Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 23935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“Yeah, it’s about that.” Lonnie comes in my office and ducks his head as he fiddles with the strap on his gym bag. He’s looking everywhere but at me, and I suspected this was coming. “I can’t train with Coach Kincade anymore.”
“How long have you been coming here, Lonnie?” I get up from my desk and walk around before taking a seat on the edge of it. It’s not until I cross my arms over my chest that Lonnie finally looks up.
“Almost five years,” Lonnie says, and I nod.
“Four years, ten months, and fifteen days,” I say, and he seems surprised I know the exact count. “Ever since I caught you trying to steal my wallet and gave you a job instead.”
“Yeah, but I paid my dues.” Lonnie shrugs. “I’m tired of being treated like his bitch.”
“Really?” I narrow my eyes, but Lonnie doesn’t flinch. “Because from what your coach has told me, you’ve been slacking off on your training, showing up late, and he’s kicking your ass for it.”
“That’s not true.” Lonnie shifts on his feet, and I stand up from my desk.
“You want me to go get Kincade and we can ask him together?” Lonnie’s eyes go wide. “That’s what I thought.”
“He’s an asshole,” Lonnie says, and I shrug.
“So what? I’m an asshole. You’re the one that wanted to train for the lightweight division, Lonnie. Kincade can get the job done, but not when his fighters skip training to chase ass.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lonnie says, but his eyes widen. He knows he’s busted.
“Really? That wasn’t you sneaking a girl into the women’s locker room two nights ago? Because the guy on the security footage had a bright yellow gym bag with your initials on it.” I glance down at the gym bag in his hands and raise an eyebrow. “And the girl with him looked an awful lot like the new chick at the smoothie shop next door.”
“Boss, I can explain—”
“Don’t bother explaining it to me, Lonnie. If you want to train to fight, then you need to apologize to Coach Kincade and get your ass in the ring. If you don’t want to be here, then stop wasting his fucking time and breaking my fucking rules.” I stand up and take a step toward him. With my height, I easily tower over his frame. “You’re smart enough to know you’re not going to walk into my gym and get a participation trophy, just like you’re not going to walk into my office and get a pat on the back. So you can get your ass out there and get to work, or you can get mad and storm out of here and come back in two days when you realize you fucked up and walked out on your best shot at getting a title. The choice is yours, but it would save us both some time if you made the right decision now.”
Lonnie presses his lips together for half a second before nodding and letting his shoulders sag. “Sorry, boss. It won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t,” I say before nodding to the door. “If you hurry, you can finish your warmups before Kincade starts.”
As soon as Lonnie is gone, I go back to my desk and grab my cell. I need to make some rounds before I head out, and now is as good a time as any.
Prized Fitness is a high-end gym that specializes in training for competition. I won more than my fair share of titles in the MMA octagon after being trained by my grandfather and father, who ran this gym before me. Once I stopped competing professionally, I took it over from my dad, and now I’m the one in charge. This is a place that has a legacy, but it’s state of the art and caters to those that want to level up their skills. We work in all areas like jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, and even boxing. This is the city where I grew up, and the name Bolland means something to the fighting community.
Although I don’t compete on the pro circuit anymore, I still like to get dirty from time to time. There’s an underground fight ring that I host once a month, and it’s happening tomorrow night. It’s one of the reasons I’m a stickler for the rules. I can’t have someone like Lonnie coming in here with a girl after hours and then word getting out that I host unsanctioned fights illegally. Sure, it’s risky, but it’s one of the few thrills I’ve got left, and I’m not ready to give it up.
“Everything good?” I ask Cedric when I get to the front desk where everyone checks in and out.
“All good, boss,” he says, but before I can turn around to leave, he’s calling me back. “Oh, I almost forgot. I had to reissue Stephen a new key fob. He lost his old one.”