Free Black and Blue by Paige Notaro Page A

the front, thank God. I don’t know how I could have avoided the guys next to me on the risers ringing the auditorium. I took the aisle seat, isolated from just about all these guys, but still felt antsy. The place sounded like a chainsaw on idle.
    “It’s quite the atmosphere,” I said.
    “It’s wild,” Jada said. “It’s like anything could happen here.”
    “That’s kinda what I’m worried about.”
    But Jada was lip-locked with Jamal already. I sighed and checked email on my phone to stay busy. Somewhere around, Sean must be getting ready, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to see that. It might stir up too many old feelings.
    I only had a few minutes before the lights dimmed. A spotlight struck the center of the cage, and a man in a referee uniform walked into it with a mic.
    “You ready to see some hardcore, brutal action?” he boomed.
    The crowd erupted into some tribal roar around us. I could barely keep my eyes open under the intensity. The referee announced a whole bunch of titles and then a name. The crowd erupted again as a tall, shirtless black man strode into the ring. He faced each of what I realized was actually eights sides of the cage and pumped his fists into the air.
    “Is that the hunk that white boy’s fighting?” Jada asked.
    “Only hunk you gotta worry about is the one sitting next to you, girl.”
    Jada threw Jamal a sideways hug. “I’m just trying to be interested.
    “That’s Lamar Tatum. I don’t know about you two, but I’m still rooting for him.”
    “Really?” I asked. “I thought we were here to see Sean.”
    He threw me a confused look. “Between him and your white boy? I’m sorry but Lamar’s one of ours.”
    The man had coal black skin that glistened under the lights. I knew what Jamal meant. Still, even if I was here just as research, I knew I still wanted Sean beating this guy down.
    “And now,” the announcer boomed. “The Oirish Tiger himself. The challenger to the throne. Give it up for your boy: Sean Smith.”
    The crowd erupted again as Sean stepped up into the ring from the other side. He didn’t go pumping his fists. He just prowled the edge of the ring, giving out a stern look that swelled the roar of the audience as he passed.
    He’d always looked intense, but now he looked deadly like a caged beast. Even though he probably couldn’t spot me in the darkness, I had to duck away from his glance as it passed over us.
    “Damn,” Jada said. “I forgot how he fine he looked that night.”
    “He’s good,” Jamal agreed. “But Lamar’s the best Detroit’s got.”
    The two men squared off, eyes full of anger. Sean rose well above the referee, but Lamar had a couple inches even over that. My stomach wrapped itself in knots as I realized that this man’s intent was to break Sean.
    The bell clanged and the two men circled each other. They looked like caged cats, approaching, growling, batting each other’s paws and then separating. Tension churned in my stomach with each pass.
    Then Lamar got a wide swing in that batted the side of Sean’s head. I yelped, but Sean just staggered sideways. Lamar came in swinging and I couldn’t see Sean at all. I jolted out of my chair, but just saw that broad black back and the elbows pumping like pistons. It sounded like meat being pounded in a kitchen.
    Oh god, why wasn’t anyone stopping this?
    Lamar came staggering back, and then he went flying back, straight into the cage. The crowd on the other side of the arena screamed for blood, and I saw Sean overhead, pounding at Lamar’s raised block.
    “Hey, sit down, bitch,” someone shouted behind me.
    I sat back in my seat, but already Lamar was back up and the two were circling, breathing a bit harder, but still up. Watching Sean’s chest heave, I couldn’t help but imagine him over me, grunting as he pushed into me over and over again. I’d put up no defense at all. I didn’t want to.
    A warmth flooded me that made me squirm in my seat. This wasn’t the