“Amazing young man! Simply amazing!” Benny said, clapping with delight.
Travis pulled me behind him as Josiah filled the doorway with his massive frame.
“Should I take care of this, sir?”
“No! No, no…,” Benny said, still giddy with the impromptu performance. “What is your name?”
Travis was still breathing hard. “Travis Maddox,” he said, wiping Dane and David’s blood off of his hands and onto his jeans.
“Travis Maddox, I believe you can help your little girlfriend out.”
“How’s that?” Travis puffed.
“Dane was supposed to fight tomorrow night. I had a lot of cash riding on him, and it doesn’t look like Dane will be fit to win a fight anytime soon. I suggest you take his place, make my bankroll for me, and I’ll forgive the remaining fifty-one hundred of Mick’s debt.”
Travis turned to me. “Pigeon?”
“Are you all right?” I asked, wiping the blood from his face. I bit my lip, feeling my face crumple with a combination of fear and relief.
Travis smiled. “It’s not my blood, Baby. Don’t cry.”
Benny stood. “I’m a busy man, Son. Pass or play?”
“I’ll do it,” Travis said. “Give me the when and where and I’ll be there.”
“You’ll be fighting Brock McMann. He’s no wallflower. He was barred from the UFC last year.”
Travis was unaffected. “Just tell me where I need to be.”
Benny’s shark’s grin spread across his face. “I like you, Travis. I think we’ll be good friends.”
“I doubt it,” Travis said, opening the door for me and retaining a protective stance until we cleared the front door.
“Jesus Christ!” America cried upon seeing the splattered blood covering Travis’ clothing. “Are you guys okay?” She grabbed my shoulders and scanned my face.
“I’m okay. Just another day at the office. For both of us,” I said, wiping my eyes.
Travis grabbed my hand and we rushed to the hotel with Shepley and America close behind. Not many paid attention to Travis’ appearance. He was covered in blood and only the occasional out-of-towner seemed to notice.
“What in the hell happened in there?” Shepley finally asked.
Travis stripped down to his skivvies and disappeared into the bathroom. The shower turned on and America handed me a box of tissues.
“I’m fine, Mare.”
She sighed and pushed the box at me once again. “You’re not fine.”
“This is not my first rodeo with Benny,” I said, my muscles sore from how tense they had been the last twenty-four hours.
“It’s your first time to watch Travis go ape shit on someone,” Shepley said. “I’ve seen it once before. It’s not pretty.”
“What happened?” America insisted.
“Mick called Benny. Passed accountability onto me.”
“I’m gonna kill him! I’m going to kill that sorry son-of-a-bitch!” America shouted.
“He’s not holding me responsible, but he was going to teach Mick a lesson for sending his daughter to pay off his debt. He called two of his damned dogs on us and Travis took them out. Both of them. In under five minutes.”
“So Benny let you go?” America asked.
Travis appeared from the bathroom with a towel around his waist, the only evidence of his scuffle a small red mark on his cheek bone below his right eye. “One of the guys I knocked out had a fight tomorrow night. I’m taking his place and in return Benny will forgive the last five-k Mick owes.”
America stood up. “This is ridiculous! Why are we helping Mick, Abby? He threw you to the wolves! I’m going to kill him!”
“Not if I kill him, first,” Travis seethed.
“Get in line,” I said.
“So you’re fighting tomorrow?” Shepley asked.
“At a place called Zero’s. Six o’clock. It’s Brock McMann, Shep.”
Shepley shook his head. “No way. No fucking way, Trav. The guy’s a maniac!”