“The competition’s stiff. Every hotshot from LA to New York thinks they can make it as the Ultimate Fighting Champion. There are only so many contracts floating around. We didn’t land ours until earlier this year.”
“And how old are you both now?” I asked. And then, very quickly, “For the sake of the article, of course.”
“We’re all twenty-five,” Dylan answered. “Couple months between us.”
Twenty-five. That made the three of them four years younger than me, yet you wouldn’t know it just by looking at them. Their features looked a bit older, harder than my own, likely due to the rough and tumble nature of their chosen field.
I smiled sympathetically. “It couldn’t have been easy.”
Cash shook his head. “It wasn’t. We werethisclose to giving up, but Red pulled through.”
“How so?”
“He may not have a way with words, but he’s really fucking smart. He knew exactly who to call and what to say. Arranged the whole thing like some sort of puppet master. I thought for sure he’d secure a deal just for himself when he hired his manager, but he made sure to negotiate a deal for me, too. Red could have left me behind if he wanted —and I wouldn’t have blamed him—but he made sure to look out for me.”
A warmth bloomed inside my chest. “That was really sweet of him.”
Cash smirked. “Don’t let his resting bitch face fool you. Deep down, he’s a softie. I’m sure he’ll warm up to you soon.”
I chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Dylan clapped Cash on the shoulder. “Why don’t you two sit down on the bench for the rest of the interview. I’ll go grab you a fresh ice pack.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it. Would you mind grabbing me a Red Bull from my locker, too?”
“Absolutely not.” Dylan looked me directly in the eye and pointed at Cash. “Whatever he says to you, donotlet him have caffeine. Ever.”
I smiled wide. “Ever?”
“Ever. Not unless you want to see him wreak havoc at one in the morning when he comes down from his crash.”
Cash scoffed. “I’m not that bad.”
“You broke my damn washing machine.”
“I said I was sorry!”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
“You make it sound like I’m a gremlin.”
“Youarea gremlin.”
“This is bullying at its finest.”
“Suck it up, loser.”
“Should I be writing this down for the article?” I teased with a laugh. “No caffeine for Cash after midnight, and definitely don’t get him wet.”
Cash crossed his arms. “I think we’re getting our metaphors confused here.”
Dylan rolled his eyes and walked off. “I’ll leave you to it. Be back in a few. Can I get you anything, Julia?”
“No, but thank you.” I reached into my purse and pulled out my compact digital recorder. I hit the red record button and set it on the bench between us. “Are you ready for your first question?”
Cash grinned. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”