month while I trained.”
She shrugged. “I
don’t care about that,” she said. “Look around you, I’m hardly used to luxury.”
I followed her
gaze and scanned her apartment. It was small, sure, but this close to the
University the rent was probably still way more than she could afford without
the steady job and the decent tips I’d cost her.
“There’s more,” I
said. “I’m broke. That thousand dollars for the private room I sent you was
pretty much the last of what I had left.”
I knew the money
didn’t concern her, but I saw too that her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried
to grasp what I was saying. Something wasn’t adding up, and she knew it. “I’m
not interested in a sugar daddy. The web site took a twenty percent cut, but
there’s still eight hundred left from what you paid me. You can have it all
back, of course.”
I shook my head. I
didn’t want her to return the money, but I was doing a shit job of getting her
to understand where I was going with this and I knew it. “It’s not that. It’s
just…”
“But you won last
night. I mean, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know how these things go,
but you must have won some money, right? Otherwise, what was the point?”
Good question.
“Yeah, I got a thousand for signing up for the match. The winner was supposed
to get another three grand, but… Well, the more I think about it, the more I’m
certain I was supposed to lose last night.”
“What do you
mean?” she asked. “Did they tell you to fix it?”
“No. But Nitro
should have beat me, all things being even. And when you told me about him
going down like a ton of bricks even though I missed my shot, well… He threw the fight, and that’s got me
worried.”
She frowned. “Let
me guess. The Carellos and Jessie were in on it, huh?”
“Looks that way.”
“Why wouldn’t your
manager tell you? Why not let you in on the secret?”
“Because he knows
I’d never in a million years go for it. I may just be a broke ass fighter, but
I’m still trying to claw my up to decent bouts. A reputation for fixing fights
would end my career before it ever had a chance to get off the ground.”
Sloane sat up all
the way, the covers sliding down her body, revealing her breasts. My gaze
couldn’t help but drink her in, and my heart soared when she made no effort to
cover herself back up. “Why would they do that?”
I shrugged, even
though I was pretty sure I knew the answer. “The only reason to bother would be
because they were setting me up for a bigger fall, which would mean a bigger
pay off for them.”
She sighed. “So?
Don’t agree to fix the next one, or the one after that? Make it clear to them
you can’t be bought, Angel.”
I held out my
hands and looked at the backs of them, scarred and bruised from last night’s
fight and a thousand training sessions and boxing matches before it. “It’s not
as easy as that. All they have to do is get someone into the ring that’s so
much better than me I either hit the mat or get killed.”
Sloane
I sat there for a
minute or two, letting that sink in. I suppose it made sense, in a twisted sort
of underworld, mobster, everyone has a price way. Set Angel up in a nice place
with some cash and a cool car. Let him get used to the lifestyle. Once he’s got
a taste for it rig the next fight so he’s got some confidence. Maybe he’s
willing to sign on to fight a guy he’d never have considered fighting before.
Maybe he oversteps
himself.
The bad guys bet
big against him, and Angel gets the message - Go down or get slaughtered.
Easy.
Simple.
And with Angel’s
habit of planting his damn feet and taking the sort of punishment he did, it
probably wouldn’t be hard to find a fast, nimble fighter that could pick him
apart.
“Okay,” I said
eventually. “The way I see it you’ve got three options. Ready?”
He nodded.
“Option one.
Retire. Get out of the game and do something else. Run, if you
She shrugged. “I
don’t care about that,” she said. “Look around you, I’m hardly used to luxury.”
I followed her
gaze and scanned her apartment. It was small, sure, but this close to the
University the rent was probably still way more than she could afford without
the steady job and the decent tips I’d cost her.
“There’s more,” I
said. “I’m broke. That thousand dollars for the private room I sent you was
pretty much the last of what I had left.”
I knew the money
didn’t concern her, but I saw too that her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried
to grasp what I was saying. Something wasn’t adding up, and she knew it. “I’m
not interested in a sugar daddy. The web site took a twenty percent cut, but
there’s still eight hundred left from what you paid me. You can have it all
back, of course.”
I shook my head. I
didn’t want her to return the money, but I was doing a shit job of getting her
to understand where I was going with this and I knew it. “It’s not that. It’s
just…”
“But you won last
night. I mean, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know how these things go,
but you must have won some money, right? Otherwise, what was the point?”
Good question.
“Yeah, I got a thousand for signing up for the match. The winner was supposed
to get another three grand, but… Well, the more I think about it, the more I’m
certain I was supposed to lose last night.”
“What do you
mean?” she asked. “Did they tell you to fix it?”
“No. But Nitro
should have beat me, all things being even. And when you told me about him
going down like a ton of bricks even though I missed my shot, well… He threw the fight, and that’s got me
worried.”
She frowned. “Let
me guess. The Carellos and Jessie were in on it, huh?”
“Looks that way.”
“Why wouldn’t your
manager tell you? Why not let you in on the secret?”
“Because he knows
I’d never in a million years go for it. I may just be a broke ass fighter, but
I’m still trying to claw my up to decent bouts. A reputation for fixing fights
would end my career before it ever had a chance to get off the ground.”
Sloane sat up all
the way, the covers sliding down her body, revealing her breasts. My gaze
couldn’t help but drink her in, and my heart soared when she made no effort to
cover herself back up. “Why would they do that?”
I shrugged, even
though I was pretty sure I knew the answer. “The only reason to bother would be
because they were setting me up for a bigger fall, which would mean a bigger
pay off for them.”
She sighed. “So?
Don’t agree to fix the next one, or the one after that? Make it clear to them
you can’t be bought, Angel.”
I held out my
hands and looked at the backs of them, scarred and bruised from last night’s
fight and a thousand training sessions and boxing matches before it. “It’s not
as easy as that. All they have to do is get someone into the ring that’s so
much better than me I either hit the mat or get killed.”
Sloane
I sat there for a
minute or two, letting that sink in. I suppose it made sense, in a twisted sort
of underworld, mobster, everyone has a price way. Set Angel up in a nice place
with some cash and a cool car. Let him get used to the lifestyle. Once he’s got
a taste for it rig the next fight so he’s got some confidence. Maybe he’s
willing to sign on to fight a guy he’d never have considered fighting before.
Maybe he oversteps
himself.
The bad guys bet
big against him, and Angel gets the message - Go down or get slaughtered.
Easy.
Simple.
And with Angel’s
habit of planting his damn feet and taking the sort of punishment he did, it
probably wouldn’t be hard to find a fast, nimble fighter that could pick him
apart.
“Okay,” I said
eventually. “The way I see it you’ve got three options. Ready?”
He nodded.
“Option one.
Retire. Get out of the game and do something else. Run, if you
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