Read Online Torn - Part Two (The Torn Series) by Ellen Callahan - Free Book Online Page B

my brother, and pound the poor bastard through the floor.
     
    Surly shoved me forward as they called my name. Striding towards the center of the cage, the crowd disappeared. The noise faded into a background buzz. I knew then that the fight was mine - I was in the zone. Vaughn stood across from me, a defeated man who just didn’t know he was beaten yet. Poor asshole. It was an arrogant thought.
     
    The bell rang. Vaughn and I circled for just a moment, a few steps left, a few steps right, then he feinted once and lunged forward. I sidestepped easily - I’d seen his weight shift, predicted his movement before he fully committed and came at me. I thumped him on the back as I dodged and let him pass - a half-hearted jab, meant to anger him more than hurt.
     
    It worked - he turned to me with an offended glare, eyes blazing. It didn’t take very much to piss off a fighter - these were the same types of guys who went off the rails when you just jostled them at a crowded bar. Show one up in the ring? There was going to be blood.
     
    Vaughn feinted with a jab again before changing tactics and throwing a kick at my shins. I was expecting another lunge and was slower to move out of his striking foot’s way - it struck a glancing blow, sending a sharp jolt of pain up my leg but failing to get me off balance. I struck downward with an elbow to his shoulder, causing him to slump before me.
     
    I was on him before he could dart away, an arm around his neck and another going for his waist. We grappled - no words, no taunts, just grunts and sweat and the screams of the crowd that I could barely hear.
     
    He hurled himself forward and we both went down in a tangle of twisted limbs. I got a leg over his back, only to have him flip me off and pin one of my arms to my chest. Shit. It wasn’t going as easily as I’d hoped. This Vaughn guy was actually pretty good.
     
    I flipped us both again. This time I managed to wrangle him into a leglock, putting pressure on his knee. I almost had him but he was fast, faster than I’d predicted, and he wrenched away before I could really throw my full weight into it.
     
    I spotted a flash of black and red in my peripheral vision - Riley had reached the front of the crowd. She was there, watching, waiting for me to win. Or waiting to see if I flip the fuck out.
     
    Was Tony with her? There was no time to speculate with Vaughn trying to wind an arm around my neck. I threw him back with a mighty heave. It was only the first round, but fuck it, I thought, time to end this shit. The less time Riley was stuck with Tony, the better.
     
    All my grappling practice with Surly paid off after all. I preferred dancing around the ring and pummeling a guy until he went down but that wasn’t always an option. Bucking my hips and twisting, I heaved his weight off of me and locked him up in a triangle - legs wrapped around his head and one arm. I squeezed hard, watching his face turn red. Tap out already, goddammit. I wasn’t letting go, I’d let him pass out if I had to.
     
    Luckily it didn’t come to that - he tapped out and Lee blew his whistle. I released the guy and sprawled back on the mat, all my strength momentarily sapped. He sat back and took a huge gulp of air.
     
    “Good fight, man,” he said.
     
    “You too,” I replied, staring up at the lights in the ceiling. I didn’t want to deal with Tony; I wanted a beer and a nap. Oh, well. I rose with a groan and dragged my ass to the cage’s exit.
     
    “Not bad,” Surly said when I reached him. “See? All that practice wasn’t for nothing.”
     
    “Shuttup,” I grumbled, taking a sip of water from the bottle he offered before pouring it over my head. He didn’t need to gloat about it.
     
    There were still two fights left, and I couldn’t just skip off into the audience while Surly waited for his turn. I was stuck. I could only imagine what sort of bullshit Tony was filling Riley’s head with.
     
    Our match couldn’t come soon