Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
None of those fighters seemed right. I couldn’t see them as champion material, and I definitely couldn’t see them getting along with Frankie, aka Freakshow, who had beat the shit out of them multiple times in the cage.
“Ooh, I know!” Lola’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Well, I don’t know for sure. I think he’s a good idea, but there’s a definite risk with him.”
At this point, I was willing to take on a risk to get the right man for the gym. “Go on, I’m listening.”
She pulled out her phone and clicked on a picture to show me. “Bones Vega.”
“Bones.” I snatched the phone from her.
The picture confimed that Bones was officially one the sexiest men I’d ever laid my eyes upon. He had dark hair, deep brown eyes, and a sexy small scar running down his left cheek. Something about his smile in the pic had my heart beating just a little faster. He was obviously strong and muscular—which was to be expected because most guys I worked around were—but there was something protective about his look, too.
I not only saw the protectiveness last night in his eyes, I felt it when he threw me to the ground and shielded me with his body.
Tattoos nearly covered every inch of his skin, his identifying bone tattoos on his hands prominent in the picture which again made him appear simultaneously dangerous and mysterious. It was interesting to take in his appearance without chaos swirling around him like at the fight last night, and yet, there wasn’t anything about the picture that felt ‘calm’.
“I met him last night. I watched him fight.”
“Interesting. He doesn’t fight much anymore. He used to fight for Bobby, and he was incredible, like an unbelievable fighter. He was a fan favorite, and everyone loved him. But… there were some issues. Just as he was about to explode in peak fitness and wins, there was some fucked-up shit, and everything seemed to fall apart.”
“What issues? I don’t recall anything.”
Something about the story felt familiar to me. It was as if I could remember it, or I had heard it somewhere, but the details remained fuzzy. It was definitely before I took over Smiley’s a year ago. I’d been fully up to date on the fighting scene since then… or at least I had been trying. Not to mention this could have all been going on when my father had died, so I hadn’t exactly been in a place to keep up with all the drama when my life had been one big drama by itself.
“Because he was such a good fighter—almost undefeatable—it appeared he threw his last match. No one could ever work out the exact truth, lots of rumors, but it seemed to destroy his career from there. Bobby kicked him out of the gym for costing him a shitload of money, and he pretty much got blackballed from any promoters. If he fights now, it’s as a free agent. I actually saw him at a fight a short while back, and I know for a fact that he wants to earn the trust back, but once you burn your rep, it’s impossible to pull it back from the ashes. But he was damn good. Vicious and brutal, which always made for a great show.”
Warning bells were going off.
Warning bells I should have stopped and listened to.
But at the same time, my gut sensed more.
Vicious and brutal, which always made for a great show.
If no one else would give him a chance, that made him perfect for us. I’d bet on him even if others didn’t. Hell… his bad rep could end up making me more money in the long run.
But there was that risk. How pissed off would Frankie be if I took it? Then again, he hadn’t left me with much choice when he chased off our last hopeful.
“Do you have a way to reach him? His address so I can pay him a surprise visit?” I would at least give it a shot. “I might go over to talk to him in person. Since he doesn’t strike me as someone who chats on the phone often.” I didn’t see any point in making any judgments or decisions just yet when I didn’t know the full story. And I was a big believer in staring someone straight in the eye to read their character. “If he’s such a good fighter, like you say, then maybe he’s exactly what we need. Risk or not.”
“Yeah, I’m sure I can find it for you,” she said with a smile. “But don’t blame me if this blows up in your face.” She paused and then laughed. “But you can give me all the credit if it lands you the best fighter we’ve seen in a long time.”
As I thought about going to see this Bones Vega, I couldn’t help but notice the way my heart literally clenched in my chest. I took several deep breaths, trying to keep my mind on what was important. Trying to keep my focus only on the fight. The fight to save Smiley’s.