Page 86 of Givin' Me Fitz!
Sparky nodded and got back in line. Monty smirked and followed.
I was sorry I’d volunteered to be the DD for this shit show. It would take at least ten shots of whiskey to help me wrap my head around what the fuck was happening right now. I went in search of Sawyer, who had just walked away from the betting window.
“I have something to tell you.” I wasn’t sure if it was the right time or place, but he needed to know what was going to happen so he could be prepared.
I took Sawyer’s arm. “Sugar, Sparky is here to arrest your father after the fight.”
I glanced around, noticing a few of Clark County’s finest around the entrance to the theater. They were geared up as if they were going into battle, and I had the strange suspicion that maybe Keller Abbott wasn’t the only person being arrested.
“Why wait until after?” He looked as confused as I felt.
“Don’t know, but I think you should get out of here. I’ll go back in and look out for Jim.”
Sawyer shook his head. “I’m not running. They closed the betting window on the fight card and the fights were only listed by class and number—no names. It must be close to fight time. Let’s get in there.”
He took my hand and led me through the line to get readmitted to return to our seats. I was on pins and needles as the lights in the theater went down.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to The Turkey Brawl at the Ace of Spades Casino. Tonight’s fight card is…” The announcer went on to list the fights that would take place that night.
TJ’s name was shown in the third fight listed on the program, but the opponent wasn’t listed as Romero Garza as we expected. It was a bantamweight match, which fit with TJ’s frame, but I had no idea who Edgar Jaqeli was.
The first fight commenced, and I kept my stare directed toward Keller and his Scorpion buddies. They were drinking and laughing as the two women fighting in the strawweight class pummeled the shit out of each other.
“What do you think is going on? That guy isn’t Romero Garza.” I reached over and put my hand on Sawyer’s knee.
He placed his hand on top of mine and squeezed. “I have no idea, but what I really want to know is if TJ knew he wouldn’t be fighting Garza before he came into the theater.”
One woman gave a roundhouse kick to her competitor, and the other woman went down. The ref gave the count and when he finished, her people stormed the stage to take care of her.
Once the blood was cleaned from the mat, the lights went down again, and another fight ensued. Both men were quick and brutal, and the fight ended with a decision for the more popular fighter.
There were a few minutes between the fights, and my nerves built as we waited for TJ’s fight to commence. The lights went down again, and music began to play. “Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight’s bantamweight match is next on the fight card. Our first fighter is homegrown, hailing from Pahrump, Nevada, and making his MMA debut. Weighing in at one hundred and thirty-two pounds, welcome Thomas James Middleton.”
TJ came in with three guys I didn’t recognize behind him. He jumped around, shadowboxing for the camera that was telecasting the fights on the monitors around the theater.
He was wearing a long-sleeved black T-shirt with a large white scorpion on the back and the club name down the left arm in white letters. I glanced at Sawyer to see him shake his head.
They stopped by the stairs to the octagon, and TJ kicked off his athletic slides before taking off his T-shirt to hand to one of his escorts. A tall man dressed in trainer’s gear slid petroleum jelly over TJ’s face in the strike zones and a referee stepped up to pat his hair, check behind his ears, and examine TJ’s competition gloves for sharp objects wedged in them to do harm to his opponent.
I only knew what was happening because Jagger had his phone out and was giving me the play-by-play. Apparently, he wasn’t familiar with the world of MMA fighting either.
Once TJ was in the ring with two trainers, the opponent was introduced. The guy was from the country of Georgia, which explained his name, and to see the two of them, I believed them to be evenly matched. TJ, however, had no stats, while the other guy, Edgar Jaqeli, had an impressive record with eleven fights under his belt, eight wins, two losses, and one tie.
I leaned over to Sawyer. “What do you think?”
“I’m not sure yet.” He turned to me and winked. “The odds were 10:1, so if TJ kicks this guy’s ass, we more than make up for the money the Scorpions stole from the dispensary. I wouldn’t hate that.”
“The fight will consist of three rounds, lasting five minutes each. Gentlemen, shake hands,” the announcer said. Both men stepped into the center and tapped gloves before the ref made the motion for them to engage and a bell rang.
The fighters circled each other in the middle of the ring. “They’re sizing each other up. This is where, if TJ has any insight into the guy’s style, it will be beneficial to him.” Jagger had suddenly become an expert on the sport, and it was hard not to laugh at his enthusiasm.
Jaqeli swung out his arm and caught TJ on the shoulder. The two of them traded jabs and Jaqeli went in for the takedown—again, according to Jagger. They rolled around the mat with each other, taking turns being the dominant fighter in the encounter, and before I knew what was going on, Jaqeli kicked out and caught TJ in the mouth with his heel. Thankfully, the bell rang, signaling the end of the first round as TJ’s mouthguard flew out, followed by blood.
More blood was let in the second round, and TJ was dazed a couple of times before the bell signaled the end of the round. Sawyer explained things to Jim, and the older man closed his eyes, probably envisioning the fight in his mind’s eye.
I glanced across the octagon to see Keller staring at me. The motherfucker winked, which pissed me off. I wanted to get up and go beat the cocky out of him, but I kept my anger in check. There was enough going on without me adding to the chaos.
Water was squirted into TJ’s mouth before he spit into a bucket and stood, dancing from one foot to the other as he twisted his neck. The trainer grabbed both sides of his face and said something that caused TJ to scan the crowd until his eyes settled on his grandfather.
