Fighter(20)

And that’s what happened. Turns out Jax wasn’t fighting just another fighter. He was fighting Charles Monroe, Chris Monroe’s older brother and also a part of the local Monroe mafia family.

This had just taken an entirely different turn. I shared a worried look with Jax, but when they called for him, he shrugged and said, “I gotta do my job.” He rolled his shoulders back, as if shaking off concerns, before jumping from our box and into the ring. As he did, the crowd went nuts.

No matter who won, the crowd had picked their favorite. They loved Jax Cutler.

So did I.

“It’s a brilliant idea, isn’t it?”

I turned to see Chris Monroe standing in the walkway. Turgo lifted the rope to my box, and Chris ducked under his arm, smiling at me. He indicated Jax’s empty seat. “May I?”

I nodded, keeping quiet. Chris Monroe had been in our grade in school. He never said much back then, but everyone knew about his family, so no one messed with him. He’d been the studious type. He was also athletic, but he didn’t go out for any of the teams, a fact I’ve often thought the rest of the guys had to be grateful for. Had he gone out, he would’ve played, regardless of whether he should’ve been first string or not.

Looking him over now, I noticed his outfit. He’d worn sweatshirts and jeans in school, never stood out. I always thought that had been his intention—not to stand out—and that sort of still seemed to be the case. Tonight he wore a blue sweater over jeans and loafers. His clothes were high quality, though. He wasn’t wearing anything from the local Walmart, unlike 95% of the people in Sally’s that night, myself included. I felt a little foolish, knowing I’d bought this shirt from a clearance rack. It’d been so cute.

I didn’t feel cute anymore.

“You’re supposed to ask what’s brilliant,” he prompted me, running a hand over his hair. He didn’t need to. His brown hair was combed perfectly to the side.

I snorted. “Is this how the mob looks now? The college professor vibe?”

His green eyes seemed startled, then he started laughing, shaking his head. “I forgot you weren’t to be messed with.”

“I’m a Holden.” Holdens didn’t get messed with either.

“True.” He gestured to the ring where his older brother flexed and stretched, trying to intimidate Jax. “Aren’t you going to say anything about that? You know everyone’s assuming Jax will throw the match.”

I nodded. This was starting to make sense. “And you knew your brother would get to the championship match. All his opponents would throw their fights, not wanting to get on the bad side of a Monroe.”

He grinned in approval. “But not Jax.”

“Not if he had a good-enough motive.”

“Libby.” Chris’ smile stretched from ear to ear.

“Who you were never going to let pay her boyfriend’s gambling debt, were you?” I remembered how he used to watch her in school. When she noticed, he would pretend to be studying. “You always snuck looks at her, thinking no one noticed.”

He laughed again, but this time the sound was more somber. “I didn’t think anyone did notice.”

“You care for her, don’t you?”

His smile was gone. He nodded, the somberness moving to his eyes. “I always have.”

“Does Jax know?”

“I think he will after this match.” He gave me a pointed look.

He was right. I was going to tell. Jax needed to know. “Jax would do anything for his sister.”

“I know.”

“Everyone’s betting on your brother, but your money’s on Jax.”

He smiled again. “There’s a reason why I’m running the family and Charles isn’t.”

I glanced up at the ring. The announcer was done with the introductions, and he rang the bell, jumping back as the two fighters started to circle each other. Charles outweighed Jax by a hundred pounds. He was solid, and he’d been trained to fight. The Monroes didn’t mess around with anything. But Jax was better. I knew it. Jax knew it. Charles knew it, and Chris knew it.

Charles shifted on his heel and threw the first punch.

Jax dodged and came up with an upper cut. Knowing him, he’d want this over as soon as possible, and when he started delivering a series of jabs mixed with roundhouses, the rest of Sally’s realized it too. A fresh wave of excitement went through the crowd. Jax wasn’t going to throw the match, and as soon as they realized it, they started cheering even louder for him.

Chris was right. It had been a brilliant plan, this whole thing.

“What’s the collateral damage from this?” I asked him.

“From Jax beating my brother?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing except I get to hold it over Charles for the next ten years.”

“Ten years?”

“He’s going to prison. This is his last hoorah. The feds got him solid on something, and we can’t get him out of it.”

I frowned. “So he won’t retaliate against Jax?”

“No. I wouldn’t let him anyway. I like you and Jax. I always did, even in high school. Jax is one reason why I never went after his sister.”

“One reason?”

“Yeah. The other is that I do care about her.”