Meant for Me (A Second Chance standalone) (21 page)

Leaning over toward Jake, I made sure to lower my voice so
no one else could hear. “How much do you make doing the whole pay per view
thing?”

Jake shrugged. “It all depends on who’s fighting. Tonight
with Matt being here I’d estimate it being several hundreds of thousands of
dollars.”

“Wow,” I breathed. “That’s amazing. Not to mention the money
you get from the people that are actually here. So I guess with paying the film
crew there would be a lot of leftover money. Who gets the rest of that … you?”
I took a sip of my wine and almost choked on it with his next words.

Rolling his eyes, Jake scoffed incredulously. “Hardly, my
dear. I do take a small percentage, but I’m not a greedy man. I think you know
that. The rest gets divided between the fighters.”

“Are you serious?” I sputtered. “You mean Mason is going to
get some of the money? He never told me that.”

“It’s because he doesn’t know,” Jake remarked slyly. “Not
many fighters around here will fight just because they like the sport. They
fight to get the benefits of it, the money … the fame. Mason never asked about
any of that. I thought it would be a nice surprise for him.”

I couldn’t begin to imagine what Mason was going to say when
he’s given thousands of dollars for just one night of fighting. Mason lived
comfortably in North Carolina, but he wasn’t brought up in all the finer things
in life like my family had. He worked hard for everything he had and it was
time he got his break. I couldn’t wait for Jake to tell him.

“Thank you for everything, Jake,” I murmured, hugging him
tight. “It’ll be one hell of a surprise.”

“What kind of surprise you talking about?” someone spoke out
beside me. The seat beside me was empty just a second ago, but now it was
occupied by a guy I didn’t want to speak to ever again.

Jake looked over my shoulder and grinned. “Wade, you made
it! Tonight’s going to be a good one, isn’t it?”

Shit! This isn’t good
.
The last thing Mason needs
to see is Wade right now.
Not to mention, I hadn’t had the chance to tell
Jake that it was basically Wade’s fault about Chase.

Leaning back in my seat, I gave Wade a glowering side-long
glance, but then turned my face straight ahead toward the cage. He was dressed
in a pair of expensive dark blue jeans and a thin gray sweater which had to
cost over two hundred dollars according to the brand label. He never dressed
like that or even cared about wearing designer clothes when I was here. He
leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees so he could get a better view
of Jake on my other side.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a good one. I just wish you could
land me something like this,” he grumbled halfheartedly. He tried not to sound
bitter, but I could hear the resentment in his voice. He was mad because Mason
was the one picked to fight.

“Isn’t that what Erick’s for?” I stated smugly, not looking
at him. “He’s your agent, is he not?”

Before Wade could reply, Jake cut in, “You’ve been asked to
fight here, Wade. That’s how you got noticed in the first place. Anyway, Matt
was the one who requested Mason. If you have a problem with that you might want
to ask him. Although, I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

Arrogantly, Wade huffed and added, “I could beat him. I’m
sure I could beat Mason, too.”

Rolling my eyes, I turned to him and glared. “What is your
problem? You were never like this before. If you want to apologize to me then
this isn’t the way to go.”

“Well, it’s not like you’re going to forgive me anyway,
Claire. You’ve ignored me all week when I tried to tell you I was sorry,” he
snapped. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“What’s with you two?” Jake asked, narrowing his eyes at us
both.

“It’s just a misunderstanding,” Wade said. “Something
happened at my party and it got a little out of hand.”

“Seriously, Wade? A little out of hand?” I hissed, scowling
at him. “You don’t even know what Chase was going to do to me. I doubt you
would think it was a misunderstanding if that bastard had raped me out in the
woods. You were the one who started it all in the first place.”

“What!” Jake growled, about to get to his feet. I placed a
hand on his shoulder to keep him in his seat while I finished with Wade.

“Hell, Wade, what if it wasn’t me? What if Mason was with
another girl and something like that happened to her? Would you even care?
Something tells me that you wouldn’t. It makes me sick, and I don’t want to
have anything to do with you or the piece of shit people you hang out with.
You’ve changed, Wade, and honestly I don’t like what I see. So I’m going to say
this one last time … stay away from me, and if you know what’s good for you
you’ll stay away from Mason.”

Sighing, Wade got to his feet and stared down at me,
clenching his hands into tight fists at his side. Through gritted teeth, he
spat, “I’m sorry, Claire, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen.”

Wide-eyed, I watched him stalk off through the throngs of
people and disappear into the crowd. He wasn’t going to leave Mason alone and
he just confirmed it.
Why did I agree to leave tomorrow?
When I turned
my head, my eyes caught a familiar set of green eyes staring angrily my way.

“Shit! Has he been watching the whole time?” I asked,
turning to Jake.

“Yeah, for the most part, but it’ll be good for him to feel
the anger. He’ll take that frustration out on Matt and hopefully kick his ass.”
Jake paused, releasing a heavy sigh, and peered back toward the door where Wade
disappeared out of. “I don’t know what’s going on with Wade, but he’s changed
over the past year or so. I barely recognize him anymore.”

“I know what you mean,” I mumbled. “So much has changed
since I’ve been here last, and with everything that’s happened I think I’m
going to head back home. My flight leaves tomorrow late morning.”

“Is Mason going with you?” Jake asked.

I shook my head. “No, he’s not. He said he wanted to stay
here a little while longer.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

Mason finally met my gaze again and my heart ached just
thinking about him going through all of this alone. With Wade gone I think it
helped relieve some of his tension because he winked at me and tilted his lips
in the same devilish way he did on the first day I met him.

“I trust him, Jake,” I uttered wholeheartedly. “He may have
a wild past, but he’s changed. I love him.”

With sorrow filled eyes, Jake smiled sadly and glanced
toward Mason. “Well, I’m happy for you, kitten. I can see it in his eyes that
he loves you, too. It reminds me so much of the way I used to look at my wife
before she passed.”

Jake’s wife died of breast cancer a year before he opened
the club. He engrossed himself with work to help deal with the grief of her
loss. Over time he thrived and made a new family with all of us. I never saw
him date anyone when I was living in Vegas, but I never asked either. Even when
Mason and I weren’t together I knew I wouldn’t be completely happy with anyone
else, and now that we’re together the thought of him being gone forever was
terrifying. I didn’t want to ever experience that pain.

“Good evening, ladies and gentleman, we have a special treat
for you tonight.” The announcer finally entered the cage with his microphone in
hand, waving out to the crowd. I clapped my hands along with the audience; the
sound was almost deafening as it echoed in the arena.

Stephen had Mason’s face in his hands and was talking
quickly to him, trying to get him pumped up and ready, almost like you would
see a coach do with his fighter. Smiling from ear to ear, Tyler slapped him on
the back and waved over at me when he saw me looking at them.

As the music began to play, the lights around the cage
beamed in all sorts of colors, almost like a concert. It wasn’t like that when
Mason fought last time, but then again, it wasn’t being shown live either. The
announcer, with his slicked back dark hair, wore a white dress shirt under his
black tux with a black bow tie at his neck.

His voice was amazingly loud, and even without the
microphone I was sure he would be heard across the room. “As you all know, Jake
Montgomery hasn’t disappointed us tonight. In all of The Labyrinth’s history
there has never been a fight as epic as this one’s going to be. Last week we
saw Mason ‘The Eagle’ Bradley manhandle Chase Benfield in his first match back
in almost seven years of being away from the sport. Looking at him you wouldn’t
think so, though. If anything I’d say he improved since the last time he
competed. So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a warm round of applause to
Mason ‘The Eaaaggggglllle’ Bradley!”

The crowd cheered, hollering out Mason’s name as he made his
way into the ring. He circled around the mat, waving at everyone, and flexing
his muscles to a set of women who held up signs for him saying they wanted to
have his babies. A light shone in Mason’s eyes after that and I couldn’t help
but smile and be proud. Grinning over at me, he did something I hadn’t ever
seen him do. He kissed his fingers then touched his heart before pointing
toward me. I did the same thing to him, not caring about the bitchy looks
thrown my way.

Lifting his arm, the announcer waited for the crowd’s cheers
to die down before he continued, “Okay, so now that I’ve mentioned Mason let’s
get down to introducing his opponent for the evening. This guy is no stranger
to the UFC scene and by his own personal request he recommended he be here
tonight. I’d like to hear the story behind that. Anyway, you all know him as
this year’s UFC Heavyweight Champion, Matt ‘The Destroyer’ Reynolds! Come on
out!”

Music began to blare through the speakers and the lights all
focused on a door out toward the back of the arena. There were three men who
walked through and there was no mistaking who Matt was. His shorts were red
with different sponsor logos on them and on his left arm he had a tattoo of an
ankh to go along with his golden tanned skin. There sure were a lot of tattooed
fighters. I thought Mason’s eagle on his arm was sexy as hell.

When Matt got into the cage it was easier to see what he
looked like. His hair was so dark it had to be black, and along with his sun
kissed tanned skin it made his bright green eyes stand out even more. He and
Mason were very similar in build and height so it was hard to see where an
advantage would come in. Their stats displayed across the billboard screen, but
the only thing I understood were their weight and height. Mason was an inch
shorter and there was a five pound difference between them with Matt being the
heavier one. I couldn’t even see the difference.

Matt walked straight over to Mason, and instead of talking
shit, he smiled at him and extended his hand. Mason smiled back, returning the
shake, and they both seemed to be engrossed in an interesting conversation.

Turning to Jake, I asked, “What do you think they’re talking
about?”

Keeping his eyes on the cage, he shrugged his shoulders and
replied, “I’m not sure, but Matt was the one who suggested he fight Mason.
Maybe there’s a story there or something.”

The announcer handed Matt the microphone and stepped back
while he spoke to the crowd, “Everyone, I just wanted to say that tonight’s
fight was my decision. Before I started competing there was one fighter I
watched diligently, his moves, everything, and I knew that when the time came I
would compete with him for the Heavyweight championship. It just so happens
that he pulled out of the sport before I even had a chance at him … until
tonight. That guy was Mason Bradley.”

The crowd went crazy and cheered, stomping their feet and
clapping their hands. “Oh my God,” I breathed. “This is insane.”

Jake chuckled and agreed, “Yes, it is, but it’s amazing.
This is definitely going to be the best fight we’ve ever had here.”

Mason and Matt got into place, facing each other, while the
announcer stood in between them. Mason glanced quickly over at me and smiled
before turning back to Matt with a renewed determination.

“All right, gentleman, you know the drill. When the bell
rings, begin.” The announcer exited the cage and the whole room immediately
went silent. I couldn’t look at anything else other than Mason and it was as if
the whole world moved in slow motion. It felt like hours went by with no sound
of the bell and all that while I held my breath, waiting. As soon as the bell
echoed through the arena, I gasped and gripped onto the arms of the chair.

The fight was on.

My knuckles were white and my hands were numb by the time
the first two rounds were done. Breathing hard and bodies glistening with sweat,
Mason and Matt were both bleeding, Mason from above his left eye and Matt from
his right cheek. I’d watched Mason fight Chase with no problems, but this one
was way more intense.

“Kitten, you can let go of the chair now,” Jake teased,
“Relax, they still have thirty seconds before round three.”

Relax? Yeah, right.

Each round lasted five minutes a piece with a one minute
break in between. The fight was scheduled to be only three rounds long, but if
they kept fighting the way they were it was probably going to extend to another
round or two. Tyler wiped the blood off of Mason’s face and used a water bottle
to squirt some water in his mouth. Before the bell rang, signaling it was time
to get back in, Mason looked over at me and beamed, the red and black mouth
guard being all I could see when he smiled. He was bruised and beaten, but he
was happy.

He isn’t going to be happy when the adrenaline wears off
.

Round three started off a little slow, both guys circling
around the cage, but then Mason psyched Matt out, pretending he was going to
land a punch and ended up doing something completely different by bending low
and tackling him to the mat. Rolling around on the mat, they grappled and had
each other in different holds at times, but never anything solid to put them in
submission. However, just when I thought Mason had Matt in his clutches, Matt
reared back and landed a hard blow to his ribs before getting to his feet.

Mason grimaced, but he swiftly got up, and out of nowhere,
head kicked Matt so hard that a stream of blood flew out of his mouth when his
face snapped to the side and he fell to his knees.
Please go down, please go
down,
I chanted over and over in my mind.
It’s over,
I thought
excitedly to myself, but my disappointment came when Matt got right back on his
feet.
Holy hell, these guys were relentless.

When the bell rang, ending the fight, Mason and Matt bumped
fists and then went to their corners to replenish and get semi-cleaned up.
Tyler and Stephen both worked on Mason’s hands to get his gloves off while he
sat back in the chair, breathing hard with his eyes closed. Since neither of
them were knocked out and they both fought like champs, I was curious to see
who the judges picked as the winner.

“Who do you think won?” I asked Jake, hoping he would say
Mason.

Jake furrowed his brows and sighed. “I honestly don’t know.
They were both amazing and if I had to guess I’d say their scores were really
very close. It could be anyone’s match really.”

After about three minutes or so, Mason and Matt joined the
announcer in the center of the ring and both shook hands. Once the announcer
was given the slip of paper by the judges, all sound ceased to exist as he
opened it up, the sound of the paper crinkling in the microphone.
This is
it!
Jumping to my feet, I watched as the announcer’s eyes grew wide in
delight as he held up the paper in his hands.

“Ladies and gentleman,” he announced excitedly, “this is the
first time I’ve witnessed this, but all three judges have agreed to a unanimous
draw. According to the scorecards, both fighters earned a total of forty-eight
points each per judge. It looks like we have ourselves a tie!”

The announcer took each of the fighter’s wrists and held
their arms high in the air. As soon as he did that the crowd erupted in cheers
and got to their feet. Jumping up and down, I squeezed Jake around the neck and
whistled and hollered out in joy for Mason. Even if he didn’t knock Matt out,
he was a winner in my eyes; he was unbelievable. Matt was one of the best
fighters in the UFC and Mason came out on equal ground. That was a huge
accomplishment.

Before Mason and Matt could leave the ring, the people in
the crowd started to chant a set of three words, over and over, “We want more!
We want more! We want more!”

They were bloody and beaten and they wanted more?
The
fight was absolutely brutal, how could they want more?

The announcer walked back to the middle of the ring and
turned around in a circle, acknowledging the crowd. “Are you all saying you
want more? Is that what I’m hearing?”

“
Yes
!” the crowd roared, clapping and stomping their
feet. It was so loud it felt like the whole place was vibrating.

Mason and Matt both smirked at each other as they met in the
middle of the ring, facing off. They shared a few words and then fist bumped
before going to their corners.
What were they doing?
Tyler and Stephen
quickly fetched Mason’s gloves and started getting his hands ready.

With eyes wide, I gasped and turned to Jake. “Are they going
to fight again?”

“It sure looks like it,” he replied with a grin. “I’ve never
had this happen before. Maybe Mason can redeem himself in another round and
come out on top.”

The announcer’s booming voice came through loud and clear
when he announced, “All right, ladies and gentlemen, you said you all wanted
more well it looks like you got your wish. Both fighters have agreed to give
you one more round. So stay in your seats and enjoy what we’re going to call
the sudden victory round. Good luck, fighters.”

He nodded to both men and exited the ring. My nerves were
shot, and I honestly didn’t know if the chair was going to handle another five
minute round of my incessant gripping. Once the bell rang, it all started
again.

They fought harder this time because they knew it was their
chance to make up for the tie. Mason wanted to prove he could do it, and even
though this fight was unofficial I was sure Matt still didn’t want to mess up
his undefeated statistics. My heart pounded with each second that passed and
with each punch and kick my stomach would twist, especially when I could hear
the force of it projecting from their skin.

Blood dripped from their faces, coating the mat in tiny
droplets of red and I prayed that it would be over soon. Five minutes of it was
like an eternity. Mason was great at both strikes and kicks, but watching him
on his ground game was absolutely fascinating. It was almost like he was a
spider, able to wrap his arms and legs around his prey, trapping them. He took
Matt down to the mat just like I’d seen him do with Tyler during practice. If
he could just get his arm in the right position he would have Matt where he
wanted him.

“Come on, Mason, you can do this!” I shouted, jumping to my
feet. There was one minute left and he had to move fast. His eyes caught mine
for one quick second before he struck.

Lying on his back, Mason grabbed Matt’s forearm and pulled
him closer, trapping his arm between his legs. Once he had him in his hold, I
could see the strain on Matt’s face as Mason held his elbow perfectly straight
and started applying pressure to his wrist by pulling it up. The arm bar
technique was one of Mason’s favorite moves, except if he put too much pressure
on Matt’s arm it could cause some major damage. He didn’t want to do that
because I could tell he was going slowly at it.

He had twenty more seconds to get Matt to tap out. More
pressure was applied … nothing. Matt was being a stubborn bastard, definitely
testing his limits, but he didn’t become a Heavyweight champion by giving in.
With the veins bulging on his blood red face, Matt’s expression contorted into
one of extreme pain.

Ten seconds left and Mason upped the game by applying even
more pressure. When the clock hit three seconds, Matt growled in agony and did
the one thing I wasn’t expecting to see … he tapped out with only one second
left of the fight.

The bell rang … the crowd roared. Tyler and Stephen both
were grinning from ear to ear when I ran up to them, screaming excitedly as
Tyler scooped me up and swung me around. “Can you believe this shit?” he asked
incredulously. “He was fucking amazing out there!”

Mason helped Matt up off the mat and what surprised me most
was that even though they just got through beating the shit out of each other,
they both had smiles on their faces and slapped each other on the back in one
of those typical guy hugs. After waving to everyone, he jumped out of the cage
and lifted me in his arms. His skin was hot and sweaty with blood dripping down
his face, but I didn’t care. He was mine.

“I did it!” he shouted.

The sound of his laugh as he swung me around brought tears
to my eyes. I had never heard him sound like that, nor had I ever seen the
light in his eyes like I did in that moment. Once he set me down, I gently
kissed his lips and gazed into his sparkling green eyes. “Yes, you did and you
were amazing. I had faith that you could do it,” I murmured, a tear escaping
the corner of my eye.

Glowing, Mason clutched my face and leaned down so he could
whisper across my lips, “And that faith and determination of yours is what
helped me win, Claire. Without you I would be nothing.”

Smiling through my tears, I laid my head down on his chest
and sighed. “I feel the exact same way about you, Mason.”