Page 161 of Heartbeats & Highways

Acid had come to lend his support. He was one of the few people who knew what Savage had been up to. His expression was tight and he kept stretching his jaw and neck muscles like he was nervous. He was speaking to a patron in the crowd, and the next thing I knew Acid slipped away from us and disappeared.

Savage was wearing a pair of gym shorts, and he was shirtless. Every now and again he’d glance at me and squeeze my hand.

Savage and Brutus were scheduled to be the last fight of the night and even though my brain buzzed with adrenaline, my body was exhausted at the late hour.

I wouldn’t take a deep breath until Savage walked out of the fighting ring, never to return.

“Where’s Acid?” Savage asked. “I need him to get the ice buckets ready for my hands.”

“I saw him a few minutes ago, but he went into the crowd. I don’t know where he is. I don’t like this, Savage. I don’t like this at all,” I said.

He looked at me, a lazy smile appearing across his lips. “You’ve seen me fight before. It’s going to be okay.”

“Yeah, but that was before I loved you.” I brushed my hand across his forehead.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Oscar’s booming voice came through the microphone. “Thank you for your patience. We have a change in the lineup for the final fight of the evening . . .”

I glanced at Savage whose brow furrowed in confusion.

“Brutus will not be fighting Savage tonight,” Oscar continued.

The crowd booed and men began to scramble toward the bookies to undo their bets and get their money back.

Oscar raised his hand to quiet the crowd and waited for the animosity to die down before he spoke again. “Another fighter has challenged Brutus, tagging himself in to fight in Savage’s place. And trust me when I say you’re in for a wild fight! Savage might be a maniac in the ring, but Acid is the man who trains with him and has taught him everything he knows. If Savage is a maniac, what does that mean for Acid? Tonight, you get to find out! Please welcome to the ring, Acid!”

My eyes widened as I saw Acid, now bare-chested and in a pair of gym shorts climbing into the ring.

“What the fuck?” Savage demanded. “What’s he doing?”

“No fucking idea,” Duke murmured.

Savage dropped my hand and strode toward Acid and called his name through the din of the crowd. Acid came to the edge of the ring to speak to Savage. Acid murmured something and then looked at me before looking back at Savage again.

“What’s happening?” I asked Duke as I glanced up at him.

Duke’s expression was contained. “I’m not sure.”

My attention returned to Savage and Acid. Savage looked furious and was arguing with Acid, but after a few moments, Acid simply held out his fist to Savage and nodded. Savage paused and then tapped Acid’s fist before returning to my side.

“What was that about? What’s going on?” I asked.

Savage took my hand and clenched his jaw before he replied. “Apparently Brutus killed the last man he fought, and Acid said I’ve got a family to think about. He promised the promoter five fights without pay in exchange for my last fight tonight. So their choice was simple. They’ll make a lot more money with Acid than they will with me.”

The bell rang, signaling the start of the fight.

Acid struck first—a sharp jab to Brutus’ chin.

The crowd roared with pleasure.

Brutus slowly turned his gaze to Acid, his eyes glittering with philistine rage.

He attacked.

The two men traded blows, one after the other.

Pop.Acid got his nose broken by a roundhouse kick from Brutus.

Snap. The crack of a fist against Brutus’ jaw as Acid boxed his way to bloodying Brutus’ mouth.

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