Page 127 of Falcon

I curl back, the way Marco taught me, and throw a single, solid punch, connecting perfectly with his left cheek.

Everything happens fast. Those around us gasp. Joe steps up and pulls me behind him, placing himself between Braxton and myself.

“I highly suggest you walk away now,” Joe tells him.

Braxton looks around and sees the audience that has now formed in the darkened, once secluded hallway, then wipes the blood that is now seeping from his cheek.

The ring I’m wearing on my hand sliced into his skin.

“This isn’t over. Tell Falcon this will be settled in the Octagon and by the end of it, he’ll be lucky if he ever walks again,” he says so low that only Joe and I can hear. “Now, I have an inebriated date to go find.”

My stomach curls and I want to punch him in the other cheek this time as he walks by us and back into the main party area.

I close my eyes and finally take deep breaths. As the adrenaline leaves my body, I can feel my hand throbbing. I look down at it and shake it out slightly.

“Fuck. It hurts,” I tell Joe.

“Come on. Let’s go get some ice for that. I’ll take you back up to the room; then I’ll come back down and find Falcon. He was doing an interview with ESPN. I have to say, Faith, you’ve got some right hook.”

“Thanks to a good teacher.”

Falcon

“Where the fuck is he, Joe?” I push through the lobby toward the elevator.

Joe came to find me after my interview. I expected Faith to be with him, but she wasn’t. He gave me a brief run down of what happened between them, the parts he witnessed anyway, and I became a raging mad man.

“He’s gone, Falcon. I watched him leave.”

“Why the fuck would you let him leave? I’ll kill him. I swear to God, I’ll fucking kill him.” I curl my hands into fists, stepping onto the elevator. “Where is Faith? Is she upstairs? Is she okay?”

We wouldn’t normally stay in a hotel with the fight this close to home, but I wanted to be able to have some place for Faith, or even myself, to go tonight during the party if we got too overwhelmed and needed to get out.

“She is. I got some ice for her hand. I took a look at it and it doesn’t seem to be broken, but she’s going to be sore.”

“What the fuck was she thinking?”

“Falc, she was sticking up for you. She was defending you. Was it reckless? Absolutely, but motherfucker deserved it and I wish she had done it twice.”

“I don’t. She’s too pure for this shit.”

The elevator bounces to a stop and Joe goes to step out with me, but I hold up my hand.

“I am going to talk to her alone. Go back down; enjoy the party. See if you can find Courtney and determine if there is some kind of damage control that needs to be done.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

He nods once and steps back when I move into the hall and head down toward our room.

After pulling the key from my back pocket, I slide it through the card reader and push the door open.

The TV isn’t on, but there is music playing from Faith’s phone, which is sitting on the table just by the dresser.

It’s some sad country song I don’t recognize.

“Faith?”

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