One Choice (Hogan Brothers 2)

Just because he’s got her on his mind doesn’t mean he can’t do his damn job.

Taping his knuckles and slipping on a pair of gloves, Casper strapped on his headgear just as Cam stepped through the ropes of the ring. Following suit, Casper in his corner, Cam’s guy in his own, they tapped gloves and hits were exchanged.

Levi quickly realized his head wasn’t in it and took a kidney shot that had him gasping for breath. When Cam went in for an uppercut, he was able to deflect until the man hit him with a right rapidly followed by his left, and soon enough, Levi was trapped against the ropes with Casper yelling for him to fight back, to push the man off.

For the first time since he began to fight, Levi was not into it. He had found a new ambition. A new goal to attain. He hadn’t even realized what it was he was doing or looking for when he’d started training, but now he felt like he could have what he’d unknowingly been searching for.

“Levi, you cocksucker, get your fucking head in the damn game!” Casper was yelling again.

With renewed ambition, he fought free of Cam’s blows, flying out with his own jabs to the kidneys and gut. Hitting cheap shot after cheap shot until the man was slightly dazed. When he wobbled on his feet, Levi knuckled down and cast one last blow to the temple, laying him flat on the mat.

“Yeah, baby!” Casper cheered from the side of the ring, climbing in with a water bottle for him.

Removing his gear, Levi said, “I gotta go. Got shit to do.” He needed to talk to Nox.

“What?” Casper’s jaw dropped in shock. “You’ve barely been here for a few hours.”

He shrugged. “Life, man.”

“Is this about that girl from a couple days ago?” Levi froze at his words.

“What about her?” His voice was even.

“If it’s pussy you need, it’s pussy you’ll get. But don’t waste your time chasing tail, Levi, you got shit to get done.”

“Don’t ever talk about her like that,” he snapped, stepping closer to his friend, his entire demeanor threatening.

“Okay, okay.” Casp raised his hands in surrender. “But can we keep with the training? You have a huge fight this weekend, and you need to be ready. She’s a distraction.”

Levi had tried out for the preliminaries to a real MMA fight; something he could talk about with his family. Something they could be proud of him for. Sponsors would be there, and he knew he had to be on his game. The best he’d ever been.

“Fine. Let’s do this shit.”

Casp had a grueling routine set out for him as he took him through his paces, lined up a new diet for Levi to stick to, and spent the entire time trying to convince him to take one of the ring bitches for a ride.

Levi wasn’t biting, and that was killing the other man.

“Why, Lys, why would you do that?” Hayes cringed at the whine in her voice as she asked her friend about her confronting Levi at his work.

“The dick deserved it.”

“But then he came here, and he met my parents.” She couldn’t stress that enough. Her parents were full of questions about the man now.

“I’m so sorry.” Her friend flounced down on her bed. “He needed to know he was a complete tool.”

She couldn’t argue that truth but seeing the man hadn’t done her any favors.

“Are you coming back to school tomorrow?” Lys asked her.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” Hanging around the house with her parents walking on egg shells wasn’t helping to improve her mood any. She figured getting h

er last couple of finals out the way before graduation would at least distract her.

“Good, it’s not the same without you. Them hussies keep creeping up on me without you around.” By hussies she meant cheerleaders. They had always wanted Lys in their fold because of her gymnastics background, but it was the end of the year, so it seemed weird they were still trying.

Lys left shortly after they planned for Brett to pick her up in the morning, so she didn’t have to stress her knee more than necessary. She hadn’t run since Sunday, and it was now Wednesday. The urge to move, to lose herself in the workout was so strong she actually had to force herself to stay home.

Even with the pain she felt, the swelling in her entire thigh, she wanted to go. Running was her drug; she wouldn’t deny it. Getting up from her bed, she limped over to the window and gazed out towards the mountains that stretched out in the distance as the clouds drifted lazily through the sky.