Filthy Fight (Hard n' Dirty Book 2) Read online

  “Danny,” I said as coolly as possible. “That stuff with his past happened years ago. And nothing was exactly proven. There wasn’t some sort of trial where he was found guilty. So we don’t even know what truly happened. We need to give him a shot at a tryout regardless. We need a solid fighter who has a chance at the heavyweight title to replace Marcus now that he felt the need to leave us.” I didn’t say it aloud, but the blame was there in my tone. “And I really think he might be the one who can do it for us. If you see around the bullshit and rumors, you’ll notice he was an amazing boxer. Completely undefeated. He just made a mistake on his last fight. That’s all. One that I’m sure he’s learned from.”

  My solid arguments – most of which were assumptions on my behalf – were purely for the sake of Shamrocks. During my research, I watched some videos of Mateo in his heyday, and he really was incredible. If any of that talent was still there, then he was exactly what we needed.

  “Just give him a chance. If he isn’t the best, then that’s fine. But if he is, I really think we need to give him a shot. My gut tells me Mateo Vega will be exactly what Shamrocks needs to keep our damn doors open.”

  Danny’s eyes swerved back to the ring where two men were getting ready to box, and he sent me a sharp nod. “Fine,” he snapped. “I’ll give him a chance. But I’ll be harder on him than all of the others, purely because I think he’ll be a PR nightmare.”

  I couldn’t help but agree with that fact. Taking on someone with such a tarnished reputation would be really hard work, but I instinctively felt like he’d be worth it all. I had the impression Mateo would bring in so much money, it would all be all right in the end.

  By the time the tryouts were done, there was no denying the outcome from anyone. Mateo completely overshadowed everyone. No one even had a chance getting a full punch to his face or even his gut. The man could move like a damn god. And the power from one of his hits was enough to knock one of our better fighters out cold, even with a head piece on. By Mateo’s second fight, I tried not to laugh at the way the other boxers clearly didn’t want to step in the ring with the man. I couldn’t blame them. The Matador dominated. Even after four years, and not at his best, the man was without a doubt a champion. I could see why he was nicknamed The Matador. He moved away from every punch the same way a matador would gracefully dodge a charging bull. His footwork, his speed, his laser-eyed focus made the man nearly untouchable. And his body… his body. Watching each inch of his body glisten with sweat, the way his tattoos artistically highlighted the contours of each muscle, and the V-shaped curvature of his abdomen that lead straight to the waist of his shorts. I would be a damn liar if I didn’t admit to fantasizing for a few moments where exactly that V led and what I would find there. Mouthwatering. The man was absolutely, without a doubt a specimen of perfection.

  Even with all of Danny’s arguments, I could tell that he was impressed by the way that Mateo fought. Danny knew as well as I did that Mateo Vega was exactly what we needed for the gym and to regain our reputation that we produced champions. I hadn’t seen a fighter with so much raw potential mixed with years of training early on inside Shamrocks since my father had been alive. I knew the famous Sham Foley would have been honored to train Mateo Vega. I absolutely knew it.

  “So…” I asked Danny, with teasing in my tone of voice. “Who do you think is best?”

  He gave me a look, one that suggested he really didn’t want to admit that he had been wrong. My brother wasn’t great at conceding to anyone, and for a split second, I had the sinking feeling he might choose someone else just to spite me.

  “Give Vega a contract,” he growled, refusing to make eye contact with me as he said the words. “But if he fucks up, and it affects Shamrocks and our family name, that’s all on you.”

  I wasn’t surprised by Danny’s response. When Danny did something wrong, it suddenly became everyone else’s problem. We all had to suffer and make up for it. But if I took a risk, that was all on my shoulders.

  Still, I was pretty sure that Mateo would be worth it. I oddly had full confidence in him. There was no way someone could have so much, and fall so far from grace, without learning anything. In the interview Lola did on him, I read he went to rehab to ‘beat his demons’. So, I had no choice but to believe he did.

  Plus, if I thought back to the person I was four years ago, when I was twenty-five years old, I was a completely different person back then. I’d grown up a whole lot, and I was certain Mateo must have too.

  “I understand,” I told Danny seriously. “But it’ll be fine. You can trust me to handle it… to handle him.”

  My heart fluttered excitedly as I watched my brother go down to have a talk with the fighters. He would take the newbies aside and tell the men who didn’t make it they weren’t going to be a part of the gym, probably asking them to come back next time Shamrocks opened up for members, leaving the good news to me. I got to offer Mateo Vega his second chance at life.

  I just hoped he grabbed onto it and wouldn’t fuck it up.

  There was no denying I was still fearful Mateo might shut me down when he was faced with an official offer. He might have only come to test the waters. He might not actually want to get back into it seriously… especially when I remembered about what he said about his father. Mateo said his father had survived cancer twice and relied on him, which was a real concern. Who would look after him if Mateo was on the road for long periods of time attending matches and other promotional engagements? I knew most trainers, managers, gym owners, and promoters weren’t exactly concerned with their fighter’s personal lives—since boxing was to become your only life—but I always tried to make allowances. I knew the boxers would fight better if their heads were in it and they weren’t distracted by stuff going on at home.

  Eventually, after I watched most of the rejected men head towards the locker room, I realized I couldn’t actually hold in the good news any longer. I should have waited until Mateo had showered and changed before breaking the news, but since Danny was doing the bad news now, I figured it was time for some positive energy.

  I approached where he stood near the ring, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel, and grabbed hold of his arm. I was taken aback as I felt electricity coursing through me as our skin connected. “Mateo,” I practically whispered to him. “Can I have a moment of your time?”

  “Yeah, of course.” He half smiled at me, causing the butterflies that were ramped in my gut to morph into birds.

  We stood away from the rest of the men lingering or still working out, with his body a little too close to mine, and for a split second, I worried that he could hear my racing heart and my ragged breath. If he noticed I was attracted to him, would that put him off? Especially since nothing could ever happen between us, not while we’re working together… if he accepted.

  “I just want to say congratulations. You fought really well today.” He nodded sharply at this, not giving me any indication of where his mind was at. “Danny and I both agreed you’re the best choice for us. So if you would like to, we would love to offer you a contract to be part of Shamrocks. We have no doubt we can train you to become the next heavyweight champion.”

  “Really?” He looked at me skeptically. “Are you serious?”

  It was then that it hit me just how deeply scarred by his past he was. He really assumed that because of his mistake, we wouldn’t sign him despite him clearly knocking everyone else out of the park. That made my heart go out to him. I wanted to reach out and hug him, hold him close to me… but, of course, I couldn’t. Not only that, but I was not sure how helpful and comforting my tiny frame would be compared to his huge one. He was so tall, so broad, there was just so much of him.

  Stop it, I warned myself in my mind. Keep focusing, for crying out loud.

  “Of course, we would love for you to be part of our gym. We have big plans for you.”

  “I don’t think so. I’m not sure me boxing for you is the best choice for anyone.”
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br />   “I do,” I countered.

  He paused for a moment, looking at me, but not really focused. He seemed distracted in thought. “I’m fucked up,” he finally said. “Far beyond what you can imagine. All the dark demons inside of me oozed out of the cracks and they finally became enough that I fucked up my entire life. I couldn’t keep those demons inside any longer. The cracks became too large.”

  “Did you ever for a second stop and think maybe there is good that can come from those cracks as well?” I asked.

  Mateo shook his head and sighed. “Go away. You can’t fix me.”

  “I don’t want to fix you. I’m cool with your cracks. In fact, I see something more.”

  “There is nothing more.”

  “Just like the golden Buddha,” I began, not giving a fuck if he thought I was insane. I tried hard to not show my nerd, fact-loving, history buff side of me most of the time, but now seemed like a crucial time to reveal it. “Several hundred years ago, Tibetan monks were soon to be under attack by the Burmese army. Their pride and joy was a pure golden Buddha statue, and they wanted to protect it. So, knowing they couldn’t fight off the powerful army that outnumbered them, they covered the Buddha in clay to conceal its value. All the monks died in the attack, but the clay Buddha—worthless in the eyes of the invaders—remained. It wasn’t until 1957 that someone noticed a crack in the old clay Buddha. Golden light emerged from the dirty, dark crack revealing that there was so much more beneath the surface. When they chipped away at all the filth, they discovered a pure gold statue… a priceless statue.” I paused to take a breath and to see if I had completely lost Mateo in my story. When I saw I still had his full attention, I added, “I think you are that golden Buddha. I see the golden light in the cracks the demons once seeped from. Beneath all that filth is a priceless fighter.”

  He stared at me, studying my face. Looking for sincerity possibly? But he didn’t argue or counter my words. He simply stared at me in silence.

  “So what I’m saying,” I continued on. “Is that years and years of dirt and mud piled on you does not change what truly is underneath. You just have to chip away at the clay.” I gave a small smile. “Which is what Shamrocks, my brother Danny as your trainer, and I can do for you. I really think we can make you the fighter you once were. I see a champion in that gold light. I do.”

  He gave me a heart-stopping grin and stared into my eyes for a beat too long. “Great story but I don’t know what it has to do with me or what you want me to say.”

  Please say yes! I wanted to yell, but I didn’t. I forced myself to keep all my impulse words inside. “Well, if you decide that you do want to come and join us, I’ll be in the office when you’re dressed. You should come sign the contract then. But I won’t pressure you anymore.”

  I forced myself to turn around and walk away at that moment, before I could get too lost in his gaze. I hoped I had said enough, and that he would meet me in the office and agree.

  All I could do now was wait. Wait for what I hoped would be my filthy fighter.

  4

  Mateo

  “Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that’s in rhythm or you’re in trouble.”

  – Sugar Ray Robinson

  I knew there was a big smile on my face as I headed towards the locker room to get dressed no matter how hard I tried to conceal it. I was doing my best to play Mr. Tough Guy, but I couldn’t help myself. I still couldn’t believe that Julep had just told me that I got accepted to join Shamrocks and train as their heavyweight hopeful, and I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t come to tryouts with the intention of being offered a contract. Honestly, I didn’t really know why I came. And now that I had actually fought well and got the offer, I wasn’t sure what to do.

  I wanted to grasp onto this new opportunity with both fists. The chance to get in the ring again would be fucking amazing. It was what my dad wanted for me too. We’d had millions of conversations about it, and he’d told me over and over again that he was happy to get the help of nurses while I was out on the road. But I was not sure how I felt about someone else doing what I felt was my job. I was pretty sure the guilt would eat me up alive. Would it end up being too much of a strain on all of us if I agreed to take Julep up on the offer? But then again… I had the intense feeling that if I didn’t do this right now, it’d be the biggest mistake I’d ever make.

  With my mind going a million miles a minute, I jumped straight into the shower, knowing that the hot water would help me think. It wasn’t long before I could hear a hushed whisper coming my way.

  “…can you actually see Danny allowing him in? After what he did? He’s a fucking cheat!”

  Someone was clearly badmouthing me, which really should have been expected, but it pissed me off regardless. I’d moved past caring what others thought of me now. I had worked so fucking hard to make myself a better person, but no one ever seemed to see that. They just saw me as the same person I was, way back then. I used to care what people thought, hell, I craved positive attention. But I was used to the negative only now.

  “…he was the best boxer out there though.”

  “That doesn’t matter! He’s a fuck-up, and that will only drag the rest of us down. This gym doesn’t need a bad rep like that.”

  Ever so slowly, simply being pissed started to transform into something else. A burning hot anger. How fucking dare these people judge me when they didn’t even know me?

  “He fucking threw a fight. Who does that shit? What would drive someone to that?”

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to stand up for myself. To make these fuckers see that I wouldn’t be pushed around.

  I slammed the shower curtain open and grabbed hold of my towel before stepping forward with anticipation and rage coursing through my veins. “Why don’t you just ask me, rather than talking shit behind my back like a little bitch?”

  I was shocked to find myself looking at Teo – one of the guys whom I had sparred with earlier. He’d been patting my back, telling me that I fought like a beast, and now he was talking about me. Only little bitches did that.

  At first, Teo looked a little shocked, like he might cower away from me. But then he seemed to realize that everyone was staring at us and he needed to be a man. “I just think that we don’t need someone like you dragging us down. I think you’re bad news. You always have been, and that’s the end of it.”

  “Don’t you fucking get it?” I asked. “I’m not that asshole anymore. Haven’t you ever made a mistake? Haven’t you grown the fuck up? Or are you still a fucking kid?” I wanted everyone to understand. But of course that wasn’t going to just happen. “You’re a damn idiot.”

  I tried to turn away and walk off. But not content with only acting like a dickhead, Teo pushed me, trying to start a fight. I sucked in a deep breath, not wanting to act like a fool, but it was too late for any rationality. Anger raged within, and it was slowly eating me up alive.

  I spun back, clenching my fists, ready for a fucking fight if that’s what he wanted. A real beating unlike the one in the ring that barely had me break a sweat. But before I could get to him and knock him the fuck out, Danny came into the room – the owner whom I needed to impress. I really couldn’t get into a fight right now. Not when I hadn’t even signed the contract yet.

  I fell backwards against the cold wall, trying to get control of myself. I needed to learn to keep my temper under control if I was really going to attempt resurrecting my career. It was going to get a whole lot worse than some assholes talking shit behind my back, and I was going to have to let it just brush off me. If I lost my temper every time someone acted like a prick, then entering the boxing scene again was going to be the biggest mistake ever.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Danny asked, temper lacing his tone of voice. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re in here fighting? Keep this shit for the ring. The ring!”

  The way everyone stepped back with an odd look o
f fear in their eyes was a little strange. Were they all scared of this guy or something? Was he more of a dickhead than he first seemed? When Danny realized that no one else was answering, he tapped me on the shoulder and indicated for me to follow him to the other side of the locker room.

  Shit. I tried to settle my nerves as I followed him. I had my chance for a half a second, and I’d already blown it. Would an apology be enough? Would I be able to talk myself out of this one? I wasn’t used to talking my way out of things anymore. It had been a very long time since I had to answer to a trainer. Since I had to answer to anyone.

  “I’m sorry,” I started instantly, wanting to get my words in first. “That should never have happened. I know that I need to earn your trust and respect, as well as theirs.”

  “No.” He shook his head at me, causing my heart to sink. Was it already too late? “I don’t want to hear anything about trust. I don’t really give a fuck what you did in the past just as long as it doesn’t bleed into my gym. I need you to work your ass off and prove we made the right decision in investing in you.” Huh? That wasn’t what I was expecting at all… “Shamrocks used to be an amazing gym. Our reputation was that we only produced champions, and things haven’t been going so well recently. We are losing our asses, and promoters are losing interest as well. I need you to help me with this. You are an amazing boxer, though out of shape and in need of some fine tuning. I’m sure it goes without saying that I don’t need any bullshit from you, but I’m sure that isn’t going to happen.”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Now, go and get dressed, and get that contract signed with my sister.”

  I did my best to ignore the rest of the guys as I headed back toward the others to get dressed. My mind spun with the fact that I was being brought on to train with Shamrocks. Luckily, after Danny’s small telling off, everyone else avoided me too, which made me think that maybe he had it right. Maybe he needed to act like a dick and to have a firm fist to control all of these dickheads.