Hard Case VI: The Killer Inside (John Harding Book 6) (42 page)

Oh Tommy’s going to love me for this, but the thing inside I kept leashed sometimes overwhelms my social graces. “Rutger’s probably referring to the time I bitch slapped him right in the tats for being a punk.”

Julianne actually gasped. “Uh… yes well that couldn’t have been pleasant.”

“I can’t speak for Rutger, but it was pretty pleasant for me. If you’ll excuse me, I have to train for the fight now, Julianne. Thanks for having me on.”

I detached their equipment and walked out with Julianne doing excited commentary as I left. I’m glad she had a good time. I know one thing: Lora would never be able to accuse me of coming onto Julianne in that interview.

* * *

Dev put me through my paces with Jess assisting. They would come at me and I would practice my strikes nonstop for a torturous amount of time smashing the padded props with everything I had, including my side-hand strikes. Any time I threw a side-hand strike, Jess and Dev would smash at me with gloved counterstrikes. As we completed one of our timed sessions, Tommy came racing into the workout area.

“What the hell were you thinking, you blockhead?”

I grinned because I of course knew what he was talking about. Tommy held his tablet for Dev and Jess to see as he started a video replay of my interview. My cohorts laughed when I used Al’s exclamation after she was told about my encounter with Rutger by the dock.

“Oh… I’m so glad you two enablers think that was funny!”

“What the hell can we do about it now but laugh, T,” Dev answered correctly with a legitimate counter. “John’s fighting the guy. It sure will make the weigh in an interesting experience.”

“That Viking guy will have steam coming out of his ears,” Jess said. “You’ll have to watch for him to sucker punch you, brother.”

Tommy shook his head and shrugged. “Fine. You’re in the stew now, Dark Lord. That interview went viral in seconds. Don’t be surprised if people give you a wide berth because they’re thinkin’ dead man walkin’.”

“I’m sure Rutger will be the consummate professional about this. He won’t be upset at all about the interview.” Yep. My brothers laughed long and hard at that conclusion, including Tommy.

* * *

The weigh in between The Berserker and Hard Case broke all attendance records. When they called us onto the stage for our dramatic part in the procedure, the Viking’s tats were glowing. I was grinning because I wasn’t planning on letting this poser ruin my Vegas stay. I planned to bitch slap him right in the tats if he messed with me. Tommy elbowed me.

“Stop grinning, you idiot. You’ll be in the fight of your life right here in the weigh in.”

I stopped grinning. “I’m not taking shit from the Viking, T.”

Tommy nodded. “Okay, John.”

Jafar, Jess and Dev moved with us at every step. This entourage business was a good thing. It discouraged unrehearsed scuffles that could ruin the actual fight night. When it came time for those fighter poses with our fists posed for action, Rutger jutted his tats out at me with face following into my airspace.

“I will smile when I kill you in cage.”

“There’s a lot of things you’ll be doing tomorrow night, punk. Smiling won’t be one of them.”

Then it was on. His entourage ‘hold me back’ crowd swarmed the Viking just in time. I don’t know what they were just in time for though. My guys hung back. They’d take on the Viking’s entourage, but they had no intention of stopping me. The crowd loved it. We were the stars. It didn’t matter that we were the undercard. The Viking and I would be the main attraction. I had made sure of that. The Viking didn’t know it, but I also had four of the deadliest people on the planet watching the weigh in with amused expressions. This wasn’t danger. This was entertainment.

* * *

I promised Al she could stand with all of us before I made my walk into the cage. I know it was bad parenting, but I loved having her there. Al was so excited she could hardly breathe. The Mandalay Bay Arena is a spectacle in itself with huge video screens, lights, and every special effect you can have without blowing up the arena. I knew my time drew near so I knelt next to Al, hugging her to me.

“I’ll have to go in a second. Lynn will walk you to your seat kid. Thanks for waiting with me.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck. “I love you, Dark Lord. Good luck!”

Then the Marine’s Hymn blasted through the arena sound system. Lynn took charge of Al, and I was on my way. I didn’t run or walk fast either. With Tommy, Jess, Dev, and Jafar all around me, I stepped with deliberation and pure unadulterated pleasure. I took a deep breath, drinking in the sights, the sounds, the Hymn, the screaming fans… everything. All too soon I was at the cage where Alexi Fiialkov and his right hand man now, Jack Korlos, waited outside my end of the cage.

Jack merely patted me on the shoulder. “Have a good fight, kid.”

Alexi nodded at me. “I have a lot of money bet on you, my friend.”

I smiled. “You can afford it.”

“Indeed.”

A moment later I listened to the entry music for The Berserker. It didn’t have any pounding beat, but sounded like teeth rattling chaos played on instruments. It sounded like a Viking horde landing on the shore of some helpless village. Heh…heh… come along then, Rutger. The peons are waiting here in the dark. Oh baby, I could tell the Viking was one angry Northman. His tats were glowing. His arms swelled with herculean power. His massive chest heaved with rage. The referee did his thing with Rutger trying to stare a hole through my face and out the back of my head. When he finished we skipped his urging to bump fists.

“I kill you Hard Case,” Rutger mouthed.

We’ll see about that. I planned to get me some of this right off the bat. I waited at my cage area with the guys. They didn’t talk. We enjoyed the pre-fight aroma of excitement. No need to spoil it with meaningless gestures. Then they were out, and it was time to go. The referee asked if we were ready before motioning us to get it on. Rutger rushed in controlled fury at me, but I had a fun plan in store for him. I blocked and absorbed his rain of blows for enough time as to give him the impression I was a second away from belly-flopping on the mat. Then I got him. I timed it perfectly. My leg breaker smashed in behind his left knee as if Tonya Harding had slipped into the cage and lead piped his leg joint. It collapsed. I didn’t do anything I should have done. I jumped into the air and bitch slapped the Viking right in the tats so hard he fell sideways. Then I raised my arms as if I’d won the fight. The crowd went insane.

I didn’t look at my guys. I know although I couldn’t hear him, Tommy was turning the entire side of the cage blue. People in the front rows were covering their ears, cringing in fright. I smiled, because I knew one thing for sure, the Viking would not be the same during the rest of this fight. He stumbled onto his feet after a clawing retreat to the cage. Yep. No one can tell you what one of those pile driver kicks feels like that I work on constantly. That I do all that time in the ocean with my legs pumping had made them into a serious weapon beyond anything I had in my arsenal. It helped I was a freak in that my own musculature and bones can take it too.

The Viking stared at his guys in confusion because I was waiting for him. The crowd began booing him as he tested the leg. He moved on me cautiously then. I wanted a piece and the killer inside would not go away without trading some pain. Rutger guarded his damaged leg, hoping to get a shot in on me. We met in the center of the cage to work out some inner angst. I wanted to see what he had. In the receiving, I gave him back those first moments when I was measuring him for my leg blaster.

I ripped his ribcage with both hands, his counter-punches weakening as he had to pay attention to dropping the elbows in an effort to shield his body. We mixed it but good until the crowd was a wall of noise seeping into every ion of air, an audio blanket enveloping us. Then, just before the round ended, I backed off a step and smashed him again in his forgotten knee joint. As it collapsed I smashed a knee dead center into his tats as his head dropped. You talk about blood. He pitched onto his back as if fired from a canon, literally spurting blood. I thought maybe they’d stop the fight, but the round ended to save him. The Viking’s corner crew helped drag him to his stool. I did the Dark Lord robot back to my stool. For a moment, I was the master of the universe in laughter and sound. Tommy nearly boxed my ears as he grabbed me by both sides of my head. He was peering at me while my guys choked back amusement.

“Are you high? What the hell’s gotten into you, John!? We could have been in the bar by now throwing down shots.”

I shrugged as the guys worked on me and Jafar washed my mouthpiece. “I have issues. We’ll go home this round. I don’t want Al to see any more of this punk’s blood. The Viking is getting the spider-monkey this round, and if he doesn’t tap out, I’m going to pull his arm out of the socket.”

“Damn,” Jess said. “I think we’ll just get the hell out of your way. Dev… go give the Viking last rites.”

“I told you, I don’t know that one,” Dev answered. “I can’t say Happy Valentine’s Day, but I could run around and wish him a happy summer.”

Oh boy we choked in our reaction to that one.

Tommy put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s the UFC heavyweight championship for you next, brother… if you don’t kill him.”

I stood. “Let me get back to you on that. I’ll be right back.”

The referee waved us together. The Viking was game. He gimped out with his bad leg back, knowing the only chance he had was if I did something really stupid. That wasn’t going to happen. I did a flying knee under his chest, going down with him, and spring-boarding into the Dragon Hands spider-monkey wrap around his throat and arm. I planned on making him see Smokey the Bear, but he tapped out so fast, he probably didn’t even get to see a woodchuck. I reluctantly let him go as the referee was pounding on my shoulder. He raised my arm in victory. Tommy was right. This stuff is addictive. Best of all, I didn’t look like a Cheeseburger.

The guys mobbed me then, dancing around claiming a big meeting with the brothers Bud and Beam. I saw Lynn and Lora then, holding up a smiling Al. I ripped off my glove and went over to kneel down next to her. I put my fingers through the links to engage hers.

“You don’t look so bad, Dad.”

“What do you think my chances are of losing the Cheeseburger nickname?”

She grinned. “Not good.”

The End

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