edge of the square. Noah turned and said, “Don’t move from here. Finn,” he directed, “take care of her.” Noah moved down to the corner with Bo.
A tall, gangly guy came out to the center and told the crowd they had five minutes to finish up their bets. Five minutes crawled by. Noah pulled off his sweatshirt and sweatpants. He stood with his arms crossed, staring impassively at Rickers. The gangly guy came up to Noah and handed him a white towel. Noah balled it up and threw into the middle.
“Fuck,” I heard Finn say softly.
“What’s wrong now?” I whispered to Finn.
“Rickers is a masochist. Totally gets off on getting hit and won’t stop even if he is seriously injured. He refuses to tap out, and now Noah has rejected the towel,” Finn explained. Fuck, indeed.
“This isn’t going to end well, is it,” I said. It was a statement, not a question.
Finn shook his head, “No, probably not.”
The gangly guy went to Ricker’s side and talked to him for a minute. Ricker shook his head and seemed to refuse the white towel. Finally, he turned to someone in the crowd, a woman, and gestured for her to take the towel. Part of the crowd groaned at this but most seemed to swell with excitement. From what Noah had said earlier, seeing a fight where no one tapped out was what wet dreams were made of for some of these attendees.
I felt so nervous that I wondered if I should bite my nails to alleviate my anxiety. Instead, I just shifted from side to side so much that Finn finally put both hands on my shoulders.
“Stand still,” he warned, “or I’ll tie your shoelaces together.”
Noah bent his head down slightly so his and Bo’s foreheads were almost touching. They exchanged words, serious looks on both their faces, and then Noah held out both wrapped fists. Bo crashed his hands down on top. He slapped Noah on the back and went to the corner.
The skinny guy came out and gestured for the fight to begin.
Noah
The plan was to knock Rickers down and get the hell out of there. I didn’t want Grace to see us grappling like animals, further cementing the idea that I wasn’t right for her, but damn I needed this money.
Rickers could take a punch and, despite his size, he was fairly light on his feet. But, his short arms were always going to prevent him from moving forward. No amount of steroids was going to change that.
I didn’t want to get punched in the face, so I danced backward as he advanced. I had plans with Grace later, and a broken lip would put a serious dent in them.
I could hear the crowd groaning as I ducked and weaved away, wanting more action. Few fighters enjoyed fighting backwards. I figured I’d move around for a minute, catch Rickers off balance, and then attack.
He advanced wildly, eager to make contact. Eager to show me my place. His eagerness played right into my hands. On his next advance, I shot my leg out and round-housed him in the gut. His fist caught me on the top of my head, but I barely noticed. The kick caused him to bend over slightly, and I clipped him with an uppercut. He fell like a shorn log to the ground.
I straddled his body and struck him twice more in the head. I waited for him to tap out, but he struggled upward, trying to throw me off. I held my forearm against his windpipe and waited. Nothing. Fuck this.
I pressed my forearm harder into his neck. Sweat and blood rolled down my forehead, obscuring my vision. I pretended not to notice. “Tap out,” I growled. All my energy was focused into my arm at Ricker’s windpipe.
He grunted. “Can’t. Won’t.”
This was insane. I’d never choked someone into submission before. I had knocked people out with a fist or a kick, but never deliberately choked the air out of someone’s lungs, and I didn’t want to this time. This was the motherfucking problem with unsanctioned fighting. There wasn’t a referee who would jump in and call a halt to the stupid shit we fighters do. Left to our own devices, we’d choke each until we were all brain damaged.
“You aren’t goddamned Helios. There isn’t any honor here. This is a fucking warehouse,” I ground out, but still he refused. His eyes stared up at me, unblinking.
“I’d take honor wherever you can get it, brother.” He