Ryley's Revenge (Gloves Off #2)(16)
Returning the gesture, I shook his hand and grinned. “Ashleigh Warren. Very nice to meet you.”
“Likewise. So are you excited about watching her fight? I haven’t seen you here before, but she talks about you all the time.”
“I’ve been in Aspen for a while and just flew in a couple days ago. Although, I did have the luxury of training with her one day, until I stepped out of line and left with a bloody nose.” I hung my head dramatically.
“It was an accident,” Gabriella shrieked.
We all chuckled, but then Garrett looked down at his watch. “All right, it’s about time to go.” His gaze then lifted to mine. “Are you ready? You’re sitting with me tonight.”
“Oh yeah, of course, let’s go.” Getting to my feet, I walked over to Gabriella and hugged her tight. “Good luck tonight. I can’t wait to see you kick ass.”
“Thanks, Ash. I’ll see you out there. Afterward, we can come back in here and get something to eat before Ryley’s fight. I have a strange feeling you’re going to need all the energy you can get tonight.”
She winked at me and nudged me toward Garrett who took my elbow and guided me to the door. What did she mean by that? I didn’t have time to ask because I was being led down the hall. Garrett talked to me the entire time, but my attention strayed when I felt a presence watching me from behind. When I turned around, I only got one quick look at him before I disappeared around the corner. At least he knew I was there.
GARRETT AND I took our seats just in time to watch Jaden Eller strut down the aisle and into the ring. She and Gabriella were about the same size, with the same long, dark hair and everything. Putting his arm across the back of my seat, Garrett leaned over toward me. “You know, it’s amazing how fast Gabriella’s learned to fight. Jaden’s been doing this for a couple of years and she doesn’t come close to the skills Gabby possesses.”
About that time, Gabby walked down the aisle with Matt beside her and caught my eye, winking at me. She was always confident, but I could see it in her more now. I wish I could be like that.
Hell, I couldn’t look at anything else; she was on fire wearing her red sports bra and black shorts. Once the bell rang, I moved to the edge of my seat, eyes wide. Jaden struck first, but Gabriella ducked and swung her leg low, sweeping Jaden off of her feet.
Instead of pouncing, Gabriella smiled and let Jaden get back up. Over in the corner, Matt rolled his eyes and shook his head. She could’ve ended it there, but she chose to toy with her prey. From what I heard, Jaden was a complete cunt. I saw how she provoked Gabriella in that video a while back ago. Now she was furious because she knew Gabriella was playing with her.
Snarling, she got back into position and Gabriella struck, landing a hard punch to Jaden’s left cheek. Her head snapped to the side and before she could gain focus, Gabriella jabbed again and this time hit her right side. Jaden fell to her knees, and grabbed Gabby’s legs, taking her down to the mat. They grappled and fists flew wildly in the air, but when Gabriella got behind Jaden and wrapped her legs around her like a pretzel, I knew it was all over.
Jaden tapped out and the bell rang. Gabriella won. Jumping to her feet, she ran around the ring with the biggest smile on her face. Looking at her, she didn’t look like a hardcore MMA fighter. It was still strange to see how goofy she acted, yet still kicks major ass for a living.
“So where do you think her career will lead her?” I asked, looking over at Garrett.
He grinned. “If she keeps kicking ass, I’d say she could be the next women’s Bantamweight champion. Not only is she a great fighter, but she’s sexy as hell. I’ve had people contacting me about putting her in magazines and even the possibility of a movie deal. I haven’t told her yet, but I thought I would surprise her tonight.”
“Holy shit, that’s amazing,” I exclaimed. “She’s going to flip out.”
“That she is. Come on, let’s go.”
He helped me up and we trudged our way through the throngs of people to get to the back. Gabriella stood outside of her room while people took pictures of her and her brother together. When she saw us she rushed over and threw her arms around us both.
“Did you see me kick ass out there or what? I feel like I’m on air,” she squealed.
Garrett nodded. “And it’s only going to get better.”
Since we had about two hours to spare, Gabriella and I left to get something to eat, much to my dismay. I didn’t want to leave, knowing Ryley was so close by. It killed me not to be able to touch him or talk to him. Once we got back, Gabriella made me change into one of her ‘Team Ryley’ shirts even though I protested the whole time. She swore up and down that he’d like it. I had my doubts.
Now that it was time for his fight, we all went to our seats. As soon as we sat down, it was time for Ryley to make his entrance. Gabriella and I jumped to our feet and I screamed as loud as I could as the multi-colored lights flashed around the arena. The speakers blared to life with his fight song, except this time it was something different. Everything halted in my body when I heard the words of the song echoing in my ear. It was a message to me and I heard it loud and clear. The song was One Step Closer by Linkin Park. He was basically telling me to back off or he was going to break. That he needed room to breathe.