Chapter 10
Matt
Jay paired us on the mat Monday afternoon. The glint in his eye as he slipped in his mouth guard warned me he’d enjoy trying to kick my ass.
From my right side, Nathan said, “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“The only easy day was yesterday” I slipped my mouth guard in and stepped onto the mat.
“You gonna let him win?”
“Hell, no, I plan on taking Jay down a notch.”
Nathan laughed. “You have a death wish, brother.”
I didn’t, but I wouldn’t let Jay intimidate me, boss or not.
Jay and I faced off on the mat. The only sound in the training center gym was the fan as everyone watched with bated breath.
You needed a knife to cut through the tension.
Jay and I were well-matched. Winning wouldn’t be easy for either of us.
We stood eye-to-eye, staring each other down as we bumped fists.
We stepped back, never breaking eye contact.
We waited for Jamie to ring the bell, signally the start of the fight.
Sparring session, I reminded myself and hoped Jay remembered too.
I didn’t have any issues with Jay as a person. He was a good dude, and I liked him. He’d felt the same about me, before learning that I’d slept with his sister.
What I had an issue with was his asshole behavior since learning his older sister had consensual sex with someone he knows.
Because this was training, and we had an audience, we had to play nice.
Playing nice didn’t mean not pushing the limits of how hard we could hit. We’d both leave with our fair share of colorful bruises.
And one of us would leave the mat with a bruised ego.
When the bell rang, neither of us moved. Instead, we sized each other up.
Jay grinned before telegraphing his first punch, making it easy for me to block.
He was testing me. No, we’ve sparred before. He’s playing with me.
Two can play at this game. I circled to his left—his weak side. Jay’s weak side on his worst day was stronger than most people’s strong side on their best day. But I wasn’t most people, and I’d find a way to exploit it.
He matched me move for move. When I swung, he blocked it and tried to pin my hand behind my back.
But I’d anticipated it and turned into it.
He instinctively moved to block my hand, but I’d anticipated that too and swept his leg.
What I hadn’t anticipated was him taking me to the ground with him.
My only option was to grapple.
We tossed each other around, gaining and losing the upper hand as we went. We trapped limbs and threw elbows until Jamie rang the bell and called the match a draw.
Bruised bodies: two.
Bruised egos: none.
Frustrated men: two.
Chances of a rematch: one hundred percent.
There was a lot of shit talk afterwards.
“That’ll be a tough match to beat,” Nathan said with a laugh.
“We’re not here for your entertainment,” Jay said, sounding pissed off that he couldn’t beat me.
“I’m man enough to admit that I would’ve tapped out three minutes in,” Jamie said.
“I think I might’ve lasted about five, but then again, I don’t want to tell Chase I can’t play tonight because I’m black and blue,” Doug added.
In a moment of unplanned solidarity, Jay said, “Raiders never quit.”
As I said, “SEALs never quit.”
Covered in sweat, and with the taste of copper in my mouth, I removed my sparring gloves and mouth guard before chugging a bottle of water.
Jay did the same after wiping blood from under his nose.
My ribs ached and I couldn’t wait to see what color they’d be in the morning.
“Maxwell, Blaszek, you’re up.”
Initially, I focused on the fight. Until I realized it was more interesting to watch Jay watch the fight. He silently coached Cate from the sidelines, but to his credit, he let her fight without interference.
Cate was fast and strong, but in the end she was no match for Nathan’s size and strength. Say what you will, but sometimes size matters.
They shook hands after Nathan offered her a hand up.
“You’ve improved since the last time we trained.” Nathan sounded proud. “One of these days, you just may win.”
“I’ve won before,” Cate shot back.
“Against Jamie,” AJ said, like it was a given.
To be fair, for most of us it was. Jay was the only Sheppard who trained and worked out regularly, and it showed.
“Hey!” Jamie feigned offense.
“Put your money where your mouth is, big brother,” Jay said. “You and AJ are up.”
“My money’s on AJ,” Doug said.
“Just because I didn’t serve in the military doesn’t mean I’m a wimp.”
“No, you’re a wimp because you don’t train or work out.”
Only Jay dared say that to Jamie.
Everyone cringed, saying, “Burn.” or “Ouch.”
AJ won in a comically short period of time.
“Fine, I’m a wimp, but I can outshoot all of you.”
“Not me,” Jay said. He served as a sniper in the Raiders.
“Not me,” Nathan added.
He probably couldn’t outshoot me either, but I kept my mouth shut. Poking the bear could be fun, but sometimes the smart choice was sticking to the sidelines.
“You’re not a sniper,” Jamie argued. “So I’m sure I can.”
“How much are you willing to lose?” Nathan challenged him.
“With twins coming, the only thing I can afford to bet is my pride.”
“Let’s hit the range,” Nathan said.
John walked in. “I thought range day was tomorrow.”
“It is. Nathan challenged Jamie to a shoot-off,” Jay answered.
“Pistols, rifles, or for distance?” John asked.
“Does it matter?” Doug asked.
“Nathan wins with pistol or rifle, hands down.”
“Dad!”
“Sorry, son, but SEALs shoot moving targets from a rocking boat in the dark. You’re not going to outshoot him unless it’s for distance.”
Nathan’s goofy grin disappeared when John said, “But if you’re shooting for distance, my money’s on you.”
“Well, I got that going for me,” Jamie said with an exaggerated sigh.
“I’d be happy to train you,” Jay said. “Give me three months and I’ll turn you into a fighting machine.”
“Nah, I think I’ll focus on being a dad.”
“Totally worth it,” Doug said. “I don’t hit the gym as often or as hard as I used to, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Hey Blaszek, are you gonna let yourself go when Ashley pops?”
“Fuck no. I’ll bench press Ashley and curl the baby if I have to.”
“Hard to believe you were a grumpy ass when you joined SSI,” Jay teased.
“He wasn’t the only one,” Jamie said, sliding a verbal jab past his brother’s defenses.
“I wasn’t a grumpy ass,” Jay defended himself.
“No, you were a grumpy dick,” Cate teased him.
“Are you done training?” John asked, putting an end to the fun. “I need to talk to Doug.”
“We are,” Jay said, turning to Doug. “Don’t think you’re getting off easy. You’ll square off against me next month.”
Doug mimed pulling out his phone and unlocking it. “Call coach and schedule extra training sessions.” He never broke eye contact with Jay, nor did he stop grinning.
Jay’s laugh broke the tension.
The easygoing camaraderie among the guys at SSI reminded me a lot of being with my SEAL brothers. Too bad I’m on the outside looking in.
“Hit the showers and get back to work,” John ordered.