Page 197 of Between Secrets and Obsession

Maddie sniffs, but nods. “I hate that you have to do this, but I also hope Tyler knows what he’s doing to get you properly ready.”

“Don’t worry, he is. He’s been training at gyms for years and knows all about what goes into underground fighting. If I don’t do this, JJ will come after you andhurtyou. It was obvious what he was implying, and I don’t want him anywhere near you again. It’s not just my freedom I’m fighting for. It’s yours too.”

“I know,” she croaks, and I hate that I’ve put her in this situation. She grabs the remote and turns on the TV, but I can’t seem to pay attention to anything on the screen. My mind is in a different place but with reason. So much depends on me winning—my entire life and Maddie’s too.

After our conversation, we watch TV until our eyes are heavy, then we go to bed. I hold Maddie in my arms as we fall asleep, listening to her soft breathing, and allowing her to calm my racing mind until I drift off.

It’s been less than forty-eight hours since JJ reappeared in my life and shook it up like a snow globe. It’s day one of training, and when my alarm goes off at four-thirty in the morning, I force myself to roll out of bed. I place a soft kiss on Maddie’s forehead before getting dressed and grabbing a protein bar.

Tyler arrived late yesterday afternoon and settled into my room. It was almost like old times with him being here again, but I hate that it’s under these circumstances. I check outside and see his rental truck is already gone, so I head to the gym to meet him. Once I’m inside, Tyler’s in the kickboxing area waiting for me.

“We could’ve ridden together,” I say as soon as I’m near him.

“Good morning to you too,” he tells me. I notice he’s dripping with sweat and can’t imagine how long he’s beenhere. He would’ve had to got here at least an hour ago to get a workout in before I arrived. “Are you ready?”

“I guess.” I blow out an insecure breath.

Tyler forces me to run a mile and do several different stretches to warm my muscles. After I’m fully awake, he hands me a pair of gloves and puts some on, then moves toward me. He stands eye to eye with me, and I don’t even flinch when he pretends to go for the gut. It’s nothing more than a distraction.

“They might not even give you gloves during the fight. If they’re doing street rules, you’ll get some tape on your knuckles, and that’s about it. I’d suggest you get a piece of wood and start punching the hell out of it at home so you can build up your knuckle strength.” He turns his back on me, and a second later, his fist slams straight into my gut. “Alwayswatch your opponent.”

“Not fair, I wasn’t ready.” I clench my fist in my glove and blow out a breath.

Tyler smirks. “That’s the point. You need to bereadyevery second you’re in the ring.” He lifts his leg and tries to take me down, but I block him.

“What the hell?” I scowl.

“Street fighting isn’t just hits and punches, Liam. You’ll need to watch out for legs too,” Tyler explains.

“So basically it’s MMA rules on steroids?” I ask, taking a swing at him, feeling my bodyweight bounce on the practice mats.

“Pretty much. Mafia underground fighting has only one rule and one goal. No guns in the ring and kill you before you kill them.” His leg quickly comes up, hitting me behind my knee, and I immediately lose my balance. When his glove meets my face, my anger level rises, and I block his hits until I get to my feet. I go to Tyler, throwing calculated punches, but he redirects every swing I make. I finally connect. However, he’s two stepsahead of me and brings me down once again with another hit to the face. My heart rapidly beats, and my chest rises and falls as my adrenaline spikes.

“Do you wanna die?” he shouts, connecting his fist with my jaw, and that’s when I see red and lose control. “Time to get your shit together. Focus, Liam.” The anger takes over, and I’m fighting Tyler with all the strength I have, but he’s quick on his feet, and I barely make contact with him. It doesn’t surprise me, though. He’s a professional and has been doing this for years.

“Better,” he tells me, then sucker punches me right in the stomach. Taking a few steps back, Tyler calls a time-out, and we’re both heaving. “You need to hydrate.” We pull off our gloves, then walk over to his bag where he grabs a couple of bottles of water, then hands me one.

“You’re out of practice,” he scolds as I inhale my drink. “But I think we’ll be able to get you where you need to be, but it’s gonna take a lot of work. You’ll be working out harder than you ever have in your life.”

I nod, trying to let my endorphins settle. I’m so goddamn worked up right now. “I can’t lose this fight. There’s too much weighing on it.” I finish the bottle and throw it in the trash.

“I agree. They play dirty. You’ll have to tune out everyone outside of the ring and focus on your opponent’s moves. I’m guessing there’ll be at least half a million dollars’ worth in bets, so if you lose and live, JJ will make sure you don’t walk away.” I grit my teeth as Tyler continues. “I made a few phone calls to some friends who are involved in that circle. I’m trying to find out more about the guy you’re fighting so we at least know what you’re up against.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it, man.” I wipe the sweat from my brow and look at the clock behind Tyler. We’ve been here for over an hour, but we’re just getting started. Once Tyler finishes his water, he slips his gloves back on, and so do I.

“Let’s work on technique. Since legs and feet aren’t illegal to use, anything pretty much goes. So, head, elbows, knees, and any other body part you can cause damage with is fair game.” Tyler moves his body around showing different maneuvers against one of the dummies, then asks me to do the same. Keeping my body tight, I stay light on my feet as Tyler calls out what to do. I use all the strength in my quads to kick forward, and the dummy falls to the floor with a thud.

“Damn, that was good,” Tyler says, picking it up and setting it in place. After I work on that for a while, he instructs me to take off my gloves and pulls the tape from his bag, then helps me wrap my hands the proper way to protect my knuckles. Once I’m set, he puts on some leather boxing punching mitts. “Now, let's focus on speed and output instead of power. Basic punches right in the center.”

He flips the mitts around, and I see two white circles where I need to hit. “Keep your hands high, and after each set, you’ll do a squat and increase two more punches until you’re swinging twenty times in a row. It’s a basic boxing drill to help with fast, consistent hand speed and endurance. We’ll go for two minutes, counting your reps, break for five, then start at the top. We’ll do this for the next hour.”

I chuckle. “You’re gonna wear me out before eight o’clock.”

“You better believe it,” he throws back. “It’s gonna be exhausting, but you need to get your momentum up before we get to the hard stuff. Don’t let your hands fall, and make sure you’re supporting your weight on your hips. The squat helps re-center yourself. Ready?”

I nod and step up, taking a deep breath. As I start, Tyler calls out how many throws I need to do. At first, I’m fast, and it feels easy, but when I have twenty seconds left, I’m ready to give up. However, I keep going although it feels like my hands and arms will fall off.

“Faster,” Tyler calls out when there are only ten seconds to go. I find my second wind when he lets his mitts fall. “Good job.”