Alexis' POV
Miserable. That's what I've been all week so far. I've been wracking my brain non-stop, trying to figure out what is going and how the hell I'm going to get out of it. That man, though he very much deserved the beating, has a lot of connections and a long history of crime according to my background check, which puts me on a lot of people's bad side.
I was lucky I got even that considering his ID was completely illegal, leading me to believe that's not his identity at all. However, I'm going to use whatever I do have against him to the best of my ability.
I was up all night devising a complex plan to take him down, and I think I've finally come up with the perfect plan to do just that. The first part of it starts tonight at the Underground, and even though I've been completely drained all week, I am going to succeed tonight and every time after that.
This week was definitely a bad one. I've been dodging Lil and Dylan now for days except to let them know I'm okay, my head has been hurting since the fight, and my emotions have been all over the place.
Usually I have Lil and Dylan here for me with things like this, but not this time. I can't chance either one of them getting pulled into something that I can't even manage to get a grip on, it's too dangerous. I was relieved when they said they couldn't come to my fight tonight because now I know what's going to go down and I can't have them there.
Although I'm nervous for my fight, I have too much drive to let it bother me. Its already 9 and I have to be to the Underground by 10 to prepare. I quickly get ready, throwing on a pair of sweatpants with spandex underneath and a hoodie to fight in this time, for once I need all the advantage I can get for my plan.
I put on my usual makeup for my fights and my black combat boots then head out the door, making sure I have all the proper gear I need, including my mask and a full tank of gas in my motorcycle.
I swiftly put on my helmet, not bothering to worry about my long hair. I swing my bag with all my gear in it onto my back and jump onto my motorcycle. Once it's started, I ride off, not even paying attention to any of the speed limits as I make my way to the Underground.
By the time I get there it's already 9:37 pm. I park my bike in the usual alley and take off my helmet to reveal my messy hair. I brush my fingers through it a couple of times before opening my bag and putting my mask on.
At this point, it's not even used much for my identity since I don't use it for racing, but it's my trademark look that lets everyone know who I am. I want to be recognized for my mask in the ring, not for my face or for my hair.
I make my way into the Underground, getting the nod of approval from the bouncer when I walk up. I slide my way through the crowds, not wanting to cause a scene until my fight starts.
With one last step I'm into the training rooms and maneuvering my way to the room set aside for the fighters. Since I'm a usual, I have my own room, and go straight there to prepare for the night. Even from here, I can hear the loud crowds of people hollering as the two fighters take hit after hit from one another.
The crowd's cheers suddenly spike in volume, meaning one of the fighters has finally claimed victory. My head is spinning with all the possibilities that could happen tonight. If everything goes as planned then I'll be fine, but if not, then who knows what could happen to me.
I shake away the thoughts of failing and focus on getting myself ready. I take off my hoodie to reveal the black sports bra I have on and quickly throw my hair up in a ponytail before readjusting my mask. Even though it's juts me in here right now, I don't want to get caught without it on tonight for some reason.
I start stretching out my muscles before I go to the bag and throw punches at it. I switch it up to kicks not long after and go back and forth between the two, throwing in a few combos here and there. All I have to do is beat one opponent tonight before the biggest part of my plan sets in.
I specifically planned out my fight tonight based on who would be fighting. While I was doing my background check on the murderer, I found several contacts that were linked to him. The first one that I recognized was a man named Vince Tyler, more commonly know as 'The Bull' in the ring.
I called in a few favors and made sure I would be the last person he would fight tonight. He's usually accompanied by an entourage because of his status in one of the local gangs, so the ring will be my one chance to talk to him alone without having to go through them.
I hear the crowd's cheers louden once again, meaning the fight has ended and I'm up next. I wrap my hands carefully before I stretch out my arms and pump myself up. I exit the room just in time to hear my opponent's name being called into the ring.
I take my time getting going through the twisted hallways, and before I know it I'm in the ring, waiting for the fight to begin. The deafening cheers of the crowd seem like nothing compared to the sound of my heart racing with adrenaline. Tonight is the night that I start my future, and start the revenge I've been waiting for since my parents deaths.
I study the man in front of me. He has a scar going down his right side, not too bad but definitely visible. His focus is on the crowd as he anticipates the start of the fight. I continue my search for weaknesses and quickly find one. I spot a rather large bruise that's begun to heal on his shoulder and another one his left calf.
I mentally take notes of his body language in the short time that's left before the fight. Although he's physically built well, he seems to have an arrogance to him that I could take advantage of. I refocus my attention on the ground as I think of my game plan for the night once again.
The fight should be fairly fast considering he has already fought two times before this. I opt to save my energy for after the fight, but still make him know that I'm not one to mess with.
I don't underestimate his strength, but even though he doesn't know it yet, this fight means much more to me than it does to him, and that is why I'm going to win tonight. After the bell ending the fight rings, he's not going to know that the Masked Fighter is the one that hit him, not some girl trying to get cash.
I clear my head just in time for the fight to start. He acts quickly, advancing on me as he looks me up and down. A smirk covers his features before he attempts to throw a right hook at me. Key word, attempts. I block the punch easily and punch him hard on his injured shoulder.
He takes the punch like a pro though, barely letting it effect him as he clenches his teeth and adjusts his stance. Quickly, he swipes his right leg out to trip me but I hold my stance, receiving the blow to my left shin.
It doesn't damper my mood though as I send a right hook to his face and then a swift kick to his thigh. He visibly winces in pain, the kick to the thigh seeming to work as he now has a slight limp. He attacks despite his injury though, using his uninjured leg to kick me hard in the stomach.
I stumble back slightly but quickly regain my breath. I charge towards him, faking a punch with my left as I upper cut him with my right. Before he has a chance to regain his composure I kick him with all my force in the center of his chest, sending him to the floor.
I can hear the faint cheers of the crowd around us as I stalk towards his body. I get on top of him and start punching relentlessly. The knockout happens after about ten punches, more than I thought he would be able to take after fighting two times before this.
The crowd's cheers are almost deafening as I watch The Bull get dragged to the side of the ring, beginning to regain his consciousness. After splashing some water on his face and getting re-acquainted with his surroundings, he sends a hard glare in my direction.
I knew he was a sore sport, making my goal for tonight much easier. He mouths a short sentence to me, giving me exactly what I had hoped for. I give a short nod before getting out of the ring and heading back to my warmup room.
I pack away my stuff and head out, making a beeline for my motorcycle before everything goes down. I put my stuff down before making my way back towards the Underground.
Instead of going into the doors though, I walk past the bouncer and into the rather large alley that sits behind the small entrance to the Underground. Even from hear, I can hear whispers of the crowd cheering on the next fighters in the ring.
I anticipated ten men to come with Vince tonight, and it seems I guessed right as ten men step into the alley. Trailing behind them is Vince himself, now accompanied by a black eye and a busted lip along with a very swollen cheek.
My expressions stay stoic as the men surround me, excluding Vince who steps through the blockade of men to reach me. His good eye is narrowed at me, and I can't help but find the image to be a little cliché and slightly funny.
"So, here's the thing," he starts, a slight wisp in his voice because of his face situation. "Anyone that messes with me, has to deal with my boys after." I raise one eyebrow slightly, acknowledging what he said.
"Okay, fine. But after them I want to talk to you." I reply, my face still empty of emotion. He slowly moves his head up and down before a smirk covers his face. "Okay, deal. Only because I don't think you can beat ten highly trained men at once and stay alive." he says, a devious gleam of evil in his eyes as he orders his men forward.
I do a onceover on all of the men and pick out the seemingly strongest ones first based on muscle size and height. I advance towards them right off the bat, not wanting to waste my energy on some of the smaller guys first.
The first comes towards me as well with swinging fists. I hastily duck before throwing a right hook at his stomach and a kick to the face once we doubles over. I don't even bother to check if he gets up or not before focusing my attention on the storming tower coming towards me.
He goes for a kick to the side but I block it with my left forearm. I send a quick kick to his crotch before punching him hard in the face and knocking him out. When it's ten against one, low blows count.
As I turn around I'm punched hard on the cheek by a very buff man. Probably in his twenties, the man has some good form because that punch hurt like hell. I shake off the pain before he can strike again and kick his knee hard, causing him to kneel on one knee. I quickly punch him in the head before moving onto the next guy.
Three down so far. The next man that comes at me has a smaller frame, but he is certainly fast. He tackles me to the ground, my almost bare back coming in contact with the black parking lot pavement.
I can feel the little bits of pavement in the cuts on my back as I flip the man over and punch him once, twice, three times in the face before he's knocked out. I get up promptly, not liking the fight being on the ground.
The next man that comes toward me is much slower in speed but nonetheless deadly. His shorter height evens out the playing field a little as I send a swift punch as hard as I can to the face, knocking him out with just one blow.
My hands begin to ache a little as the sixth man charges towards me. His taller stature is my advantage as I get low to the ground and swipe his feet out from under him, sending him to the ground with a thud.
I kick him hard in the stomach before punching him with my left hand, knocking him out. That leaves four guys. All are similar in height and muscle size but they still have numbers against me. Two of them charge at me simultaneously, each coming from a different direction.
I kick the guy that reaches me first hard in the stomach with my right foot before swinging around to kick the next guy square in his crotch. I turn back around and punch the other one in the face and watch as he falls limp to the ground for the time being.
I whip back around to see the guy's fist coming towards me. I lean back just in time to miss the punch. "It is one girl!" Vince yells, "finish it already!". His frustration with his men seeps into his voice as he runs a hand through his short black hair.
The two men left both pull out short handled knives and begin to stalk towards me. I shake my hands before the first man advances on me. He pulls his hand back and when he goes to stab me I grab his wrist tightly and grab his upper arm, pulling his arm down to my side roughly and kneeing him in the head.
The last man left stalks me as if I'm his prey. He evaluates my every move before slowly smirking. He begins to run at me and just as he goes to lower his knife I side step him and kick him hard on the back when he was unable to stop running quick enough.
He goes stumbling to the ground a few feet away from me, the knife tumbling out of his hand. I quickly go over to him before he is able to get off the ground and send quick punches to his face.
By the time all of the men were on the ground, my breathing is ragged and my hands ache. I can feel the slight trickle of blood down my back from where it was roughly scraped against the pavement. I crack my neck before walking over to a seething Vince.
I can see why his ring name is The Bull now, he looks as though he's going to charge towards me any moment now. "Now, we talk." I say, an assertiveness to my voice. "Go ahead." he replies, his eyes narrowed at me as his men begin to wake up.
"First, you tell your men to back off while we talk." I say, not wanting to fight the ten men all over again, the ones that aren't knocked out anyway. He nods his head before calling his men off and raising his eyebrows at me to the best of his ability.
"I've heard that you have ties with a man who goes by the name of Michael Jones as of right now. He changes his identity often though." His posture instantly stiffens at my words and I know he has an idea of who I'm talking about.
"What's it to you?" he asks. "Well, I'm trying to find him, and I happen to know that you're in communication with him."
"I'm not telling you anything. He's helping me with something right now and I don't want to chance losing his help."
"What if I offered you some very valuable information." He seems to ponder it before replying.
"Depends on what kind of information." he says.
"The kind of information that has to do with the murder of your wife five years ago in San Francisco." I respond. His facial expressions turn angry as my information registers with him. "How do you know about that?" he asks, starting to walk towards me.
"I did my homework on this Michael Jones guy. I don't think he's who you think he is. I happen to know a thing or two about the man. According to the police record of her murder, she didn't die peacefully or suddenly."
"I know all of this, but I don't see why you're bringing it up." he grits out, his anger becoming much more obvious as his fists curl at his sides.
"I'm bringing it up because I happen to know who killed her." I stated. At that, he stops dead in his tracks and his face turns hard. "Who?" he asks, posing it as more of a demand than a question.
"The same man that killed two people very close to me, Michael Jones."
"That's impossible, he's been trying to help me find the killer ever since her death. He heard about it and came straight to me to offer his help in finding the killer." he retorts, eyes narrowed into slits as he stares me down.
"Don't you think it's a little convenient that he happened to offer his help. What did he request in return for his help."
He sighs loudly and rubs his temple slowly, "He asked me to pledge my loyalty to him and take care of certain tasks."
"So how's the search going?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him while he scowls. "We haven't found anything yet." He grumbles.
"Exactly, you haven't found anything. Your search keeps coming up empty because this Michael guy-"
"His street name is Ray for God's sake." he interrupts, getting clearly frustrated with the conversation topic.
"Anyways, your search keeps coming up empty because Ray has been keeping all the information from you. Just from a basic search and a little hacking I was able to get the full record of the murder. Something you could've gotten a long time ago with a snap of his fingers."
"Okay, but you don't have any proof it was him."
"Yes I do actually. On the police record it mentioned that a unique symbol was found at the scene, the same symbol that Ray has tattooed onto his right wrist. It's not very noticeable but if you get closer you can tell what it is."
"Even if what you're saying is true, I can't go against him now. He would kill me."
"Which is why you would come and join my gang. You'll be a major help in the revenge plan on Ray. Once the revenge is over, he won't be able to touch you."
"Yeah but what do I do until then?" he asks, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "Well, until then you give me your number and I'll text you a time and location for our next meeting. You can't tell anyone about this talk with me, not even your men."
He nods his head in understanding before turning his attention back to his men sprawled out across the lot.
When he turns back around I ask the one question that will decide rather this entire plan will work or not, "Do we have a deal?".
"Hell yeah, that bastard is going to get what's coming to him." He shakes my hand before I take off towards my motorcycle. I can't help but think of how well that went. Yeah I got a little beat up, but now that I have an ally with the same goal as me, my plan might actually work out.
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Hey guys! So I know that it's been a LONG time since my last update but I hope this chapter made it up you! It took me a while to figure out how exactly I wanted it but I'm happy with the results!
The second part to this chapter will be out ASAP! Comment your opinion on the chapter and don't be afraid to give me some much appreciated feedback! :)
Thank you for sticking with the book after all this time, the next chapter will not disappoint, trust me(: