The Aftermath (The Hurricane, #2)(74)

Sweat and blood dripped down from my eye, but I didn’t pause. This guy was an absolute f*cking machine, but so was I. It was a tossup between whether the referee would pull us apart or the bell would ring, when I saw it. That magical opportunity that Danny was always talking about. There were few things in this world that I was good at. Loving my wife was one and boxing was the other. The control I had over my temper was shit, but between those four posts, it was like I could slow everything down and see those gaps in a defense that anyone else would miss.

That was how I knew that my left hook to his body would make him drop his guard to protect his liver. As soon as he did that, I brought my fist up in an uppercut to the face that lifted him off the floor. I stood back, knowing what I’d done.

Temple bounced off the ropes and staggered across the ring before landing on the canvas. From the outside, he looked in much better shape than me, my face bearing most of the cosmetic damage. But where I carried my pain on the exterior, he carried his inside. That last uppercut was enough persuasion for his body to surrender.

As I watched the referee count, I thought of Danny telling me that it didn’t matter if I went down, only if I stayed there. I’d been to that point where you feel like you can’t get any lower. What defines the person you’ll become is whether you get back up when everyone thinks the fight is over. It didn’t matter how many times I went down. I would always get back up because I was a fighter, like Em.

I used to think that being a boxer and a fighter were the same thing. Now I know different. Being a boxer is what I did. Being a fighter is who I was.

When the referee reached seven, Danny stood on the ropes, with Kieran pressed up behind him. By eight, I knew that Temple was done. When the referee reached nine, the whole arena held its breath, and at ten, it erupted. It was over, and the only thing I could think about was having my wife in my arms again.

It amazed me how quickly the ring filled up as soon as the fight was over. People seemed to pour through the ropes like ants, and it pissed me off. Television cameras and microphones were thrust in my face, and despite how I felt about winning, I was going to knock a second person the f*ck out if I didn’t get to my wife and the guys soon.

Kieran got to me first, and we threw our arms around each other. “You did it! You f*ckin’ crazy Irish bastard!” he screamed.

“We did it,” I told him, and he hugged me again.

From over his shoulder, I could see a shock of blond hair from behind some guy that made me smile. When Em got to me, she held my face in her hands and, with tears streaming down her face, kissed me fiercely. “I’m so proud of you, O’Connell. I knew you could do it!” she said. Throwing my sweaty arms around her waist, I lifted her high so she had to lean down to kiss me again. Then Liam, Tommy, and Earnshaw tackled me so hard that I nearly took Temple’s spot on the canvas. “Where’s Danny?” I asked, but they didn’t know. Kieran removed my gloves, and all six of us held on tight as we made our way to the center of the ring. Rico Temple was on his feet now, looking dazed and more than a little pissed off. I’m betting he’d never lick his lips at another guy again. I didn’t bother trying to keep the enormous grin from my face as the emcee’s booming voice echoed through the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen. After eleven rounds of boxing here at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, I give you the winner by knockout and new WBO World Heavyweight Champion, Cormac ‘the Hurricane’ O’Connell.” I looked at Em and the guys as my hand was held high, and I couldn’t believe we’d all made it. The kids who everyone had written off, who wouldn’t amount to anything even if they survived, were standing here with me. They got me here, and I couldn’t have done this without any of them. No matter what happened, I would no longer be remembered for my f*cked-up past, but as the kid who went from nothing to becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

I handed Em my title belt, which seemed way too big for her little arms, and kissed her deeply, making the guys catcall at us. She, Kieran, and all the boys stayed by my side as I answered question after question in front of the cameras. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rico Temple doing the same thing. He was the toughest guy I’d ever fought, and that deserved some respect. Leaving Em with my guys, I made my way to his corner. His trainer held out his hand to me, and I shook it firmly.

“Well done, son. You earned that,” he said, tipping his head toward the belt in my corner.

Temple turned around to face me and looked like he wanted to keep the fight going. Then, with a wry smile, he shook my hand and gave me a bro hug. “It was a good fight, O’Connell, but just so you know, I’m getting my belt back.”

I grinned back at him and knew then that there’d be a rematch in my future. “Bring it on,” I told him.

He laughed and turned back toward his trainer as I looked for Danny. Through the crowd, I could see that the front row was empty, save for one man who looked around the arena like he had no idea how he had ended up there.





Chapter 28



“I can help you get that weathered old arse up into that ring if you like,” I said to Danny as I sat down in the empty seat next to him. The cameras were following my every move but Kieran and Liam were keeping them out of my face while Tommy gave them my life story.

“Feck off, ya’ cocky little shite,” he replied, making me chuckle. “Your face looks like crap. Thought I told you not to get hit again.”