Dark Horse (18 page)

Chapter 19 - Henry

My injuries from the fight with Wilson were all but gone. With the biggest fight of my life in front of me, it was time to head back to the gym. But it wasn’t just about getting ready for Anderson. I had to tell Maxwell of my decision. It was my decision to make anyway but I knew that he wouldn’t be completely happy. When I arrived at the gym early that morning, Maxwell was already there waiting for me.

“
What’s going on, Henry?” he smiled at me. “Let’s get some work done, baby. I’m sure Lanea’s lining-up the next chump as we speak. It’ll be nice to get some more money in my pocket. I could use a new outfit.”

“
New outfit?” I laughed as he examined himself.

“
Well, yeah, man. I mean, I’m managing the best fighter in the streets. I can’t let people seeing me in the same clothes over and over.”

“
So now you care about what you look like?”

“
Now? What are you saying, Henry?”

I laughed and started to shake my head. I didn
’t have the heart to tell Henry how cheap his leather jacket looked. That wasn’t the issue at this point.

“
Listen, Maxwell… I… I have to tell you something.”

“
Oh yeah?” he looked at me confused. “This isn’t serious, is it?”

“
It is, actually. I talked to Lanea. I’m taking the fight with Anderson.”

Maxwell looked at me for a moment to see if I was being serious. Then he sighed a deep breath and
shook his head softly. We stood in the middle of the gym together, the sound of punches and kicks being thrown ringing in my ears. It still felt like we were by ourselves.

“
You sure about this, Henry?”

“
Do you think I can beat him?”

He paused for a moment before responding. I could un
derstand his reticence. There was going to be a lot of money on the line and despite knowing little about him, Anderson wasn’t going to be like any of the other men I’d fought. Nothing was guaranteed.

“
Yeah,” Maxwell finally nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“
I’m going to focus and train really hard. I’m going to be ready for the fight.”

“
Hey, Henry. You don’t have to tell me. I believe in you, man.”

“…
Thanks.”

It meant a lot to have Maxwell
’s support. I was expecting him to question my decision and protest but he seemed to throw all of his support behind me. I didn’t know if he truly meant it but he was the last hurdle before making the decision final.

“
Time to go to work,” he smiled at me.

I nodded to him then headed to
where King was waiting for me. I quickly grew accustomed to King’s training. He was no nonsense. I needed someone who was all business. I didn’t want to think about anything else while I was training. I didn’t want to worry about the stress Nina was putting me through or the pressure of the big fight Lanea encouraged me to take. All I cared about was throwing harder punches and learning how to take them. You never really get used to the latter though. The bruises King inflicted on me when I wasn’t paying close enough attention were a constant reminder that things would get worse when it was the real thing.

King squeezed everything he could out of me. After the end of another long training session, I only had enough energy to gingerly make my way out of the g
ym.

“
You all right?” Maxwell asked me with mild concern.

“
I’m just tired,” I said. “I just need to get some rest and get ready for the next session. You know you don’t have to worry about me.”

“
I know. But this is different. I don’t want you to push yourself too hard because of the next fight. You need to make sure you’re ready but not overdo it.”

“
I’ll be fine.”

“
What do you say we get something to eat? My treat.”

I nodded then followed Maxwell down the street. In the short weeks we had been doing this, we
had quickly developed a routine. Maxwell would be there to support me when I trained and then buy me dinner at the diner down the street.

I let out a deep sigh as I collapsed into the seat. Maxwell always took the courtesy of ordering for me even though I
never asked him to. I never complained because I had grown so accustomed to it.

As he looked at me from across the table, I leaned back and rested my head against the seat.

“Are you sure you’re okay, man?” he asked me. “You look really beat today.”

“
Yeah, I’m fine. I just need to get some rest. No big deal.”

“
You know, I been thinking.”

“
Oh yeah?”

“
Yeah. We’ve been eating at this place so regularly that I think we could splurge from time to time. We should probably check out one of those fancier restaurants downtown.”

“
No thanks. I kind of like it down here.”

“
You do? Why?”

I did my best to raise my head from my seat. Maxwell looked at me inquisitively. I chuckled softly then turned my head to the window next to us.

“Look out there,” I said to him. “You and I, we’ve lived on those streets for a long time. Just because we’ve gotten a little bit of money doesn’t change us. These streets will always be a part of us. That’s part of the reason I like it here. It’s just… me.”

Maxwell looked out of the window and r
emained silent for only a few moments. I turned and saw that he was lost in thought. Then he started to shake his head.

“
I don’t know what you’re talking about, Henry. I’m getting the hell out of this place the first chance I get.”

I laughed at Maxwell as
he didn’t get my original point.

“
I’ve been there before,” I said to him. “Lanea took me out, remember? She brought me to a fancy restaurant. She dressed me up in fancy clothes. She introduced me to some of her snobby friends. That’s not me. That’s not us.”

“
Speak for yourself.”

“
Come on, Maxwell,” I laughed. “Look in a mirror. No matter how much money you have, you know that you’ll never fit in with those people.”

“
What are you saying, man? You saying I don’t have any class?”

“
No, that’s not what I meant,” I laughed as Maxwell seemed to have taken some offense. “I mean you’re not like them. You’re better than that. Those people you see in The Pit… They’re only there because it’s the highest feeling they can have. No drugs or alcohol or anything else can match it. That’s why they’re there. They want that feeling of what it’s like to control another person.”

“
Hey, I’m not talking about personal slaves here. I just want to go to a place where they don’t overcook my steak for once.”

The waitress placed Maxwell
’s order in front of him just before he finished talking.

“
I’ll let the cook know what you think of his cooking,” she said to him.

I rolled my eyes and laughed at Maxwell as they waitress glared at him. Maxwell shrugged his shoulders then started to cut into
his overdone steak. I looked at the similarly burnt slab of meat in front of me and pushed myself forward from my seat to cut into it.

“
So what’s it like?” he asked me with his mouth full of food.

“
What’s
what
like?”

“
Eating at a fancy restaurant. And not just eating there. Getting pampered by the waiters. Ordering anything you want. Having people look at you with some kind of admiration.”

“
It’s a unique experience, to say the least… Lanea certainly made things a lot more interesting.”

“
Yeah, I’ll bet…”

Ma
xwell looked at me with a suspicious glimmer in his eye. I shoved some of the steak into my mouth as I remembered what it was like spending time with her.

“
It was her,” he said.

“
Maxwell?”

“
Why did you take the fight? It was because of Lanea, wasn’t it?”

I thought about my answer for a moment. I wasn
’t sure if now was the best time to tell him. But the look in his eyes told me that he already knew.

“
It wasn’t because of her,” I shook my head. “She just made me realize that it was the right decision.”

“
You know that you could still make a lot of money taking easier fights. That last guy—”

“
I don’t want to fight any more, Maxwell. After this, it’s over. I have a chance to finish this and I’m taking it.”

“
Okay, Henry,” he nodded.

Maxwell couldn
’t disagree with me even if he wanted to. Where or not I was being influenced, this was my decision. And I decided that this was my ticket out of this place and back to Elsa.

Maxwell gave me something to think about though. I was always suspicious of Lanea but I didn
’t know exactly why that was. It seemed like there was more to her than just wanting to make more money.

“
What do you know about Lanea?” I asked him.

“
I’ve done some business with her in the past before,” he said. “But I only know as much as the average person. It’s the same thing I already told you. Her parents passed and she was an only child. Now she’s an heiress. There’s not much more to it than that.”

“
It’s just her then? She doesn’t have any brothers or sisters? Cousins? Children? A boyfriend?”

“
Unless you count Octavio, and I don’t even think
she
likes him, it’s just her. No other relatives as far as I know. And she
is
single… Henry… Why are you asking me this?”

“
I’m just… wondering. I’m curious as to what the whole picture is.”

“
I see…”

Maxwell nodded his head at me like he knew something. I took a sip of the cup of coffee in front of me and waited for him to say something.

“You’re not thinking of getting into bed with her, are you?”

I hesitated to respond. The truth was that I was alread
y intimate with her, even though it probably wasn’t in the way he pictured. But before I could say anything, Maxwell already knew what was obvious. There was no need for me to say anything. Maxwell shifted his eyes to see if anybody was listening and leaned forward on the table.

“
Listen, Henry. I’m telling you this because it’s for your own good. This guy you’re getting into the ring with is dangerous. But he won’t be the most dangerous thing in The Pit that night. Lanea is not someone you want to cross.”

“
What’s that supposed to mean?”

“
It means exactly what I said. You be careful about where you’re sticking your dick because—”

“
Hey!”

“
No, listen to me, Henry. Lanea might promise you certain things but just remember that she’s only looking out for herself. She has an eye on you. And that’s fine if you feel the same way. What guy wouldn’t look in her direction? It’s not often you find a young, good-looking blonde who’s worth millions. Just make sure that you don’t dig yourself in too deep. Have some fun but don’t take it too seriously.”

I nodded to let Maxwell know I knew where he was coming from. I knew who Lanea was and that I had to keep my guard up. All I had to do was remember that she was capable of anything. There was something inside of me that wanted
to know more about her though. It felt like there were other pieces to the puzzle.

“
There’s more to her than that,” I said. “But you’re right. There’s no need for me to worry about any of that. I have to look out for my own best interests.”

“
That’s what I want to hear. Now if you will, we should probably get on our way so you can finally get some rest. It’s time to take advantage of the luxurious accommodations Lanea has provided for us.”

I laughed at Maxwell as he greedily rubbed his hands together. We mad
e our way to the apartment that Lanea had provided for me. Because it was so large, I let Maxwell stay in the next room. There was more than enough space for the two of us. I didn’t know where Maxwell normally stayed but if it was anywhere in the part of town I originally found him, this was definitely an upgrade.

When we got inside of the apartment, I wanted to collapse in my bed. But the sweat and grime of a day at the gym forced me into the shower. The feeling of the warm water against my skin was always
refreshing. The pressure of the showerhead against the bruises on my body was like a warm massage. I sighed as I let another long day wash away from me. Now all there was left to do was get ready for another day.