Page 59 of I Am Lioness

The next fifteen seconds happened in slow motion. Fierce cocked her fist back again, ready to pummel into Hazel either until she submitted or until she knocked her out. My guess was the latter. Just as she was about to touch down, Hazel’s arm jerked upwards with unforeseen speed, catching Ashley around the neck to flip her onto her back.

The crowd erupted in excitement and their chanting ensued once more.

Hazel clamped her legs around Ashley and wailed on her with every bit of force she could muster. I counted six but she moved so quickly I’m sure I missed more than one, including the one that crashed into Fierce’s temple, knocking her out immediately.

Her body went limp beneath Hazel and the ref sliced his arms through the air, calling the KO without question. He helped Hazel up onto her feet and threw her arm up in the air in time with the announcer’s voice blaring above the crowd, once again declaring her the victor for the evening.

Ashley’s coach came barreling around the corner and unlocked the cage door, stormed in with purpose and falling to his knees next to her prone form.

I moved to the edge of the steps, waiting for Hazel to complete her customary bow around the ring, but she didn't. The moment the referee released her from his grasp, she took off toward me like a bat out of hell and I threw my arms open in time to catch her, crushing her against me.

“You scared the shit out of me.” I rasped out.

“I know.” She panted, still catching her breath. “She got me good. Everything went white and although I could hear everything around me, I couldn't see a thing. I could barely move either.”

Hearing her say that made me squeeze her even harder.

“You got her though.”

Hazel nodded into my neck, her entire body heaving in my arms.

“I'm proud of you, baby. So damn proud of you.” I added, prompting her to ease back.

“Thank you, Coach Carr.” She said, one corner of her blood-stained mouth hiking up in a smile. “Now take me home.”

I grinned, admiring every facet of her being, from her beauty to her bravery. “Your wish is my command, Miss Perry.”

The fightin Miami left me stunned for days. I couldn't get over the fact that Ashley Fierce had almost taken me out. I hadn't admitted it to Knox, but for the first time ever, I'd experienced bone-chilling fear in the cage that night.

The blinding white haze that clouded my vision was the scariest part of it all. I didn't know what to think. I could hear the crowd chanting for me, could hear Knox practically roaring his in fear, but nothing could get me to refocus.

The clock was ticking and I knew if I didn't move, the ref would count me out soon. Just when I thought I was seconds away from defeat, a little voice inside my head urged me to breathe, to focus, to get on my feet and show the true extent of my strength.

It was too familiar and while it shook me to my core, I took it as a sign from my old man himself, and with that thought in mind, I was able to deliver to stun punch that took Fierce out cold.

Our next stop on tour was D.C. and I could not have been more happy to leave Miami behind, my fear along with it.

The Capital was a beautiful place to visit, although I’d never actually done any sightseeing the last three times I’d been here. Bernie loved traveling and exploring but he treated the season as business, which essentially it was, and I never protested because he was right.

It was more important for me to spend several hours training versus spending them amidst large crowds to stare at buildings and memorials we’d seen many a times in print.

Knox had never been to D.C. though and I could tell he was intrigued, so we dedicate one day to visiting all the usual touristy spots and doing all the typical touristy things before jumping back into beast mode.

Three days after arriving, we hit the gym for the first time after my fight with Fierce. I was eager to get things going again after some time off but for whatever reason, Knox was going easy on me.

I wasn’t having it though which lead to us hashing it out in the middle of the gym, my case being semi-finals were just two stops away and his being that I took some pretty hard hits to the head.

I knew he was still worried about the whole white-out issue, hell I was too, but I couldn’t let that slow me down or stop me forever. Taking hits like that were part of my world and while they weren’t the norm for me to be on the receiving end, Knox was going to have to come to terms with the fact that I risked a repeat every time I stepped into cage.

Thankfully he didn't argue with me long, obviously realizing it was a good thing I was intent on moving forward, and soon enough we were back to training as usual.

At the end of the first week, we made it to the gym sometime after lunch. It was surprisingly busy for a Sunday and with no sparring ring in this facility, Knox and I headed our separate ways for a little while.

I loved training with him, really I did, but it was nice to have some alone time and just get in the zone on my own. Forty-five minutes in, after hitting the treadmill and the elliptical, I was mid-sumo squats with the help of my trusty kettle bell, when a voice I was all too familiar with boomed behind me.

“Heard you almost got knocked out in Miami,Lioness.”

Lexi.

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