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

want anything? A beer? Whiskey?” He winked. “On the house, this time.”
    I just narrowed my eyes.
    “I’m here to talk about my dad,” I warned him. “That’s it.”
    Red’s grin widened. God, how I wanted to redecorate it with my fist.
    “Ol’ Walter Oates,” Red grinned. “I like old Walt. Good customer. Been comin’ here for years.”
    He snorted, and reached across the coffee table for an open can of Miller Lite.
    “It ain’t nothin’ personal with your dad. He just bet more than he could afford to lose – on you , no less.”
    Ouch. That stung.
    It hurt enough, just the mention of my two recent MMA losses. But to know that my dad’s faith in me had led to him losing those two bets …
    I swallowed dryly.
    “So,” Red leaned forward. “I ain’t a mindreader, but I reckon you and your pretty lady friend over there thought you’d mosey on down to Ol’ Smokey’s and talk me out of collectin’ what your father owes me.”
    Red snorted.
    “An’ believe me, hoss. I wish I could. I respect you, ‘Trigger’. Been a fan of your career ever since you joined the MMA League.”
    I knew there was a ‘but’ coming.
    “ But ,” Red continued, confirming my suspicion, “a deal’s a deal. If I go soft on your old man, all the other folks who owe me money will think they can talk their way out of payin’ up, too.”
    He shrugged, as if he was embarrassed by the situation. 
    “My hands are tied, cowboy.”
    I just sat there, seething.
    Eventually, I managed to unclench my teeth enough to growl: “So, now what?”
    Red snorted.
    “Now what? Now I tell my boys to saddle up tomorrow, and break your old man’s legs, just like they were supposed to today.” Red slurped his beer. “Only this time, if you or your lady friend get in the way, we’ll take care of your sorry asses as well.”
    “Yeah, about that ,” Roxy growled, from the chair opposite. “What was with your fuckboys stopping me on the bridge the other day.” She jerked her pretty head in my direction. “I ain’t happy about what you’re doing to old Walt, but it sure ain’t any business of mine.”
    Red snorted.
    Leaning back in the creaking leather sofa, he purred: “The moment you an’ your boyfriend turned up today, you made it your business.” He drained his beer, and crushed the can in one big hand. “You get in the way of collecting what’s owed, and I’ll start taking the interest out on you .”
    Sneering menacingly, Red turned back to me.
    “Did you get that, cowboy? It ain’t just your dad’s ass on the line now. If you try and get in my way, my boys and I will take that pretty little bitch over there, and collect what he owes from on tight little ass.” He licked his lips lasciviously. “And believe me, even a cute little tush like that’s gonna get worked hard .”
    My hands balled into fists again, and I started wondering what my chances were. Could I leap across the coffee table and throttle that bearded bastard before his bodyguards turned up?
    Probably not.
    “But I like you Trigger, as I said,” Red continued, peering at me as if he could read my murderous thoughts. “So I’ll cut you a deal. Easy repayment terms. A grand a week, ‘til your dad’s debt is paid.”
    A grand? I didn’t even have more than twenty bucks in my wallet right now.
    But then I suddenly had a thought.
    “Here,” I reached down to my wrist, and started unclasping my watch. It was a Tag Heuer Formula 1 – a fancy wristwatch I’d bought back during the days when money had been free and easy. “This is worth a grand, easy.”
    I tossed the watch over to Red, and he caught it effortlessly.
    “I’ll get you the rest of the money,” I promised, watching Red hold the watch up to his eye, like a jeweler examining a diamond. “God knows how, but I’ll get it to you.”
    Red snorted.
    He lowered the watch, and grinned.
    “Nice watch. But it ain’t worth a grand.”
    “I paid $1,200 for it,” I snapped back. “Just a