The Fight

EMMA

The morning sun rises, and with it comes the realization that today is the day of the fight. I retreat to the spare bedroom, seeking solitude. I need to clear my head, and I can’t afford any distractions.

Levi, Alex, and Diablo will have to fend for themselves today. I need to focus on preparing myself mentally. The location of the fight has been disclosed. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting to leave.

But before that, there’s one call I need to make. Levi has already packed my bag with everything I’ll need.

I pick up my phone, my fingers scrolling through the contacts until I find his name. Before I can second-guess myself, I swipe to dial his number.

“Emma?”

“Hey, Deanny. How are you?”

“Skip the pleasantries, Emma. Are you really going through with this fight?” His tone catches me off guard, but I confirm that I am.

The line goes silent for a few moments.

“Dean, are you still there?”

“I am. I was hoping Levi would have talked you out of it by now.”

“You know it doesn’t work like that, Deanny.”

“I know, but a guy can hope.”

“Dean, I just called to…”

“Don’t even finish that sentence!” he interrupts. “You better win, Emma. There are too many people who love you and won’t take losing you lightly.”

“Dean, I need you to help me calm down. I’m freaking out. I’m pumped, but I’m also scared shitless. What if I lose and Levi can’t…” I stop myself, realizing I almost let slip something I shouldn’t have.

“Levi can’t what, sweetheart?”

“Never mind. Just help me with those breathing exercises. I’ve been trying all morning, but I can’t seem to calm down.”

We spend the next thirty minutes focusing on breathing exercises.

“Thanks, Dean. I really needed that. I wish you could be here. You always know how to calm me down. Diablo gets too worked up, and Levi is just as nervous as I am. And don’t even get me started on Alex,” I say, managing a chuckle.

“Emma?”

“Yeah, Dean?”

“Promise me you’ll make it through this. If you don’t and he takes you captive, we’ll come for you. You know that, right?”

“I know, Dean.” To keep the conversation light, we shift gears and talk about his work. He’s leaving for a special mission in a few weeks, which sounds fascinating.

The details of his mission distract me from the impending fight. But realizing it’s time to leave, I interrupt him before he can share his final plan for the mission.

“Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“I have to go. It’s time.”

“Already?”

“Yes. We need to leave so I can change clothes, attend the ceremony, and then it’s time for the fight.”

“Emma, remember what I wrote in the letter. You’re the love of my life. I’ll come for you. You know that, right?”

Swallowing hard, trying to hold back tears, I respond.

“I remember, Dean. Just know that I love you. Not as much as I love Diablo, but I do love you.”

I end the call. After taking a few minutes to compose myself, I dress in one of my signature suits with no shirt underneath.

The jacket is cut like an upside-down triangle, the top section spreading so wide it almost exposes my breasts. I pair it with a diamond necklace that hides Diablo’s necklace underneath.

I slip on Dean’s ring, tie my hair in a ponytail, and step into my black shoes. Walking into the living room, I find all three men sitting on the couch, dressed in black suits.

Diablo looks at me, trying to read my emotions, but I give nothing away. I’m already in the zone. I need to be in a different headspace right now.

I nod at him and head for the door. Without missing a beat, the men follow me to the elevator.

When we reach the SUV, Diablo moves to sit in the back with me, but Levi opens the front passenger door for him. I’m already seated in the back behind Alex, who’s driving.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Diablo arguing with Levi, insisting he wants to sit next to me. Ignoring him, Levi climbs into the back seat, leaving Diablo standing outside, dumbfounded.

Alex starts the car while Diablo scrambles to get in the front. Diablo turns around, and I can tell he’s about to start an argument with Levi.

Before he can say anything, I raise my hand to stop him.

“Diablo, there’s something you need to understand when I’m in business or fight mode. I’m in a zone. Levi knows what I need, when I need it, how I need it.

“We’ve been through this many times. He knows what’s best for me. I don’t need you starting a fight that will upset me or letting your jealousy get the better of you. So for your sake and mine, don’t say anything.

“Do what Alex tells you. Levi will be by my side at all times. Don’t add to my stress. Just shut up, look out the window, enjoy the ride, and then watch the show.

“And for God’s sake, don’t interfere with anything while I’m fighting. No words, no actions, ~nothing~, got it? I’m not trying to be disrespectful. It’s just what I need right now.”

“Baby…” he starts.

I cut him off.

“Diablo, I swear, if you make a sound from now until the fight is over, I’ll kill you. I don’t need any distractions.

“Alex has my permission to remove you from the arena if necessary. You’ve never been to one of my fights. Just don’t mess it up or distract me. I’ve already spent too much time explaining this to you.

“Levi should have briefed you on the rules, but I know everyone’s on edge today, so I’ll let it slide.

“Now everyone just shut up and let me get back into the zone.”

I leave Diablo looking stunned, and turn my attention to the window. I pop my headphones in and let the music from my phone wash over me.

When we finally pull up at our destination, I step out. Levi grabs my bag and falls into step beside me, with Alex and Diablo trailing behind.

One of Mason’s bodyguards greets us at the entrance.

“Lockers are to the left. Please store any weapons there. Mason is waiting for you in his office, Ms. Taylor. I’ll lead the way.”

Levi heads to the lockers, stowing away a gun that I know only has one bullet left. He rejoins me, while Alex pulls Diablo away towards the arena.

We follow Mason’s bodyguard to the office. After a single knock, the door swings open at Mason’s call.

Rising from behind his desk, I see Mason is dressed in a black suit, a green button-up shirt, and a matching tie.

“Emma darling, I’m so glad you could make it. You look as beautiful as ever.”

“Not like I had a choice, Mason,” I retort.

He stops in front of me, pecking each cheek before stepping back, leaving barely any space between us.

“Can we get to the point, Mason?”

“Always so eager to get down to business, Emma. Don’t you want a drink with your future husband first?”

“No, Mason. I’m not here to have a drink with you. Your overconfidence will be your downfall one day. I’d rather die than be your wife, Mason. Let’s be clear on that.”

“Tut-tut, Emma, darling. I thought we could keep things friendly.”

“This is as friendly as it gets, Mason. I’m not in the mood for your shit. So, either we get this over with, or I head straight to the changing room. Your choice.”

“All work and no play makes Emma a dull girl.”

“Only around you, Mason. I’m fun to be around. It’s just a shame you’ll never get to see that side of me.”

He walks to his desk and pulls out a two-page contract. I sit down—without waiting for his permission, because I don’t need it—and start reading.

In essence, it outlines the rules, which barely fill a paragraph: anything goes except weapons. He’s allowed me to use the knuckle duster, given my disadvantage.

The rest of the contract details what happens if I lose, what I need to do, and vice versa. If I lose, I’m his and I have to become his wife, making him the number one Mafia boss.

If I win, I can either kill him or issue an order of ~Excommunicado.~ In other words, it’ll be open season for any Mafia bosses with a grudge against him to kill him without any repercussions.

I sign the paperwork and hand my copy to Levi. Mason and I leave his office, heading towards the arena. Levi and Mason’s bodyguard, Blaine, follow closely behind.

Levi and Blaine stay outside the hexagon, while Mason and I step inside. I recognize some faces from the night of the conclave.

This time, the spouses are here too, not tucked away in a private area.

I scan the crowd and spot Diablo and Alex in the front row. Diablo looks worried.

Mason takes a microphone from Blaine and explains why we’re all here, the rules of the agreement, and what will happen if he wins and vice versa.

Diablo gets a few intense glares from the Mafia men. They’ve grown fond of me, as I’ve significantly boosted their business profits.

If Mason wins, they know they’ll be screwed. He has almost no business sense. Even ~his~ profits have skyrocketed because of me.

Once he’s done explaining, he introduces the nine men I’ll be fighting. They look well-trained and ready for action.

He’ll be the tenth man, which is a bit unnerving.

The only way to win is to either tap out or kill the opponent. Only one opponent is allowed in the hexagon with me at a time—to make it a bit fairer, apparently. As if fighting ten men is fair…but who am I to complain? At least it’s not all ten at once.

There will be no breaks between fights. We have to keep going until I lose or until I’ve beaten every man, including Mason.

Levi and I are shown to a room with changing and shower facilities.

I change into my usual fighting clothes: black spandex shorts and a black sports bra. I secure my knuckle duster with tape before pulling on my black fingerless gloves and shoes.

I re-tie my long hair into a ponytail, braid it, and pin it into a tight coil. My signature fight look is complete.

I’m ready to fight. I put on my favorite song, “Not Afraid” by Eminem, to get psyched. I sit on the bench waiting to be called. Levi massages my shoulders.

I stand up to do my stretching routine. Just as I’m finishing, there’s a knock on the door. Levi opens it to reveal Blaine.

“It’s time, Ms. Taylor.”

“Blaine, just call me Emma, okay? Skip the formalities.”

“I prefer calling you Ms. Taylor.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because no one else does. I don’t like following the crowd,” he says with a smile.

“Fine, Blaine. Lead the way.”

“For the record, Ms. Taylor... I’m rooting for you.” With that, Blaine turns and walks away, leaving us no choice but to follow.

When we reach the hexagon, I turn to Levi.

“Promise me, Vi. No matter what, get the gun to me. Promise me, please,” I plead.

He pulls me into a hug, whispering in my ear, “I will, Ems, I will. I promise. I love you. Now go give them hell.”

I don’t want to let him go, but I have to.

I stride into the hexagon, chin up.

All the other fighters are outside, waiting their turn. Mason is among them, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Mason rings a bell, and the fight is on. The first man and I circle each other, sizing each other up.

He makes the first move.

I dodge him, spinning around to deliver a swift kick to his chest. He stumbles backward, off balance, and I seize the opportunity to kick him where it hurts. He crumples to his knees.

I wrap my arms around his neck in a chokehold, applying pressure. He should tap out, but he doesn’t. He claws at my arms, desperate to break free.

“Tap out, you pussy, before I make you pass out.” He shakes his head, refusing to give in, leaving me no choice but to tighten my grip, cutting off his oxygen.

When he finally passes out, I release him. Two men haul him out of the ring. The next fighter charges in, heading straight for me.

I stand my ground, feigning indifference. When he’s close enough, I lift my leg, knee bent, and connect with his chest.

I use this to my advantage, landing a couple of punches to his face before he stumbles back, trying to regain his balance. He lunges at me again, catching me off guard with a kick to my ribs.

I’d expected a punch, his fists were raised. Then he does punch me, right in the face, causing my nose to bleed. Damn, that hurts.

I pretend to be scared as he aims another punch at my face, but I quickly drop to the floor in a split and punch him in the groin. He doubles over in pain. I spring up, kicking him all over his body.

The final kick, which knocks him out cold, lands on his nose, my leg lifted high and straight.

Blood is still dripping from my nose, but I don’t have time to stop the bleeding before the next fighter steps into the ring.

***

After taking down eight men, I’m running on fumes. I’m exhausted. Each man who steps into the ring is more skilled, more resilient than the last.

I’m drained, barely able to stand, let alone fight the last guy, let alone Mason. He clearly had a strategy when he picked these men.

They make it look easy at first. But each opponent is tougher than the last, and their goal is clear: not to knock me out, but to wear me down. And they’ve succeeded.

When the ninth fighter steps into the hex, I’m sitting down, trying to catch my breath. My nose is broken. I’m pretty sure I have cracked or broken ribs; I’m just grateful nothing has punctured a lung.

One eye is almost swollen shut and my stomach is on fire from the numerous hits it’s taken. I’m running on empty. I glance at Levi and signal for him to get the gun.

I see him rise, albeit reluctantly. Alex and Diablo watch him leave before turning their attention back to me. Alex is gesturing for me to get up, but I just shake my head, mouthing that I can’t.

I’m so tired. Diablo gets up from his chair, moving toward the ring but is quickly stopped by the bodyguards. He sits back down, mouthing, “I love you. Baby love, please get up, please fight.”

Levi returns to his seat.

“Did you get it?” I mouth to him. He just nods yes.

I can hear the crowd shouting for me to get up. I have to hand it to Mason. He picked his nine men well. I feel utterly defeated.

I close my eyes for a moment, thinking of all the people who love me: Diablo, Levi, Alex, and Dean. I have to get up, not just for them, but for myself too.

I promised myself I wouldn’t go down without a fight, without giving it my all.

Even with my eyes closed, I can hear my next opponent approaching. I keep them closed, sensing his indecision and confusion.

He’s probably trying to decide what would be more effective: a kick or a punch.

Before he can make a move, I drop into a split and, opening my eyes, land two quick punches to his groin.

He doubles over, bringing his face close to mine. I punch him on his left cheek, then the right, before getting up from the floor.

I’ve clearly caught him off guard. I sprint to the far side of the ring, then turn and charge back toward him, landing a powerful kick directly on his nose. He stumbles backward but doesn’t fall.

Damn, this guy is as tough as nails. I land two more kicks to his chest and one more to his stomach before he finally drops to his knees.

I wrap my legs around his neck, putting him in a chokehold. I squeeze, applying enough pressure to let him know he’s not getting away,

“Tap out!”

His “no” comes out as a wheeze.

Damn, he’s the one who will fight to the death. That’s why Mason chose him. Left with no choice, I unwrap my legs from his neck, get up off the floor, and grab both sides of his head.

I twist it as hard as I can, snapping his neck. I let go of his limp body, letting him fall to the ground lifeless. I hate killing people, but if I hadn’t, it would have been me. The crowd goes wild, cheering and shouting.

I crawl to the far side of the ring. Tears escape, rolling silently down my cheeks. As they remove the body from the ring, I try to calm down. I’m mentally and physically spent.

I can see the worry on all three guys’ faces. I’m so tired. The man I killed, whose name I never even knew, has completely drained me.

Every breath I take burns and hurts. My stomach is a mass of bruises. My nose has stopped bleeding but one eye is completely swollen shut now. The top of my left eyebrow has a small cut, dripping blood onto my cheek.

In short, my body is a wreck. Leaning against the mesh of the ring, hands resting on my knees, I know I have to dig deep to beat Mason.

Images of him touching me, thrusting in and out of me, give me the motivation I need. I don’t want any part of him touching me like that, ever. I’d rather die.

I look up to see Mason standing inside the ring, grinning from ear to ear. He walks over to me, squatting down in front of me.

“Are you ready to give up, Emma? Because if you are, you know you’ll be making me the happiest man alive.”

“You look like hell right now, but time will fix that. Then you’ll be back to your gorgeous self, ready to spread your legs for me every night.”

I’d said I’d rather die? Screw that. This is all the motivation I need.

I’d rather live and spit on his grave.

I haul my beaten body up. Mason steps back from me, probably worried I’ll try something like I did with his other guys.

“No, Mason, I won’t ever give up. Actually, I want to change the contract.”

“What’s that, sweetheart?”

“When I win, I want Blaine to come work for me.”

He laughs like I just told the funniest joke in the world.

“You say ~when~ you win. You sound so confident, Emma.”

“I am, Mason. I will win, and Blaine will come work for me. Do we have a deal?”

“Let’s see what the other bosses think, since the contract is already set.”

Mason calls for the microphone again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it seems Ms. Taylor still believes she can win this fight even though she’s been beaten to a pulp and can barely stand.”

“She wants to change the contract and you need to decide whether to allow it. She wants my head of security, Blaine, to work for her ‘when’ she wins.”

“Do you agree with the change? By a show of hands, how many of you agree?”

Almost everyone raises their hand, much to Mason’s surprise.

“Ms. Taylor, it seems the audience still believes in you. But they and you are forgetting one important thing. Blaine has to agree to leave me to work for you.”

“What do you say, Blaine?”

Blaine nods yes.

Furious, Mason throws the microphone over the wall of the hexagon and charges at me.

He wraps his arms around my waist and tackles me to the ground. Straddling me, he starts punching me wherever he can.

I put my arms up to protect myself. When he finally stops to catch his breath, I gather all my strength to move my legs from under him. I wrap my leg around his neck, twisting it, trapping his neck on the inside of my knee.

Pulling myself up, my leg still around his neck, I push down with all my strength, sitting on his neck with my leg still wrapped around him.

My leg applying pressure from behind and my ass from the front, I punch him nonstop, drawing blood. His nose starts bleeding.

Deciding it isn’t enough because he isn’t tapping out, I start using my right elbow on his face and the other on his chest, hitting his face then his chest, face, chest, face, chest until I can’t anymore.

“Tap out, Mason, tap out gracefully,” I yell. “Mason, I’m warning you, tap the fuck out now or the next elbow punch will be to your trachea. Please, Mason, just tap out.”

“No,” he yells back at me.

I know if I don’t kill him or he doesn’t tap out, this fight will go on until he gets me in a compromising position that will result in either my death or a loss, neither of which I find appealing.

Mason sees I’m struggling internally with a decision of what to do. He starts struggling, trying to get free. This jolts me back to reality.

I make my decision.

I lift my arm as high as I can, bending my elbow. Bringing it down with as much force as I can muster considering that I barely have any strength left in me, I drive my elbow into Mason’s throat.

I let go of him and scurry away to the furthest corner of the ring while he wheezes and gurgles. The force of the hit crushed his trachea, making it impossible for him to breathe.

I sit there watching Mason trying to take his last breath.

I feel strong arms pick me up. I know it’s Levi. Diablo will be too shocked to even move, I hope Alex takes care of him. I close my eyes, leaning my head against Levi’s chest.

I hear clapping and cheering which quickly grows faint as darkness overtakes me from time to time.

I continue going in and out of consciousness. At one stage I hear Diablo’s frantic voice shouting at Alex to take me to the nearest hospital.

I know Levi won’t take me; I have a doctor on call who will come to the apartment specifically for this kind of situation. Knowing Levi, he has already called him to get his medical supplies ready and set up at the apartment.

The last thing I hear before darkness fully overtakes me is Diablo shouting at Levi.