Free Trigger: An Alpha Bad Boy MMA Romance by Simone Scarlet MMA Page A

didn’t seem to be intimidated. He snorted as Travis refused the offered hand, and instead flopped back down on the sofa and gestured to two empty leather chairs either side.
    “Take a pew, friends. Let’s parlay.”
    Travis didn’t move. He just stood, looming over this stranger, and demanded, “Are you Red?”
    Pushing back the brim of his cowboy hat, the redhead grinned, and nodded.
    “Guilty as charged. That’s me.”
    Travis narrowed his eyes.
    “I heard what you did to my father,” he growled, and his hands balled up into fists.
    The bouncer behind us took a menacing step forward, but Red just waved his away with his hand.
    The bearded redhead didn’t look remotely intimidated by the towering MMA fighter looming over him. In fact, he was smiling.
    “Don’t worry, son. They’re clean fractures. He’ll be back to jerkin’ off in six weeks or so.” Red’s menacing smile widened. “As long as he pays me the money he owes me, that is.”
    Travis’ eyes narrowed, and he took another step towards Red.
    “As a matter of fact, that’s what I’m here about…”
    This time, Red did react. He nodded at the bouncer, he stepped up into the dais and moved towards Travis.
    At the same time, Red slunk back on the couch, and pulled up the hem of his Brooks & Dunn t-shirt.
    Sticking out of the belt of his jeans was the butt of an old gun – a 1911 Cold .45, by the looks of it. The same model my dad brought back with him from the Navy.
    “Now, you better hold up there, pardner ,” Red warned, and Travis did exactly that. “You make any rash moves, an’ you’re liable to get hurt.”
    Travis didn’t say anything. He just stood there, peering murderously down at Red.
    I could tell what he was thinking – doing the mental calculations to figure out if he could wrap his big hands about Red’s burly neck before the redhead could pull his gun out of his pants.
    But Red saved him that decision.
    “You best take a step back, son,” he warned Travis. “I’ve seen you fight up on the TV. I know you’re tough.” He nodded to the bouncer, looming menacingly behind Travis. “But my buddy Roy back there’s plenty tough too – and there are four more his size not more than a whistle away.”
    Through all of that, Travis hadn’t even blinked – but I could see the fire in his eyes go out.
    “You wanna talk about your dad and the money he owes me, well you and your pretty lady can take a seat and we’ll parlay like adults. But if you wanna try taking a swing at me, I’ll make sure they find you floatin’ face down in the ocean by sunrise.” And then he turned to me. “And I ain’t even gonna mention what we’ll do to that hot little piece of ass over there.”
    I shuddered as I saw the redhead staring hungrily at me. I could only imagine what he was implying.
    For another second, Travis stood there, looming over Red. But then his shoulder slumped, and he took a reluctant step back.
    Travis was tough and fast – one of the best students of martial arts I’d ever met. But he also knew when he was beat.
    Red watched his surrender with a smile.
    “Why don’t you two take a seat,” he purred, winking at me. “And we’ll talk.”

Chapter Twenty One
     
    Travis
     
    I’d never felt so wretched in all my life.
    Dammit, less than a year ago the New York Times had called me ‘one of the toughest fighters in the MMA League.’ And now I was backing down from a fight like a pussy.
    But as I took a seat on the leather armchair opposite this ‘Red’ character, I knew I’d had no other choice.
    Red I could have handled. Maybe taken down that big ass bouncer, ‘Roy’ as well. But Red had a gun – and more bouncers just a yell away.
    Attacking him would have been suicide. Perhaps even literally.
    So, dejected, I slumped down into the armchair and stared murderously across the VIP section towards the grinning redhead.
    “That’s the spirt,” Red grinned, as he watched me and Roxy take a seat. “Y’all