Rebel Walking: Fighting The Odds Part 1

Fighting The Odds Rebel Walking.

Hilary Storm.

Dedication.

To my fans... because without you, this would all just be a dream... ~Hil.

Chapter One.

Luke.

The mundane repet.i.tion of my life is exactly what I deserve. I'm taking each day at a time and it doesn't help that I can't shake the guilt of not telling Lilly how I felt when I had the time.

Tonight is the first night I've been anywhere besides the gym or in my tiny apartment. I work twelve-hour s.h.i.+fts at the factory and barely bring home enough money to pay my bills. The royalties from the music collect in my bank account, but I refuse to touch them. I don't want anything that'll remind me of my past.

Music is a huge problem for me. Every song either reminds me of her, or it's something that 'Rebel Walking' played at one time. The worst was when I heard her song on the radio. I didn't realize they were going to actually release it after everything that happened.

Parking is ridiculous at the coliseum, so I choose to jog the five miles instead. This fight is supposed to be between two of the best in the division. There was an advertis.e.m.e.nt for it in the gym and I thought it would be interesting to see how it plays out. Both of these guys are stacked, so it's not like there's a clear cut favorite. Sure, fans are screaming for each of them, but I'm not impressed enough with either to care who wins.

I watch the fight among the crowd of crazy fans. The irony of being on this side of the show isn't lost on me. Neither one of the fighters takes the fight and it comes down to a split decision between the judges. The fans go wild when Greg 'The Punisher' Mills takes the victory.

The people don't start to file out for a long time, and I'm in no hurry to leave, either. People-watching has become a past time of mine, and there's no reason for me to rush home to the empty walls that confine me every night.

Waiting 'til most of the crowd files out, I decide to go around the back of the building to miss all the traffic. As soon as I turn the corner I can hear an idiot yelling obscenities, so I look toward the open door to see a man slap a smaller figure across the face.

I try to calm my inner rage until I get close enough to see what's going on. All I can see is someone shorter than him, with a hood on, cowering down from his blows.

"Kimber, you're just a f.u.c.king s.l.u.t. How many did you f.u.c.k? You let them look at you and I'm f.u.c.king tired of it." He backhands her this time and gets in a punch to her stomach before I can reach him.

Yanking him into the dark alley, I tear into this man. I can't f.u.c.king handle when a guy hits a girl for any reason. I punch him over and over in the face until he falls to the ground and then pull him into a headlock.

"Why don't you hit someone your own f.u.c.king size, a.s.shole? I'm waiting." Blood covers my fists and I keep going until he finally stops fighting me. I know he's pa.s.sed out, but anger is still flowing through me. h.e.l.l, I haven't felt anything in months, and right now I'm a whole f.u.c.king array of emotions.

I climb up off the ground and move to check on her. Her cries gut me and I don't even know her. I slide her hood down off her head and see the bruising already. Her face is swollen and tears are trailing down her face and this p.i.s.ses me off even more.

"Can I take you somewhere?"

"No, he'll just find me." Her voice is so small and weak that I struggle to hear her. The door slams open and I instinctively s.h.i.+eld her. A guy in a suit walks over to the idiot on the ground and checks his pulse. When he finds one, he moves to face me and the girl disappears through the doorway.

"What's your name?"

"I don't have one."

"You just took out my top fighter, what's your f.u.c.king name?"

"I don't f.u.c.king have one."

"We can do this one of two ways. I'll press charges on you for a.s.saulting my fighter or you can come inside and talk business."

"Press charges."

"I don't think you understand how good the business talk will be for you." He moves toward the door just as a few big guys rush out to lean over the a.s.shole on the ground.

"Come inside. If you don't like what I have to say, then we'll work something else out." I glance inside the doorway and see the girl from a second ago. A lone tear runs down her face before she quickly swipes it. She takes a deep breath and paints on a smile as if nothing happened. Her cheek is swelling, but she is doing her best to keep it out of view of anyone around. I notice her rubbing her stomach before she moves out of my line of sight.

I choose to follow him inside, if nothing else than to see what he has to say. I have no intentions of being forced into doing anything. This suit doesn't have an army here to stop me if I decide to leave, so he'd have h.e.l.l stopping me if I decide to walk out.

He walks right past the girl from outside and doesn't give her a glance.

"You okay?" I stop to ask her quietly as I pa.s.s by. Her eyes are on the floor and her single nod tells me that she's wearing the injury with as much dignity and pride as she can muster up. I take note of her full lips. d.a.m.n, if her lips aren't the single most gorgeous pair I've ever seen.

That thought p.i.s.ses me off. What the f.u.c.k am I doing looking at a pair of lips like I'm starved out in the d.a.m.n desert? This is why I stay clear of anything with t.i.ts and a.s.s. I'm not prepared to deal with my reaction when one finally gets to me again.

I start to walk again when I see the suit turn to look for me. After he pa.s.ses a few doorways, he turns the k.n.o.b to one on the right and waits for me to enter.

"What's your name, son?"

"It isn't son. Why don't you just say what you need to say? My name isn't important."

"How would you like to make fifty thousand dollars an hour?" He just piqued my curiosity. Thoughts of jobs that warrant that kind of paycheck begin to flow through my mind. Not a single one of them being legal and safe at the same time.

"Doing what?"

"There's a fight coming up in two weeks. I'd like to put you in instead of the meat-head you laid out in the alley."

"I've never fought before." He sits in a chair on one end of a long metal table. I take the other end and sit back in my chair to display my att.i.tude in my posture. He watches me for a couple of seconds before he answers.

"You'll do fine. I have an old trainer that can get you prepared in time."

"And if I say no?"

"You won't. Something tells me you could use the cash or you wouldn't be in this room talking to me right now."

"Money isn't an issue for me. You'd do well to remember that." I stand to leave the room just as the same girl enters with some short guy.

"Kimber, come in and sit with us. I'd introduce you to this guy, but he won't divulge his name." She extends her hand to shake mine as if we've never met before and this is a corporate business meeting. This time she's painted on a fake smile and I watch her move through the room to kiss the cheeks of the guy in the suit.

"Daddy, Trey needs to see you outside for just a few minutes."

"He'll need to wait. I'm talking business right now." He turns to look at me and extends his hand toward my chair in a gesture for me to sit again.

"Let's talk double, Mr. No Name."

"I have to ask myself why you are so willing to drop one hundred grand on someone you've never seen fight."

"I don't have to see you fight. I saw the after effects of your unleas.h.i.+ng in the alley and that's all I need. Can we agree to the fight at that price?"

"Let me get back with you."

"Let me step out and see what my team needs and then you can give me your answer, but just remember if you say no, there will be consequences to what you've done tonight." He walks to the door and the short guy that's still standing there leaves the room with him.

Her eyes fall to the table as if I make her nervous. I notice her face grimace as she leans into the table. Her efforts to hide her other hand from my view are obvious and I can tell this girl is hurting bad. The only question I have is why is she trying to hide it.

"Why are you hiding it?"

"Please."

"Please what?"

"Just stay out of it. Mind your own business and I'll be fine." She never looks up. She pushes her chair out and attempts to stand. At first I think she's just sore from the attack and then I notice a little blood in her chair.

"You're bleeding. You need to go to the hospital." She turns her head sharply to look at me before she rushes to the trash can to throw up. This makes me want to find that a.s.shole and beat his f.u.c.king a.s.s again. How can someone do this to a woman?

"Let me get someone to take you to the hospital."

"No. You don't understand. I can't go to the hospital."

"Why the f.u.c.k not?" I look over to see her bent over the can and notice more blood.

"He can't know."

"Who? You're bleeding. You have to go. I'll throw you over my d.a.m.n shoulder and haul you there myself if that's what it takes."

"Please. I can't..." That's all she gets out before she begins to vomit again. I'm not sure I can stand here any longer and witness this s.h.i.+t. Why? In. The. f.u.c.k. Will she not just go to the hospital?

"They can't know. Please help me." Her words come just before the suit enters again. I meet him at the door and distract him from entering. She's behind the door as I hold it open and talk to him. My attention isn't focused on the conversation enough to make a deal with him right now, but he won't take no for an answer.

"Okay. Here's the deal. I'll do one fight and one fight only. I need half the money up front and the other half after I win. No exceptions." I walk out the door and I'm relieved that he follows me.

"Deal. Let me get you the information to the trainer and I'll meet you there tomorrow with your check."

"Make it cash."

"Jack Reynolds. You going to give up your name?" He extends his hand to shake on our agreement. My mind is caught up in thinking of a way to help Kimber to the hospital. He takes my silence as me continuing to hold out on him.

"You'll need to give up your name before the fight is announced. I'll let it go for now." He makes it easy on me by walking away. I look around and don't see anyone in any direction.

Opening the door slowly, I find her at the table once again. Her face is white and she looks like she's about to pa.s.s out.

"Come with me. Do you have a car here?"

"Yes."

"What's the best way out of here?

Chapter Two.

Kimber The pain is unlike any I've ever felt before. I'm so nauseated and I can hardly think.

"Have they cleared out yet?" There's no way I can just walk out of here with him. I was so close to leaving tonight. My Jeep is packed and I even have my hotel room reserved a few hours out. This is the furthest I've ever come to finally leaving this h.e.l.l.

"I didn't see anyone out there, but that doesn't mean they're not just around one of the corners. Just walk with me and we'll get out of here."

"You don't understand. We can't just walk out of here."

"Why not?"

"For one, I'm not sure I can walk right now and two, if Greg sees me leaving with you, I'll never get away."

"Where are you parked?"

"A couple of streets to the west."

"Why the f.u.c.k are you parked so far away? You can't just be walking the streets by yourself at night."

"Yeah. It seemed like a good idea at the time." The cramping hits me again with a vengeance. I steady myself on the table and try to focus through the pain. I know what each cramp means. I'll never forgive myself for not leaving in time.

He lifts me into his arms and begins to carry me out of the room. If I could just concentrate enough to resist, I would. My only focus is trying to stay conscience and keeping the sharp pains from causing me to throw up again.

"Where do you think you're going with her?" s.h.i.+t... it's Lou.

"Old man. Don't f.u.c.k with me right now. I'm not in the mood." I turn just in time for Lou to miss my face and make sure he witnesses me wrapping my arms around this guy's neck. I'm hoping he'll think it's a hookup and leave me alone.

He knows me better than that, so when I see him following us close behind, I have no choice. We need to lose him. If Lou thinks I'm hurt, he'll never let me go.

I pull my face up close to the mouth of the huge guy carrying me. Wrapping my hands around his head and running my fingers through his hair as he continues to walk seems to cause Lou to stop following us. After I see him retreat, I collapse back into this man's arms. Really strong arms.

I notice the look on his face when I lower myself and it confuses me. I can't tell what he's thinking. The only thing I know is he's not struggling to carry me and I thank G.o.d at least ten times before we reach my car.

"What color is your car?"