Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(3)

Eyes wide, I stared at Hank as he helped me out of my seat. Ivan was the name Camden went by at the bar, but Big John? He was burly and huge, probably in his early forties. He outweighed Camden by a hundred pounds or more. I’d watched him take down every single man who tried to fight him, and he definitely didn’t fight by any set of rules. He was the one everyone wanted to fight, but feared.

We started toward the door leading into the darkened hallway. “Whose idea was it for them to fight?” I held my breath so when he spoke, I wouldn’t have to smell the rotten combination of stale cigarettes and halitosis.

“Not too sure. Either way, it’s gonna be one hell of a fight.”

Camden must want to leave the island in style. I had no doubt it was his doing. The door to the back room was old and falling off its hinges. If it wasn’t for the shouts of laughter and lights coming through the cracks in the door, it’d almost look like something you’d see in a horror movie.

Once inside, Hank pulled me to the front where Camden sat in the ring, wrapping his hands. His head was down in concentration, but I’d watched him long enough to know he was hiding. For years, I’d watched him fight, being the cocky bastard that he was, but now he was damaged he wasn’t like that anymore. It was almost as if he was ashamed of his appearance.

“I wonder how he got that scar on his face,” Hank mentioned. Keeping my eyes on Camden, I already knew how he got it. It was hard to feel sorry for him after knowing all the things he’d done, especially to his brother.

“I’d assume in a fight.”

“I know one thing. His ass is going to get murdered tonight.”

My attention never swayed from Camden, even when Big John walked through the room and entered the ring. A sly smirk tilted up the corner of his lips but he never looked up. “I wouldn’t count on that,” I mumbled.

The people went wild, running toward the ropes with money in their hands. The only thing I gambled on was pool. I was pretty good at it. I never gambled on things I had no control over. Big John circled around the ring, keeping his stony gaze on his target, who didn’t give him the time of day. As soon as Camden finished wrapping his hands, he stood and cracked his neck to both sides. The owner of the bar, a short, rotund man named Phil, waltzed into the center of the ring with his hands raised in the air.

“All right, everyone, calm the f*ck down.” As soon as he said it, the crowd hushed. Lowering his hands, he continued, “Tonight we have a special treat. I think you’ve all been waiting for Ivan and Big John to clash. Am I right?”

“Yes,” they all screamed.

“Well, I’m here to give you what you want.” Phil backed out of the ring and acknowledged both fighters. “There are no rules tonight, my friends. Make it good.”

As soon as he was far enough away, Big John lunged and rammed straight into the wall after Camden dodged. His face turned red and he growled, barreling toward him again. This time, Camden moved and side-punched the lug in the nose. I heard a crack right before it gushed with blood and splattered all over the floor. John might be a big guy, but he wasn’t as fast as Camden. However, it was going to take a lot more than a broken nose to take that brick wall down.

Trying to take him to the floor, Camden lunged for Big John’s midsection and wrapped his arms around his waist. The force knocked him back, but it didn’t take him down. John took the opportunity and rammed his fists into Camden’s ribs, over and over. With there being no rules, it didn’t surprise me when Cam pulled his fist back and punched John straight in the balls. Not just once, but twice. Big John fell to the floor with a loud thud and doubled over, shouting obscenities the whole way down.

I thought Camden would go in for the kill, but he stepped back to catch his breath. Judging by the wince on his face and the way he held his side, I’d say he might’ve cracked some ribs. But once John got to his feet, he went on the strike, his fists knocking the big guy’s head from one side to the other. It was over. Big John had enough and fell to the floor, arms sprawled out to the sides.

The people who gambled on Camden cheered and rushed past the ropes to congratulate him, while the others stood back and sulked. I had to hand it to him, fighting Big John couldn’t have been easy. I’d had my fair share of fights being in law enforcement, and I had to fight dirty too—anything to win. I also knew what it felt like to have broken ribs and fractured bones in my face; it wasn’t fun and it sure as hell didn’t make fighting any easier.

“Well, f*ck me,” Hank grumbled. “I just lost fifty dollars.”

Rolling my eyes, I made sure to keep my attention on Camden, who was presently being rubbed up on by two morally questionable women. My job was to keep him safe and he needed it; or at least his wallet did. Every time he’d win a large pot of money, the women would come running. So far on my watch, he’d only been getting action from his hand.

A sick, twisted part of me actually enjoyed watching him suffer. I hated guys who thought they could get any piece of ass they wanted. It turned out my ex was the same way. Before Camden fell to the bottom he’d been used to getting what he wanted, but now things didn’t come so easy to him.

Although, sometimes I found myself feeling sorry for him. He hardly smiled except for the times he was fighting someone or when he surfed the small waves at the beach. Otherwise, he just looked lost, alone.