“Yeah. All he does is make cocky remarks.”
“That’s pretty on brand for him.”
“Hm.”
He hit the target paddle again with such force that I had to take a step back to keep from falling over. “Dude. Are you trying to show off for the camera?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You totally are.”
“Maybe you just need to work out more.”
“Don’t try and turn this around on me. You should be watching your footwork.”
From the side of the ring, I heard Julia giggle. She was smiling down at her camera, likely sorting through the barrage of images she’d taken.
“This one’s a winner for sure,” she murmured, mostly to herself. “Okay, I think I have all the pictures I need. Feel free to keep at it, though.”
Red pulled away. “It’s fine. I’m tapped out for the day.”
“I have just a few more questions for the interview portion, if that’s alright.”
“Shoot.”
“Do you two normally spend the whole day working out? I can’t imagine that’s sustainable. What if you burn out?”
“We listen to our bodies,” he explained. “We take breaks when we have to. It’s not like we’re training non-stop for hours.”
Julia scrolled through her phone, browsing through the questions she had typed up beforehand. “Ah, here’s one I’ve been meaning to ask. It frankly should have been one of the first. What inspired you to get into UFC?”
Red’s jaw tightened. “My father.”
She blinked up at him innocently. “Care to elaborate?”
“Not particularly.”
“Ok, um—”
The subject of Red’s father was a sore spot for him, so I stepped in before anyone got too uncomfortable. “I think we should head out. Old Marty’s giving us the stink eye from his office. He probably wants to close for the night.”
“I’ll check on Cash,” Red said, brushing past us both. “He’s taking too long.”
“Let me walk you to your car,” I offered to Julia.
“I walked, actually.”
“Seriously? It’s way too dark to be walking through town on your own.”
“Sunville’s not exactly teeming with criminal activity.”
“It’s better to be safe than sorry. I’ll drive you back.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “If you’re sure.”
I nodded. “I am.”