Page 49 of Last Mile

While Bishop appeared surprised by my question, he quickly recovered. “Some of the guys from the club might be here, but Deacon and Rev are busy tonight.”

“I see.” Some of the hope I had on gathering information on the case faded.

A tall, dark- haired man stuck his head in the door. “It’s time, B.”

“Thanks, Vinnie. Do me a favor and walk Samantha out.”

“Sure.”

Bishop winked at me. “Make sure she gets one of the best seats in the house to see me win.”

Vinnie nodded. “Will do.”

I stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do. “I guess I shouldn’t say break a leg or something like that.”

With a laugh, Bishop said, “I think good luck would be fine. If I needed it.”

I shook my head and smiled. “You’re pretty cocky, aren’t you?”

“Just sure of myself and my abilities.”

Vinnie coughed behind us, and I knew it was time to go. Acting on an impulse, I leaned in and kissed Bishop’s cheek. When I pulled back, he stared at me in surprise. “For luck.”

A genuine smile appeared on his face. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

I then turned and followed Vinnie down the hallway. With the fight about to start, the crowd had gotten even louder. When we entered the gym, the roar was deafening. For a relatively small gym, there was a huge gathering of people. They filled the stands on both sides of the ring.

Vinnie led me down front to where I felt as if I was practically in the ring. Years ago, I’d gone to a fight once with my dad. Although the arena in Miami was ten times the size of this gym, we hadn’t had seats anywhere near as good as where I now sat.

The music pumping over the loud speakers ceased, and a wiry looking man entered the ring with a microphone. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to tonight’s fight. Between Alex Fuentes and Bishop Malloy.”

When the announcer called Bishop’s name, the crowd erupted in cheers and catcalls. He came into the gym with a beaming smile. He was obviously a crowd favorite. I noticed that several young boys jumped in front of his path with autograph books in their hands. Bishop not only graciously signed them but took the time to talk to each boy. It warmed my heart seeing his compassionate and caring side and added to my growing sense of awareness that he was so much more than just an outlaw biker.

Bishop and his opponent entered the ring and went to their opposite corners. Boone appeared to be giving Bishop a pep talk as he massaged his shoulders. Bishop would nod from time to time.

The moment the match started, I couldn’t take my eyes off Bishop. He really was a force to be reckoned with. While some women might’ve ducked their head at the punches and jabs, I was used to both seeing them and delivering them in my line of work.

In the eighth round, Bishop delivered a punch to the side of Alex’s head that sent him reeling back. He collapsed onto the mat.

While the ref smacked the floor of the ring, Alex struggled to get up, but he couldn’t. The ref grabbed Bishop’s arm and raised it over his head, which sent me and the crowd onto our feet.

Bishop didn’t stay too long in the ring to enjoy his victory. Instead, he ducked under the ropes and came bounding over to me.

Even though he was a sweaty mess, I happily dove into his arms. “Congratulations!” Instead of replying, he just gave me a cocky grin that shot desire straight through me.

I grinned back at him. “What? You’re not going to say I told you so?”

“No need to rub it in.”

I gave him a playful smack on the arm. As we started out of the gym to the back rooms, Bishop draped a sweaty arm across my shoulder. “Did ya like it?”

I bobbed my head enthusiastically. “Although I probably shouldn’t like guys beating each other up, I loved it.”

Bishop laughed. “I’m glad to hear it. Of course, I don’t want you to get used to it.”

“Oh?”