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“Nah, man, this ain't right,” Seth said. “The winner was supposed to get a grand, Tommy. This is only eight hundred bucks.”
“The purse to the winner is now eight hundred,” Tommy said. “Want more money? Fight more often.”
“You can't go changing the rules like that, man,” Seth said as he gathered up the bills and tucked them away in the envelope, pocketing it. “We agreed to a grand if my man, Declan, won. He won. You shorted us two hundred bucks, Tommy.”
“Rodrigo didn't show up. We need another fighter,” he said. “Take that fight, and I'll give you the two hundred I owe you – plus a thousand more.”
Seth side-eyed me. My nose was still bloody, my face hurt like hell, but I could see the question in his eyes – could I fight again? Probably, but that wasn't the point of all this. He turned away, maybe sensing my reluctance to climb into the ring for a second time that night.
“We agreed to a thousand, nothing about a second fight,” Seth said, his voice going lower.
“You can take the deal, or you leave it. I really don't give a fuck,” Tommy said.
He shrugged and turned his attention back to the two fighters in the ring.
“No. This is bullshit,” I snapped, deciding to step in and help my friend out, “The deal was for a thousand. One fight with my name on the ticket. You know I bring in the fans, Tommy. You know you make a shitload of money when I fight. Come on, man. You don't want to do this over two hundred bucks.”
I knew this whole episode wasn't really about the two hundred bucks. Tommy was testing us. If we settled for two hundred less this time, next time, it would be three hundred . If we let him serve us a shit sandwich now and ate it with a smile, he'd serve us a bigger helping next time. If we set the precedent that we could be pushed around now, we'd have no choice but to take it when it came up again.
Well, we weren't about to take it this time. That was bullshit. I wasn't about to do another fight. Not one I didn't agree to beforehand. That's not the way I operated.
“Eight hundred bucks. Take it or leave it,” Tommy said, motioning for two guys who were as big, if not bigger than him and said, “If you want to argue the issue further, I'll be in my office.”
Tommy didn't spare us another look as he took off toward the back room, the bouncers following behind, both of them keeping an eye on us. Seth snarled and lunged forward, but I grabbed his shirt and held him back.
“Hey, man,” I said. “Don't be stupid.”
“What do you mean – ” Seth stammered.
He bit off his words, his eyes growing wide as he stared at somebody behind me. I had no idea who was back there, but the look on his face said it all – whoever was behind me was a lot scarier than the three meatheads who'd just screwed us out of our rightfully earned money.
That sense of dread in me only deepened when he silently mouthed the words, “Oh shit.”
“Declan.”
The familiar voice that spoke up from behind me sent a cold shiver sliding up my spine. It was a soft, feminine voice, but one that caused me to cringe and the knots in my stomach to constrict, regardless. I turned and came face-to-face with Crystal – my ex-girlfriend. I quickly noticed that she wasn't alone either. In her arms, she carried a small bundle in a blanket.
A baby.
Her hair was now bleached an almost platinum blonde, that had a slight orange tinge to it. It was fried and frizzy, her face thinner, her body gaunt, and her eyes darker than I remembered. She didn't look good, not in the least. “Crystal, long time,” I said, gritting my teeth.
My eyes never left the bundle in her arms, and my heart raced as I did the math in my head, trying to work out whether or not my worst fear was about to come true.
“I didn't think I'd see you again,” I said.
“Yeah, me neither,” she said, adjusting the child, who couldn't be more than two months old. “But I can't do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“Can we have a moment alone please?”
Her eyes flicked over to Seth and the scowl on her face deepened. Whatever she had to say to me was weighing on her, I could tell. But, at least she had the decency to not blurt our private business out for God and everyone to hear. “Sure,” Seth said, patting me hard on the back. “I'll be at the bar.”
Crystal waited until he was just out of hearing distance and then turned to me. It was only then it occurred to me – the bar was no place for a baby. How in the hell had she gotten in there with a baby? Though, figuring out the answer to that question was the least of my current concerns.
I motioned for her to follow me, and we walked toward the exit. I threw the door open and we stepped outside. The air outside was still mild, not too hot and not too cold. It was one of those perfect evenings that sat between winter and summer that Chicago rarely saw. I was grateful for that, since the baby had nothing but a light blue blanket wrapped around his little frame.
“What do you want, Crystal?” I asked, avoiding asking about the baby elephant in the room.
