Read Surge: (#7 The Beat and The Pulse) for Free Online Page B

Harrington.” The ref stepped forward to the center as Gabe and I approached our marks.
    “Gentlemen, you know the rules,” Harrington said, placing his hands on our chests and making a show of keeping us apart. “Protect yourselves at all times. Follow my instructions. Let’s have a clean fight, so c’mon, let’s touch gloves and do this right.”
    Without hesitation, Gabe and I raised and bumped our fists, immediately turning to stride back to our corners.
    Coach gave me the thumbs up, and I nodded, turning back to face O’Connell. The referee called it, and the fight began. No fuss. Clean as a whistle.
    Gabe and I danced around one another, testing boundaries, and then he struck, landing a kick to my right side. I pushed him off easily, the blow bouncing off me harmlessly, and then we danced some more.
    We exchanged kicks, neither of us finding a break to attempt anything more. Then Gabe took a risk and launched himself at me. In a flurry of punches, he hooked his foot around my shin, attempting to take me down, but I spun, dislodging him and spiraling toward the barrier.
    He cornered me against the edge of the octagon and climbed onto my back like a little leech, trying to knock me off balance, but I was having none of that.
    Gabe’s fist slammed into my face again and again, but I remembered the thing that got me through bad spots like this. My focus.
    I was pinned against the side of the octagon right in front of Linc, and I could hear him screaming at me to shake the little shit off my back. Yeah, bro, didn’t I know it.
    If Gabe took me down this early in the fight and won the round, then odds on he’d dent my pride and take the second, too.
    Sucking in a deep breath, I pushed back and twisted at the waist, using all the strength I could muster to throw Gabe down. He hit the mat with me on top of him, and the crowd cheered, demanding blood. We grappled, fighting for dominance, and the moment I moved into a position where I could get in a clean punch, I slammed my fist into his face.
    His grip loosened, but he still clung to me, and I punched him again and again. I had the upper hand, and as long as I could hold it until the siren blew, I’d have the round.
    Gabe tried to free his right arm as we grappled, but my hold was perfect, and he couldn’t gain any slack to push me off. I held and held…then the siren blew.
    First round was mine.
    After a short interlude, the second round was underway.
    We began the same way, circling and testing each other’s defenses. A few kicks glanced off me as O’Connell attempted to strike at my ribs, but nothing came close.
    Focus, Dean. Focus .
    Then O’Connell launched an attack, but I raised my arms, locking him against me. He growled in frustration, and we grappled furiously, trying to push each other off balance. It was tense as we butted heads, our feet sliding across the mat as we wrestled.
    “It’s only a matter of time before I have Josie,” Gabe muttered in my ear.
    I stumbled, and he took the break in my focus and used it against me. Breaking free of the grapple, his fist slammed into my face, the force throwing me off balance, and I spun, falling flat on my face. The crowd was going fucking crazy, but I could hardly hear them as my ears began to ring.
    Gabe threw himself on me, locking me into an impossible hold. I thrashed against him, trying to counter his attack, but I couldn’t move.
    “She’ll be on my team, promoting me to the masses,” Gabe murmured into my ear. It was soft enough the microphones couldn’t pick up the sound, but I was sure the commentators would pick up on it and speculate. By the end of the night, there’d be rumors of a bitter rivalry between us.
    “Then she’ll be around my cock, promoting something else,” he went on, laughing like it was already a done deal.
    The siren blew, signaling the end of round two, and Harrington broke us apart.
    Slamming my fists on the mat, I cursed loudly. Shoving to my feet, I swiped away