He took a swig out of his plastic cup. “Not Dillon. Guy had a shoulder injury a couple years ago. Wasn’t even supposed to be able to write, but somehow he managed to work through the pain and now is some big shot around here. People say he’s in the prime of his fighting career. He’s not going to get any better than he is now.”
I looked out into the cage and I saw two new fighters. They had announced them when Josh and I were talking. I wasn’t sure who they were, but by the look of intent on Josh’s face this was the fight that he was betting on.
“Which one is the fighter you were talking about? The one with the shoulder injury?”
He pointed to the guy on the right. An almost like the fighter had heard him he turned and looked in our direction. He was almost bald with a shaved head and piercing gray eyes. Half of his upper body was covered in tattoos, including some type of quote on his arm. His six pack was clearly defined and his arms were bigger than my head. He wasn’t an abnormally large guy, just built of pure muscle. When his eyes caught mine my heart stopped for a moment. There was something about him that was just so damn attractive that I couldn’t look away. I had gone from someone who had never been to a fight before, to a hard-core MMA luster.
Josh spoke again and pulled me out of my daydreaming. “The other guy’s Armando Garcia. He’s pretty good, probably will give Dillon run for his money. He breaks a lot of bones.”
I shook my head. “In his opponents?” Suddenly I was concerned for Dillon’s well-being.
“In anybody. He does underground fights too. It’s where gangs bet on each other’s best guys. Elliott and I stay the hell away from those places. If your bet is off, or if you don’t have the money, you could get yourself killed. We only go to legit fights. Those guys are way too intense. Not to mention, fighters get killed, regularly. I’m not into that kind of blood bath.”
I couldn’t imagine why some underground streetfighter was in a pro match. It didn’t make any sense to me, but I still didn’t know much. I watched with anxious tension as the fight began. I was hoping that Dillon would come out the victor. But it wasn’t because I wanted Josh to win his bet, but because I wanted to see Dillon succeed. Something about those eyes just drew me in, and I was hooked.
I watched Dillon duck a few punches before landing a blow to his opponent’s face. He bounced around on his heels, so quick on his feet he couldn’t be touched. The other guy wiped the blood from his lip and put his hands back up in fighting stance. He waited for Dillon to make another move. Dillon waited too, like a lion for his prey. When the other guy had enough he slowly advanced, only to be shut down when Dillon delivered a round house kick. The guy fell back, but was quickly back up on his feet. This back and forth went on for five minutes or more, but it felt like hours. Finally Dillon’s arm was in the air and the crowd was chanting his name. He had won. A final blow to the other guy’s face had landed him on the ground, and he wasn’t getting back up.
Dillon bounced around the cage a few more times. Forgetting I was on a date, I squeezed through the crowd to congratulate him. I just wanted to meet him, and maybe touch him. When I got to the front there was a throng of girls waiting for him. He signed a few autographs and wiped sweat from his head. He smiled at a few, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Finally he got to me.
“Great fight,” I said cheerfully.
He stopped and looked at me. “Thanks. What’s your name?”
“Berkley Cassidy,” I responded.
“Want me to sign something, Berkley?”
I shook my head. “No, I just wanted to meet you.”
A devilish smile played across his chiseled features. “I’m glad you did.” He took my hand and squeezed it. I watched his muscled back as he walked away. I had met some famous fighter, and all that I could think about was getting him into bed.
I turned around but I couldn’t get back to my seat. There were too many people around the cage. I strained my neck to see above the crowd. Suddenly I realized I couldn’t see Naomi or the guys. I was alone in a sea of people.
FIVE
DILLON
I slung my bag over my shoulder and made my way out the back door. I didn’t like all the photo ops with the paparazzi waiting out front, so I tried my best to avoid them. When I emerged into the dim light of the streetlamp, I immediately dropped my bag. The girl I had seen earlier, Berkley I think it was, had her back against a wall with two thugs talking to her. She looked terrified.
My hands immediately curled into fists as I walked over to them. “Do we have a problem here?”
Both the guys turned around and looked at me. The one was taller than me, but the other was about my height. The one who is my height sauntered over to me like nothing was going on. “No of course not, man. She was just looking for a good time is all. We’re just about to show it to her.”
She tried to walk away but the taller guy grabbed her by her wrist. “I don’t want any trouble. I just was looking for my friends…”
I called to her, “Looking for your friends? I’m guessing you don’t know these guys then.”
“No!”
With that, the guy in front of me attempted a left hook. But I caught his punch in my hand. I squeezed and heard the crackle of his bones breaking in his hand as he screamed out in agony. I took his hand and pulled around it back and walked him over to the wall. His friend hadn’t decided what to do yet. I would make the choice easy for him. My right hand was still attached to his left behind his back when I took my left hand and pushed his skull into the brick. “If you touch her,” I said looking pointedly at his friend, “your friend’s hand? Well his head will feel a lot like that. Now I suggest you two assholes clear out of here. Before I end you.”
The big guy started to run, and as soon as I released the other jackass he followed him. I was glad; I didn’t really want to have to kill someone in an alley.
I walked back to the door and grabbed my bag before slowly walking over to Berkley. “You okay?”
She looked like she was checking her arms for scrapes and bruises. “I think so. What the hell did those guys want with me?”
I shrugged. “A piece of ass?”