Page 113 of Pulse
“What are your intentions with my daughter?”
“I’ve got plans,” I replied. “I want to be able to provide for her, to make sure she never has to worry about anything ever again, but I need money to be able to do that.”
“By winning this Underground thing?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s a lot of money and…” I shrugged.
“Fuck, I was so hot-headed when I was your age,” he said out of nowhere. “I want to tell you to stay away from that place, but you’re a grown man and I suspect you won’t listen to me anyway.” He clapped me on the shoulder before letting his hand fall away. “I would do the exact same thing.”
I stared at him, not knowing what to say. In a strange bloke kinda way, he was giving me his blessing.
“Ren told me who you’re fighting,” he explained. “I understand.”
I sat for a moment, not knowing what he wanted from me. Finally, I wrung my hands together and shook my head. “It’s strange how things work out. I came back and I never expected…”
“Neither did I,” Coach said with a laugh. “Ren blew in those doors like a bloody hurricane and gave me what for.”
“I’m sure she did.”
“What’s your big plan?”
If I lived to see Saturday? I’d thought about it, but I hadn’t allowed myself to dream. Violet had planted the seed months ago and over time the notion had grown until it was the only future I could see. Now, it was clear.
“I want to open my own gym,” I said. “I want to help screw ups like me avoid the things I had to go through.”
Coach clapped me on the shoulder again, but this time he held firm, squeezing. It was his way of telling me he was proud and I was going to run with it. “So you basically want to be me?”
“I can see where Ren get’s her fire from Coach.”
I sucked in a deep breath and let it out in one long whoosh. I had to fight, I had to do whatever it took to take out Hammer in that cage because now that I’d said what I wanted, now that I’d voiced my dream to someone, I had to live. I had to win no matter what. For Ren. This future was for her. For us.
Glancing at Ren’s dad, I asked, “Do you trust me with your daughter’s heart?”
Coach looked me over and for a moment I thought he was going to tell me to fuck off, but he grinned and slapped his hand on my shoulder. Third time’s a charm. “I’m pretty sure that I do, son. But if you pull a stunt like that again, you’ll have to deal with me.”
I grinned, my life finally feeling like it was worth all the pain and for the first time since realizing how this Championship was going to be won, I actually wanted to live.
