Rapine 2: Ravished by the Billionaire (The Trophy Wife) (27 page)

No, no!

Julian quickly gets up as Derek aims a kick at Julian’s side, but Julian grabs his leg and pushes him down
.

Go Julian!
Get him!

Just as Derek gets up, Julian lands a powerful kick to Derek’
s side, knocking him down.

Yes!

Derek gets back up rapidly from the ground.

D
erek strikes Julian in the face and Julian’s hands come down from defending his face. Derek takes the opportunity to land a few punches to Julian’s face.

Oh no!

Julian loses balance for a moment, but snaps out of it—shakes his head. Julian aims a few kicks but Derek blocks them.

Derek does
a crazy flying kick that knocks Julian to the ground.

Julian gets up and blocks a series of punches and kicks by Derek.

Julian lands a few kicks to Derek’s left and ride side.

Derek lands a
punch to Julian’s face blasting more blood from his face, causing his head to turn back. Derek rams his foot into Julian’s stomach, sending Julian stumbling back.

Wow, Derek came prepared. Come on Julian!
Get him!

Julian regains his footing in no time at all and
lands a kick to Derek’s head. Derek groans loudly as he hunches over but quickly raises himself straight up.

Both men stare
savagely into each other’s eyes. Derek growls loudly before kicking Julian, causing Julian to back up a few steps.

Derek aims a front snap k
ick. Julian grabs Derek’s leg and throws him down.

Julian
has to win. There is no other option.
Everything hinged on this moment, the brawl that was quickly turning more serious than anything I’ve ever seen in the Octagon.

Derek
gets up. Julian lands a tornado kick.

B
oth men are a bloody mess, deep-colored red blood is dripping down their faces and onto the ground. I notice huge, large spots of blood staining the concrete of the garage. I comprehend how dangerous this fight has become, one wrong move and one of them will be seriously hurt or dead in seconds.

My heart patters faster
as I start to worry about Julian, considering that Derek appears to be prepared and is doing better than at their last fight.

Both men
stare at each other with glazed, violent eyes, as they take a breather. Julian swiftly wipes away blood dripping from his nose, and Derek follows suite, wiping away blood and sweat from his face with his forearm and hand. Both of their chests are heaving with extreme exertion as they try and take in as much oxygen as possible before continuing the fight. Both men look badly wounded, but appear to be ignoring any pain they feel.

Julian once told me that when he was fighting his Grandmaster trainer in Japan
, his leg broke during the fight, but he felt absolutely no pain until after the fight had finished. Julian told me that he has learned to master his emotions and block out any feelings of pain. I recall his words.
When a man masters his mind he can do nearly anything
. That understanding, that extreme mastery of his emotions, was what made Julian so good. As much punishment as Julian took during a fight, as much violence as he faced, he never felt the pain.

Julian
told me that most men are controlled by their emotions. When they’re hit, it makes them angry and they begin letting their anger take over their body and they begin fighting like an animal. Julian told me that once you turn the opponent into an animal you have the upper hand.

As
I gaze at both the men, noticing the wrath and pain in Derek’s eyes, I know Julian will win. I watch Julian bobbing on his feet, a look of fearlessness in his eyes as he circles Derek.

D
erek puffs up his chest, growls and bursts forward, trying to close the distance with an impatient charge.

Julian leaps
back on his left leg and snaps a roundhouse kick that crashes into Derek’s bicep.

Derek bobs
closer to Julian, throws three jabs that Julian easily shrugs off with his forearms.

I’ve never seen
such a crazy fight in my life and perhaps it’s because I’ve never been as interested in the outcome. My stomach is in knots and the palms of my hands are sweaty and clammy.
Come on Julian!

Julian
hurls himself into Derek with incredible speed I’ve not seen before, landing blows to Derek’s throat that drives Derek backwards. Derek sweeps Julian’s leg out from under him and they both fall hard onto the concrete with a sickening slap.

That must be so painfu
l!

Julian
has managed to quickly get himself on top and is throwing punches at Derek’s head.

“Julian, get him!”
I scream.

Julian
twists his legs into a scissor lock around Derek’s waist. Julian throws punch after punch at Derek’s face.

Derek lifts
his forearm, trying to block the flurry of blows. Julian roars as he twists his legs tighter around Derek’s waist while bashing Derek’s head with brutal blows.

Blood
gushes forth from Derek’s face and stains Julian’s knuckles. The beating seems only to make Derek angrier and he gathers his legs, bucks his hips forward, throwing Julian off him, skillfully flipping straight up from the ground and in no time at all he is back to bouncing on his feet.

Julian
approaches, bobbing and weaving toward Derek, ready to strike again, but milliseconds before each punch would have landed, Derek rocks backward, avoiding Julian’s fists.

Derek
shoots forward, trying to tackle Julian to the ground but Julian lands a powerful kick to his stomach. Derek howls in pain, but despite the obvious pain, he rears forward, tackling Julian down to the ground.

Derek
is now on top, landing punches to Julian’s stomach. With nowhere to retreat, Julian has no choice but to absorb the blows. Julian lands a few potent punches of his own, but in his raging state Derek appears not to even feel the blows. I observe Derek and realize that I’ve never seen a man who looks so filled with rage.

Julian
suddenly flips Derek around and grabs Derek in a chokehold. Derek tries to get out of Julian’s grappling hold, but Julian has his strong arms around Derek’s neck. Julian is strangling him and Derek appears to be struggling for air.

Yes, yes, go Julian!
Adrenaline pumps through me like it never has before, filling me with incredible energy.
I know he can win this!

Derek is gasping for air,
helplessly flailing his hands in the air trying to push Julian away.

“
You’ve got him Julian,” I cheer loudly.

Derek’s eyes widen
as he hears my cheers and he gets a renewed strength and energy. He vigorously grabs ahold of Julian’s arm and peels it off and then he peels off the other arm.

Those cheers weren’t for you
Derek.

Derek
swiftly pulls himself up off the ground. Julian follows suite and flips himself up off the ground.

When will this ever end?

Both men are bobbing up and down, staring each other down. Derek is breathing heavily, trying to regain his oxygen content.

“Julian you almost had him,” I cheer
loudly.

Julian
quickly glances at me and kisses the wedding ring on his finger.

“Round two,” Derek
growls. “Ding, ding.” He raises his left hand into the air, miming ringing a bell. Derek cracks his neck from one side to the other side. “I’m warmed up and now it’s time to kill you,” he rasps. He appears angrier than ever and ready to strike.

Purple and red bruises cover Julian’s back, the wounds sprinkled with
dirt from the concrete. His hands are swollen and bruised. Julian’s determined face declares that he will never stop fighting until I am safe and he defeats Derek once and for all.

Derek’s
stubborn face declares he will never stop until he wins and gets me back, even if I don’t want him anymore.

Both men fighting for me, yet for two very different reasons. 

Derek charges forward aiming punches but Julian stays just outside of Derek’s punching range, bobbing, as Derek tries again and again to shoot toward him. Julian stops each charge with a few quick jabs that keep frustrating Derek.

Blood is spilling
from Derek’s nose and onto his lip, mixing with his sweat into a pink froth at his mouth. Derek seems to have lost some steam and is breathing heavier than before.

Julian looks like he still has the upper hand as he has throughout the entire fight. Julian’s
breathing is metronome steady and confident.

Derek’s
shoulders and sides are heaving but I can see an enraged gleam in his eyes. He still wants to fight—he hungers for revenge.

Julian
aims a punch but Derek blocks and growls as he lands numerous punches to Julian’s chest. Derek lands a vicious hook at Julian’s face and knocks Julian stumbling sideways. Derek shoots forward, hurling blows at Julian’s head. Julian brings his hands and forearms up, warding off the worst of the blows. Derek turns his attention to Julian’s body. Each punch thuds loudly against Julian’s stomach and sides.

Derek
is over-punching, opening up his stance. Julian springs forward driving an uppercut punch into Derek’s jaw that rocks Derek backward.

Julian aims another punch but I see Derek’s hands rising,
awareness returning to his eyes and Derek bobs away from the punch at the last second.

Derek sends a kick that knocks
Julian to the concrete. Julian falls onto his side, leaving a streak of blood and skin on the garage floor. Derek immediately pounces on him, landing blow after blow that Julian wards off with his hands and arms.

Julian lands a powerful side kick and Derek falls to the ground. Julian leaps on top of him and
presses his forearm against Derek’s windpipe. The veins of Derek’s neck throb as he tries to defend himself. Derek reaches up, seizing Julian’s neck and Julian loses control of Derek. Derek tries to scissor his legs around Julian but Julian rolls away across the concrete and springs to his feet.

Derek gets back up
and start bobbing again but his chest is heaving and he looks spent. He barges toward Julian. Julian butts his head into Derek’s bloody nose. The UFC doesn’t allow that move but in a street fight, a man is allowed to do anything.

Julian sho
ots forward toward Derek but stops and doesn’t strike while Derek quickly steps away. Derek’s been tricked and his face reveals anger when he realizes he’s been taunted. He swings a roundhouse kick toward Julian that Julian easily blocks.

Derek swi
ngs a punch, but Julian ducks the blow and lands a counter punch to Derek’s jaw. Derek’s knee drives up into Julian’s stomach once, twice, a third time, until Julian bobs away. Julian kicks Derek’s knee. Derek doesn’t go down, but he limps backward.

Julian stri
des forward, jabbing at Derek. On Julian’s next jab Derek grabs his elbow and kicks him.

Julian
lands a powerful kick and Derek falls to the ground. Julian leaps on top of him and begins punching him with all his strength and skill.

Every time Derek tries
to get up, Julian punches him. Finally, roaring with strength, Derek rolls away from Julian. Both men rise at the same time.

Derek
lunges forward but I can see the last battering he’s taken from Julian has hurt him. He is limping and gasping for breath while he tries to throw some punches.

Julian is
still standing strong and fearless, effortlessly evading Derek’s punches. Julian throw a few punches and bobs away, testing Derek. When Derek draws close, Julian lands a front kick to Derek’s chest that sends Derek flying and stumbling back a few feet.

I see Derek losing steam
, the fatigue dropping his hands. He lunges forward only to fall back from a flurry of kicks that Julian lands on him. That’s what anger does, it can only sustain someone for so long and meanwhile, Julian looks in complete control of his emotions and is fueled by a need to protect me and prove himself better.

Julian leans forward, trying a takedown but Derek shoves him away. He punches
Julian’s side, tries to follow up with a knee but falls short. Julian sends a punch into Derek’s midsection and Derek staggers backward.

“
Getting tired?” Julian hisses menacingly. “You know there’s no fucking way you’re winning this. Just give up now, before it’s too late.”

Derek roars and drives into
Julian, tackling him around the midsection, driving them both onto the garage floor. Julian falls with his arms and knees up in guard, striking at Derek’s head while driving his knees into Derek’s stomach. Derek rolls off, lifts himself up, staggering away.

Derek’s face
looks swollen and beat up. Some of the blood in certain areas of his face have dried up into a black crust. He wipes his lips with the back of a bruised fist. For the first time, he seems to be thinking about what is happening, what the consequences of this fight will be. His eyebrows rise, and he drops his hands.