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“I’m with Ultimate Industries,” Graham said. “I find talent for UFC, and I’d like to talk to you about maybe lining up a fight or two. I think you’ve got a lot of potential here if we can just rein in the cage fighter a bit.”
“Ultimate…what?” I repeated. “UFC? You mean actual UFC—the UFC? On TV and shit?”
Graham laughed a long, hearty laugh.
“Actual Ultimate Fighting Championship, yes.”
“Fuck me hard,” I muttered. “If I had known that, I wouldn’t have held back so much.”
Another raised eyebrow from Graham made me smile.
“You’ve got a lot of attitude,” he said, “but I think we can make that work to our advantage. You’re a damn good fighter, Liam, and you could be a great one. You’ve also got a great look, which is going to make the female fans go nuts.”
Graham continued on, but I could only barely hear him. The sentiment of the first part of the conversation was swirling around inside my head like a whirlpool. He was talking about fighting—real, professional goddamned fighting!
Part of me was about as excited as I had ever been, but as soon as my head started wrapping around the notion, it came crashing down.
“Tria,” I whispered.
“I can get you a contract, Liam,” Graham was saying. “Three fights to start—one here, one in Chicago, and another in Cleveland. Depending on how you do, we can start looking into something more permanent.”
“My…my wife,” I said. “She’s having a baby in just a couple of months. I…I have to think about it.”
“I’m going to be in town until Friday,” Graham said. “The offer stands until then. You talk it over with your family and let me know what you decide to do.”
“Okay.” My voice didn’t even sound like my own.
I walked slowly out of the gym with my bag thrown over my shoulder and my eyes on the ground. I walked right past the bus stop in favor of just hiking it back to the little rental house. My head was in too much of a fog to sit still.
There was no doubt that Yolanda had kept me where I was on purpose. Whether it was to get money from my parents or just to take a cut of my winnings, I didn’t know. Furthermore, I no longer cared. She was out of my life, and I intended to keep it that way.
My life.
What exactly did that mean now?
What was I? A fighter? A ring maker?
Should I change my name from Takedown to Sauron?
My hand went instinctively to my pocket, but it was empty.
Damn, I wanted a cigarette.
The fact was, I didn’t need to talk it over with Tria. I already knew what my answer was going to be. UFC was nothing short of a dream come true for any fighter, and if I had met Graham a year ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated to take the offer.
But now things were very, very different.
I had a wife.
I had a baby coming.
I was making an okay living setting stones, but ultimately I was going to own a gigantic corporation whether I wanted it or not. Even if I turned around and gave the whole thing to my cousin, I was beginning to realize that Teague Silver had always been my destiny.
And Tria would be at my side.
I was never one to take the selfless route, but there were more important things now.
Chapter 18—Relocate the Belongings
