notices me as I cross the windows and tug on the door. This sets off a beep, though, so everyone turns as I enter the gym.
“Look at what the cat dragged in,” Exterminator says. “Miss Sister herself.”
The trainer frowns. “Stay focused in there,” he tells the sparring partners.
I relax a little. It’s like I thought. He is no-nonsense. Most trainers are.
Except now I’m not sure what to do. I approach the ring. The guy with a towel turns and sneers at me. I recognize him from earlier in the trees. The skull-and-roses tattoo.
I watch the two boys jab and punch for a moment. They do not strike me as particularly energetic or talented. There’s no fire.
The trainer seems to be studiously ignoring me, but I stand next to him anyway. After a moment, I say to him, “You’re aware that these boys vandalized my house?”
His expression doesn’t change. It’s like I haven’t spoken at all. I feel rage starting to build. “Seems like anybody trying to build a solid team would stay on top of the criminal actions of their fighters. They can’t earn much money behind bars.”
With that, he pushes away from the ring. “Good work, boys,” he says. He still doesn’t look at me. “I’m heading out.” He pulls a set of keys from his pocket and tosses them to the towel boy. “Clean up when you leave.”
Then he turns on his heel and walks out the front door.
My heart hammers. There is no mistaking that he’s left to avoid witnessing what’s about to go down. I breathe slowly and deeply, drawing strength for what’s ahead. I strike from my thoughts that there are three of them, that it’s night and we’re in a deserted part of town.
The lights are on. Passersby can see inside the building.
Still, tension makes my chest tight.
Exterminator and his partner strip off their pads. They aren’t even breathing heavy. Their workout was minimal. I can’t rely on them being tired. The equipment hits the floor of the ring.
“Axel, kill the front lights,” he says to the guy with a towel. “No sense giving people a show.”
Axel heads toward the door and shuts off the majority of the overheads. Only some strip lights in the back are still on. The room goes gray. The front windows change from a reflection of the interior to an outside scene. I know this means it’s not easy to see inside anymore.
“You ready to get in this ring with me?” Exterminator asks.
I observe them all. The towel guy is nothing, hardly any muscle on him. I could probably get a knockout blow with one quick move. Exterminator and his sparring partner, though, are more formidable. They weren’t doing much in the ring, but that doesn’t mean they can’t. Unless I go full hurricane, they might be able to take me down.
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.
I decide to surprise them and as soon as Axel makes it back, I swing with a sharp elbow strike to the right side of his jaw, diagonal, designed to create a concussion. Sure enough, he’s not prepared for that sort of blow, and staggers.
“Nice one,” Exterminator says. “Taking out the towel boy.”
I don’t flinch. I know he’s a fighter, although he probably is low on the roster.
I grasp the ropes and pull myself up even with the ring. I watch the two of them warily, trying to anticipate their first strike. I wish I could do something clever like spin on the ropes and kick them both, but I’m not trained to be a showman. Just straightforward, powerful fighting style.
I don’t want to duck between the ropes, as that makes me vulnerable, so I push down and leap over them. When I land, I’m ready, but the two of them still don’t move.
Exterminator leans his elbow on the other guy’s shoulder, like they’re having a casual chat. “Whatcha think, Joey? Can you take her?” he asks.
“I don’t know, X,” he says. “She clocked me the other night.”
Exterminator laughs. “That’s right. She bloodied your nose. But can you take her?”
I have a
“Look at what the cat dragged in,” Exterminator says. “Miss Sister herself.”
The trainer frowns. “Stay focused in there,” he tells the sparring partners.
I relax a little. It’s like I thought. He is no-nonsense. Most trainers are.
Except now I’m not sure what to do. I approach the ring. The guy with a towel turns and sneers at me. I recognize him from earlier in the trees. The skull-and-roses tattoo.
I watch the two boys jab and punch for a moment. They do not strike me as particularly energetic or talented. There’s no fire.
The trainer seems to be studiously ignoring me, but I stand next to him anyway. After a moment, I say to him, “You’re aware that these boys vandalized my house?”
His expression doesn’t change. It’s like I haven’t spoken at all. I feel rage starting to build. “Seems like anybody trying to build a solid team would stay on top of the criminal actions of their fighters. They can’t earn much money behind bars.”
With that, he pushes away from the ring. “Good work, boys,” he says. He still doesn’t look at me. “I’m heading out.” He pulls a set of keys from his pocket and tosses them to the towel boy. “Clean up when you leave.”
Then he turns on his heel and walks out the front door.
My heart hammers. There is no mistaking that he’s left to avoid witnessing what’s about to go down. I breathe slowly and deeply, drawing strength for what’s ahead. I strike from my thoughts that there are three of them, that it’s night and we’re in a deserted part of town.
The lights are on. Passersby can see inside the building.
Still, tension makes my chest tight.
Exterminator and his partner strip off their pads. They aren’t even breathing heavy. Their workout was minimal. I can’t rely on them being tired. The equipment hits the floor of the ring.
“Axel, kill the front lights,” he says to the guy with a towel. “No sense giving people a show.”
Axel heads toward the door and shuts off the majority of the overheads. Only some strip lights in the back are still on. The room goes gray. The front windows change from a reflection of the interior to an outside scene. I know this means it’s not easy to see inside anymore.
“You ready to get in this ring with me?” Exterminator asks.
I observe them all. The towel guy is nothing, hardly any muscle on him. I could probably get a knockout blow with one quick move. Exterminator and his sparring partner, though, are more formidable. They weren’t doing much in the ring, but that doesn’t mean they can’t. Unless I go full hurricane, they might be able to take me down.
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.
I decide to surprise them and as soon as Axel makes it back, I swing with a sharp elbow strike to the right side of his jaw, diagonal, designed to create a concussion. Sure enough, he’s not prepared for that sort of blow, and staggers.
“Nice one,” Exterminator says. “Taking out the towel boy.”
I don’t flinch. I know he’s a fighter, although he probably is low on the roster.
I grasp the ropes and pull myself up even with the ring. I watch the two of them warily, trying to anticipate their first strike. I wish I could do something clever like spin on the ropes and kick them both, but I’m not trained to be a showman. Just straightforward, powerful fighting style.
I don’t want to duck between the ropes, as that makes me vulnerable, so I push down and leap over them. When I land, I’m ready, but the two of them still don’t move.
Exterminator leans his elbow on the other guy’s shoulder, like they’re having a casual chat. “Whatcha think, Joey? Can you take her?” he asks.
“I don’t know, X,” he says. “She clocked me the other night.”
Exterminator laughs. “That’s right. She bloodied your nose. But can you take her?”
I have a
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