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But these two seemed to be fast friends.
I was fucking tired from the workout I’d just survived. I’d downed my protein shake and ordered a chicken sandwich, but I was ready to get home and get some sleep.
And then do it all again tomorrow.
Two more weeks of this. My body wouldn’t last much longer. I basically trained from morning to night. And Joey was pulling some tricks out of his hat lately that were no fun. Yesterday, he’d had me push a giant tire for miles through town. The man was relentless.
And as exhausted as I felt, I knew without question that I was in the best shape of my life. I was stronger than ever. Benching and lifting weights I’d never thought possible. I was running faster. Boxing harder.
But was it enough?
There was no fucking way to know.
That was what drove me day in and day out. If there was more that I could do, I was going to do it. I was going to leavethat ring knowing I’d done everything that I could. The odds weren’t looking good for me, and every sports book on the planet had Leo favored by a long shot. But they also didn’t know how hard I was training. It didn’t mean it would change the outcome, but it meant that I might last longer than people were predicting.
I didn’t think one sports commentator had me going longer than three rounds, and most had me being knocked out in round one.
I was going to fight like hell to keep that from happening.
“Well, isn’t this an unlikely group of misfits.” Lionel tossed some napkins down and looked between us. “You’ve got one, who isn’t old enough to be in a bar, and here she is, sitting with my lawyer, who is a tattooed, shady fucker but happens to be a brilliant legal mind.”
Laughter bellowed around the table.
“There are very few bar owners who have a lawyer at their beck and call. If you’d stop getting your ass into trouble, I could just be considered a regular patron.” River held up his beer and clinked it with Kingston’s.
“Nothing regular about your ass. And Mr. Charming over here…” He flicked his thumb at Kingston. “He started a bar fight three nights ago, and I’m still cleaning up the mess from that shit.”
“Hey, hey now.” Kingston held up his hands. “That girl was out of control.”
Demi’s mouth fell open. “The fight was with a woman?”
“Oh, yes. Our precious King is a heartbreaker, and Molly Slickman was not having it. He was talking to Lana Smith and Molly got pissed and tried to hit him with a beer bottle, but he ducked, and it shattered all over the floor. And then Lana decided to defend her man, and a whole goddamn scuffle broke out.” Lionel shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t get it. You’re not that good-looking.”
More laughter.
“What can I say? I was just chatting with Lana, and Molly lost her shit. So needless to say, I went home alone. Violence makes me uncomfortable unless I’m watching Romeo fight.” Kingston chuckled before taking a long pull from his glass.
“Please. You were a scrappy motherfucker as a teenager.” River rolled his eyes.
“Agreed. You got me into half the fights I was in during high school,” I said, tossing a wink to Demi, who was watching with fascination.
“Fine. Enough about me. Anyone else you want to analyze at the table?” Kingston asked as Doreen set our food down.
“Well, these two are an unlikely match, but it seems to be working.” Lionel looked between me and Demi and smiled at her. “Don’t know how his ugly mug got such a catch, but if I were Romeo, I’d hold on tight.”
“Hey, why are you so nice to Beans?” Kingston whined.
“Because she’s sweet, and she makes the best coffee.”
“Thanks, Lionel. I’ll keep the mocha lattes coming,” my girlfriend said.
He walked off, and we kept the conversation light.
“You all right, brother?” River asked, turning his attention to me.
“Yeah. I’m just beat. Looking forward to having a beer with you guys in a few weeks.”
“Shit. It’s probably not supportive of us to drink in front of you,” Kingston said, before tipping his head back and chugging his beer. “There. I’m done.”
