Sin City Auction (Nevada Bad Boys 4)

1

Ruckus

“I guess I should stop expecting to wake up without my head pounding.” I stumbled into the living room of the apartment I shared with my brother, Tommy, holding my hand against the side of my face.

“Is it hurting because of the fight or because of the tequila?” Tommy looked up from the couch.

“Probably a little bit of both.” I pulled my hand away and revealed the bruises on my right eye.

“Fuck, man. That looks like it really hurts.” Tommy picked up a bottle of aspirin and tossed it at me. “Take a few of those and maybe wash them down with some more tequila.”

“My head thanks you.” I caught the bottle in the air. “My liver hates you.”

Cage fighting was a young man’s sport and even though I was barely into my thirties, I felt like I had twenty extra years on top of the ones I had lived. I got my head bashed in for money. Even when I won, I still got my head bashed in. I wasn’t as quick as I used to be and my submission style of fighting mixed with ground and pound meant I had to absorb some punches before I took control of the fight. I had to wear them out a little bit and the way they wore themselves out was pounding on my skull. I poured a handful of aspirin into my palm and guzzled the rest of the tequila that was left in the bottle.

“When do you think you’ll be ready to fight again?” Tommy tapped some keys on his laptop.

“How’s the bank account looking?” I walked into the living room and dropped all of my weight onto the couch with a thud.

“Not good.” He looked over at me and grimaced.

“Then I guess I’m ready.” I shrugged and picked up the television remote.

Tommy ran the business side of our life and I threw punches. It had worked out well for us ever since we were kids and started a lemonade stand together. Tommy sat behind the booth and I destroyed our competition. I wasn’t as smart as Tommy and that was okay. Tommy would never win a fight, even if his opponent had both hands tied behind their back. In a way, we completed each other. Growing up in Sin City required both sets of skills and each of us was still drawing breath because we figured out how to rely on each other.

“Carlos is calling.” Tommy stood up and walked into his bedroom.

Removing himself from the room when he talked business was something Tommy did to appease me. He had to negotiate the money, the opponents, and the extras that came with a victory. I got frustrated with that sort of thing easily and would be ready to crack the wrong skulls if the deal didn’t sound right. Tommy could negotiate his way into anything he wanted, but it wasn’t quick. He had more patience than anyone I had ever met and I had none. It was a good balance. I stretched out on the couch and pressed my hand to my eye.

“Ow, fuck.” I pulled my hand away and grimaced.

“So, good news.” Tommy stepped out of the bedroom and pushed his phone into his pocket. “Carlos says that if you win this fight, he’ll get us a room at the Ussery and send some girls up.”

“Are they going to be bringing the money?” I leaned up and looked over at him.

“The money’s good.” Tommy smiled and nodded. “It’s not the best, but we’re both overdue for a blowjob.”

“Blowjobs don’t pay the rent unless you’re the one giving them.” I grunted and flipped the channel on the television.

“We’re good, I promise. You just have to win.” He took a seat in the chair across from me.

“I’ll always win.” I grunted again. “That’s why nobody wants to fight me.”

“Carlos always finds a sucker.” Tommy shrugged and leaned over to pick up his cup of coffee. “I’m sure it’ll be nothing more than an exhibition match.”

“Exhibition matches still leave bruises.” I pointed at my head. “Last night was supposed to be an exhibition match too.”

“Maybe if you didn’t let them hit you so much before you took them down?” Tommy tilted his head and smirked as he sipped his coffee.

“I don’t see you in the cage putting that superior take on fighting to the pay window.” I glared at him and growled.

“I’m not arguing with you, I’m just making an observation.” He held his hand in front of him and shook his head after putting his coffee cup back on the table.

“Observe this.” I grabbed my dick through my pants.

“Win the fight and we’ll do a lot more than observe.” Tommy chuckled and turned his attention towards the television.

There was a time when I thought I would make it to the UFC and fight for some real money. They weren’t too keen on guys that fought in the underground, so no matter how well I did, they never offered me a contract. I had let that dream die when I turned thirty. All I really cared after that was keeping food on the table and a roof over our head. I knew there would come a point where I couldn’t fight anymore, but I wasn’t going to stop until someone carried me out of the cage in a body bag.