The Art of Being Tony (Tony Winters Book 1) Read online

  The big trouble was, of course, that he secretly wanted to bang Ash, which meant that actually hitting her was subconsciously hard for him to do. A lot of the guys, even ones that would have turned her down if she begged them to stay the night as a point of honor, obviously had that going on. That and a desire to not hit girls.

  So he had to do it in two steps. First he got Raul, who was actually a very good fighter, to put on lady’s gear and a bit of makeup and work with Nick, pretending to be Ashley Lancaster. His fighting style was a bit off, but he did do a nice fake voice.

  “No, please, sir… don’t hurt me, I’m just a girl.” It wasn’t what Ash would be saying, since she, like most people, didn’t talk while she fought. Then Raul came at Nick in ways that would really hurt, if he fought one tiny bit less than hard.

  The idea was to wear down any part of Nick’s brain that would get him to hold back too much. It kind of worked.

  The result wasn’t perfect, either, but the man came out to the music on time, in the fog, dressed in a fake wig and shiny silver outfit for the match. He even shook his behind, which was funnier than when Anthony had done it. Mainly because he clearly felt so awkward doing it in front of other people.

  He didn’t adapt to the right method of fighting, but he did, clearly, use all of his strength on the ground, pushing Ash harder than she really had been before that way. Also using way more technical skill than Rends was ever going to manage and far less brutal punching. It was still useful. Hopefully.

  When they were done, with Nick actually doing well enough that he would have won on points, thanks to simply being stronger, Ashley put an arm over his shoulder.

  “Thanks. That was a lot better than I would have thought. Most of the guys keep trying to act like I’m a little kid all the time. Fox won’t do that.”

  Raul nodded, from the side of the mat.

  “This is the truth! I think you both see areas to work on here? Nick, Ashley is better than you in grappling skill and on her feet now. We can go over the video on that. Ashley… This, this is what it is like to fight a man. The power level is simply different. You handled that and are ready, but must keep to the plan, yeah? I wish we could have you work with Tony again before the fight, but that is not happening. So use your mind. Remember what that was like and put in the power of Nick. Practice for that battle and you will win.”

  That weekend they didn’t have a big fight set up. It was the Fourth of July, so they actually had a barbeque planned. That meant going to a park and eating outside. He’d done that before, eaten in a park, but it was different this time, being that there were people around and free food, not whatever he could scavenge that day.

  On the day itself, they still had training, during the morning and early part of the day. That meant going out with a stop watch and jogging to different points along the route the others were taking on their long, twelve mile run.

  “Speed it up! Don’t fall behind… Is that really the best you have?” He grinned, but only after Mark flipped him off, since he was in the back of the pack, with Ash, Steve and Denny way to the front. The man did speed up a bit and was closer to them at the next point they met up.

  The stitches didn’t really pull or anything and were starting to melt away. That was a built in thing and what he’d been told to expect, even if it was kind of eerie. Still, it was better than having to go to the hospital to have them out, so he put up with it. Not that there was a choice in the matter.

  Given that he’d jogged about five miles and the others were running twelve, if not that fast, he got back first to meet them all at the front door, nodding when they got there, a bit out of breath and damp.

  “Good. Really, all of you are doing great. Especially you, Mark.” It was actually true. The man had gotten there in the back of the lead pack, but no more than ten seconds behind them.

  “Screw you, Tony.” The words were a bit harsh, between the slight gasping, but there was a smile to go with it.

  “Not today, we have stuff to do. The second group should be along… In about fifteen minutes.” Not everyone was that fast and the second group was only doing six miles. A lot of them were amateurs though and they were trying a lot harder than most of the others of their kind, getting out in the morning to hurl themselves through the world like they were.

  Pushing to be the best they could be.

  Everyone waited for them, cooling down a bit, even if the day was going to be warm by noon. Hot even. Enough that even the air conditioning wasn’t going to be really enough to keep the people inside cool all the time, most likely. Rick had gotten him to go around passing out bottles of water the day before, since everyone needed to be drinking more than they had been. Most of the people had sports bottles for that, but a lot of his afternoon had been spent getting everyone fresh towels and refilling things.

  It wasn’t exactly a huge or important job, but even in the heat people were trying hard. Not all of them, but enough that Anthony felt good about being there for them. Even in his own little way.

  When the second group got in, he waved at all of them.

  “Not… Too bad, actually. Everyone is doing great and getting better.” He smiled and rolled his eyes, then looked down. “Except for me, of course. Being all lazy right now like I am. Remember to come to the picnic later, everyone. Otherwise I won’t know anyone there and it would make me sad.”

  He was patted a few times, but no one promised anything. Then, even this crowd wasn’t exactly close to him. Still, it was nice to see people improving like they all were. They got inside and started working on their own things. A little over half of them were on the first floor, doing MMA stuff. The boxers were a little more driven, it seemed to him. At least as far as exercise went. Everyone was spraying sweat all over the place though, by lunch time. It was a light meal, like always and he made it for everyone, working out how much food would be needed. That was a thing that he’d taken to doing, now that he could without burning the salad too badly.

  He’d even learned how to season the food enough that it didn’t taste like cardboard. Now it was probably like salty cardboard with pepper and lemon overtones, but he did manage to leave it tender enough that the chicken didn’t make anyone choke.

  They didn’t get rice with the meal that day, since too many of them were cutting carbs for that to be fair. He didn’t really have to do that personally, since, as Denny had assured him, he was at fighting weight already. Really, he’d been told to eat more, since he was growing still. When Doc Hampshire came in to look at him, she’d noticed that he was an inch and a half taller than he had been the first time. In fact, she’d told him, that from then on, she wanted him to go up a weight class for every two inches he grew. Not that he was a fighter or anything. Not even one in training. No, his goal was simply to become useful there. Even his learning was all about making certain that the others did better.

  Except the running, since he was planning to dominate the Cross Country Team at his new school, if possible. It honestly would be, he knew. Unless he had to face off against the best runners in the country. That was thanks to all the practice he’d been putting in. His three-mile time had gone down to close to the best he’d seen from anyone the year before. By the time the season came around, he planned to be doing better than that.

  After cleaning up, there was a bit of light sparring, which he went to watch, taking notes and recording it all, since he missed things still, as they happened. Then they showered, locked up and started to get things ready for the day. That part was different.

  Jen smiled hugely the whole time and actually let him help Ash move the large cooler. It was heavy, but using his right hand, it wasn’t really pulling at the stitches too badly.

  The blonde woman didn’t let up though, since they had a lot of food to move that day.

  “Come on. If we hurry, we might get one of the grills. Otherwise these hot dogs and burgers are going to be a bit lackluster. Being raw, like they will be.”

  Ri
ck was helping and smiled a lot, but something seemed a bit strained about the whole thing. Anthony started to wonder if it was about him being there. Being a burden on them all. Getting in the way of the real training like he almost had to be. Part of him wanted to close down over it, so that he wouldn’t be hurt, but that wasn’t what Tony would do.

  That near perfect jerk.

  So he moved in, as they both carried bags of buns and chips, things that he hadn’t even seen in months and just asked.

  “Is… Everything all right? You seem a bit… I don’t know. You keep looking at me though. Am I messing stuff up?”

  Looking behind them, he shook his head.

  “No… It’s… I don’t want to ruin the party, but something happened. Daren McElroy… Um… He killed himself. Last night? There was no note or anything.” The large man, who looked powerful and like he was always in control of his world, seemed a bit worried.

  About him. It was, he realized, that he’d been trying to protect him for some reason, from that news.

  “Damn. That’s messed up. Poor Ashley. Does she know?”

  “I… Yeah. She was called, too. She seems to be handling it well. I was worried there, this kind of thing can throw a fighter and she has her fight next week. You’re okay though?”

  It seemed like he meant it and Anthony got the real idea behind it, he thought. Somewhere, deep inside, Rick knew that he’d added in the fake threats that the man had made. He’d killed himself, rather than go to prison for a very long time. Part of it might have been due to what he’d said. The reason that the man had opted to end his own life, rather than get through the sentence and carry on.

  That wasn’t why, Anthony knew.

  It was that the man had finally realized that he was never going to get Ashley and he couldn’t live with that fact. It was sad, but not what Rick was probably thinking. Not that it mattered. The man had hunted their friend. Across several states and he’d been building up to something bad. Odds were he hadn’t brought that knife to hurt Anthony, after all. No, he’d used a gun before and hadn’t this time. That meant he wanted to do it up close and personal. You didn’t arm yourself to win back an old girlfriend, you brought her flowers. That, or drugs. He’d seen that one work, several times in his life. At least until the high wore off.

  “I didn’t really know him. We met one time, where he didn’t even talk and then another where he tried to murder me with a knife. I’m sad that he’s dead, but it wasn’t about anything any of us said or did. He had real issues. Mental problems. I would have gotten him help, if I could, but…” Honestly, he didn’t even know who in real life to suggest that kind of thing to, much less how to get it done.

  It was a good Tony answer anyway. It made him seem like he cared about people. Even ones that had tried to hurt him. Which, oddly, he kind of did. Why that was, he didn’t really know, but it was there. He would have helped the man move on if he could have. He’d even tried, if in an awkward and obviously poor way. That was probably what had gotten him cut in the first place.

  Daren, after all those years, just hadn’t been ready to hear that he needed to move on.

  A big hand came out to pat him on the back, as he loaded the plastic shopping bags into the rear of the white van. The thing held a lot of food and blankets. He wasn’t certain why they needed those, but hadn’t asked. It could get cold, he guessed. That didn’t really seem too likely. Even the nights lately had required the air-conditioning to be on full blast.

  Rick took a slow breath.

  “All right. I can see that hiding this from you wasn’t needed. I just didn’t want to ruin the fun. Good then. All right. So, looking forward to the fireworks later?”

  He nodded, since that had been mentioned a few times.

  “Yeah. I’ve never seen any before. I mean, the little kind, a few times. Sparklers and all that, but never a big show. Not in person. I have on television.” Because he hadn’t grown up in a cave.

  Deirdre just hadn’t been much for doing things like that with him. She went to places and did things, but with friends, not wanting to drag her kid along to kill all the fun. That Rick and Jen were letting him go to this was kind of big, in his life.

  “It’s pretty neat. You’ll like it, I think.”

  That was all they said about things, though Ashley nudged him when they finally loaded up and were on the way to the park they were headed to. She didn’t speak, but did smile at him, clearly thinking he didn’t know about the Daren thing. He did it back, trying to be friendly, but not flirtatious. After all, he needed to be able to try and hit her at different times and deciding that he liked her wasn’t going to help with that. Not in a romantic sense at least.

  It was a bit of a drive, but they did get there early enough to set up under a fancy wooden roof thing, that had sturdy wooden tables. There were several grills near it and a view of a small river. That helped to keep things cool.

  “So, picnics are held in the wilderness?” He wasn’t displeased by that, but for some reason everyone laughed.

  It was Jen who smiled at him directly. There was a real warmth to it.

  “This is a well-groomed and cared for park. If we get a chance, we should go camping sometime. Then you’ll see the difference. I doubt we’ll have a chance this year. Not before it gets too cold to enjoy it. Can you help Rick with the grills?”

  That was interesting, but not hard, for his part. They just needed to arrange charcoal from a bag in two of the standing grill things. They were black metal boxes with a grate on the top, on metal posts. They were all set in concrete and had rust in a few places, but Rick assured him that wouldn’t affect the food. They didn’t light anything yet, since the food wouldn’t be started until five or so. When everyone got there.

  Other groups, most of them families, set up too. They laid blankets on the short grass, to sit on for the most part. Then he got the idea of what theirs were for. People found them easily enough and by the time the charcoal was being lit, about forty of the gym people had shown up. A lot more than he’d expected.

  Also, as a treat, not too far away, a church group was doing the same thing. He knew that for certain, since Reverend Keene and Ethyl were both there, working away at making food for everyone.

  Walking over, towing Lewis behind him, Anthony waved.

  “Hey!”

  Reverend Keene was trying to get some charcoal of his own started, but looked up, his broad face going from a look of consternation, to a huge smile.

  “Boys! Good to see you both. Come to get in on the free food?”

  Lewis laughed a bit and shook his head.

  “Nah. We’re over with our fighting club. Um… Don’t you need some lighter fluid for that?” A dark finger pointed at the coals, just as an older woman slipped an arm around her grandson.

  “Lew! How is your mother doing?”

  They moved over a few feet, to talk about that and while it didn’t sound perfect, Ethyl seemed pleased to see him there.

  Rick, probably having seen where he’d walked away to, jogged over with a small metal container and passed it to the Reverend without speaking first.

  “Thank you! Well, this is a sign then, isn’t it? Jesus must want us to get the cooking done, if he sent you to help like this. Though I should have it now. I just forgot about that part. Lighter fluid. This is…” He worked for a bit and the coals started much better this time. “There we go! We have made fire!”

  It was cute and Rick laughed a bit, patting Anthony on the back.

  “Oh. This is Reverend Keene. Um, this guy is my uncle? Rick Winters.”

  They shook hands, being adults like they were. It was a bit strange, seeing them both dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Especially the man from the church.

  A few people saw them there and waved, one calling out to him.

  “Tony!”

  “Martha! Happy Fourth of July!”

  That got repeated by several people and the Rev smiled again.

  “Tony is popu
lar at the morning services. Mainly because he’s one of the youngest people that shows up that early. It stands out. Good kid.”

  There was a nod, from his uncle, as if that was just a simple fact and not an act that he was putting on for everyone.

  “I need to get back to my cooking. Nice to finally meet you. Happy Fourth!”

  Grilling, it turned out, was an art form, which meant they had to have marinated meat, which was packed in the large cooler and special condiments for the food, which they’d bought just for the one meal. They even had cheese, which wasn’t a thing that he’d seen in the fridge over the last months. Everyone, even the fighters in training had something. Most of them didn’t eat much of the rich party food, however.

  Tony had a burger, but seeing what Steve was doing, he only took the bottom bun and had two of the patties. There was salad too and fresh fruit. Watermelon and grapes. Those were practically like candy and still cold, so he took some for his plate and settled next to Denny, Steve and Mark. They also got Nick and Ashley, who were one blanket over, almost touching theirs.

  They talked and like they did most of the time, that ended up being about fighting. In this case it was a bit different however. Steve had news. It was a real change up.

  “I’m being brought in for some color commentary at the end of the month. At your match, Nick. MMA and I’m supposed to go over the standing parts mainly, as well as say things like how both you and the others are great fighters.” He grinned then. “At least I know you are! I need to study up on the rest.”

  Nick just chuckled a bit, a little nervously.

  “Thanks. So, no pressure?”

  That got Mark, of all people, to nod.

  “Always. When you step into the ring, you aren’t just there for you, but for all of us. Your team, trainers and friends, sure, but even the ones like me that you barely know. Don’t think for a moment we don’t care or want you to do well. Even while we make fun of how bad you are on your feet.”