Stone Cold Knockout (House of Pain Book 1) (19 page)

“
I'll explain later,” Gennifer said, shaking her head. “Now let's toast.”

“
Toast to what?” Hector asked, swiping at his bloody nose.

“
To Bout It,” Gennifer offered.

“
No,” Hector said, shaking his head. “To House of Pain.”

“
To the end of summer?” Erica offered.

“
Thank Christ,” Tate said. “I can't stand this fucking heat.”

“
To health. To friendship.” Mikhail said, lifting his cup. “To women.” Gennifer raised her cup and the others followed, repeating Mikhail's toast. Over her cup she caught Hector's eyes and she hoped that he knew that they were okay. Despite all the shit, they were going to be fine.

Then they drank.

Chapter 15

T
he third Saturday in August meant only one thing to the fighters at Big Jimmy's House of Pain—Bout It. The annual charity competition was what Gennifer waited for all year long, and now it was here.

And for the first time ever, she was actually fighting.

“She doesn't look so tough,” Gennifer announced as she studied the tall, bulky girl across the ring. Mikhail chuckled as his big hands worked her shoulders.

“
Do not get cocky,
solnyshka
,” he said, his breath tickling her ear.

“
Why not?” she turned around to face him, leaning on the ropes. “It works for you.” She smiled and glanced around the room. House of Pain was completely filled to capacity with people who'd come for Bout It. They sold out every year. Bout It was a popular event in the neighborhood, with old-timers and newcomers alike. Big J rented a second ring to have multiple matches going on at once, and it was set up in the back of the massive space. Tate was already stretching out shirtless in the second ring, prepping for his match with Austin. Hector and Erica stood along the wall. Erica waved at her and Gennifer smiled at her as her eyes continued around the room. Big Jimmy and Maria were somewhere amongst the throng, but she couldn't find them.

“
Do not let her get the first shot in,” Mikhail was saying, and she gave him her full attention. “Do not stop moving.”

“
Can I kiss you?” she asked, dropping her gaze to his lips. “For good luck? And to say thank you for training me?”

“
You will thank me by kicking her ass,” he said with a slow smile.

“
So you don't want me to kiss you?” She raised her eyebrows.

“
After you win,” he murmured, holding up her mouth guard. Obediently, she opened her mouth and he slid it in. She moved the bulky plastic piece around with her tongue until it felt comfortable. “Gennifer,” he continued, “touch your glove to your nose.” Brow furrowed, wondering what he was getting at, she lifted her glove and swiped it across the edge of her nose. “Good. That way I will know you are doing okay.”

She nodded and smiled, not bothering to try and speak around the mouthguard. Instead, she scratched her nose again. He ran his eyes down the length of her, and she could feel his gaze as if he had run his hands all over her. Her nipples tightened under her sports bra as adrenaline and lust crashed together in the pit of her stomach.

“Make me proud,
solnyshka,
” he said, his eyes as wild and as bloodthirsty as she felt. Rolling her shoulders, she turned to face the other girl. The referee waited for them both to meet in the center of the ring.

“
In the right corner—Rodriguez from the Bronx, New York,” The ref announced and the crowd cheered. She held up a hand and waved at the crowd. She heard Hector's high pitched wolf whistle above the din. “In the left corner—Benevento from Staten Island, New York.” As the crowd cheered again, Gennifer caught the other woman's eyes and nodded. Benevento was younger than Gennifer and stockier. Her brown eyes were hard, but Gennifer could see a flicker of fear below the surface. Good. She could exploit fear. Gennifer held out her gloves and Benevento tapped in.

The ref hopped out of the way and the fight was on.

The girl immediately swung high, and Gennifer countered with a low jab to the chin. She twisted her glove at the last moment, snapping the girl's head back. Benevento stumbled backward, but recovered quickly. She got two quick shots into Gennifer's ribs, but Gennifer held her core tight and kept her hands up. She noticed that the girl was holding her breath and she took advantage. She countered with two cross punches, in rabid succession and Benevento threw her hands up to guard her face. Gennifer immediately pushed in and hooked her in the sides, under her ribs. She then countered with an uppercut as Benevento's hands fell as she tried to catch her breath. The sound of the glove hitting flesh echoed in Gennifer's ears and she gritted her teeth, loving every second of it.

The ref rang the bell, signaling the end of the first round. Gennifer exhaled slowly and the sounds of the gym flooded her ears. She retreated to her corner, looking to Mikhail immediately. He had a slight smile on his face, and she knew she was doing well. She spit out her mouthguard and swished some water in her mouth.

“She will get tired soon. Keep aiming for her chin,” Mikhail said, pressing his lips to her ear. “Her lower back will give out.” Gennifer nodded, glancing over to Benevento's corner. The other girl was breathing heavy, bent over with her hands on her knees. “She is not in as good of shape as you are.”

“
I guess the swimming was worth it,” Gennifer said, wryly.

“
Swarm her. Push in. She will fall.” Mikhail gave a curt nod, all business. Gennifer blew him a kiss then stuck her mouthguard back in. She stepped back to the center of the ring, ready for the next round. She glanced back at him over her shoulder, and shivered when she saw his intense gaze was trained right on her. She lifted her glove to her nose and his face softened a bit.

How lucky was she to have such a sexy ass man in her corner?

Gennifer let out an involuntary sigh, wishing he was in the ring sparring with her. Alas, he wasn't. Snapping back to attention, she squared her shoulders, readying herself for the next round. Benevento was tired already. Gennifer could see it all over her face. Gennifer wasted no time. As soon as the ref was out of the way, she pushed in, jabbing Benevento twice in the chin. The girl threw a sloppy high jab, and Gennifer ducked and nailed her with a cross, right in the nose. Benevento tried to retreat, but Gennifer wouldn't let her. She swung again and again, getting her in the chin over and over.

Benevento tried for another cross, but she leaned right into Gennifer's left hook. Her head snapped back and she stumbled and fell on her ass. Blood gushed from her nose and her eyes were glazed over. When the ref began to count, Benevento didn't bother getting up.

It took her Gennifer a minute to realize that she won. The referee held up her hand and for a moment, it felt like her chest was going to explode with happiness. As her eyes skimmed the cheering faces in the crowd, her mind was on one thing and one thing only.

Mikhail owed her a kiss. And it was going to be a doozy.

***

Mikhail had a bad feeling as he stood on the edge of the ring. The sun was low in the sky 0utside and the heat inside was oppressive. Industrial sized fans roared in every corner, but Mikhail didn't think they made any difference. He rolled his head on his neck, feeling a drop of sweat slowly rolling between his shoulder-blades. Gennifer glanced at him from the center of the ring. Perspiration shone on her face, but her eyes were bright and lively. She was excited.

He gave her a slow nod and she pressed her glove to the side of her nose. Then the referee rang the bell and she turned to focus on Javier Domingues, her opponent in her second fight of the day. After she won against the girl from Staten Island, Gennifer had been worried that the man wouldn't agree to fight her. Mikhail had seen the worry in her eyes. But Javier, at five feet six and not much bigger than Gennifer, had agreed. Her face had lit up and Mikhail had felt her excitement deep in his own soul.

This moment was what she had worked for. She was a born fighter, Mikhail could see it in every movement she made. Her eyes were always working, finding the opening for her punches like a pro. When she missed, she didn't get distracted. She just focused on her next shot.

But he couldn't stop his stomach from clenching when she and Javier started to box. She kept her stance and kept her guard up. She kept her feet moving. She got in a good jab to his chin and then fell back. She didn't swarm him; she took her time and felt him out. Javier was fast, though. As she reached in for a jab, he cross punched and hit her in the jaw. Mikhail felt his fists flex.

It only went downhill from there.

She fought hard and didn't quit, but Javier was a counter fighter. He danced around and took advantage of any mistakes she made. Mikhail could only watch as Gennifer took hits and Javier took the win for the round. When the three minutes were blessedly up, she came back to her corner and looked at him with wide eyes.

“
Shit,” she mumbled through her mouthguard. He got a clean towel and swiped it softly across her forehead, trying not to let his misgivings show. She spit out her mouthguard, sniffling hard. “Should I try and wait him out?” she asked, leaning in close.

“
No. You can not take another round of hits,” he said. “You will have to brawl. Get in the hard punches and get out of the way.”

“
You think I can get that much power?” she asked.

“
Do not forget to lead with your hips. Aim for his chin,” Mikhail said. “Try to find room for  that left hook.” She nodded and flashed him a smile. Without thinking, he pulled her in close, wrapping his big arm around her neck. He pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her like they weren't in the midst of a crowd. His kiss promised that he would take care of her later. He would tend her wounds and ice her bruises and kiss her until she felt better.

Because she deserved it.

“Knock his ass out,” he said, when he finally let her go. She smiled, then put her hand to her jaw and winced.

“
Ow,” she whimpered.

“
Protect your face,
solnyshka
,” Mikhail said, handing her the mouthguard. “It is too beautiful to be black and blue.”

“
You're so sweet,” she said sarcastically, then shoved her mouthguard back in and headed back to the fight.

The second round was better. Gennifer followed Mikhail's advice and hit Javier hard when she could. She lasted the round and stayed on her feet. Javier was showing signs of slowing down. Mikhail knew if she could stay on her feet for another round, she might have a shot.

The third round started with promise. Gennifer's stance was still good and her feet were moving. Then Javier got in a straight shot that almost knocked her on her ass. Mikhail muttered a quick curse in Russian, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. He zeroed in on Big Jimmy who looked anything but happy. His face was creased in a frown and his big meaty arms were crossed over his chest. Mikhail turned back to Gennifer. He could only watch as she took hit after hit, impatiently waiting for the round to end like his life depended on it.

***

Gennifer had never felt more alive.

After all the years that she'd wanted to fight a man in the ring, she finally had the chance. She had stayed on her feet for almost three rounds, too. Despite the pain, she was loving every minute of it.

The screams and cheers of the crowd echoed in her ears as she dodged Javier's jab to her face. She knew it was do-or-die time. She had to stun him soon or she would miss her window. She could feel the fatigue taking over. When he took a step into her, she finally saw her chance. She hit him in the side of the face with her left-hook, putting every once of strength she had left into it. Time slowed to a crawl as the impact of her punch slammed his face to the side.

Unfortunately, she let her guard down.

He countered with a straight right and she didn't even see it coming. She ended up flat on her back and the world sped up in an instant. The lights were blisteringly hot, blazing down on her as she lay on the hard mat. She rolled her head to the side and saw that Javier was down as well, on his hands and knees. She'd knocked him down with her punch. She heard the ref start the countdown, his voice muffled in her ears.

“
One! Two! Three!” the ref yelled, the seconds slowly ticking by.

Get up
, she told herself. If she got back to her feet before Javier, she would win. She pushed herself onto her side, her head throbbing. Javier put one foot on the ground, but didn't stand. She sat up on her ass, her arms feeling limp and worn out. She tried to push up with her legs, but her body just wouldn't let her.

“
Eight! Nine!” The ref was staring down at her, waiting to see what she was going to do. Frustrated, she could only watch as Javier got to his feet before the ref got to ten.

Javier Domingues won, fair and square.

Gennifer brought her knees up to her chest and did the only thing she could do—she laughed. Javier held out his arm to help her and she let him haul her to her feet. She enveloped him in a hug, not caring that he was just as sweaty as she was.

“
Thanks,” she murmured in his ear.

“
Thanks for what? I just beat your ass,” he said, smiling wide.

“
Barely,” Gennifer said, taking a step back.

“
Barely still counts, G,” he said, then held his arms up in victory. Gennifer rolled her eyes and laughed along as the crowd cheered for them. She turned back to Mikhail and he was watching her every movement intensely, like he was trying to make sure she was okay.

She caught his eye and lifted her glove to her nose.

She was doing just fine.