Caged: Cellar Door Series (21 page)

I got out, dried, hit my room and stepped into a pair of black athletic shorts that fell to my knees along with a white t-shirt. I left my ball cap off and made my way back to the front of the apartment hearing Matt and Kylee bickering in the kitchen while I fingered combed the short strands of my hair.

I passed by them both and went straight to the fridge; getting a bottle of water while they went at it before planting my ass in one of the wooden chairs around our small table.

“How is he supposed to maintain weight on that? Anorexic people eat more than that.” Kylee prodded at the plate of food with a fork that Matt had prepared, scowling at it.

Matt smacked at her hand, the fork she held clattering to the counter. “Stop. I’ve been doing this for awhile. I know what I’m doing Kylee Grace. Go sit the hell down.”

Kylee stuck her tongue out at Matt and came to sit on my lap, disgruntled as she could be. “You need more than that.”

My chest rumbled with the chuckle that forced out of me. “Baby girl, that’s just for right now. There is more coming. I promise Matt’s not trying to starve me. He knows what’s best to fuel my body with trust me.”

Kylee gave me a disbelieving look and rolled her eyes towards Matt. “Is he always this controlling?” Before I could answer she leaned in close to me, whispering in my ear. “No sex? He said no sex. That’s a real thing with fighters?”

I had just taken a swallow of water and almost spit it across the kitchen, choking instead, Kylee’s small fist banged against my back. Matt placed the plate in front of me having heard Kylee’s whispered question.

“I already told you once. He’s not allowed to before a fight.” Matt tried to hold back a grin but it showed as he went back to the stove to prepare the boneless skinless chicken breast I was gonna be wolfing down along with the vegetables he would do a quick steam on.

Kylee turned bright red, burying her head into my neck and groaned. “I so don’t want to discuss our sex life with my might as well be brother. It’s just gross.”

“He’s just fucking with you Kylee. It’s depends on the fighters preference if he thinks it actually interferes.”  I picked up the fork Matt had dropped next to the plate and began shoving food down my throat. Kylee glared daggers at Matt and I was sure was plotting her revenge.

I cleaned up the kitchen after we all ate. My boy had cooked, it was the least I could do and had been our routine for awhile. It was a flow that had worked for us for almost four years. Kylee and Matt had moved to the living room and were arguing over what movie to watch.

I entered and went straight to the entertainment center pulling out Cinderella Man, tossing it to Matt before settling into the recliner. Kylee came over to me and planted herself in my lap. I wrapped my arm around her as Matt shoved the DVD in and fast forwarded the trailers, hitting play.

We watched the movie, my fingers stroking over Kylee’s arm as she rested her head on my shoulder. She had flinched several times during parts of the movie when the fighting got real rough but hadn’t said anything. When the credits rolled, she raised her head and addressed Matt.

“Can that happen to him?” She flicked her thumb backwards towards me.

Matt hesitated a moment before answering her. “He can get hurt Kylee. Yeah. But, he’s good and if he stays on his game, it minimizes the punishment to his body.”

Kylee curled up tight in my lap, my arms wrapping around her. “I don’t think I can watch him get real hurt. Watching last time was bad enough.”

I placed my chin on the top of her head. “It’s what I do baby girl. I want you there at my fights tomorrow but if you can’t do it again, I understand.”

Matt got up from the sofa and ejected the DVD, putting it in its case. “I’m heading to bed. I suggest you do the same JD. Tomorrow night is going to be brutal.” Before he finished spitting out the words, Kylee was off my lap all but running to my bedroom.

I glared at Matt. What the fuck had he been thinking? “Bad choice of words bro. Damn, did you have to go to brutal?” I shook my head and followed Kylee down the hall seriously wondering if Matt had hit his head or some shit.

She was already in the bed, curled up on her side, her hands tucked beneath the pillow her head laid on. I tugged my shirt up over my head and tossed it into the corner where the hamper was, pulling back my covers and sliding in next to her. I normally would have shucked the shorts off too but no way I could lay naked next to Kylee and keep myself from burying inside of her. Instead, I spooned up behind her after cutting off the light and we both drifted off to sleep.

Laying on my back, one arm tucked behind my head I looked at the ceiling of my bedroom. I had hours to go until I would fight but was so sprung with energy I thought my body was going to start moving on its own. Kylee had left earlier gifting me with a kiss but no promise if she would be at Cellar Door for my fight. I wanted her there but not if it was going to traumatize her. 

I got up, stretching my arms up over my head and was right fucking happy when my side didn’t protest. The past few days of training had caused the area where I’d taken the blade to be sore but today it seemed fine and damn I needed that. Going into a fight with pain was a definite draw back.

Showered and dressed I hit the kitchen, Matt already there with a cup of coffee and his laptop. He glanced up at me and smiled. “You ready?”

Shit, who was he kidding?  “I was born ready. Just got sidetracked for a moment.”

Matt’s green eyes darkened as he stood and placed a hand on my shoulder. “You got this JD. I know you do.”

He dropped his hand and went to make another cup of coffee, getting pushed out of the way when I moved in front of him for the one source of caffeine I would get all damn day, almost growling at him. “Back off. You’ve had a cup already. This is my one.”

Matt laughed and shifted so he was backed up against the counter waiting for my cup to fill as he rolled his cup between his palms. “On a serious note, if Kylee doesn’t come, are you going to be alright?”

I took my freshly filled cup and moved to the table sitting down. “Yeah I want her there. Won’t lie about that but not if it’s going to upset her. Could be worse. She could’ve asked me not to fight right?”

Matt’s cup shook against the Kureig before he got it settled. “She wouldn’t do that would she?” He honestly looked worried.

“Nah, Kylee’s not going to do something like that. Can’t believe you even asked.” Worse was he had to be figuring I might consider it to have mentioned it to me.

Matt shrugged slightly, raising his mug to his mouth once it was done brewing. “Just know what she means to you man. But I also know it would kill you give up this dream. I love the hell out of both of you, want to see you both happy.”

“I get that. I do. It’s all going to be fine. Hey, anything new with Ronnie?” Matt hadn’t said anything but that didn’t mean a lot. Matt was a man who kept a lot inside, passing information only if it was needed. He respected people’s privacy and it was one of the things I valued about him most. He was good like that, shit, he was fucking great like that.

“Nothing new has happened recently thankfully but I think that’s because of the stuff we’ve been doing.” I knew Matt was talking about the random appearances at OverTime and drive by’s that he, Javier and Ray had been doing. If it was working, it was well worth it. I fought tonight, Ray fought tomorrow and I hoped to hell it ended the shit going on with Ronnie.

I could see Matt didn’t want to say more, was starting to mentally prepare himself for tonight. I couldn’t help barging in on his thoughts.  “So, what convinced you to bring Kylee to Odyssey?” It was a complete change in topic and had Matt startled by the way he choked on his mouthful of coffee before settling his gaze on mine going serious again.

“She said she needed you to know that she loved you. If she was willing to put that out there, you damn sure needed to at least hear it.”

“I heard it bro, truly fucking did.” Matt nodded at me and left the kitchen heading into the living room. I had a few hours to kill before it was time to get ready so I passed by the living room and headed to my bedroom to get my play list right. Every fight, I had a play list, some songs I listened to every time I prepped to fight, others fit my mood for that moment, it all came down to what I was feeling the day of the fight.

The day had drifted by quicker than I thought it would. I got in to my fight shorts and started getting my head in the zone, the place where nothing else could touch me as I readied for the fights I had lined up.

Matt was waiting at his car; we’d decided to take the same ride to the club. He had some people to speak with while I waited out my turn in the cage. I plugged my ears buds in and blasted my play list. I was only a few songs deep when we pulled into the lot, people already at the doors around the back of Cellar Door. I grabbed my bag as I exited Matt’s ride, music still pouring in my ears and followed him into the basement and back to the locker room that would be mine for the night.

Matt left me there, going off to do his thing. I disconnected my iPod long enough to get rid of the t-shirt I’d worn. It was too damn hot to have pants on over my fight shorts so I hadn’t bothered with them. I began stretching out and warming up.

I felt more than heard Matt re-enter the room looking over my shoulder, my entire body going still. I’d been shadow boxing, my arms dropping from mid-air to hang loosely at my sides. Matt sure enough had entered and brought two visitors with him, Kylee and Ronnie.

I reached up with one hand and tugged out my right ear bud; let it fall to dangle down my torso, the music soaring from the small bud as I turned around. Before I could speak, Kylee launched herself at me, my arms and body catching her in a tight hug as she buried her face at my neck.

“Easy baby girl. Don’t hurt me before I’ve had a chance to get in the cage.” She let out a squeal, worried that she really had hurt me and wiggled to try and get loose. It didn’t work. I didn’t realize how much I really had wanted her there, needed her there until she’d shown up and I’d be damned if I just released her. I moved to one of the metal chairs and sat my ass down, pulling her down to my lap and holding her close to me. I breathed in her scent letting the peace my hell cat could bring me soak over me as I brushed my lips across her ear. “I was just kidding.”

Matt cleared his throat and the sound made me glance up realizing I was being self absorbed, not that most people didn’t expect different from me. “S’up Ronnie? Glad you could make it.”

Her hair was black with red tipped on the ends and was pure Ronnie. That chick could pull off the craziest color combo’s and make them look natural as hell. Or course being inked out with almost two full sleeves, Ronnie seemed able to pull off  just about any look.

Ronnie’s face broke into a big smile. “Kylee is going to sit with me. Aren’t you Kylee?”

Kylee ran her sweet lips against my neck and god damn if I didn’t have to fight, I’d be pulling a whole other kind of work out. I shifted her around on my lap to try to keep the friction of her ass against my cock to a minimum, tapping her nose with my finger. “You sure you want to do that? I get if you don’t.”

              She raised those big browns at me and smiled but I could see some fear clouding her eyes. “No. I just came for the popcorn and drinks. Heard they use real butter and everything. Figured I get something to snack on and head home.”

              I shook my head at her. “You’re a regular comedian. I’m serious, you sure about being here?”

              Kylee nodded, her arms squeezing me. “I’m here aren’t I?”

I pressed my lips to hers and slid her off my lap, planting my palm against her ass in a quick swat.

              “Glad to hear it.” I stood and nodded at Matt, my boy immediately going to my bag and removing the tape.

              Kylee walked over to Ronnie watching intently as Matt went to work taping up both my hands. When he was done, I laced my fingers together, packed the tape down even tighter and then pounded one fist into a palm before switching hands to repeat the process.

              Stretching my arms up over my head, I bent my right at the elbow, laid my left hand over it and started pulling it down to stretch it further, listening to Matt go through my card for the evening. He’d done great, had all the details on the top up and coming talent I was paired with. They were already riding the amateur circuit not that I would remember their names after I got in the cage with them or their stats. I knew I wouldn’t be able to go straight pro, not after the melt down I’d pulled four years ago, but these fights could damn sure get me back in legit fights. In true MMA UFC style fights. It was the step I’d been working for, the one we both had been working for.

              “Alright ladies, time for you two to find your seats. JD has to finish getting ready; he will be getting in the cage soon.” Matt headed towards the door to escort both Kylee and Ronnie out but my hell cat dodged him and wound up in my arms once more, her lips crushed to mine as she whispered. “Good luck.”

              As quick as Kylee had been in my arms, she was gone, walking out the door with Ronnie, Matt shutting it firmly behind them.

              “You got about five minutes bro.” Matt rechecked the tape on my hands after I tucked my ear bud back in getting back in my zone. He dropped my hands; I rolled my neck and bounced on the balls of my feet, warming up my calves, working some of my footwork.

              A hand fell on my shoulder a little later and everything in me fell into place. It was time to work. I pulled on the loose hoodie I used for all my fights, tugged the hood up over my head and followed Matt out.

              I could hear the crowd over my iPod and that fucker was on full blast with some 5FDP, a little Bad Company blaring into my ears. I kept my gaze on the path I had to walk, let Matt handle the errant fans that reached out and only looked up once I was at the steps, scanning the front row on my side of the cage to see Kylee and Ronnie. I gave them both a tight nod, pulled my ear buds loose, giving the iPod to Matt and ripped my hoodie up over my head and

              Sound roared around me, the entire place a huge pit of energy and I fed on it, fueled myself with it.

              I walked into the cage, my opponent meeting me in the middle at the Ref. Dude went through his spiel, cited the rules, what few we had before telling us to tap knuckles. If we had been in an amateur or a pro fight, UFC gloves would be on but not at Cellar Door. Taped knuckles only, closest thing to bare knuckle fighting was what went down in that cage.

              Our knuckles touched, barely, a whisper glancing against one another and then it was on. I struck first, my fist catching my opponents chin flush before he could even cover up from the taped knuckle touch. I was wasting no time, was in it to fucking win it and get to that last fight. Matt had made it clear that it was more than just the payout for the night; this was another step in the right damn direction. My job was to take my current opponent, Bryan “The Basher” Townsend down and I was ready to get it done.

This was my chance to get back to legit fighting and I would be damn if anything stopped me. The guy I was fighting charged and got met with a front kick I planted high in his solar plexis driving that dumb fuck across the cage. Being tall, I had leg reach that way outsourced my arms, he was stupid to forget it. Then he made mistake number two by letting the pain I delivered to him take control instead of using his brain.

Wrong move. You sucked that shit up, fed your soul, centered yourself with it and then fought smart. Not this fucker, he charged again and dropped his head at the last minute to protect his face, epic fucking fail. I round housed but kept my leg bent; the poor dude taking the full blow of my knee to his jaw. Had to be my first TKO by knee. Moment’s later, taped hand in the air I was declared the winner. I moved back towards the cage door found Kylee in the crowd and sent her a chin tip. Good damn start to the night.

              Back in the locker room that was mine for the night, I had my hoodie on, ear buds in and both arms stretched out as I sat in a chair, Matt inspecting my knuckles and tape.

              He twisted my hands over so they were palm up and I automatically opened my fingers, stretched them out straight so my boy could assure himself that they were working like they should, that everything was gravy and it was.

              I swallowed down a bottle of water as I waited and zoned out to my music intent on focusing on the next bout. 

              Matt’s palm hit my shoulder and I was up on my feet, rolling my neck and getting prepped to make the walk. I had no doubt the next match wouldn’t be like my first. That dude had been amateur at its worst. I wasn’t going to circle his ass around the cage playing catch me and instead had straight caught him from the get go. His bad.

              Matt started out and I made the walk to the cage again. I looked over my right shoulder to see Kylee and Ronnie standing and all was right in my world. I entered into the cage on a level I hadn’t been on in ages, it was the highest level. It’s the place where calm takes hold, plants its hooks in your chest and keeps you tight. The Ref did his shit, we did ours; touching taped knuckles before squaring off

Dude swung first and I held up a defensive block letting the blow score there. It didn’t’ hurt much but it sure as fuck could knock you around on your feet. I got righted quickly, circled him and took my chance. He’d dropped his right and I sent a blow to his face that told him how serious I was about this shit, my taped knuckles striking his cheek, the area immediately swelling. This was no game; it was my life I was fighting for. The life I’d been wanting and I’d be damned if someone stole it from me.

My opponent staggered back and then charged forward, trying to wrap his arms around my legs to take me down. I sprawled, forcing my hips towards the floor as I stretched my legs out stopping the move and then hammer fisting dude’s back several times. We both scrambled, getting back to our feet and traded body shots back and forth. Five minutes after the fight started the bell rang forcing us both to our sides of the cage for the one minute break we got which seemed like seconds. Then back at it we went.