laughed. Kids today were in such a hurry that they didnât go back far enough to really appreciate the history of the sport.
Domenic looked at him perplexed. âWho do you mean, man?â
An image of the iconic boxer flashed in Trevorâs mind. God, what was his name? Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Wasnât that what he always said? The man had been not only a boxer and a superior athlete, but an entertainer. Funny as hell. Not to mention one class act.
âUm, you know . . .â Trevor scratched his head.
Domenic cocked his head to the side.
Shit. He couldnât remember. It was as if his memory had a hole in it. The man was only the most iconic boxer of all time. Heâd watched the tapes of his old fights since he was a kid. He lifted his ungloved hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.
âAh, whatâs his name?â Trevorâs muscles tensed. Aggravation slowly moved through his body. Oh. Who was that guy? Did his name start with an M?
Domenic piped up. âYouâre talking about Muhammad Ali?â
âYes!â Relief poured through him.
âOf course Iâve watched all the Ali tapes. Who hasnât?â Domenic took a step closer to Trevor and looked directly into his eyes. âDude, are you all right?â
As if on cue, Trevorâs visual field blurred. He blinked trying to clear the cloudiness, but the fuzziness wouldnât disappear. A flash of heat surged though his body, and his large frame swayed.
âTrevor?â Domenicâs voice filled with concern.
His sparring partnerâs face faded in and out of clarity. Trevor grabbed on to the ropes, holding himself up. Waves of nausea swirled through his stomach. The protein shake he drank for breakfast threatened to rise up his throat. His knees buckled.
âDude, Iâm calling Daniella,â Domenic announced. Hints of panic marred his voice.
Using the ropes, Trevor pulled himself to a standing position. âNo. Donât.â He waited for the nausea to pass before he said, âIâm fine.â
His sparring partnerâs eyes widened. âYou donât look fine.â
âItâs just . . .â What could he blame it on now? Lack of sleep. No breakfast. Burning the candle at both ends. Heâd used all of those excuses already, and Domenic was no dummy. Sooner or later he was going to figure out that Trevor had something going on, and if he wasnât careful, heâd inadvertently rat him out to Daniella.
He allowed his shoulders to slump. âIâm not as well as Iâd hoped to be by now. Itâs my head. It comes and goes but itâs nothing serious.â
Domenic scowled. âIt looks serious, man. You sort of turned green there for a minute. I thought you were going to puke.â He placed a gloved hand on Trevorâs shoulder.
Trevor pressed a gloved hand to his stomach. âIâm fine. Letâs just spar.â
He shook his head. âNo way, Iâm not hitting you when youâre like this.â
âItâs okay,â Trevor tried to coerce him. âOnce we start training the nausea will subside.â
Domenic shook his head. âNope. Not doing it. Youâre the best sparring partner Iâve ever had, plus youâve got a fight to get ready for. I will not take a swing at you.â
Trevor let out a huff. âWhich is exactly why we should stop talking and start sparring.â
Domenic peeled off a glove. âWhat would Daniella say if I hit you and made things worse?â
âYou wonât.â He allowed his shoulders to relax.
Trevorâs mouth flattened in a firm, straight line. He knew the kid wasnât budging. He mustâve carried too much respect for Trevor and too much fear of Daniella to go against what he felt in his gut. Admirable qualities, but not exactly what Trevor was hoping for. He decided to pitch a new idea.
âWell, if you
Stephanie Morris
Françoise Sagan
Maria E. Andreu
Lawrence Block
Dale Brown and Jim DeFelice
Margaret Weis
Craig R. Saunders, Craig Saunders
Rebekah Weatherspoon
Emily Winfield Martin
Amanda Stevens