Fighting For Hope (Worth the Fight Book 1) Read online

  Fighting For Hope

  Worth the Fight Series

  Olivia T. Turner

  Copyright© 2020 by Olivia T. Turner.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including emailing, photocopying, printing, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. For permission requests, email [email protected]

  Please respect the author’s hard work and purchase a copy. Thanks!

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, businesses, companies, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Contains explicit love scenes and adult language.

  18+

  www.OliviaTTurner.com

  Edited by Karen Collins Editing

  Cover Design by PopKittyDesign.com

  Come and join my private Facebook Group!

  Click Here to Become an OTT Lover!

  A private group for VIP readers of Olivia T. Turner. Come on in to interact with Olivia, get the latest OTT news, first look at covers, teasers, exclusive excerpts, giveaways, and more!

  Must love Over The Top Alpha Males to enter!

  Contents

  Copyright

  Come and join my private Facebook Group!

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  Don’t be shy. Come Follow Me…

  Audiobooks

  Become Obsessed with OTT

  For James,

  Who had the sexiest damn grin imaginable.

  I never knew whether to slap it or to kiss it.

  It was usually 50/50.

  Chapter One

  Nate

  This guy looks like a super heavyweight but he moves like a lightweight.

  “Get in there, Nate!” my trainer Teddy screams at me. Easy for him to say. He’s not the one who’s going to be making out with those cinderblock-sized fists. “You want to make it to the GPC or do you want to be scrubbing toilets for the rest of your pathetic life?”

  He always knows just what to say.

  I bite down on my mouthguard, lower my head, and charge forward.

  The beast I’m fighting, Quarters, throws one of those deadly fists at me but I duck under it and slam my own fist into his round stomach. I’m showered with sweat as he grunts through his clenched teeth.

  “Come on, Quarters!” Teddy screams at him as he slams his palm against the cage. “This punk is two weight classes below you. Drive him into the ground!”

  I glance at my coach who’s supposed to be on my side. He’s watching us with a snarl on his face. There are no sides at Dominant Alpha Gym. Teddy is for everybody and he’s against everybody. It usually depends on his mood, which alternates between surly and irritable.

  Quarters throws a right hook and it grazes my nose. It also wakes me the fuck up. I have to be faster than this if I want to get into the Ground and Pound Championship.

  This giant’s got a temper and that punch to his gut pissed him off. He got the nickname Quarters after he lost a fight a few months ago. He was so infuriated that he put his fist through the vending machine. Protein drinks and quarters spilled out all over the gym floor.

  He throws a few hard jabs and I swerve around each one. They’re coming slower. More sluggish. The thing about the big guys is that they tire quickly…

  And I can go all night.

  I kick up the speed and start dancing around him, getting him more and more frustrated with every time he misses me.

  “Do you want to be on Dancing with the Stars, Nate?” Teddy hollers at me. “Did you come here to dance or to fight?”

  I throw him a grin before I race in and land a four punch combination on the beast in front of me. He steps back, staggered, and then I charge in and grab the back of his knees. I thrust my shoulder into his gut as I pull his legs up and the beast goes down. He lands on his back hard and from there it’s a quick flurry of movements until I have his thick arm in an arm-bar.

  He taps immediately.

  “Holy hell!” Teddy shouts as he throws his hands into the air. “What the fuck was that, Quarters? You tapped that mat faster than I tapped your mother’s ass!”

  “He was going to break my arm,” Quarters answers as he pushes himself back up to his feet.

  “So, you let him break it and then you beat him with your limp, shattered arm,” Teddy shouts back as I fight back a grin. “Generation Pussy up in here! That’s what you guys are. Generation Pussy. When I was your age, men were men! We’d rather die than tap out.”

  I keep one eye on my opponent who’s huffing around the practice octagon and one eye on my trainer. Teddy is an old heavyweight boxer who’s the head trainer at my gym. He’s out of shape now, but I’d bet he can still knock me and Quarters out with the same punch. He was a star wrestler in college and once upon a time, he trained in Brazilian Ju Jitsu for three years down in Brazil. Add in his boxing, and Teddy is quite the fighter and an even better trainer. He’s a bit of an oaf, but he’s managed to combine all of his fighting skills into a very effective MMA style. A style he’s teaching me and the rest of the guys at the gym. A style I hope will get me into the GPC.

  Teddy limps into the round cage after Quarters storms out. Vending machines beware!

  “You have natural talent, Nate,” he says as he looks me up and down. “But you’re missing something.”

  “Yeah, a gold championship belt around my waist.”

  He sneers. “You won’t get that.”

  I shake my head at him. “I thought coaches were supposed to be encouraging.”

  “Encouraging, but realistic,” he says as he kicks Quarter’s discarded gloves out of his way. “That big pussy you just tapped out doesn’t have a future in MMA. Shit, he doesn’t even have a future as a toilet scrubber. He’d probably break more toilets than he cleaned.”

  I chuckle as I watch Quarters storm into the locker room and slam the door closed.

  “But you,” he says as he watches me closely. “You could get there, but you won’t.”

  It feels like a stab in the heart. He just said my worst fear out loud. Something that’s too scary to think about, but pops into my head when I’m up late at night or brought to my knees after a hard workout. I’m not good enough.

  “Why do you…” God my voice is shaky. My voice is never shaky. “Why do you say that?”

  He sucks in a breath and stares me down. “What are you fighting for?”

  “Excuse me?” I ask, taken aback by the sudden turn in direction of the conversation.

  “Do you want to be a GPC champion?”

  “More than anything.”

  “You can’t be going through all this for a gold-plated belt,” he says with a hint of derision in his voice. “What else?”

  “Money,” I say.

  He nods.

  “Fame.”

  “What else?”

  “I want to be somebody.”

  “What else?”

  I got nothing…

  “That’s it?” Teddy says as he shakes his head. “Money. Fame. Vanity. All selfish goals. If you want to win at the highest level—if you want to give your body and your soul for victory—it’s got to be for something more than just yourself.”

  I swallow hard as I watch him. I have nothing else but myself. I haven’t spoken to my p
arents in years. My only friends are the guys at the gym and I’ve never seen them outside of these walls.

  I turn away from Teddy and take a couple of deep breaths as I watch the guys in the back as they pound on the heavy punching bags.

  “You going to fight for something more than just Nate Cross?” he asks as he pushes me back.

  I grit my teeth as he stares me down. He’s an ugly fucker. Big flat nose that’s been broken more times than he can probably count. Missing teeth. Scars all over.

  “What did you fight for, Teddy?” I ask him with a surprising bitter edge to my voice. “Donuts?”

  He lets out a deep bellowing laugh and then shakes his head. “I fought for the only thing worth fighting for,” he says as his face turns deathly serious. “For love. For my Maria.”

  Right on cue, Maria comes walking into the gym with some freshly baked brownies. She smiles at her man and then starts handing out the baked goodies.

  Teddy seems to have forgotten that we’re in the middle of a heart-to-heart because he pushes past me and runs out of the cage, hollering his lungs out. “If any of you pussies take the last brownie, you’re going to be fighting me!”

  All of the fighters wisely step away from Maria and let Teddy get first dibs.

  I’m cursing under my breath and trying to tell myself that he’s wrong, but somehow his words have gotten to me.

  I’ve been training forever and don’t even remember the last time I talked to a girl. I’ve been so focused on training and improving that I didn’t want to let a girl in who would take up all of my time and derail me. But now I have my star trainer telling me that’s exactly what I need…

  Shit. I don’t know. I’m not good with this kind of stuff.

  I’m good at breaking things. Bones. Faces. Records.

  I’m not very good at anything else.

  A little while later, I’m getting dressed in the locker room. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the broken bench, wondering if Quarters’ new nickname is going to be Benches.

  I pull off my shirt and look down at my shredded body. The tattoos are hiding the bruises that are just starting to heal from last week’s fight with Titus. I can still feel the thunderous smack of his punches. They still make me wince.

  “You going to Papa Pain’s tonight?” Alex asks. He’s stepping out of the shower with his towel wrapped around his waist. I can see the bruises from the sparring yesterday all over his abs. I went to town on his stomach while he flailed around, desperately trying to hit me but touching nothing but air.

  My first instinct is to say no, but I catch myself before the words cross my lips.

  Every Friday night a local gangster named Lewis (aka Papa Pain) holds bare-knuckle brawls in the backyard of his house. Half the neighborhood shows up to watch.

  Fighters get $50 to enter and the winner takes home another $50.

  The fights are rough and anything goes, but a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks.

  Teddy disapproves of the fights and doesn’t like his fighters to partake, but I think I’m done listening to what Teddy has to say. Why shouldn’t I make some extra money? It’s not like I’m going to make it in the GPC according to him.

  “What time is it at?” I ask as I put my shirt on.

  Alex grins. “Midnight.”

  I said it myself. I’m fighting for money.

  I might as well take what I can get.

  “Yeah, man,” I say with a nod. “I’ll see you there.”

  Chapter Two

  Hope

  “I don’t know about this,” I say with a wince as I look at the thugs and future criminals walking down the street. They’re all headed toward the dilapidated house that is swarming with people drinking 40 ounces of beer, fighting, smoking, getting fucked up, and making one bad life choice after another.

  My brother Scott and I don’t belong here.

  I look over at him, pleading with my eyes. He looks back at me with a heavy breath.

  We’ve been sleeping in the car for the past two weeks. I don’t remember the last time I washed my clothes.

  Maybe we do belong here…

  Maybe this is what we’ve become.

  “We get fifty bucks to enter,” he says as he runs a hand down his face. “A hundred if I win.”

  I look over at some of the huge guys walking by. Scott is young, strong, and fast, but these guys look like killers.

  I gulp when I see a handgun sticking out of someone’s pants.

  “We can’t afford not to,” he says as he looks at the same guys that I was just looking at. “We’ll still get fifty bucks if I lose.”

  “That won’t help you if you get yourself killed.”He sighs as he turns off the car.

  Oh no… he’s actually going to go through with it.

  “The fights start at midnight,” he says as he unbuckles his seatbelt. “You stay here.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  “No,” he snaps. “You stay here. I mean it, Hope. Don’t leave this car. If I’m not back by two am, then you drive out of here and park behind the YMCA like we’ve been doing.”

  “Why wouldn’t you be back?” I start to feel that panicky feeling which has been coming around more and more lately.

  “Just… stay here,” he says. “Please.”

  “Scott!” I say as he opens the door. “I’ll get another job. We’ll figure something out! You don’t have to do this!”

  “I’ll be fine,” he says as he gives me one last look. “Doesn’t your big brother always look out for you?”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about,” I tell him in a shaky voice.

  He gives me a tight smile and then steps out. “Just stay here. Everything is going to be fine.”

  The butterflies in my stomach are telling me otherwise as he closes the door.

  It’s after one o’clock and he’s still not back. The steady stream of people heading to Papa Pain’s house has turned into a trickle as everyone is already watching the fights in the backyard.

  My hands are shaking as I picture Scott’s lifeless body lying on the ground while everyone cheers. He’s always been a good fighter, shutting anyone up who made fun of our family, or lack thereof.

  Our parents died in a boating accident in Hawaii when we were barely teenagers. The shock of their deaths hit us hard. Just harder than the shock of finding out that they were deeply in debt with a negative net worth, no will, and absolutely no insurance. If our aunt didn’t take us in, we would have been on the streets.

  We lived with her for a few years until she got a new boyfriend who didn’t want a couple of teenagers hanging around.

  “You’re nineteen, Scott,” Aunt Meryl said, “and Hope, you’re eighteen. Old enough to be on your own.”

  So, two weeks ago, with less than sixty dollars to our name and with no jobs, we became residents of our car.

  It’s been rough. We both got a job at a fast-food joint, but that only lasted three days. The manager was a little handsy with me and Scott didn’t like it so he cracked him in the jaw. We both got fired quickly after that.

  We haven’t had much luck since then. We don’t have a computer or a printer, so we’ve been writing our resumes out by hand. Usually on the back of flyers that we peel down from telephone poles. It’s not very professional, but it’s all we’ve got.

  I’m rubbing my wrist, which I always do when I’m nervous as I look out the window, trying to get a glimpse of Scott. I don’t care if he’s got the money. I just want to see him return in one piece.

  I keep picturing him, lying on the ground unconscious, his body tossed into the corner of the yard while everyone watches the next fight.

  My body starts moving on its own. I grab the keys, get out of the car, and sprint over to the house.

  My heart is racing as I run up the dry crunchy grass to the entrance in the back. A couple on the front stoop is making out and the guy has his hand all the way up the girl’s shirt. She practically hisses at me when she catches me
looking. I drop my eyes to the ground as my cheeks burn.

  Just go get Scott. Just go get Scott.

  I’ve never been to a party like this. Heck, the last party I was at had a Disney princess theme with party hats and served hot dogs for lunch.

  My stomach churns when I walk up to the biggest man I’ve ever seen. He towers over me as he stands in front of the entrance to the yard. The wooden fence has seen better days and is leaning to the side, propped up in one spot by an old refrigerator.

  “Ten dollars,” he grunts at me in a deep throaty voice. I can’t take my eyes off him. He’s the scariest man I’ve ever seen.

  “I… I don’t have any money,” I squeak out in a voice that’s pathetic even for me.

  “Then get the fuck out of here. Paying customers only.”

  I try to look around his massive frame, but he’s blocking all of the view.

  “My brother is in there. Scott Hess. He’s supposed to be fighting and I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

  He sucks his teeth as he watches me. “Lewis!” he calls out without taking his hard eyes off me.

  Another giant black man with a do-rag on his head and a long black beard comes strutting over. He’s got a wide frame and big arms that are covered in tattoos, but instead of hard carved muscle like the bouncer, he’s soft and round all over. He doesn’t look as mean either as he looks me up and down.

  “That white suburban kid fight yet?”

  “Scott,” I quickly add. “Scott Hess?”

  Lewis grins at me. “He your boyfriend?” He must be Papa Pain. Scott told me about him. He’s the one who puts on these fights.