Channing’s eyes narrowed at Justin’s words, and I could tell he was thinking about the money.
“So Batman is the best fighter here?”
“No.” Channing jumped up. “I’m going to knock his f**king brains out, punk-ass bitch.”
“He’s not talking about you.” Justin laughed, but I could tell he looked anxious. “Batman’s only been coming to the gym for two weeks. We were all pretty sure Channing would be the one representing us before he arrived.”
“It’s not fair.” Channing glared at me. “He’s trying to take my spot. I’ve been training for this shit for two years and he thinks he can just show up.”
“He’s a new fighter?” I asked curiously. “How did he get a spot with you guys?”
“Nick’s cousin is his best friend.” Justin answered me.
“I’ll punch Luke’s f**king face in as well.” Channing hit a boxing bag with such power that it swung back and forth furiously.
I stopped breathing for a second. “Luke?”
He couldn’t be talking about the same Luke I was thinking of. He just couldn’t be. Because that would mean that Batman was Hudson. And I didn’t know if I could stand to be around Hudson now. Not after everything that had happened.
“Let’s not talk about him.” Justin jumped up. “What else do you want to know?”
“I guess for now I’ll just watch you train, if that’s okay?” I closed my notepad and put it into my bag. “I just want to observe.”
“Sure, whatever.” Justin nodded, and the other guys stood up, walking away from me. They all went in different directions, and I wasn’t sure which one I should follow.
I stood there for a few moments when I noticed that Channing was in the corner just standing there. I walked over to him slowly and stopped just in front of him.
“Hey, everything okay?” I asked him softly, hoping he was not still angry.
He looked up and nodded. “I’m fine.” His blue eyes looked sad, and I felt sorry for him even though I didn’t know why.
“You may still get the opportunity, right?” I tried to be encouraging. “Maybe this Batman guy will mess up? I mean, who calls themselves Batman?”
“A douche, that’s who.” He gave me a small smile. “Thanks for your kind words. I guess it’s not over until the fat lady sings.”
“Exactly.” I smiled wide. “You look like you’re pretty strong to me.”
“I’m strong, but the championships are about more than strength. They’re also about being smart.”
I looked at him in surprise. “Oh?”
“You thought it was just about the fighting, didn’t you?” He laughed and shook his head.
“I did.” I looked at the ground, feeling slightly embarrassed.
“Hey, you wouldn’t know.” He touched my shoulder, and I looked up at him. His expression had changed, and there was a look of curious wonder and interest in his eyes. “Do you know anything about fighting?”
“I know a bit about boxing and MMA.”
“This isn’t MMA.”
“Oh. I thought it was similar?”
“Mixed martial arts is still pretty controlled. Underground fighting is dirty. It’s physical and psychological. You have to be aware of everything. The most important part is your mind. Not your muscles.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Maybe I can take you out to dinner and explain everything to you.” His expression changed even more this time, and I felt my heart racing. I didn’t know what it was about Channing, but something about him made me pause. He seemed like a nice guy, but when he grew angry, there was a light in his eyes that made me wonder just how angry he could get.
“Yeah, that would be cool.” I nodded and looked around the room. I saw Justin motioning for me to come join him and I nearly cried out in happiness that he was saving me. “But let’s talk later, yeah? I think Justin wants to talk to me.”
“Okay.” Channing looked disappointed, and I quickly walked away from him.
“Hey, how can I help you, Justin?” I almost ran up to him, and he laughed.
“You’re funny.” He grinned. “I’m actually just about to lift before the fights start. But it looked like you needed someone to intervene.”
“Thanks. Is he always this intense?” I paused and blushed. “I hope you don’t think I’m offending him.”
“I’m not concerned if you offend him or not.” He laughed again. “Channing’s just pissed because he thought he was going to get to go and then Batman came in at the last moment.”
“So...this Batman. He’s really good, huh?” I stared at him thoughtfully. “How come he’s not here right now?”
“He comes and goes as he likes. I think he trains somewhere else. He just comes here for the fights.”
“Oh.”
“Stay around and you’ll get to meet him. He’s a different guy. A bit older, but he seems cool.”
“I have class in ten minutes. I should really get going. Hopefully I can meet him when I come tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “He comes every day. Even when we don’t want to see him.”
“Sounds like you like him just as much as Channing does.”
“That obvious?” He shrugged and picked up some weights. “I don’t know. It’s just all f**ked up. We all need this fight. We all want this opportunity. It’s just not right that we’ve been here busting our asses for months and he just shows up.” He looked me in the eye then and leaned forward. “I’ll tell you this, Riley. I’ve got a bad feeling. A really bad feeling.”
Chapter 7
Hudson
Present Day
I felt slightly out of breath as I got to the gym. I’d run twenty miles today, but I knew that it still wasn’t enough. I had to be in the best shape of my life if I had a chance of winning the million dollars. I laughed as I walked into the gym. “You don’t even have the entry yet, buddy,” I chided myself and looked around.
A part of me felt bad that I was going to be taking the spot that some of these guys had been practicing for over the last couple of years. But when I thought of Clara’s mom and Jamilah, I knew that I had to take a shot at the title. Luke had been delighted when I’d called him and asked for more information. I think he’d known that as soon as he’d mentioned Clara’s name he’d had me. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for Clara.