Takedown (18 page)

Chapter 24

“Blaze, you can’t quit now. It’s too late,” Chuck said on the phone.

“I can quit anytime I want,” Blaze replied as he pulled over. “Everyone of them deceived me into this fight. Why should I care about the consequences?”

“Whatever trick they pulled to get you in this fight, it wasn’t enough to prove you’ve been coerced or deceived. They’ll sue you and you could lose everything. Think about it.”

“Is that what they told you? Well, I’ll let them argue with my lawyers in court. Let’s see who wins.”

“Blaze…”

“Talk to you later,” he said and pressed the cancel button. He jumped out of his car and headed for the front door.

The house was empty. It was past five so his maid and the gardener could have left already.

This was better. For one whole day, both the UFC and Battledome people had been plaguing him with their pleas to make him change his mind about pulling out of the fight. He needed rest.

He found a white envelope leaning against the vase on the table. His maid probably placed it there so he could see.

He sat on the couch and reached for the mail. Nothing was written on it, so he cut it open to see what was inside.

It was a card—a wedding invitation. Below the image of two white doves, the names of Travis and Megan was boldly written.

He clenched his knuckles. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he bristled up, crumpled the card and hurled it down to the floor. He found himself gasping in anger. He had to take several deep breaths to calm himself down.

The nerve of them to send him an invitation.

Last night, when he’d decided to drop by her house, he thought he owed her an apology for calling her a bitch, but after what he’d seen with this own eyes, he realized she really was a bitch.

Restlessly, he walked around the room. He’d been living alone in this house for three years, but it had never felt so empty like it was now. All those expensive paintings and drapes that used to amaze him suddenly looked nothing to him at all.

Why the hell does it hurt?
The more that he hated her, the more that he hurt.

He climbed up the stairs to his room. This, too, felt like a huge empty space.

The framed photograph on the table caught his attention. It was the photo of Bryan and Meg which he had framed and placed there in memory of his bestfriend.

The smiling face of Megan made him fume once again. He grabbed the frame and dropped it to the floor.

Panting, he stared at the broken pieces of glass and frame. He shouldn’t have done that. He had kept that photo because of Bryan and not because of Megan.

He sat on his haunches and picked up the photograph, leaving the broken frame behind. He wondered. Was this Bryan’s means of getting back at him for fucking his girlfriend?

He dropped his head and closed his eyes. He didn’t think it was fair to have him suffer just because he’d fallen in love with the wrong woman. He never wanted it to happen. It just happened.

Chapter 25

Blaze’s eyes flung open and blinked as the blinding light greeted him.
Who the fuck switched the fucking lights on?

Before he could yell at the intruder, a familiar frame of a man approached him. When his vision cleared, he confirmed it was his father.

“You look like shit,” were Walter’s first words.

Heaving a deep breath, he tried to pull himself up. Indeed, his shirt was all crumpled up. “What time is it?” he asked.

“It’s past midnight.”

“Midnight? What the fuck are you doing here this late? You should be resting.”

“I heard you withdrew from the fight.”

“Yes,” he replied in a lazy, raspy voice.

“Because of a woman?”

Blaze chuckled. “That’s bullshit.”

“Then what’s your problem? Why did you back out? And why are you drinking yourself to death?”

“I just wanted to relax.”

“Your maid told me you haven’t been outside for three days.”

“There’s nothing to see. I think I will have to go back to work.”

“No.” Walter hit the armchair with his fist. “You can’t keep running away from everything, son. Whatever the problem is, you have to face it.”

“I’m not running away from anything.”

“Aren’t you?” Walter’s voice was soft.

“I thought you don’t want me to fight my brother?”

Walter sighed. “I don’t. It’s the most painful thing for a father to watch his sons fight to death, but… a man can only take too much.” He paused and continued in a softer voice. “You’ve been taunted long enough. It’s time you fight back.”

Blaze looked away. He could not stand staring in his father’s teary eyes. “What do I get?”

“Your pride, son. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. You’re a man. Be a man.”

Blaze wondered if he had lost his pride along the way.

He did, but not the day when he retired from MMA, but from the day he’d learned that his own brother had taken away the only woman he had ever loved. The betrayal had pulled him down to his lowest point, yet he had allowed them to drag him to a lower pit.

His father was right. It’s about time got back to his feet and take back everything that they had robbed from him.

*****

Megan watched Josh walk out of the building. He had driven her to the airport, had carried her suitcase inside the terminal, and then gave an excuse that he had an appointment.

She knew the reason why he had to leave so soon. He could not stand to see her leave.

For years, they only had each other. They rarely had been apart for so long. A few months ago, the thought of leaving her brother could have been unimaginable to her, but now she could see things that she had failed to notice before.

Her little brother had grown up. It was time to set him free so he could be the man he was meant to be.

“Is your brother not coming with you?” Alec, who’d been standing beside her for quite a while now, asked. She had almost forgotten that there was another person with her.

She smiled at him. This gentleman had temporarily left his office to accompany her here.

“His dream is right here,” she replied. “Chuck Paterson adopted him in the Black Clan, and they had a deal that if he won his next match, they’d sign him up to the UFC.”

“Wow,” Alec gasped. “A star on the making.”

She nodded. “That’s why he can’t come, because he must train hard for his next fight. I know he’ll win.”

“You’re not afraid anymore?”

She shook her head. “It took a while, but I managed to convince myself that… what happened to my father and my ex-boyfriend does not happen to everyone else.”

“I agree.”

She noticed the giant screen flashing. It was time.

She turned to look at Alec and sighed. How could she say goodbye to this wonderful man? She knew that by leaving him, she’d be breaking his heart. But it would hurt him more if she stayed and marry him, because she knew that her heart belonged to someone else. The last thing she wanted to do was use him for her own personal benefit.

“I have to go,” she said.

The glow in his eyes faded away. Even as he tried to smile, he could not hide the sadness that he felt. “Take care, Meg. Call me when you get there.”

She nodded. “I will.”

She hugged him, as tight as she could, to let him feel how much she appreciated all his help, his presence by her side when she needed comfort the most.

“Bye,” she whispered and pulled her suitcase away. She didn’t turn over her shoulders to look at him again. She couldn’t stand it.

From this point forward, she’d move on with her life, live with whatever was left of her and fix her broken heart.

Chapter 26

Blaze heard his phone ringing, but he ignored it and watched his father on the bed. The fight would start in a few hours, but he did not want to leave just yet.

Walter was already in the hospital, awaiting his operation. His schedule was set two days from now, but last night, he suddenly collapsed in his house so his doctor decided that the patient undergo with the operation right away, but Walter insisted that it be done the next morning. He even requested the staffs to set up a big screen in his room where he could watch his son’s fight live.

But Blaze was not sure about this. “You don’t have to watch the fight,” he said. “It might be bad for you.”

Walter chuckled. “I’ve already gotten through the worst part of this. It doesn’t matter to me who wins. I just want to make sure none of my sons will die. That is all.”

Sighing, Blaze reached over and pressed Walter’s shoulder. “I won’t die. Don’t worry.”

“Don’t die, and don’t kill your brother,” Walter whispered.

“We’ll both come see you afterwards.”

There was a knock on the door before it was pushed open. Blaze turned over his shoulders and found his trainer, Chuck.

“Sorry to bother you,” Chuck told Walter and turned to Blaze. “We have to go.”

Blaze looked at his father one last time, and then he rose to his feet. “Bye, Dad. I’ll see you later.”

Walter smiled. “Good luck.”

Chuck escorted him out of the building where a limo was waiting for him. His training had not been easy, and he felt it was not enough, considering that he had not been in the octagon for more than two years.

“What’s on your mind?” Chuck asked after a long silence between them.

Blaze drew in a deep breath. “I’m nervous,” he confessed.

Chuck grinned. “Look who’s talking? The Octagon Demon who was always eager to fight? Nervous?”

“It’s been two years, Chuck. Things changed.”

“Nothing’s changed. You still got it. You’re still the same undefeated fighter I know, and you’ve gotten even better, and stronger. Not just physically, but emotionally.”

Blaze chuckled. “If you haven’t noticed, I’ve gotten soft.”

“Yes, you fell in love, and got burned.”

“Shut up.”

“But that’s not a weakness. That’s a strength.”

Blaze couldn’t help but stare at Chuck. This man, who was eleven years his senior probably knew more than he did in that department.

“If you made it through something like that,” Chuck explained, “you can make it through anything else.”

A smile stretched his lips. He had to agree. He’d been burned and betrayed, but he made it through the pain. That should have made him stronger now.

Two miles to the arena, traffic became congested. He’d heard the tickets were sold out, and pay-per-view had over four million buyers for this fight. Critics called it the fight of the century.

He took a deep breath to relax himself. If he lost, people would call him the loser of the century. It didn’t sound nice to him. Travis would taunt him forever. His fans would be disappointed. So at all costs, he had to win.

*****

Over seventy thousand of screaming fans greeted Blaze as he made his way to the Octagon. The whole stadium was roaring in chaos. Even if dozens of men had surrounded him to get people out of his way, some still managed to sneak a tap on his shoulders.

This crowd was bigger than all the fights he had been in the past. He could almost see Ryder’s grinning face at the moment. This fight would certainly earn him a staggering amount of money. Some experts were with the opinion that this match might have been the top-grossing event in the history of sports, for the reason that the match would be between two very famous and controversial figures in the UFC.

Two spiteful brothers who were both determined to settle the score in the octagon was certainly an assurance that this fight was something to look forward to. The promoters had made use of that fact, and along with other personal stuff in the Rockwood family, to promote the fight… and they succeeded.

His filth had been out to the public now. He had nothing more to hide.

His assistant helped him out of his shirt, and the UFC official body checked him.

The cameras were blinding. He could see some people trying to get a shot at his abs and crotch, and he knew what those photos would be for. The next day, they’d be all over the covers of sexy magazines.

Lights flashed as he stepped inside the octagon and made his rounds to acknowledge the fans. The screams were even louder. Deafening.

He shut everyone and everything out of his mind and stood at the corner, facing his coach who was talking to him from outside the cage. He must keep focused. There was no room for defeat now, else, he’d have nothing left to go on.

Travis was next to make his entrance. Chuck held his attention so he would not be distracted, until they were introduced and the referee called them to the center.

As the referee clarified to them the rules, Blaze met his brother’s glaring stare, accompanied by a taunting smirk. When the referee told them to shake hands, Travis pushed him away.

The crowd howled. Blaze kept his calm and didn’t fight back. Travis booed him and tried to get the audience to do the same.

The audience obeyed, and Blaze responded by flashing Travis his signature stare known to the audience as the Demonic Glare, and the crowd went wild, to Travis’ annoyance.

Even after three years, they were still crazy about it.

*****

Megan balked as the TV screen captured Blaze’s iconic demon stare. That was scary. His looks alone could kill, and she was thankful he’d never looked at her in such a way.

She moved closer to the screen, sitting on the floor, to get a closer view. She had told herself not to watch this, but as soon as she moved into this apartment, she had bought a television so she could watch this event live.

Aside from his stare, there was something different about Blaze. He looked bigger than how she remembered. When his statistics were flashed on the screen, she noticed that he was twenty pounds heavier.

So he had buffed up for this fight, but paled in comparison to his two hundred sixty-pound monster brother. He had his hair cut shorter, too. It gave him a neater appearance and emphasized the shape of his face.

The bell rang, and she stopped breathing. She felt like the world had stopped moving.

Are they going to kill each other?

She feared the worst, wished she did not have to see this, but she could not keep her eyes off the screen. She didn’t even want to blink.

The two circled around the octagon, both gauging the other. Blaze had always been a full contact fighter, but at this point, aware of his disadvantage on strength, he kept his distance. To the surprise of everyone, he was the first one to deliver a blow to Travis’ face.

Meg couldn’t blink. Things happened so fast. The two fighters moved like hurricane, grabbing and circling the octagon, until Blaze got the opportunity for a
takedown
.

He pinned Travis down the mat, and the crowd stood to their feet. Knowing the ex-champ, a takedown had always marked his opponent’s defeat. Blaze had been famous and widely regarded for his ability to immobilize his opponent on the ground towards submission.

But Travis was not like any of his past challengers. It was not easy to hold a wild beast in place.

Travis got off the deadly grip, hit Blaze on the rib, and managed to reverse their position.

Megan pressed her palm over her mouth. This was Travis’ position when he had killed Bryan. Straddling his opponent, his lethal hands could rain punches on Blaze’s head and kill him.

And that was exactly what Travis did. He pounded at the man under him… ruthlessly.

“Oh, God!” she whined.
Why is the referee just watching that monster butcher his own brother to death? This must be stopped.

The camera changed its angle. Blaze had his arm over his face, still shielding himself from Travis’ relentless attack.

The bell rang.

She finally was able to breathe. It was only then that she realized that her heart had been pounding so hard it almost felt like she’d collapse to the floor at any minute.

She was relieved. All the while, she thought that horrifying night would repeat itself.

But Travis did not stop there. The referee had to get in between before he spat a curse and stood up. The camera took a close shot of his face. He had his teeth out, gasping furiously, frantic to get back to his brother and finish him off. A look of a savage monster, indeed.

But all changed when Blaze got up. Travis taunted him with a smirk, and a body language that told him he was no match.

But Blaze kept his cool. He ignored his brother and went to his corner.

Megan closed her eyes for a few seconds to calm herself down. When she looked back at the screen, she saw Leslie strutting her long legs and her famous 38D boobs around the octagon, and her fans were whistling and howling like rabid dogs.

She smiled, which surprised the hateful bitch in her. She couldn’t remember when she’d stopped grimacing over Leslie’s unbearable sight. But to be honest, she was glad she was over it.

The fight resumed. After a few more taunting from Travis, Blaze took his brother by surprise by grabbing his left wrist. Travis immediately tried to break free, knowing that the move was Blaze’s game.

The two moved around the cage. Blaze was obviously at a disadvantage of strength, but he managed to dodge most of Travis’ lethal fist attack.

Blaze defended most of the time, almost looked like he was helpless under his brother’s superior strength and speed. When Travis finally made the wrong move, Blaze grabbed his leg and threw Travis’ back to the ground. Blaze followed it up by a leg lock.

Travis was shown screaming in pain, and the crowd went wild, hoping for a tap out, but it did not happen. Blaze tightened his grip and Travis screamed louder.

Meg was almost certain Travis’ just had his ankle broken, but the stubborn prick refused to tap out. To her surprise, Blaze released his brother and stood up, as if reluctant to do more damage.

Travis remained on the mat for a few seconds, screaming in pain. Then he struggled to get up and glowered at Blaze. He meant to fight until death.

Blaze was trying to say something to Travis, but Travis responded with a resounding
fuck you
.

Reeling in pain, Travis was too disoriented to notice when Blaze grabbed his left wrist, twisted it, and pulled it behind his back. He struggled, but ended up back on the mat, with his arm trapped in a painful lock. Still, he refused to tap out.

Blaze paused, as if he couldn’t believe the persistence of his brother.

He pulled Travis’ hand higher and applied pressure on his back. Travis just kept screaming. Megan could read Blaze’s lips pleading for Travis to tap out.

When all that failed, Blaze reluctantly twisted Travis’ wrist and applied more pressure on his shoulder. Travis finally tapped out.

The stadium was in chaos.

Blaze released his brother, but he remained kneeling on the mat, his head low, almost as if he was crying his heart out. Victory was his, but he looked more like a pathetic loser.

Megan, too, felt like her heart was ripping apart. She had hated Travis and still could not completely forgive him over Bryan’s death, but at that instant, she felt sorry for him. The extent of his injuries could be the end of his career. She felt sorry for Blaze, too, for having to damage his brother to such extent just so Travis would submit.

Steven came in and held Travis up. The fans cheered when Travis managed to stand up and limped out of the cage, ignoring Blaze who was still kneeling on the mat.

Blaze was declared the new heavyweight champion, but he remained like a grieving orphaned boy even as the referee held his hand up.

Chuck had to comfort him for half a minute before Blaze finally rose to his feet. The crowd cheered.

She found herself sobbing when Blaze walked out of the octagon with tears in his eyes. He kept a straight face. He didn’t try to hide his tears as most men would, and for her, that was a very brave thing to do.

At the same time, she could feel the weight he was carrying in his heart at that very moment. At anytime, it could break him down.

But he made it. Through it all, he remained standing tall as he faded away from the crowd. The undisputed UFC champion had once again captured the hearts and admiration of the people. He was a hero.

More tears rolled down her face as she felt her heart pounding. She loved him… much more than she’d ever fallen in love with anyone else before. But it was too late. He didn’t need her anymore. He had made it through the storm. He was ready to move on. Even without her.

That meant, she only had herself to rely on to. She couldn’t just sit still as the storm raged about her. She had to push herself out of this. Just like how Blaze had done it.