Free Granite Grit (Fighting's in the Blood #1) by Lee Cooper Page A

unlicensed show? You’re havin’ a laugh?”
      “No, I’m not, Joe.” Answering bluntly, I knew by the sober look on his face he wasn’t joking.
      “Fuckin’ hell, Tim! You fuckin’ serious!? It’s bad enough am lying to May. Never mind it being a fuckin’ illegal show.” I turned away, massaging my temples, absorbing the unbelievable truth: he’d played me.
      “It’s not exactly illegal, but some o’ the things that happen there can be.” He was too casual about this, there was no reaction, it seemed second nature to him.
      Stomping around the kitchen, holding my breath, furious. “Fuck me! Fuckin’ Hell!” Had visions of throwing him through his patio-doors. What the fuck has he done?
      Tim stopped cooking for a moment and looked at me, square-eyed. He could tell I was ragging as he stuttered, trying explain his deceit.
      “It may not be illegal, mate!” I butted in “But, it’s brutal. I’ve heard the story of Dad killing someone.”
      “Aye, I know the story. Carl Jenkins deserved what he got, beat to a pulp. Trust me Joe, you’re made for this.”
      “Trust you? Piss off! What if I get killed, have you thought about that? Look, this isn’t happening, am no’ fuckin’ doing it.” Adamant I wasn’t getting involved. It was wrong on so many levels.
      “You have to do it, Joe. There’s a gangster called Steve Dean running the show. If you don’t turn up, I can’t guarantee he won’t come after you. Trust me, you don’t want to fuck him over.”
      “This is just too fucked up.”
      “Look, just have the fight, take the £400 home. If you don’t want to fight again then don’t, but you can’t back out on this one. It’s too late.” I was disgusted about getting suckered into this.
      All the time, Tim had been cooking, avoiding my eyes. He laid a plate of eggs, overcooked bacon, sausage and beans in front of me. I wanted to plant it back in his face.
      For some reason, I just stuck my head down and ate, pondering the situation I’d been landed in. Sitting silent at the kitchen island counter and munching my food with my hand round the plate, resisting raising my head, I could only come to one conclusion – I had to take the fight. It would cause huge repercussions if I didn’t. There was a chance this Steve Dean could turn up at my door, putting my family in danger. This was the one and only reason I had to go through with this fight now.
      “Fuck me! I’ll have to do it. I can’t risk putting the family in danger.”
      “You’ll be fine. It’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”
      Tim was a lot of things, but I never saw this coming at all. It felt like he’d stabbed me in the heart. I’d been conned. Could have walked away, but the risk to my family would be a weight on my shoulders.
      This was a shit situation to be landed in, stuck between a rock and a dangerous place.
      I really didn’t know what to expect from this fight now. Didn’t even know if it was taking place in a ring, or what?
      Absolutely livid, I couldn’t talk to Tim. Wracked with worry about the whole situation. What was I walking into? It’s possible I could end up badly hurt, or land in the morgue.
      This was a bad road to travel down.
     
     

Chapter 16
     
    Montrose:
     
      Finishing my food, I headed out to Tim's Merc, totally ignoring him. He kept a keen eye on me as I walked out the door, making sure I wasn’t doing a runner.
      My cheeks bright red and fists clenched in my jeans pocket, I was annoyed but slightly calmer than ten minutes ago. All those years ago, I’d made the decision to hang up my gloves so my family weren’t raised in a fighter's world, and now, I was about to walk into an unlicensed boxing show.
      Agitated and out-of-sorts now, I just had to get this done and dusted. Tim wandered casually out of the house with a ring bag I expected was full of fight gear. Passing me as he walked round the car to the driver’s door, I blanked