big spotlight shone down on me.

“Let’s hear it for Magnolia Falls’ Golden Boy, Romeo Kniiiiiiiggghhhttt.” He really stretched out my last name, and I started walking forward with all the guys surrounding me, almost like a shield.

We made our way toward the ring, and I heard Kingston laughing his ass off from behind me. It was overwhelming, the crowd, the cheers, the support. I climbed into the ring and glanced over, catching Demi in my peripheral vision.

Like a bee to honey, in a sea of people, my gaze always found hers.

Just a moment in time that said all I needed to know.

She was right there in my corner.

All that I needed.

I held my hand up and waved as people continued to cheer.

And then the announcer asked everyone to quiet down and get ready for the contender, who had a shit ton more accolades than I did. He’d held this belt eighteen months ago before losing it to Gunner Waverly six months ago.

He had a record of 32-1. Much more impressive than mine. I’d had one professional fight, and I’d beaten the one guy that he’d lost to.

What are the fucking chances?

“Leo ‘The Flamethrower’ Burrrrrrns!” he shouted into the mic, and the crowd cheered in response, along with an equal amount of booing.

Leo had an entourage that was three times the size of mine, and he came walking in with all the confidence in the world.

I’d expected nothing less.

He danced around in his corner, trying to get the crowd riled up before we were both called to the center. We stood close enough that our foreheads nearly touched. His smug look irritated the fuck out of me, but my stomach was also wrenching with nerves at the same time.

I am not going down in the first round.

Not after all the work I’d done. I wanted to wipe that cocky smirk right off his face. Three minutes to remain standing. I could do this.

One round at a time.

He leaned closer to my ear, and I remained perfectly still. “Didn’t touch your girl. It’s not my style.”

When he pulled back, my eyes locked with his. “I know.”

“But I’m still going to knock you out in round one.”

Not happening.

But I didn’t respond. I backed away. Unlike Leo, I would let my skill do the talking. I was focused on staying on my feet. Protecting my head and my eyes and my body. Staying in one fucking piece and fighting smart.

I wanted to get some hits in on him. Let him feel my wrath for once.

We moved to our respective corners, and I sat on the bench placed there for me while Joey shouted a few things at me and Butch shoved the mouthpiece into my mouth.

River, Kingston, Hayes, and Nash were all standing in my corner, right outside the ring.

“Protect your face. He’s going to come out with a fury, so be smart. He thinks this is a one-round fight. You’re here for the long game.” Joey clapped me on the shoulder before stepping out of the ring.

I kneeled down and said a quick prayer, making every effort to settle my nerves.

The sound of the bell had me moving toward the center of the ring just as Leo charged me.

Fast and furious, just as we’d predicted.

I stayed calm. I’d prepared for this. The first hit clipped the bottom of my jaw and stunned me a bit, but I adjusted.

I kept control of my movements. My feet steady, as he continued to swing. He must have fired off twelve shots, but he only landed two that I felt.

The second was a shot to my ribs that hit me with a jolt.

But I’d been hit so many times over the last few months in that exact spot that my body weathered it. When he paused and his steps faltered a bit, I used that as my opening. My left hook landed right where I wanted it to, square in the face, ringing his bell just enough to let him know that he wasn’t the only one in this fight.

He shook it off and then started with the antics that I’d expected. He tapped me on top of the head with his glove and danced around like a clown.

The noise from the crowd was deafening, but I stayed focused on Leo.

He lunged forward, landing an uppercut to my body, followed by a powerful hit to the side of my head.

And holy shit—I fucking felt it.

I stumbled a bit, falling back onto the ropes and trying to steady my feet. And he pounced. Came at me and tossed me into the corner, firing off at least a dozen hits to my body and head. I kept my arms up and took the hits, just as the bell rang.

Thank fucking God.

One round.

I’d survived.

I was on my feet.

The ref pulled him back, and he held his hands up and turned to the crowd to get them riled. He was shouting something at me, but I couldn’t make it out. Joey pulled me to the corner and pushed me down to sit on the stool.

Butch was squeezing water into my mouth, and the guys were all clapping me on the shoulder.

“One down. Eleven to go,” Joey said. “How do you feel?”

“Like I just got punched hard in the head and body multiple times.”

Laughter floated around me, and I let out a few quick breaths.

“You’re still standing, kid. You’re here with one of the best fighters of your time, and you just went one round with him, and you look good.”

“Stay calm, Romeo,” River said as he leaned in close to my ear. “It’s going to get in his head that you just withstood that. Stay the course, brother.”

I nodded and clapped my gloves together.

I was ready for more.

I pushed to my feet, and when the bell rang this time, I was moving faster than I had the last time. He was older than me, so he’d tire quicker. He was used to knocking guys out early, and I was going to test that. The longer I made it, the more it would fuck with his head.

Stay present. Focus.

I threw the first punch, which rattled him a bit. He responded like a clown because the man was all about the show. He wound his arm up, egging on the crowd, and then came at me.

Hard.

He connected with the side of my head, and my ear stung like a bitch. I put my chin down and moved, following his pace. And this time when he came at me, I ducked and lunged at him, getting in multiple shots to his body.

And that was the moment that it felt like the fight officially started.

Round two was like nothing I’d ever experienced. We traded hits over and over.

The body. The head. The face.

And when the bell rang, I wasn’t in any hurry to get back to my corner, and neither was he. The ref had to tear us apart, and Leo was shouting all sorts of threats my way. I held my arms up in question.

Bring it on, motherfucker.

So much fucking talk, and here I was, still standing.

I dropped down onto the stool as the guys cheered and screamed. But Joey’s voice broke through all the noise.

“Two down, Romeo. Stay present. One round at a time. Don’t let him distract you.”

Butch flashed a light into my eyes and told me to protect my face. I knew that once your eyes were swollen shut, it made fighting really tough. So far, Leo had focused more on my body and my ribs. And I’d prepared for that.

I nodded. Listened. Swished some water around my mouth and spit into the bucket.

The next three rounds were a complete blur.

The hits just kept coming. He was throwing more than I was, but I was landing mine. I was going for the side of his face and his ribs. We took turns pushing one another into the corner and taking our shots. The more we fought, the more I recalled the tapes of Leo’s moves and caught him off guard with my swings.

When the bell rang at the end of round five, I saw something in Leo’s eyes.

That cocky smirk was still there, but there was doubt.

Maybe even fear.

But it told me that he was giving me his best, and he was rattled. Maybe tired.

Joey and Butch were there, pulling me to the corner and cleaning up my face as Kingston clapped me on the shoulder.

“You’re doing it, brother.”

I nodded and tried to catch my breath before taking a swig of water.

“How are you doing?” Joey asked.

“I think he broke a rib. And my ear is ringing. But otherwise, I’m fucking peachy.”

Joey held my chin in his grasp, looking me right in the eyes. “We knew it would hurt. It was never supposed to be easy. You’re fighting for a motherfucking belt, Romeo. And you’re holding your own with this guy. Five down. Seven to go.”

I nodded but was also aware that he was getting in more hits than I was. “The guy is fucking strong.”

“No doubt about it. But you’re still standing. Your goal is to go the distance. No one goes the distance with this guy.”

I took one more pull from the water bottle and spit it into the bucket before pushing to my feet.

My legs were feeling it. Hell, my arms were feeling it. My entire body was feeling it.

But I clapped my gloves together when the bell rang, and I moved toward him.

The sound of the crowd faded with each passing round.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

When the bell rang at the end of round ten, the ref had to pull Leo off of me from where he’d been wailing on me with his fists after tossing me into the corner. I hadn’t been able to get out, so I’d taken the punches.

Over and over.

I stumbled a bit when the bell rang, and Butch and Joey were there. River was bending down in front of me now, looking up at me.

“You all right?” I could hear the concern in his voice, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that his face was blurry now. I’d taken a lot of shots to the face during the last few rounds.

But I am still standing.

Ten fucking rounds with this beast, and I had managed to stay up on my feet.

“You’ve got to protect the eyes, Romeo. He’s fading.”

“He doesn’t seem like he’s fading,” I said, as Butch put ointment beneath my eyes.

“He’s getting tired,” River said. “He’s panicked that you’re still in this thing. Ten fucking rounds. You’re a fucking rockstar, Romeo. You’ve got this.”

I nodded.

Two more rounds.

I could do this.

“You need to keep going for the left side of his body and face. He looks as bad as you do, so you’re doing something right.”

I couldn’t laugh because everything hurt.

Every fucking bone in my body hurt.

But when the bell rang this time, I wasn’t afraid. All the nerves were gone. I was in the fight of my life.

And I am not going down.