Free The Brick Yard by Carol Lynne Page A

lung.”
    Lucky nodded. Brick had told him earlier on their way home from Indianapolis, but it wasn’t something Lucky could dwell on. Every fighter knew what was at stake when they stepped into the cage. He opened the door to Mac’s and waited for Jax to go inside before following.
    “You almost lost that fight last night, boy,” Mac yelled from the window cut into the wall between the counter and the kitchen.
    Lucky ignored Mac and slid into his usual booth. “Order whatever you want,” he told Jax.
    “Anything?” Jax’s eyebrows shot up toward his hairline.
    “You earned it.” Lucky sat sideways in the booth with his back against the wall. He needed to talk to Jax about Brick, but he wasn’t sure how. “The usual,” he told Trish when she came to the table.
    “I’ll have the rib-eye, medium, with a double order of fries and a chocolate milkshake,” Jax ordered.
    “He’ll have the rib-eye with one order of fries and a side of green beans,” Lucky amended. “But he can have the milkshake.”
    “Sure thing,” Trish said before yelling their order across the diner to Mac.
    “I like fries,” Jax argued.
    “Yeah, and you’re gettin’ fries, but you’re also eating a vegetable.” Lucky’s diet consisted primarily of protein and vegetables. If Jax was serious about whipping his body into shape, he’d need to change his eating habits, but after finding out why Jax needed to learn to fight, he wasn’t sure the kid wanted to make a career of it. Lucky decided to show Jax how to land an impressive uppercut, knowing a showdown between Jax and his father was inevitable.
    “I met Dray today,” Jax said.
    Trish stopped at the table and set Jax’s milkshake in front of him.
    “Thanks.” Jax smiled up Trish.
    “No problem, sweetie,” Trish replied before walking off.
    Jax took a sip and sighed. “Brick told me he used to fight professionally.”
    “Yeah. Dray was one of the best.” Lucky took a sip of his orange juice. “He was known as The Dragon. Did he tell you that?”
    Jax shook his head and smiled. “Do you think I can find something online about him?”
    Lucky knew for a fact there were photos and two video clips, because he’d watched them multiple times over the years. “Probably.” He heard a huff and glanced up just as Mac set two dinner plates on the table.
    Mac stared down at Lucky’s legs where they rested on the seat until Lucky got the hint and moved them. Sliding in beside Lucky, Mac scowled. “Dray’s in town?”
    Lucky nodded. “He came in to help out.” He nudged Mac with his thigh before flicking his gaze toward Jax.
    Mac bit his bottom lip, and with a heavy sigh, climbed out of the booth. “Come and talk to me before you leave.”
    “Okay,” Lucky agreed as he prepared to eat his dinner.
    Several minutes after Mac had left, Jax set down his fork. “Is Brick gonna die?”
    Lucky finished chewing a bite of steak, taking his time as he tried to come up with a good answer. Finally, once he’d swallowed, he took a deep breath and laid everything out. “Yeah. He’s got cancer. We don’t know how long he has, but our guess is a couple of months.”
    Jax’s big eyes filled with tears but he sniffed and blinked them away before they could fall. He pushed his plate away with half of his dinner left uneaten. “Is that why Dray’s here?”
    Lucky nodded. “Brick’s leaving the gym to me and Dray, so you don’t have to worry about it closing down.”
    “What about fighting? Are you still gonna have time for that?”
    It was a question Lucky had asked himself a dozen times since talking to Brick. “I’m going to try, but in the end, The Brick Yard’s more important than squaring off in a cage with an asshole week after week.”
    “But according to Brick, you’ve always wanted to be a fighter,” Jax argued.
    Lucky couldn’t deny it. He’d always known fighting was his way out of the neighborhood. He didn’t have the brains or the grades to go to college and