I throw my hand up to him.
Walking toward us is Brian with his hair pulled up in a ponytail while holding Kami on his hip and Liv nestled up to his other side. “The two of you back together?”
I nod. “We are. I couldn’t stay away.”
I kiss the top of Anna’s head and she smiles when she looks up at me.
“You two look good together,” Liv chimes in. “Happy.”
“So you back for good?” Brian asks.
“Not yet. The suspension is lifted, but I’m not allowed to have any matches.”
Brian squints a bit as his mouth twists. “Don’t get me wrong when I ask this, because I’m happy as hell to have you back around, but why are you back then?”
As if on clockwork, I spot Corey coming around the corner, brightly displaying the backstage pass Freddy game him yesterday.
I nod behind Brian. “I found a kid I think would be a good fit for the Tension Training Program. I met him back at my old gym in Detroit. The kid’s fast, has flare, and that ‘it’ thing that makes a good wrestler.”
“So, Silverman lifted the suspension because you brought the kid?”
“No. Chip took care of it, but he couldn’t do anything about the matches.”
“That’s a damn shame. I hated handing my belt over to Rex. It should’ve been you.”
I sigh. “Maybe I can change that soon.”
“Wow,” Corey says as he steps up next to me with wide eyes. “You’re Brian ‘Razor’ Rollins.”
“I am,” Brian confirms. “You must be the kid X was telling me about. He says you’re good.”
A question lingers in Anna’s eyes, so I fill in the gap for her. “Anna, this is Corey, the kid I’ve been training. Corey, this is my beautiful Anna.”
“Nice to meet you.” Corey reaches out and shakes her hand. “X, here, has been showing me some of his moves.”
“That’s awesome.” Anna snuggles into my side. “I’m proud of you for helping others.”
I shrug. “It’s not a big deal. Besides, bringing the kid here is the reason Tension took me back.”
“You’re not back, yet. The kid still needs to prove he’s worth the shot he’s been given.” Mr. Silverman’s voice cuts between all of us.
The appearance of our boss causes all of us to stiffen a bit.
I haven’t spoken to him since the night he got me out of jail and he told me to stay away from this place for three months. He’s probably not too happy about me defying that demand and weaseling my way back here much sooner.
The boss’ grey eyes flick to me. “I’ll be expecting a demonstration of these skills after the show tonight.” Corey’s grin widens, but I can tell by the tone in his voice there’s a huge catch coming. “If he doesn’t impress me tonight, you are to leave the building immediately and I don’t want to hear another peep from you over the next two months while you finish out the remainder of your suspension in Detroit.”
That’s a steep penalty, but I’m willing to take that risk, because I know what Corey can do. “And when he impresses you, I want to be fully reinstated and I want to move my match up with Rex to the next live Tension event.”
He narrows his eyes into tiny slits. “Done.”
I fight back the smile that’s threatening to expose how happy I am because I know after tonight, Rex’s ass is mine.
The arena is eerily quiet as I step into the ring with Corey. The only people in the huge room are the two of us, with Mr. Silverman and Chip Seabourne sitting in the stands, waiting to judge Corey’s talent level.
“All right,” Mr. Silverman calls out. “Impress me.”
“You heard him, kid. Make me look good and help us both out.” I shake my shoulders loose and rock my neck a few times. “Now, come at me exactly how we practiced at Tough’s.”
Corey nods, and just like every other time we’ve ever stepped inside the ring, the playful demeanor he typically sports is long gone and is now replaced with an expression of pure determination.
We both are on our toes, anticipating the other’s first move, when Corey strikes first. He slams into me, attempting to twist me around and get me in a simple neck hold, but I get out of it easily before shoving him away. “You got to do better than that. He wants to be impressed, remember?”
Corey gives me a slow nod, and then comes back at me with three times as much force. It’s like a fire has been lit under him because the way he’s moving shows hunger and the need to prove himself.
I give in this time and let him get a few holds on me, not because I’m giving it to him, but because he’s putting on a hell of a show and deserves for me to help make him look good.
Corey grabs my arm and tosses me into the rope rings, where I bounce off of them and then run straight into his clothesline. His forearm collides with my chest and an audible crack echoes around the arena, and I have to admit it stung like a million bees shoving their stinger in my skin at once.
I lay there on the mat, and Corey bends down to grab me by the hair of the hair and pull me back up to my feet.