Page 81 of Pulse
“I ain’t gunna ask you what went down, though I’mitchin’ to ask…”
I raised an eyebrow.
“If there’s a side,” he went on in his thick brogue, “I wanna be on the side of good, not evil.”
“This ain’t a fuckin’ superhero movie,” I drawled.
He was reigning champ in these parts, but I suspected with me and Hammer back in the mix, things mightn’t be so smooth sailing for him for a third win in a row.
“You’ve got one hell of an enemy there, my friend,” he said clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Right now, it’s you and Reign together. No one else is on your side.”
“And you want to be on the winning one.”
“Is that so bad?”
“It is when you decide I’m gunna lose.”
“I don’t think you’ve got much to worry about.”
I narrowed my eyes. At least one of us had faith in my ability. “And what’s in it for me?”
“I can help you with your girl, for sure.” Hamish glanced across the room at the other fighters who were preparing for the first round.
I stiffened and went to stand, but he clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Down boy,” he said with a chuckle. “No’ like that. You can’t watch her all the time. All I’m offering is to keep an eye on her. Make sure the dogs don’t snap while you’re in the cage, like. I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine.”
Fuck, he was right. There was no way I could watch over Ren all the time, especially when I was in the cage. Hamish was offering and like it or not, there was a grain of respect and even trust between us.
“I know where you’recomin’ from,” Hamish said. “I know something bad went down between you and Hammer. Everyone knows, mate, they just don’t know what it was.Rumorhas it that you came out on top.”
“If I came out on top, then why is he still walking around?” I asked sullenly.
“Ahh, be careful who you say that to. Money’s riding on you already Fuller; and you know how these here dicks are with money.”
I glanced at the other fighters, but they were too engrossed in warming up to listen to us. There were quite a few new faces, kids with anger issues most likely. Dudes who’d fight guys like me who were well above their weight class. They’d be snapped like twigs and the crowd would lap it up.
“He tried to take out my kneecaps with an iron bar,” Hamish declared out of nowhere.
“The fuck?” I exclaimed. Hammer either had some fuckin’ nerve or he was that fuckin’ dumb.
“There was no way he was evengettin’ close to the Championship last round,” he explained. “No’ unless he took out a few of his competitors. Crowbar disappeared with a mysterious injury a few days before they tried it on me. Nasty piece of business.” He shook his head.
“How’d you get out of that one?” I know what I would’ve done and it wasn’t anything pretty.
“A lot of luck, a lot of threats and a little violence,” he said with a wink. “Let’s just say, I’m on your side whether you want me or no’. We’ve both got beef and I know my strengths.”
I wanted to say, ‘which was a sign of a good fighter’, but I kept my mouth closed. I always knew Hamish was one of the better ones, not necessarily good, but better than some of the low life fuckers that paraded their fists round these parts.
“Can I trust you?” I asked straight out. “Can Ren trust you? Because if anything happens to her, I’m out for blood.”
“There are better ways to die and I don’t fancy myself meeting my maker by way of your fist, Fuller.”
I raised my hand and Hamish grinned, grasping it with his own.
“Don’t make me regret this Hamish,” I said, tightening my grip.
“Don’t plan on it.” He stood, letting my hand go and wandered off to prepare for his own fight.
“What was that about?”
