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thought, it had probably been Gayle’s idea. She was the brains of the outfit.
    I could have probably called them out on it, but Duke had a point. I did need to earn my keep here, and teaching a few classes was better than fighting once a week. At least this way I could stay in shape and avoid injuries.
    I’d never find another gym willing to give me so much flexibility. I owed Duke. He got paid off my success, but that hadn’t repaid the faith he’d placed in me five years ago.    
    I left Duke’s office, and stared at the window where Nora had been a few minutes ago. Empty. I’d make sure Duke placed a few large posters right where she had been standing. If she walked by again, I wanted her to know she could get one-on-one time with me whenever she wanted.    
    In reality, I was more likely to get a load of middle-aged men working out a mid-life crisis than a woman like her, but a guy could always dream.
    Perhaps it was for the best if she stayed away. I didn’t need the distractions. I had two months to prepare for the biggest fight of my life. I couldn’t let a nice piece of ass get in the way of that.    
    Opportunities like this didn’t come around too often, and I was determined to make the most of it.

I walked home quickly, practically running to keep warm. When I’d left this morning for the gym it had been warm enough to walk out in a t-shirt, but I’d left late and the cold night air of winter was now punishing this morning’s stupid clothing choice. A gang of kids were huddled at the bottom of the steps to my apartment building, but they soon parted as I approached. 
    Those brats had kept me awake last night, but I didn’t have the energy to deal with them now. They were just kids. I’d been like them once, not all that long ago. I’d done much worse than just hang around on street corners.
    I stepped inside the building expecting to feel the rush of warm air on my skin, but the heating was broken again and the place was almost as cold as outside. These days, it was more surprising if the heating actually worked. 
    I ran up the stairs up to the eighth floor to keep warm, and switched on the space heater as soon as I stepped into my apartment. It wouldn’t do a lot of good, but it was better than nothing. They didn’t have heaters in prison, so I appreciated any small luxuries.
    In many ways, my life hadn’t changed a lot since prison. You couldn’t put a price on freedom, but I still lived in a small cold space, and I spent my free time working on making my body as strong as possible.
    Just like in prison, I still had my mind set on beating Tyler Young. That creep had insisted on a fist fight as a bit of late night entertainment, but then stabbed me in the side with a pair of rusty scissors. The wound hadn’t been serious, and I hadn’t caught anything from the blade, but I’d been determined to get revenge on that cheating scum ever since. 
    He’d left prison before I could catch up to him, and somehow he’d landed a spot in the UFC. If I could get spotted by the organization, I might just get my rematch. Until then, I just had to hope.
    One difference from back in prison was that I now had complete control over my physique. If I worked out and ate well, my body got bigger, leaner, and stronger, without fail. It was a stark contrast to other areas of my life where I felt completely powerless. 
    Duke and Gayle organized my life for me. Even my idea today hadn’t really been my own. They told me where to be and when. What choice did I have? I was grateful for the work. Many of my friends from prison hadn’t been so fortunate.
    I’d stayed late at the gym to help Duke sort out the equipment for the first combat class I was teaching tomorrow, so it was already past nine in the evening. 
    My brain suggested that it might be a good idea to relax tonight, and just chill out in front of the television. I dropped to the floor and started doing push ups, before my body started to