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“You bet. The most successful wrestlers are the ones who see there’s need for a change and are free to make the change. You can transform Lawless into a hero. I hear from Chey you’re leaning that way. That’s you’ve been on the dark side long enough. I get that.”
He shakes his head, looking off distantly as if recalling a memory. “I came up when the industry had a stranglehold on fighters. Accept your place and don’t complain. Use your muscles, not your brain. If you wanted to be employed, you bent and hoped you didn’t break. Well, times, they are a changing.”
“They are, indeed, Dad. Ronan and I are glad you see things in a more modern way.”
“Oh, sweetie. It’s more than just seeing. To merely jump into the ring and give the fans what executives think the fans want is a long-term losing proposition. Sure, the ticket sales will soar at first, but with no story arc, interest wanes. It’s been the downfall of Raucous all along with its roster of fighters.”
“Now you know why Chey and I want out. Why we risked everything to secretly redevelop our brands.”
“Yes, I do, Ronan. But the way you did it, it was quite the risk. Thankfully in Briarwood, I’m creating options for fighters like you. As I’ve said, wrestlers need power and freedom, in and out of the ring. I get it, I truly do.”
“Oh, Dad...” Chey hugs her father.
My eyes spark, and my mind races over the possibilities.
“Sir, with a business model like you’re creating, Fool’s Gold will quickly surpass Raucous in this town, in reputation and profits. Watch all the talent stream your way once contracts are up. Raucous will bleed out, and rightly so.”
Joseph belly laughs. “Well, I don’t know about all that, but it’s about time wrestlers own their futures. I don’t want my Chey or you to have to kiss-ass like I did.”
Chey nudges Joseph once more. “Yes, and owners offer opportunities because the wrestler earned them. Not out of pity, family obligation, or out of love.”
Joseph whisks away a few strands of Chey’s hair and lovingly smiles. “You bet ya. Although I must say that last point will be a tough one for me.”
All three of us laugh.
“Sir, I’m bowled over by your offer. It’s something I’ve wished for ever since I heard you were starting your own franchise. But things have changed for me in these last few weeks. I’ve done a lot of thinking. I have a counteroffer.”
Joseph’s eyebrows pop. “Oh, you do now? Let’s hear it.”
I clear my throat. “What about making me a trainer instead? If I’m being honest with myself, I’ve only got a few years left in the ring. There are younger fighters coming up the ladder. And you know what happens when a wrestler gets long in the tooth. Reflexes slow, muscles tear, and energy slides. And an old timer literally claws his way to the bottom of the heap. I’d rather go out on top and retire a champion than fight my way to the has-been heap.”
Joseph rubs his chin, and a smile grows. “I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t understand where you’re coming from. Going out on top, huh? If I had brains like yours, I would have done that myself. But the lure of the ring. The hunger for one more championship belt...”
Chey and I watch as Joseph’s eyes seem to glaze over as he wanders down his own Memory Lane, of successes and failures, too.
“Well, you do that. You bravely go out on top and become a trainer. Briarwood’s top wrestlers will pound down Fool’s Gold’s door to be worked by you. It’d be a win-win for both of us. I’d be a fool not to agree.”
Joseph reached out his hand to me. “A Fool’s Gold trainer you are, Ronan, as soon as you see fit to start.”
I eagerly shake the man’s hand.
Chey rockets out of her chair, jumps up and down, and hugs us both. Even I can’t hide my growing smile. Good thing no other orcs are around to see the giddy me, or my reputation as a gruff beast would never recover.
“That means you can still help me hone Disastra! And we don’t need to hide anymore.”
“You bet. You want to be a badass. I know from bad asses. We can make Disastra one for the bad girl books.”
Chey fist pumps the air like she’s already won a championship, and we all laugh. She runs over to the bar fridge, pulls out a bottle of champagne, and eagerly fills three plastic cups, handing one to each of us. Alcohol is forbidden to training wrestlers, but this is a perfect exception to the rule.
“These decisions, we have to seal with a toast. To Fool’s Gold and to our success, in and out of the ring!”
“To Fool’s Gold!” Joseph and I chorus. We clink the plastic cups and take a healthy swig.
For the first time since I became a professional wrestler, winning takes on an entirely new feeling for me. Success can be had outside the ring, and none compares to when you have the respect of a father and the love of his daughter. If this moment produced a championship belt, it would be this one I’d forever wear.
CHAPTER 30
Cheyanne
