Chapter Thirty-Eight #2
“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.”
I place my hands over my head and try to breathe for a few minutes, sweat dripping down my face. “Fuck, that’s harder than I thought.”
“Right? Two minutes seems easy until you get going. How are your knuckles?”
Flipping my hands over, I show him. Fingers are red, but there’s no busted skin. I’ve made sure to keep my fingers in the correct position so I don’t break them before the fight.
“They say Bruce Lee used to punch metal to strengthen his knuckles,” Tyler tells me as I grab another bottle of water.
“Oh yeah? Is that tomorrow’s drill?” I mock.
Tyler snickers. “Don’t tempt me. When I was in the military, I used brick walls to condition my hands for fighting. That’s gonna be your homework. Also, break’s over. Let’s go again.”
I let out a laugh before Tyler starts the timer, and then I begin again. We keep doing reps with breaks between. For the next hour, we continue techniques, but he doesn’t let me rest for long. Next, he has me working on more drills, leg kicks, and blocking.
After three hours of working, I’m ready to pass the fuck out and beg for an oxygen line.
My arms and legs feel like jelly, and I can already tell I’m going to be sore as hell tomorrow.
Groaning, I lean against the wall with my palms on my knees, panting.
Tyler laughs, looking like he hardly broke a damn sweat, and I stand, rolling my eyes at him.
“I went easy on you today,” he tells me as he stuffs the mitts back into his bag.
“Easy, my ass,” I say, my heart still racing.
He slaps me on the back. “It’s gonna get harder from here, so you need to stay focused and highly motivated. You don’t have time to slack off. I need you on your A game if I’m gonna properly train you.”
Moving my head from side to side, I crack my neck. Every part of me literally feels stiff. “And how would you suggest I do that?”
“My first suggestion: staying celibate.”
I glance at him and chuckle, but his expression doesn’t change. “Wait, you’re serious,” I deadpan.
He nods. “I am. No sex means you’ll have pent-up aggression, and it’ll motivate you even more to win. You’re fighting so you and Maddie can have a life together. It’s a mental technique, but it works. Famous boxers and UFC fighters stay celibate before a big fight to keep themselves focused.”
My mouth falls open. “I’ll murder someone.” Or Maddie might murder me.
“And that’s the point,” he quips, smirking. “Maddie will understand once she knows why.”
“No, she’s gonna tell both of us to fuck off,” I argue.
“What else is new?” He grins. “Hey, don’t forget to ice your hands when you get home so they don’t swell. Take a painkiller or anti-inflammatory, too.”
“Okay, Mom,” I tease, but he knows what he’s talking about. I need to take care of my body while training for the fight of my life.
For the most part, I thought of myself as fit and in shape, but Tyler proved me wrong.
There’s a lot of work for me to do, and it starts with eating right, getting enough sleep, and conditioning my body to be a fighting machine.
At least, I can use my strength when wrangling criminals who want to fight back.
Typically my size scares them, and I’m strong and fast enough to capture them, but when Tyler is done with me, I have a feeling my entire body composition will go back to how it was when I was an athlete.
Before I go home, I stop and get a protein shake to replenish my muscles. By the time I pull into the driveway, Tyler is already home, but Maddie’s left for class.
“Doing alright?” Tyler chuckles when he sees me walking slowly into the kitchen.
“Kiss my ass.” I grab a couple of ice packs from the freezer, then go to lie on the sofa.
Tyler follows. “Your body is used to cardio and lifting weights, but it’ll adjust in a few days. Same time tomorrow morning?” He flashes a shit-eating smirk as he sits in the recliner.
I grunt, putting one pack on my shoulder and the other on my hand. “If I can even walk.”
“Take a hot shower after you ice and drink lots of water. You should know the drill from football,” he states.
“I graduated four years ago,” I remind him. “I felt better my first day of freshman year when I nearly twisted my ankle and broke a rib.”
“Well, good thing you won’t have to worry about straining a muscle during sex.”
“Pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to even if I could,” I say bluntly. “Maddie’s gonna freak out when she sees me. You bruised my entire body.”
“And somehow, I doubt this is the worst she’s witnessed.” He flashes a wicked grin, knowing damn well what the O’Learys had done to my face.
“True, but I’d guard your nuts if I were you. She won’t think twice about coming after you for punching me.”
“Training you,” he corrects. “And I can handle Maddie. I did for two weeks and saved her life, so if anything, she owes me.”
I chuckle, though it hurts. “She won’t see it that way.”
Tyler stands, then purposely slaps my shoulder hard. “Quit being a pussy. Being in love has made you weak,” he taunts.
“Asshole,” I bite out. “I’m gonna get you back for that tomorrow.”
“I sure hope so.” He laughs. “Then I might actually break a sweat.”
Once I’m able to get off the couch, I go upstairs for a hot shower and take it easy for the rest of the day. I still have to work, but the most I can do right now is research or pick up some local jobs. I need to make money, but this fight is my top priority at the moment.
When Maddie walks through the door, I’m on the couch with my laptop. I close it, then set it on the coffee table. She drops her backpack and rushes toward me. Seconds later, she’s straddling me with her lips pressed against mine.
“Mads,” I whisper, placing my hands under her ass. My self-control is already waning. I need to tell her about Tyler’s no-sex rule although I already know she’s not going to be happy about it. “I’m really sore, baby.”
She leans back and lifts off me. “Oh shit, sorry.”
“Tyler kicked my ass training me today,” I tell her. “It’s gonna be a rough few weeks.”