As Carl took a swing, Jim ducked and jumped out of the way. When his prosthetic leg hit the man, Jim turned, almost fell, grabbed the ropes with his right hand, and then swung with his left hand. He punched Carl in the mouth, enough to send Carl’s head snapping to the left.
Jim stayed with him, hitting him again and again. There was only one problem and I saw it from a mile away. Jim was getting too confident. He thought he was in a boxing match. What he didn’t expect - or see - was that Carl took hold of the ropes with his left hand. Then Carl threw a right elbow and it connected right to Jim’s chin.
I jumped up and got on the table as Jim toppled to the mat.
Holy fuck… he’s knocked out…
Before anyone could make a move, Jim’s head popped back up. His face was covered in blood. Carl turned and walked right to Jim. That’s when Jim finally realized the position he was in. This wasn’t some fuck around fight while training for the military. And it wasn’t just working out and having fun. This was literally life or death. This was war.
Jim used his good leg and drove his ankle forward into Carl’s gut. Carl let out a groan and leaned forward. Jim sat up got Carl with two soft punches, but then he grabbed Carl’s hair and pulled forward, smashing his face off Carl’s face. The sound of thud echoed all around. The entire crowd let out a collective ooohhh sound. Carl fell to one knee. Jim hurried to kick back to the ropes and pulled himself up. He waited as Carl rose back, a smart move because Carl was known for insane uppercuts. One wrong move again and Jim could end up on his back for good. And then Ivan would take him and I didn’t want to think what that guy would do to my best friend. It wouldn’t be a quick death. No way in hell. Ivan thrived off pain.
The fight continued with both men back on their feet.
“Come on, man,” I said.
I felt Belle clutching at my leg. I looked down at her and reached for her. I pulled her up on the table and put my arm around her.
Jim and Carl traded a few heavy punches with equal force. They were both starting to feel it. Carl took a little lead, hitting Jim with a one-two that sent him back. Jim wisely used the ropes and corners to his need, bouncing in and out Carl’s attacks.
But then Carl got Jim in the gut. The punch hit hard and I saw the air leave Jim’s face. Carl hit him with a left, right combo and Jim was far away from the ropes. As Jim started to go back I saw everything around me collapsing. My best friend. My girl. My club. It all being set on fire.
Carl swung one more time and Jim grabbed at Carl’s arm. Not only did he stop the punch he kept himself from falling. Jim turned the momentum around and went right at Carl, hitting him in the nose. Carl’s arms flew open and Jim unleashed a combination of punches that I wasn’t sure I could even pull off. He found his balance and started to dance around Carl, forcing him to stumble and take swings with no target.
When Carl had about two seconds left in him, Jim put his fists down and stood there.
“What the hell is he doing?” Trev shouted.
I had no idea.
Carl started to reach for Jim with those long arms of his. Jim swatted Carl’s arms away. Then Jim let out a scream I’d never forget. It was the nightmare scream that had been inside him since the day shit blew up overseas. The split second decision to save who he could and not being able to save Bill.
Jim jumped forward off both feet and smashed the top of his head into Carl. He hit Carl so hard the big guy lifted off his feet (something I’d never seen before with Carl) and sent Carl through the ropes and out of the ring.
Jim ended up crashing into the ropes and dangling there.
There was complete silence all around.
Everyone waited to see what Carl was going to do.
In my mind I let ten seconds go by and that was enough.
I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, “Call the fucking thing!”
And that’s when the fight was called.
Carl was knocked out cold outside the ring.
Jim had fucking done it.
I looked down at Trev and Jasper. They were smiling ear to ear. The rest of the Back Down Devil MC guys were cheering, jumping up and down. Somewhere in the thick of the crowd Ivan, Peter, and their men were there. They saw the fight and they were about to get paid a lot of money. And we’d be able to give them their sixty-five grand that they wanted.
And life would move forward.
I jumped off the table and helped Belle down.
Kye and Tristan got Jim out of the ring and brought him to the table.
I could feel the mood of the crowd starting to swell. There were a lot of people who lost cash on the fight. So it was key to now cash in and get the fuck out of there.
“Jim,” I said, and grabbed his shoulders. “You did it, man.”
“I did it,” Jim said.
“We have to get out of here,” Trent said.
People were starting to throw beer bottles at the ring. A few more fights were scheduled but Jim’s was the biggest.
“Everyone stay right here,” I called out. “I’ll go get the money.”
“I’ll go!” Trev yelled.
“Fuck that, Prez!” I shouted back. “You stay here. Stay safe.”
“I’m coming with you, brother,” Kye said.
That was fine.