FIVE
I hold my breath as I wait for Kayden’s response. Seconds feel like hours when his lips part to respond to me.
“No, thanks,” he says.
And then he has the audacity to turn on his heel and trudge the opposite way from where I came from.
What. The. Fuck?
“Seriously?” I say as I trail after him, my bag hitting the side of my hip with every frantic movement. “You’re not even going to hear what I have to say?”
“I don’t have to because I don’t need your help,” Kayden says gruffly as he moves along the hallway in long, purposeful strides to get away from me. “I’m sure you’re good at what you do. But I work better on my own.”
“Maybe that’s your problem. And maybe that’s why you lost last season,” I explain to him as I jog beside him and talk in the same breath. “Come on, Kayden. You know beating Jax is no easy feat. He’s had the underground in his clutch for two years now. A different strategy this season can help you go far. Might even help you win that championship that you so clearly want but refuse to admit that you do.”
That gets his attention. Kayden stops in his tracks, a muscle pulsing in his jaw. He looks at me, waiting.
“Can we just talk about it?” I say, desperation cutting into my tone. “Five minutes.”
He sucks in a breath as he considers what I’ve just said. I can practically see his mind whirling.
“Fine,” he snaps. “Five minutes.”
He spins around and closes his hand over the doorknob adjacent to him. As he gives it a twist, the door gives way, and he ushers me into a large room. The place is barren except for several collapsed cardboard boxes in one corner, a tiered shelf, and some leftover cleaning supplies. I set my bag down in a corner, wanting to give him my full attention.
Kayden shuts the door behind him and leans a strong arm against the shelf, jerking his head at me in invitation to say something.
“Look,” I start, building up strength within my chest. “I know I don’t look like the solution to your Jax problem, but I am. I spent three years of my life with him. He taught me how to fight in that cage. I watched him as he fought with every opponent he’s ever had, in and out of the underground.
I know how he trains, how he works, how he thinks. He taught me everything that I know, and now, I’m right here in front of you. A copycat of your enemy.”
Kayden continues to study me intensely. “And you’re willing to just share all that knowledge with me?”
“I will do more than that. I will train you for the entire season. You’ll stand a much better chance winning the rest of your matches with me by your side, especially the one against Jax,” I say, my shoulders rounded back and my head tipped high. “Can you do that on your own?”
“Well, I got myself this far, so perhaps I should.”
“Fine. You go do that. If you wanna lose,” I point out dryly.
Kayden hums with annoyance. He does a slow pace around the room, thinking about how to respond. Then, his gaze returns back to me.
“Why me? You could have gone to any of the other fighters here. They’ve each had their run-in with Jax, too, and have a vendetta against him.”
“You’re better than any of them here. Not the best yet but I think you’ve got potential.”
“Potential?” he says incredulously. “I don’t know if you saw me out there but I owned Murphy in that cage.”
“Yeah, you did. I also know that if you fight exactly like how you did just now against Jax, you’ll lose. Big time,” I state candidly, and irritation flickers in Kayden’s grey eyes.
I circle around him, sizing him up like how I usually would to an opponent in a cage. “You’re smart and you know when to go in for the kill. You also know how to pace yourself well to outwork your opponent. But it’s not enough. Jax has twenty pounds on you, so he’ll wear you out easily. You need to work on your gas tank and focus on refining your fight IQ and agility. I can help you with that.”
Kayden opens his mouth to protest but I don’t give him a chance, instead resuming my cross-examination of him.
“If you’ve got no clear strategy, you will lose,” I tell him.
“And it’s not like you gave it your best out there either. That newbie had you on the ground rather easily, and a runner-up like you should have anticipated that. With me as your trainer, I’ll make sure that never happens again.”
Kayden scrunches up his face in deep thought. I hug myself, my fingers drumming over my biceps in anticipation of what kind of answer he’ll give me.