“No.” And she couldn’t really care less. Allowing his body to heal adequately before going into another fight was more important than any reward.
“Thirty thousand dollars. I’ll fight every motherfucking person in this place for that kind of cash.”
His words shocked her. Money was his motivation? “So, it’s all about money. Money is more important than your health, or what you’re doing to your body.”
“You’re damn straight it’s all about the money.” He threw an angry glare at her. “I don’t have time for this. You let me do what I need to fucking do and don’t interfere.”
Then he yanked open the door and disappeared. Images of the day she’d met Lance in the alley flashed through her mind. He’d been furious she’d interfered then, too.
Wrapping her arms around her middle, she stepped outside into the warehouse. More people than last time were filling the seats. Not surprising, since last man standing fights were rarely thrown.
Unregulated fighting. Exhausted men fighting multiple matches. She would be busier tonight.
“Tonight, we have a special event,” an announcer said from the cage. “Multiple fights. One winner.” The fighters lined up in the cage, Lance smack dab in the middle. “Who will be the ultimate champion? Place your bets now. We start in ten minutes.”
“Pretty awesome event, right?” Gabe said as he came to stand beside her.
She scowled at him. “It’s dangerous. Lance shouldn’t be fighting.”
“He’s a grown man. He can make decisions for himself.”
Yeah, she expected that answer from this asshole. It didn’t explain one thing, though. “Why did you hire me if you’re going to ignore my professional advice?”
“Kel-Kel,” he tsked. “We didn’t hire you for advice. We hired you to keep these guys from going to the hospital and raising questions.”
“And you don’t think this insanity will result in a hospital visit?” She motioned toward the cage. “I can only do so much with what you’ve given me. You understand that, right?”
“As I already told you, if one of them has to go to the hospital, you let me or Mitch know. We’ll handle it.”
“What does that mean?” If someone was gravely injured tonight, would he get the treatment he needed?
Silence was his response, and she sighed. “I’ll do what’s within my ability to do…nothing more. I’d suggest not coming up with any more crazy ideas like this one.”
“We didn’t come up with it.” He started walking away then tossed over his shoulder, “Black did.”
At his parting words, a buzzing entered her ears.
Lance had come up with tonight’s event. He’d known all along that he’d participate—had conspired with the McNealys to make sure it happened.
Why would he take a gamble like that? This wasn’t a guaranteed pay out. The man had even advised his daughter to always take the guarantee. Why wasn’t he heeding his own advice?
How much trouble was he really in?
The announcer interrupted her thoughts by introducing the first fight. Two men entered the cage. Whoever won this match advanced to the next round, whoever lost was finished for the night. That would be how the events would play out for the rest of the night until there were only two men left. The winner took all.
The time ticked by as each fight progressed. She kept her door open at all times, more concerned about making sure she didn’t miss Lance than she was about the actual fighting. The first set of matches didn’t lead to any troubling injuries. A couple of gashes, some bruises, that was it.
When she heard his name, she froze mid-stitch and stared at the wound she was treating. He was on. She closed her eyes, breathed deep, then refocused on her task. She couldn’t block out the sounds coming from outside her door though. She heard them clearer than ever. The gasps from the crowd, the screams, the grunts. And all she felt was worry for the man she had come to care for.
She straightened and told the fighter, “Okay. You’re good.”
“Thanks, Kelsey,” he said as he stood and walked out of the room, with her following.
The cage held her mesmerized as she inched forward. Unlike before, Lance wasn’t matched with a bigger opponent. It was a fair fight, but that wouldn’t be the case if he proceeded to the next round. Weight difference wasn’t a factor in this event.
As he took a hard hit to the chin, she cringed. But he quickly recovered and retaliated with a punch of his own. It met its mark and the guy fell to the canvas. The first set of fights was officially over and Lance would advance to the next round. Bile rose in her throat. There was so much about him she liked, possibly even loved, but this…this complete disregard for his health, his willingness to take a beating over and over again for a win, was too much.