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Ding, ding, ding. Round one.
I knew Kase’s fighting style; it was much like my own. We always attacked first, and today was no exception. He came at me, and I dodged his right hook, which allowed me to punch him with mine.
Kase’s head snapped to the side, and he cackled. “Weak. Who’s the pansy-ass now?”
He psyched me out by making me think he was going for my legs, but then he righted himself, and his fist connected with my side, the zing of the blow exploding through my ribs.
“Fuck,” I hissed, not letting the pain distract me.
Instead, I charged at his midsection and slammed him down to the mat. Kase was quick, so it didn’t surprise me when he rolled away from my hold. We went at each other hard, both landing blows on the other. The surge of energy in the crowd fueled my desire, my will to win. However, ending the fight wasn’t going to be easy. Kase was by far the strongest out of all the opponents I’d had over the years.
Ding, ding, ding. Round one over.
I marched over to my dad, and he squirted water into my mouth while wiping the sweat off my forehead. “You’re doing good, son.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “Thanks. Kase is one tough bastard.”
“That he is,” Dad agreed.
Ding, ding, ding. Round two.
We fought hard in the second round, but neither got the upper hand. If it came down to points, I’d say we were even. But, all too soon, round two was over, and it was time for round three.
“This is it, Rushing,” I taunted as I circled the cage. He mirrored me with his fists at the ready.
Kase winked. “Round two was mine. I dominated that shit.”
Instead of replying as he expected, I went on the offensive and lunged for his waist, knocking him back against the cage. There wasn’t much time left to take the fight, so I had to act fast now that I had the advantage. The split second of surprise was all I needed. Once I had Kase on the mat, I wrapped my legs around his chest, securing his arm between my thighs with his elbow against my hips.
“Dammit, Reynolds,” Kase grumbled, trying his hardest to resist what I was about to do next.
I pulled his forearm against my chest, using every ounce of my strength to straighten it. To secure the armbar, all I had left was to lean back and arch my hips. The intense pressure would make him tap out.
A rumble of laughter escaped my lips. “You have no choice. I got you fucker.”
Kase shook his head, his face redder than fire. “Not yet, you don’t.”
With those words, I leaned back, his growls of pain echoing in my ear. A few seconds later, he hissed out the word fuck at least twenty times before tapping out and collapsing onto the mat the moment I released him. The crowd went insane, the lights flashing all around the arena. My dad and Tyler shook hands, posing for the cameras that snapped all around them. Kase was still on the mat, so I grabbed his hand and hauled him up.
With a big smile on his face, Kase hugged me. “Congrats, man. You deserved it.”
I slapped my hands on his back. “Thanks.”
As soon as I let him go, the referee held my arm in the air while the emcee joined us in the cage. “And the heavyweight title winner for the fifth time in a row is none other than your favorite fighter, CARTER ‘THE MAN OF STONE’ RRREEEYYYNNNOOOLLLDDDSSS!”
Kase threw his arm over my shoulders as we exited the ring. “You’re the only person I’m okay with beating me. So enjoy this victory because you won’t get someone as nice as me next time.”
“Don’t worry,” I said as we walked away from the octagon together, “I’ll be ready.”
* * *
After a quick shower in my private locker room, I changed into a pair of jeans and one of my dad’s black MMA pride T-shirts from back in his time. Tonight was going to be wild. A knock sounded on the door, and in walked Tyler and Kase. The whole left side of Kase’s face was red and slightly swollen. I could feel mine starting to swell, especially when I bent down to slide on my boots. The rush of blood to my head made my face pulsate and throb, but I didn’t mind the ache. Kase was a worthy opponent. It was nothing a little bit of whiskey couldn’t fix.
Tyler slapped a hand on Kase’s shoulder, and he beamed at us. “I’m proud of you, boys.” But then he focused on Kase. “It’s not an easy feat to beat a Reynolds. I know from personal experience. The only way I was able to get the heavyweight title was because Carter’s father retired.”
Kase waved him off. “I’ll still get plenty of fighting time at the club.” He lifted his brows at me. “You are coming to the club tonight, right? It’s my first official night as owner.”
I held out my hand and Kase shook it. “Wouldn’t miss it. And as a reward for kicking your ass, I think I’ll stay in Vegas an extra day.”
