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“Your shoulder still giving you trouble?” Del Toro briefly glanced at him before getting back to business, slipping the wrap through his splayed fingers and circling back around his wrist before repeating the process between each digit.
“It’s fine. A little stiff, but it’ll hold.”
Del Toro secured the Velcro at his wrist and stood. “How’s that feel?”
“It’s good.” He knocked his fists together. “Tight.”
“You got this.”
“I know.” In truth, Aiden was looking forward to expending some pent-up energy. The idea of beating the shit out of someone sounded pretty good right about now. What ate at him was the fact that Moralli was going to make a shit-ton of money off him doing it. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted to throw the fucking fight. But that bastard knew him well, and he’d paid Aiden a little visit just a few minutes ago, adding the caveat Win or Rya
“Remember to keep the fight on your feet. End it quick. You’re not here to entertain, you’re here to win. Get in and get out. The longer you let this play out, the more likely you’ll take damage.”
Aiden nodded, finally feeling that familiar heat of adrenaline coursing through his veins as his body and mind prepared to step into the cage. Knocking sounded on the door, and a gruff voice barked, “You’re up.”
Aiden stood, taking a deep breath, and held it, forcing all thoughts from his mind except the next thirty minutes. Single-minded purpose came over him, and with it cold, hard determination.
“You ready?” Del Toro asked.
“Yep.”
“Then let’s do this.”
CHAPTER
34
Stepping into the Lion’s Den was like entering chaos. The noise was deafening. The underground arena was built as a small-scale replica of the Roman-style coliseum. As Aiden and Nikko walked through the concrete tu
Nikko was locked down tighter than a drum. His jaw was clenched, and hard lines of tension blanched the scar ru
It was what made the other CFA fighters wary of him, what spawned all the talk and speculation as to what the hell had happened to give this guy such a hair trigger. Whatever it was, now couldn’t be a worse time for it to make an appearance.
“Hey.” Aiden stopped and grabbed Del Toro’s arm, turning his friend to face him. “You all right, man?” His voice echoed through the concrete dome. He probably shouldn’t have touched the guy, because Nikko’s reaction was reflexive. He yanked his arm out of Aiden’s grip but thankfully he had the clarity not to launch on the offensive.
“I’ll be fine once I get out of this fucking rat-hole tu
Fair enough. Aiden held up his hands in surrender and proceeded to follow his friend down the concrete tube. Everyone had their demons, and Del Toro sure as hell had his share, but when push came to shove, Aiden wouldn’t want anyone else in his corner.
True to the guy’s word, as they exited the tu
Aiden chuckled. “It is a bit theatrical, huh?”
“I’d say. That Moralli?”
Del Toro canted his head toward the elevated imperial box. The platform had stairs on each side and was raised above the podium on a dais supported by four columns. It was obvious Vincent had gone to great lengths to replicate the Roman stadium, and judging by the looks of the fighter KO’d on the mat, he had a feeling the battles that took place here would be just as brutal.
New York was the only state in the country where MMA was illegal. In 1997 the acting governor labeled the sport “barbaric” and urged state legislators to outlaw it. Since then, the UCL, or Underground Combat League, had promoted twenty-three cards in and around Manhattan. There were no weight classes between divisions here, and the UCL’s “anything goes” branding would be put to the test here tonight.
“That’s him,” Aiden growled, glaring up at the bastard who sat in one of the two front seats, watching with bored interest as the ref dragged a bloody, unconscious fighter from the cage. Moralli’s arrogant air of untouchability grated Aiden’s nerves, making him want to charge up those steps and pummel the shit out of him.
Soon . . . Soon this son of a bitch would get what was coming to him. Until then, Aiden would play the game and do his damnedest to stay above suspicion.
“You ever see anything like this before, Disco?” Del Toro asked, grabbing each of Aiden’s hands and taking one last look at his wraps. Satisfied, he pulled a roll of fighter’s tape from his pocket and began wrapping it over the Velcro to keep it from coming loose during the fight. This would be the first time Aiden had ever fought in just wraps, and he wondered how well they’d hold up.
“Nope. You?”
“In the corps. We used to bare-knuckle it all the time. It was kind of a rite of passage for all who went recon. Then again, we did a lot of crazy shit I wouldn’t advise.”
This was the first time Nikko had ever voluntarily mentioned the Marine Corps. Aiden wondered if he’d done it to distract him from the chaos mounting around them. The natives were getting restless, yelling and jeering at the ref to hurry up as the guy attempted to mop the blood off the soiled mat, but succeeded in just smearing it around.
“Underground fighting is big in this city, and assholes like Moralli are making money hand over fist. Because MMA is illegal here, there is zero competition with sanctioned fighting. They’ve cornered the market.”
“I meant what I said earlier,” Del Toro said, ripping a strip of tape from the roll. “You got this. Just keep your guard up and go for the KO.”
It was good advice and the last he’d get as Aiden knocked fists with Nikko and stepped into the cage, ready to get this over with and anxious to get home to Rya
At the sound of the lock disengaging, Rya
“Aiden!” She rushed toward him, perhaps with a bit too much zeal, because he bit out a low, pained groan when she threw herself against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry. Are you all right?” When she tried to pull back, his arm slipped around her waist, hugging her tight.
“He fucked up his shoulder,” Nikko offered, closing the door and stepping past them.