Takedown Teague (Caged #1)(13)

“Fin’s?” Wade asked.

“Whatever it is,” I said, knowing full well that was the name of the place.

“They got a new brunette waiting tables there,” he said.

“That might be her,” I said. “She said she moved into town a couple weeks ago.”

“Pretty little thing—hair in a ponytail?”

“Could be,” I shrugged. “Sounds like her.”

“I know who you mean,” Gary said. “Nice, pretty mouth, too. And with that ponytail? Mmm…”

I rolled my eyes.

“Just makes you want to wrap it around your wrist and go to town!” Gary put his hands in front of his crotch and moved them back and forth in front of him, as if he were bouncing a basketball on his dick. His hips moved suggestively.

Wade just shook his head.

“Don’t make me f*ck you up,” I threatened. I tossed the butt of the cigarette beyond the ashtray on the sidewalk and into the gutter before turning around and walking back inside.

There wasn’t a scheduled opponent for me tonight, which meant it was a challenge night. Anyone in the bar was free to challenge me in the cage, and anyone who made it past five minutes without tapping out won a hundred bucks. On top of my normal hundred a fight, I received an extra ten bucks for each guy who didn’t last.

I was on number six, and he was the first of the night to make it past three minutes.

He swung and hit me in the gut as I danced away. I had landed several good blows on him, but the dude was fast and wiry. He landed one good one that knocked me down and slammed my head on the ground, and the fight hadn’t been completely in my favor since. I couldn’t seem to get a grip on him long enough to get him in a hold and choke him to unconsciousness. I was getting a little frustrated. It wasn’t often an amateur managed to last this long with me, and it pissed me off.

I decided to stop f*cking around and just beat the guy.

We had spent the past two minutes smacking and just trying to get a hold of each other, and he seemed surprised when my tactics suddenly changed. I just dove at him, ignoring tactics and his fists as they came at my face. He tried to move back and away, but I shoved with my shoulder and pushed him up against the corner of the cage. I could still feel his hands punching at my shoulders, but it didn’t matter anymore—I had him where I wanted him.

Using my head, I slammed against his sternum. He cried out, stunned for a moment, and then gasped as my knee connected with his gut. I hit him with my forehead again—this time in the shoulder. It hurt like a bitch, and I would pay for it later, but it worked. Then I stomped on the top of his foot. His grip on me faltered, and I turned him around and slammed him against the cage.

Now that I had my arms around him, I wasn’t about to let go even as he pounded on my shoulders and back, trying to get away. I wrestled him to the floor of the cage and knocked his head against the ground a few times, then started throwing actual punches.

He tapped out a few seconds later, but it was enough to break five minutes.

I was annoyed to realize he had lasted so long, but he deserved it. Dordy was going to be pissed off, though. I hoped I would still get the fifty I earned from the last few fights. When he and I first worked out our business arrangement, he would take it out of my pay when one of the guys from the bar won.

Helping the guy back on his feet, I shook his hand and dusted him off a bit. Yolanda led him out of the cage door and announced I would be back on Tuesday to fight some guy from across town. My ears were ringing, and I could barely focus on the crowd as I headed to the locker room.

I rubbed at my head a bit. The last guy had gotten me pretty good a couple of times, and the face in the mirror was kind of a mess. I was cut above both of my eyes, one cheek, and my lip was busted open. Blood smeared my chest and my forearms.

“You okay?” Yolanda’s voice came from behind me. “You took a couple good smacks.”

“Ears ringing,” I mumbled. “Need some air.”

“Let me check you out first,” Yolanda insisted.

“Fuck you,” I growled as I headed for the back door. I felt her slip around me just before she popped up in front of me and shoved me backwards with both hands on my chest.

“I’m going to check you out,” she said through clenched teeth. “If and only if I decide you are okay will you go out for a smoke. Got it?”

Closing my eyes and huffing breath out my nose, I turned around and dropped down to the bench next to the lockers. If I was going to admit it to myself, I was a bit dizzy. Besides, I had a sneaking suspicion Yolanda could kick my ass if she wanted to.

“Fuck you!” I cringed and yelled as she shined a little penlight in my eyes.

“Stop being such a baby,” she said. She had gone back to acting all soft and mothering again, which was kind of funny for a chick who was always watching me move around naked. What was the opposite of an Oedipal complex? Electra? Nah, I had something backwards. Yolanda was more of a lioness. Or was it a cougar?

Maybe I did have a concussion.

I let her poke around at the back of my head, which was pretty tender but didn’t make me see spots or anything. Then she asked me a bunch of bullshit questions until I got pissy.

“Come on, Yolanda,” I whined. “I wanna smoke. I’m fine.”

The dizziness and ear-ringing were gone, and I did think I was okay. Yolanda either agreed or was tired of arguing with me because she let me up and watched me head out the door. I stomped up the stairs with my head throbbing in my temples, still ticked off that the guy lasted as long as he did. Overall, I was not in a good mood.