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Chapter Twenty-One
Luke bent over the toilet and retched. “I can’t do this,” he said as part of the groan. He didn’t have anything in his stomach to get rid of, because he’d been sick for the past ten minutes.
The stench of the gym filled his nose, something like sweaty plastic, burnt rubber, and too many energy drinks. Perhaps that was the scent of testosterone, and there was plenty of that here too.
He had to do this though, and Luke raised his head.
He’d run into Benjamin and Tammy Houser at the cemetery a few days ago, and that conversation had started him down the path he was currently on. At first, he’d thought he wouldn’t be able to get past the couple—Robert’s parents—to get up the steps, back to his truck, and out of the cemetery.
Ben Houser had been angrier than his wife, but Tammy had allowed him to explain that he was trying to make things right. He was trying to accept responsibility for what he’d done. Acknowledge it and accept it.
Tammy had said he’d already accepted responsibility. He’d fulfilled his sentence, and he’d paid the price as set forth by the state of Texas. They couldn’t ask for more than that.
She’d asked him if he was still fighting, and he’d said, “Of course not. I can’t do that.”
She and Ben had seemed puzzled, and Ben said, “You were very talented in the ring.”
The door to the gym had been standing slightly ajar for five years, and Luke needed to close it once and for all.
He stood up and moved over to the sink. It bore a grayness that wouldn’t come off with the strongest cleaners, but he turned on the cold water and splashed it across his face. He’d had to do this the first time he’d been in a championship fight too, and the chill from the water brought clarity to his mind.
“It’s one match,” he told himself. “To prove to yourself that you don’t need this. That you’ve dealt with it, accepted things, and are ready to move on.”
He blinked, his reflection morphing into Hannah’s lovely face.
Just as quickly, it became Slate’s, then Dallas’s. He’d texted his friends off the string that included everyone at the ranch to let them know what he was doing, and they’d all encouraged him to do whatever he had to in order to find the closure he needed. Slate and Nate had each texted him individually, and Luke had promised to call Nate by five o’clock tonight.
He hadn’t told anyone but his mother that Tammy Houser had invited him to dinner. Or that he’d said yes. He was going out with them that evening, and Luke realized what a horrible mistake he’d made by scheduling everything in the same day.
“You ready?”
Luke turned from the mirror and looked at Tick. The man had been nothing but surprised when Luke had walked into the gym and then his office three days ago.
“I don’t know,” Luke said, and a familiar smile crossed Tick’s face.
“You’ve done a thousand fights like this.” Tick walked toward him, his trademark clipboard in his hand. If anything, the man had grown a couple of inches and lost even more weight, making him more crane-like than before. He still exuded power, though, and he could intimidate anyone.
Luke had certainly been afraid at his birthday party.
“This is different,” Luke said, but he couldn’t explain how.
“It’s two minutes. Winner stays in the ring. Whoever is still standing once the whole thing is over, wins.”
Luke nodded. He knew the rules. He had done games and matches like this before. The prize for this one was five hundred dollars, which was nothing. If Luke had still been fighting, he wouldn’t have bothered to enter something like this.
But everyone started at the bottom, and he’d done matches like this early in his career. It was how he was going to end it too.
“I haven’t been working out,” Luke said, though he had been lifting weights with his friends in the morning, and he’d done a little boxing in Vegas.Four months ago, he thought. He couldn’t believe that much time had passed since he’d left Las Vegas, but it definitely had.
“You’ve still got plenty of power in your shoulder,” Tick said. “I can see it. Now come on. You’re the one who wanted me to set this up, and I’ve been working on it non-stop since you dragged your sorry self into my office.” He didn’t smile. Instead, he turned and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Luke alone once again.
“Just go,” he told himself, and he did exactly that. He walked out into the gym, where a single boxing ring had been set up. Bleachers and chairs surrounded it, and the jeering started the moment Luke stepped onto the black mats covering the floor.
He held his head high, because he’d been the underdog in many previous matches. He’d also been the hated defending champion. A new kind of mask slipped into place, and he wondered what Hannah would say if she could see it.
You’re doing this for Hannah, he thought. He reached the man Tick had appointed to be his corner, and he held out his hands so they could get gloved and taped. He bounced on the balls of his feet as his opponent ducked beneath the ropes to get into the ring.
Luke didn’t know anyone’s name anymore, but the guy had sandy blond hair and a chest that easily spanned a meter. He looked like he worked out morning, noon, and night, and Luke had a very real feeling he’d be done in less than sixty seconds.
