Page 83 of Only You
Who they were cheering for, Selene couldn’t tell. She focused on pouring water down Demir’s throat only for him to spit it out seconds later, staining the floor with blood. Grabbing his face, she took a better look. His eye was almost completely swollen shut. He wouldn’t last much longer.
‘He’s favouring his right,’ Jack continued. ‘Aim for the ribs. Make him use his left side. The swings are gonna be slower. Stop fucking around and get in there!’
Demir nodded weakly, and Selene waved a hand in front of his face. ‘How many?’
Demir tried to focus on her hand, but his gaze was sluggish. ‘Four,’ he guessed. She put two fingers down.
‘How many?’
‘Three.’
‘Two,’ she sighed, turning to Jack. ‘We might have to tap out.’
‘He can make it.’
‘He’s punch-drunk and can’t see straight,’ she insisted.
‘We’re too close to give in now,’ Jack stressed.
‘If something happens to him—’
‘Nothing’s going to happen to him, we’re good. Come on, Sel,’ Jack snapped. Selene scowled and turned towards the boxer.
‘Hey.’ She tapped his knee to bring Demir’s attention back to her, frowning at the effort it took for Demir to meet her gaze. She frowned but forced herself to focus on the outcome she knew Jack wanted. ‘You have about two more rounds in you before you fall out. Do you think you can knock him out before that?’
Breathing harshly, Demir looked around, not answering. Uncertainty settled in his eyes, and it unnerved her; she had never seen him look like that.
‘Demir…’ Before she could suggest quitting, he gave her a jerky nod.
‘Yeah,’ he answered. ‘Let’s get this over with.’
She ignored the twist in her gut at his answer. ‘Okay,’ she relented. ‘Just listen to Jack’s instructions and bring him down quick. Otherwise, I’m throwing in the towel. Got it?’
‘Yeah, yeah,’ he said dismissively.
She grabbed his face, forcing him to make eye contact. ‘Demir,’ she said, her eyes boring into him. ‘Can you do this?’ His jaw tightened at her touch; her expression defiant. He wasn’t going to give up and she knew nothing she could say would make him.
‘You know I can,’ he answered. Selene bit her lip nervously but nodded, stepping out of the ring.
Legs stiff, Demir made his way back to the middle. The bell rang and he swung out. The hit landed but Johnny was quick to follow. They traded blows with Demir taking more than he was giving.
The crowd sounded like a roaring monster, the fight in front of her a raging bull. Selene wanted to look away, didn’t want to watch as he got sloppier with each second. At one point, she couldn’t help but yell, ‘Demir, duck!’
Luckily, his body moved at her command, weaving under Johnny’s fist to punch him in the jaw. The fighter dropped his hands and that was Demir’s cue. He threw two quick jabs to the boxer’s right side and an uppercut before the fighter hugged him.
The referee pulled them apart, forcing them to take their stances again. At his signal, Demir’s fist shot out and hit the man’s nose, dropping Lawson to the floor. The crowd cheered wildly as the referee counted. Selene rarely prayed, but all she could do was thank God when the referee’s countdown finished.
A half hour later, Demir winced as Selene bandaged his ribs so tightly she worried that he might have difficulty breathing, but she wasn’t taking any chances. The cuts and swelling on his face were bad enough.
‘That was close,’ Jack muttered from where he paced in the middle of the room.
‘There’s no way you can fight that guy again any time soon. Though he might be good for an end of the year rematch… I need to talk to Mackie and see who he’s thinking of next. We need to get you ready.’ Jack sped out the door, and Selene groaned.
‘Always thinking of the next thing while everyone else is trying to get through tonight,’ she grumbled, grabbing the notebook by her thigh and quickly scribbling across the page.
‘What are you writing?’
‘Notes on your condition,’ she told him. ‘I’m making a medical history for you so I can keep track of any damage.’
