Finally, Jake is on the card. I squeeze Penny’s hand in nervous anticipation and edge along the row of seats so I can see.

The team cheers as he walks down the aisle, Fuzzy by his side. My God, he takes my breath away. With the weight he’s lost to make his weight class, his muscles are sharper and more defined, rippling as he high-fives his friends. His fight shorts, emblazoned with the Team Redemption logo, cling to his tight ass, and his tattoos shimmer under the light.

But nothing draws my attention as much as his shaved head.

For a moment I lament the loss of his thick, wavy hair. But he looks like a serious fighter now, and without his hair, his jaw seems more chiseled, his eyes more piercing, and his lips more full. Sensuous. Breathtaking.

Emotion wells up in my chest and my throat tightens as he approaches my aisle. I’ve wanted this moment so badly, dreamed about it, longed for it…and I freeze.

And then he walks by.

And he’s gone.

“RENEGADE!” Penny shoves me into the aisle and jumps on the chair just vacated by Hammer Fist. She jumps. She screams. She waves her hands in the air. She draws the attention of everyone nearby. Jake pauses. Turns. Then he sees me.

He sees me.

His eyes meet mine, dark and full of emotion. For a long moment, he holds my gaze. I try to tell him without words that I love him. I have loved him since the day we met. And I will always be in his corner.

A smile ghosts his lips and he nods.

He knows.

My heart fills and tears trickle down my cheeks as he climbs into the ring.

We’re going to be okay.

***

“So that’s The Man?”

Blade Saw rubs his finger over his bottom lip and checks out Jake’s opponent, a bald, tattooed bruiser who keeps moving his head from side to side as if he’s listening to his own personal hip-hop beat.

Homicide nods. “Vastly more experienced than Renegade. He’s 9–3–1 and held the amateur light heavyweight title a few years ago. He was stripped of his title when they found out he’d been taking banned substances and was thrown off the circuit. He’s only just come back, so they’ve been pairing him up with the newbies. He’s never been through a fight without at least one foul. Still, it’s a big step for Renegade. He’s only 2–0 with two submission victories.”

“Fucking stupid ring name.” Blade Saw shakes his head. “The Man.”

Round one starts with Jake stalking The Man from the center of the cage, cutting him off every time he tries to move away from the fence. Even I can see his strategy effectively nullifies the advantage The Man would have from his longer reach. Jake closes in on his opponent with power shots, and The Man tries to tie him up in a clinch. But Jake easily shrugs him off and continues to hammer with powerful punches, eventually backing his opponent to the cage. Suddenly The Man rears back and smashes his head into Jake’s forehead. Jake staggers back and drops to his knees. With a roar, Team Redemption surges to their feet shouting foul.

“No f**king way,” yells Homicide. “Deliberate head butting.”

The referee calls a break, and Fuzzy and the ring doctor race into the cage. Jake shakes his head and Fuzzy goes to speak to the referee. Jake is taking the maximum five minutes allowed to recover from a foul. My heart seizes in my chest. Now I know it’s bad. No one is allowed near the cage, and I have to suffer through watching Fuzzy ice Jake’s head while he argues with the ring doctor.

“If the ring doctor says he’s not fit to fight, that’s it.” Blade Saw glares at The Man’s corner. “The match will then be decided on points.”

When the five minutes are over, Jake pushes himself to his feet and nods that he’s ready to go on. The ring doctor gives the thumbs-up. The Man smirks when Jake staggers to the center of the ring and my lungs tighten. I pray Jake is still my renegade fighter, feigning injury, playing the game.

Although slightly unsteady on his feet, Jake dives in with a huge, overhand right followed by a left that misses The Man by at least six inches. The Man roars with laughter. I grab Blade Saw’s hand and squeeze it so hard he gasps. “Don’t worry,” I whisper. “He’s faking it. I’ve seen him do it before.”

Blade Saw chuckles and extricates his hand from my vice-like grip. “Now I know you’re really one of us.”

Brimming with overconfidence, The Man goes all out with a big right hand. But Jake is ready. He slips inside The Man’s guard and batters his opponent with a flurry of fierce, powerful blows that leave The Man groaning on the mat. Seconds later, The Man taps out.

The ever-bloodthirsty Penny is on her feet right away, punching her fist in the air and screaming. “Whooo. Renegade. Whooo.”

I join her. But without the “whooo.”

***

The wait outside the changing room is the longest of my life. What’s he doing in there? Why has almost every other fighter managed to shower and change? It’s not like he even has hair to wash. I tap my foot, drum my fingers on the wall, and pace up and down the corridor.

“Impatient, aren’t you?” The surly bouncer chuckles.

“Very impatient. It’s one of my defining characteristics. Total lack of patience, especially for men who take too long in the shower.”

“Boyfriend, brother, or husband?”

I hesitate. I don’t really know. Maybe he forgives me but just wants to be friends. Or less. Or more. Uncertainty worms its way into my heart.

Fuzzy appears in the doorway and motions me over. “The ring doctor wants him to go to the hospital to have his head checked out, but he refuses to go. Maybe you can convince him.”