Fight (11 page)

Chapter 23

Loan

Nathan

I punched him again and again. I wanted to take him out of the ring, but he was stubborn and always came up with a new idea to surprise me.

"Nathan..." Mason shouted from behind.

I lost my concentration and the rookie hit me hard on my face. I fell on the ground, eating dust. "Fuck...fuck."

"Are you all right, dude?" The rookie boxer gave me his hand. He smelled of sweat. Even my body was bathed in sweat. I wiped the dust out of my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied to him. I looked back at Mason. "What the fuck, man. Why did you disturb me."

He waved my cell in his hand. "Call from your mother-in-law."

"What? Who?" What the hell was he trying to say?

"It's Mrs. Clark, your arch nemesis."

"Shit, why now?" I jumped over the ropes to grab my phone from him. "By the way, you were a better enemy than this lady. This lady sucks." I laughed and picked up the call.

"Hello, Mom."

"Don't call me that," She shouted from other end.

I laughed. "Tell me, Mrs. Clark, how can I help you?" I asked with my most serious tone.

"I called you..."

"Yup, I know that. I can read your name on my cell." I cut her off.

"Shut up and listen."

"What do you want, Mom? You want to talk or not?"

"I want to talk." She sounded confused. “And don’t call me Mom.”

I winked at  Mason. "Then, how can I shut up?"

"Don't try to be a smart-ass, Nathan."

"You are smarter than me, that's why you are trying to manipulate your own daughter." Hatred mixed in my voice.

"Damn, Nathan. Have you thought about my offer?" she asked straight out. I knew she was somehow only going on that subject.

"What offer?" I tried to sound calm.

"Nathan," she said sharply. A chill ran through my spine. She talked like a deadly assassin. "Do you have any idea that I can destroy you like a broken leaf?"

"What would you do with your daughter then?" I replied with a cold tone. I knew she wouldn't dare to touch me physically. She would get in trouble if she touch me physically and Eva get to know about it.

"I will make you suffer, Mr. Brown. I will dig your grave and find out everything about you. The only information I haven't found out about is your parents."

Sweat accumulated on my forehead at hearing somebody talk about them after so many years. I tried to push my panic away. "You won't find anything there, Mrs. Clark. And about your offer, I am not going to accept it. I'd give you a straight
no.
Don't call me to discuss that."

"Wait and watch, Nathan. I am going to destroy you financially first," she said with a firm voice.

"Are you trying to threaten me? I don't take well to threatening," I replied with confidence.

"I dare you to act on this one."

"Now listen to me, lady." My anger was boiling inside me. "I love Eva, and I'm not leaving her. At any price." I hung up the phone.

Mason was standing near me. He looked worried."She has lots of influence with many people sitting at higher positions. I am afraid she can, in fact, destroy you." His face tensed.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Mason. I am not leaving Eva this time." I walked away with confidence.

***

Exactly one hour after Eva’s call, I was taking a shower. My phone rang. I picked it up. I thought it would be Eva, but a male voice came from the other side.

"Yes. Nathan here," I replied.

"Mr. Brown, This is Steve from Goliath bank. I am afraid that I have bad news for you."

Fear rattled through my heart. Goliath bank carried the mortgage on my apartment. I owed them almost hundred thousand dollars in a home loan. "Yes, Steve. Tell me, please." I tried not to show my fear in my voice.

"Your payment is due, Mr. Brown. And if you don't pay it in the next two days I am afraid I have to take action against you and foreclose on your house."

"What? But I do have two weeks to make the payment. I asked the bank manager and he agreed," I screamed over the phone.

"Sorry, Mr. Brown. Rules have changed and we require the payment in two days. I am sorry, I can't do anything about this." He hung up the phone.

My phone slipped out of my hand and onto the floor. I face palmed and sat there thinking about my home. I bought it two years ago with some savings and the loan. I wasn't a er before four months. But after the Japanese deal fell through, I couldn't make the payment on time. And I got in big trouble. Big, big trouble.
This would be the end, the end of my reputation. But how is this possible?
I couldn't think straight. I needed someone's advice. Mason was the only person I knew in Santa Ana. I quickly changed into shorts and walked to his room.

He opened the door. "What happened, dude? You look worried."

"I’m in big trouble, Mason. I just got a call from my bank. They are canceling me and foreclosing on my house if I don't give them the payment in two days." My voice was full of panic.

"That's serious." He walked from one corner of the room to the other corner. "I have no doubt Mrs. Clark has something to do with this."

"But how's that possible? It's a bank and they have rules."

"Which bank?"

"Goliath," I replied.

"It's a private bank. And If I remember, Clark’s business has more than thirty percent of the stock in this private bank. She can change any rule, man. She can really target you. And I think she just did that."

"Fuck...fuck...fuck. How am I going to get the money in two days?" I knelt on the floor. I felt broken.

"If you win this tournament, the prize money can cover a few of your payments. We can think about the remaining money latter."

"The tournament is starting tomorrow. How am I going to win it in one day? It's a week long tournament buddy." I couldn't understand his logic. What was he trying to say?

"Don't worry about this month's payment. I will pay that," he replied, firmly.

"No, man, I can't take money from you." I couldn't even think of that.

"You’ll pay me later, dude. Let's get out of this trouble first." He touched my shoulder. Waves of confidence radiated through his body. I felt like I had gotten my friend back.

I hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Mason."

"You better concentrate on your match tomorrow," he said. I nodded and walked back to my room. I wanted to talk with Eva and tell her the truth. I wanted to tell her about her mother and the poison her mother was spreading in our lives.

I picked my phone and dialed her number. But when I heard her innocent voice from the other end, all my tension and worry vanished in a split second. She fascinated me as always. "I love you, sweetheart."

"Wow, what happened today. Start with I love you?" She giggled. Her innocent smile brought confidence back to me. I was never going to tell her about her mother and destroy her innocence.

"Nothing, just missing you badly."

"I miss you too, baby. Why are you sounding so down? Is everything all right?"

She caught my mood from far away. "Nothing, babe. It's just that I miss you so much." I wanted to keep my financial condition from her.

"Baby, tell me one thing. If you miss me so much, then why are you not here? I want you here. I need you. I need your touch." Her soft, sexy voice moved around my ears like a musical tone, making my cock hard.

"Baby, I want to be there as much you want me there. But..." I cleared my throat. "I need to win this tournament. For our good."

"What good will that violent tournament bring, Nathan?" she asked in saddened tone.

"Financial good. But...eave it for some other day." I was taking a wrong path. I didn't want her to hear about my financial issues, at least not over the phone.

"Come on, tell me," she insisted.

I took a deep breath. "My bank called me. They are canceling my loan. And if I don't win this tournament, I will be in big trouble. I may lose my apartment." I told her the truth.

"Oh, Nathan. I'm sorry. So sorry. But..." She stopped midway.

"But?"

"I don't want you to do something foolish in return for it. Fight safe. If it won't work, we will find some way out. We will ask my mother."

"No, Eva, not at all," I shouted at her. Asking her mother was an impossible thing for me."My pride won't allow it. I don't have that option. I will win this tournament at any cost."

"But Nathan…” She cut her sentence short. “Please be safe." Her tone saddened.

***

Eva

I broke down when he told me about his financial condition. My knees weakened. I felt responsible for his condition. I had messed with his life and now he was on the brink of defaulting. He would have to work hard, maybe injure himself to get this money. And I stood on the offer that could remove his worries all together. I could give him the financial freedom he wanted. If I only took the offer from my mother, I could make his life simpler. If I had the guts to go to Canada and make things better, he wouldlive in peace. But could I do this? Could I walk away from his life? Would I destroy him instead? What should I do?

I thought, thought and thought on this. I felt distanced from him. One month with me out of his life and he would be back on track, with a good job and money. Should I accept my mother's offer?

My head started spinning, I couldn't think about anything. My brain said I should take my mother’s offer, if I wanted to see Nathan happy. But my heart cried over the decision. It was bleeding at the thought of leaving Nathan for a month.
Damn, I needed Chloe.
But she was depressed herself. What good advice could she offer me in her current situation? My brain stopped working. I couldn't think of anything. Jacob, Nathan , Mother , money, Dad, brother, everyone started revolving around me. Everybody was working on something to make me happy. Some wanted something from me and some worked hard to give me something.
Do I deserve all of this?
How would I get redemption?
Oh my god, my head will explode like this.

I needed something strong to drink, something like JD. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it well, but I needed it badly. I called the room service and ordered a bottle of JD. When it came, I opened it and started drinking it on the rocks. It burnt my throat, but soon I felt relaxed. My brain started working and I knew I loved Nathan more than anyone else in whole world. And for him, I would have to set things straight. For him, I would have to sacrifice. I would have to go to Canada and make sure he gets a good job and help make his life stable.

I finally felt good after so many days of indecision. I was going to kill two birds with one stone, make Nathan happy and stable, and to make my mom happy with me. They deserved it. And I would do anything for them. Last thing I remembered, the bottle of JD slipped through my hand and I fell on the couch.

Chapter 24

Tournament

Nathan

Day one - Match One

Jimmy was my opponent for the first match. He was known as Jimmy - The Great. He came from an MMA background. Air kicks were his specialty. I had never been in a match with him, but Mason had studied his matches and had a great deal of information about him.

"Look, man, don't get upset and try to push him on the ground as much as possible." Mason said before the match begins.

Jimmy was the same height as me. We shook hands. The referee rang the bell and the match started. I had never seen him fight, so I decided to go on the defense first. He acted opposite and dashed from the start. He threw hard punches at me. I managed to save myself with quick maneuvers. The first round continued like this. He had managed to win it because a few of his punches hit me. In the second round, I took the aggressive stance from the beginning. I pushed him on the ground repeatedly. He was beaten badly and I won the round. When the third round started, he tried to come out aggressive; he started throwing various kicks at me. I went defensive at first; that turned out to be my mistake. I gave him a chance and he took it. He started hitting me with air kicks. It was like he was flying in the air. I managed to hit him two or three times before the round finished, but I suspected his aggression gave him a clear win. My suspicion turned out to be true. I lost the match by 2-1. I knelt down in the ring. I had lost my chance. Mason touched my shoulder. "You fought well."

"No, I didn't." I wanted to get away and be anywhere but there.

"You still have a chance."

"How?"

"One loss is allowed. You’ll have to win all the remaining matches to get in the finals."

"I didn't read it in the rule book."

"I did. Now get your ass moving for training. You will have to work extra hard," He commanded.

"Thanks, Mason." I man-hugged him.

"You dirty, sweaty moron. Keep yourself away from me after matches," he shouted.

"I can't." I moved closer to him. He laughed and moved away. I followed him. He had given me a ray of hope. I was going to cling to it until the end.

I called Eva to tell her about my match, but she was busy with her college assignment. She sounded a little down, but she hung up the phone too early and I never got to ask her about it.

***

Day two - Match two.

This match was very important for me. I was standing in front of Tim. I didn't know him. He was a local kick boxer from Santa Ana. We shook hands and started fighting. I had learned from yesterday’s match. I took the aggressive mode from the start. I hit him hard on his jaw, again and again. At the end of round one, he had kissed the floor twice already.

In round two, he tried to be aggressive, but I kept pushing him back with my swing kicks. I noticed that his knee was getting weaker. He was moving with difficulty. I pushed him back with my gloves and dropped to the ground. Then I performed a ground circular kick targeting his knee. He fell on the ground. I jumped back and hit him with an axe kick, finishing him with a KO.

I survived for another day.

I called Eva to tell her the good news, but she was busy with something. I couldn't guess what she was doing. Something was wrong with her, my gut feeling was telling me that. But I couldn't figure it out. I decided to ask her the next day.

Day Two - Match Three.

Due to some squeezing, I got a second match in one day. I was tired as hell, but I had no other choice than winning to continue my journey in the tournament. I had to admit, the tournament was getting difficult, day after day. I was up against Edward.

"Is he strong like that vampire in the book?" I chuckled.

"He is probably stronger than a vampire. I didn't expect him to be in this match. You have to play smart, Nathan."

I put aside my reservations. "So what's the plan?"

"Fly like superman."

"What?"

"His weakness is his upper body. Fly and hit him with kicks, punches. His kicks are very strong, so stay out of his range."

I nodded. He had another advantage as well; for him this was his first match of the day.

The referee introduced us and we shook hands. He was an inch taller than me. He looked like Arnold, with every inch of his body covered by muscles. He looked bulky and huge.

I decided to go in aggressive from the beginning. That was my mistake. When he went defensive, I jumped in the air and tried to hit him with a circular kick. But he moved away and punched me hard on my jaw. My bonesmoved inside my mouth. A sharp pain engulfed my left Jaw. For a fraction of second, I forgot where I was. The ring went black in front of my eyes. I was afraid that I would lose consciousness. Fortunately for me, the bell rang.

"Fuck, fuck." I muttered at myself.

Mason applied some ice on my jaw. "I told you. Now you have to win the remaining two rounds, or else you are toast."

I took a sip of water. "I'm going to fuck up that bastard."

For the second round, I concentrated on his upper body movements. I watched his every action slowly. He was a little lazy while hitting jabs. I made a plan and threw a kick at his chest. He crossed his hands on his chest to save himself. In mid-air, I changed the direction of my kick and went for his oblique. He quickly tried to jab my leg with his left hand. I took that opportunity and hit his open chest with my right hand punch. I scored a point. After that, I played it safe and kept him away from me. I knew with that punch I had scored a winning point.
Now I just have to score another point and continue on the defense.

When the third round started, he dashed with a right jab at me. I moved aside and hit him on his jaw. I thought it was an easy score, but I was wrong. He took my jab on his jaw, but instead of falling away, he recovered in mid-action and elbowed my left jaw. I was pushed away by his brute force.

I knew I was in trouble. The clock was ticking fast and I had only few seconds left to score a kick. I dropped to the ground, but he moved fast and maneuvered an axe kick on me. But before he could hit me, I moved away and jumped quickly with an upper cut on his chin. He stumbled back and the referee rang the bell. I won the round by a small margin.

"Awesome, Nathan. I must say, you improve in every match."

I smiled back. I was hurt and tired as hell.

***

Day Three - Match Four

I successfully entered the quarter finals. With the last match win, more people started looking at me with respect. I could feel that through their congratulations and attitude.

"Dude, these people change quickly."

"Yes they do, especially with an underdog. One more match, buddy, and we will be in the semi-finals. At least you will be able to pay my money back." Mason winked.

I raised my middle finger. "Eat this."

He chuckled. "Come on, we have a match scheduled."

My fourth match was with a pro, Hamilton. He used to play on the International team, but for last two years, he had been retired and took part in tournaments like this one.

We shook hands. He was little taller than me. I wondered if I was the smallest kick boxer in the tournament.

I won the match easily. The opponent looked tired. He hadn't even tried to attack me. He went on the defense from the first round and stayed that way. A very easy win for me. I beat him in the first two rounds. I was in the semifinals now.

"Fuck, what the hell was he doing in the ring?"

"I heard he was set up to let you win."

"But why?"

"Something is going on. Leave it. I want you to concentrate on the next match. It is with Jimmy again."

"Who is coming up from the other side?"

"I bet you’ll be shocked."

"No, don't tell me his name."

"Yes, it's him." Mason smiled. I laughed in agony. My dream was going to come true. "The catch is that there is a gap of five days in between the semi-finals and final. They are planning to schedule it in L.A."

"Why the hell in L.A.?"

"Do you know Samuel Phillips?"

"That car industry giant?"

"Yes, he is the sponsor of this tournament and he wants the final match in his city."

"Dirty billionaires."

"You have one as your in-law." Mason teased me. "Let’s get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."

I nodded and went to sleep. Before falling into  bed, I called Eva to tell her about my win. She didn't seem excited. I decided to go back to New York before heading for the last fight, but only if I won the semi’s.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and went to sleep.

***

Day Four - Match Five

Big day. I remembered day one, when I fought Jimmy. He was standing in front of me. Confident and arrogant.

"I'm going to kick your ass. I got extra money for that," he muttered when I shook his hand.

I wondered who was behind all this. Mrs. Clark? Or Peter? I didn't know. I knew only one thing. I had to win, at any cost.

Round one started. Jimmy rushed me, right at the bell. I moved right and let him pass by my side and hit his mouth with a fierce upper cut. He stumbled backward, I took the opportunity and hit him with a straight kick. He kissed the floor. I was going to deliver an axe kick on him, but before I could hit him, he moved left. My kick landed on the ground. Vibrations passed through my legs to my thighs. My knee weakened for a moment. I had actually hurt myself. Jimmy pushed his hands on the ground and jumped back on his feet.

I took a defensive stance. Jimmy charged me, I moved backwards. He jumped in the air and delivered an air axe kick on me. His MMA training was helping him. I was closer to the corner than I thought. I couldn't keep myself out of his range. I leaned back, but his kick touched my forehead. I felt the impact on my skull.

The first round finished. It had been a mixed bag. I couldn't guess if I had won or Jimmy had. I knew I had to do something extraordinary in the next round.

The second round started with a bang. Because of my carelessness, Jimmy got an opening on my chest and was able to land a devastating kick on my right shoulder bone. I fell on the ground. I thought my shoulder  broke, but before Jimmy could deliver a straight axe kick on my chest, I jumped back. I was furious and frustrated. I could see my final match. I wanted to reach it at any cost.

I decided to take a risk and cut him with his own method. I ran towards the opposite rope and before touching to the rope I turned my back to it and I got a slight elastic effect from the rope. I dashed forward and before he could anticipate my move, I jumped in the air and delivered a double punch on his mouth and chest. He fell back; his nose was broken. His face was covered in blood. I, myself, landed hard on the ground. My face landed first and then my chest. A sharp pain shuddered through my whole body with an intensity   I’d never felt before.

But I managed to get up. I looked back at Jimmy. He was still on the floor. The referee was counting the numbers. I knew I had KO'd him.

It was the second KO for me. I had my eyes set on the final match. Mason came and bear-hugged me. I was happy for the win, but I was more happy for the final match. I wanted to share this news with Eva.

"Dude, I'm going back to New York," I told Mason.

"Why, man? You have to practice. It's Peter, your nemesis. You can't go back," he replied in frustration.

"I have to. Something's wrong with Eva and she  won’t tell me. I need to get back and find out."