Rebels & Lies (Rebels & Lies Trilogy Book 1) Read Free Page B

be public
enemy number one. The crowd of men and a few women (who dared not step in the
ring with him) shouted obscenities.
    He didn’t care what they said about him, but Kaspar heard someone
shout something about his bitch mother, and he almost lost it. He turned and
looked into the crowd, trying with desperation to find that son of a bitch and
beat the shit out of him. He felt Danny’s hands on his back and continued his
walk forward.
    Danny pulled the cheap blue ropes up and Kaspar bent down to
enter. His feet met the white mat which did little in the way of cushioning the
fighters from the solid concrete underneath. Blood spatter from previous fights
stained the ground. There was one red blotch on the mat that Kaspar always
looked at. It reminded him of that first knockout when the blood from his
opponents mouth spilled everywhere. He walked over to his corner and peeled off
his moist black shirt. He stood in his black shorts while Danny wrapped white
tape around the knuckles on his fists.
    “Remember,” Danny said as he taped, “this guy is going to come in
hard, looking for the kill early. Just survive that initial burst and he’ll be
worn out.”
    Kaspar nodded his head. He liked how his trainer put it: survive.
Survival was something foreign to him. Most nights his opponents were like that
desperate man Razor killed. They lacked size, but they made up for it by
lacking any kind of fighting ability. He estimated that just under half were
even a remote challenge. It always amazed him the rumors, most perpetrated by
Danny, which centered on his fights. He was taking the form of some kind of
legend if they were to be believed. Now, during this fight, he would have to
learn how to survive on the fly.
    The once rowdy crowd grew quiet with anticipation. Kaspar started
to rub his right fist into his left hand. Their hero was about to be introduced
into the ring: the man that they all hoped would beat the underdog into bloody
submission. A strange feeling hit Kaspar as he stared down that red curtain in
the back corner. His body started to tremble. He did not know if it came from
adrenaline or fear. It was probably a mixture of both.
    “And, now,” the official shouted to the crowd. “Your champion,
with a record fifty wins without a defeat. Standing six feet four inches tall,
weighing in at two hundred ninety-five pounds—RAZOR!”
    Razor, with his jet black Mohawk and thick black chest hair, ran
through the curtain so hard he almost ripped it down. The crowd roared to life
in awe. Once he reached the entrance to the ring, he ducked and slid underneath
the bottom rope. Kaspar put up his guard. Razor came charging in at him.
    The official tried to get in between them so the fighters could
touch fists, but Razor shoved him to ground. Before Kaspar knew it, the
behemoth was in his face with a murderous look in his eyes.
    Kaspar raised his arms up in defense. Somebody on the outside rang
the bell. Razor threw a flurry of lefts then rights in quick succession. Kaspar
managed to block most of them, only three or four shots landed. With the sheer
amount of adrenaline flowing in his veins, the hard hits felt like love taps.
    A shot snuck up on Kaspar and landed in his left rib cage. Razor
was starting to change tactics. He moved his arms down and blocked another shot
to the ribs, but left himself exposed to a shot to his right eye. He kept from
falling somehow and moved his body backward. Razor continued his flurry of
punches.
    “Get outta there!” Danny screamed.
    Kaspar moved left. Razor came in hard with another quick flurry of
lefts and rights. Arms protecting his face, Kaspar moved his body from left to
right in anticipation of the blows. Kaspar tried to remain composed. He kept
telling himself that his opponent couldn’t keep up this pace. Just survive.
Like Danny said: just survive.
    “I’m gonna fuck you up!” Razor shouted.
    Razor backed away from his assault and raised his right fist. He
taunted Kaspar with a