“Yeah,” I answered, making them chuckle.

“We’re nervous. You tell me you ain’t?” Tommy asked.

I thought about it for a second as I cricked my neck from side to side. “No. I’m not nervous. I don’t think about the title or who’s watching. Once the bell goes, there’s just him and me anyway.”

Tommy rolled his eyes and went back to pacing. A sharp knock sounded at the door, pissing Kieran off. “What do you want?” he said, yanking it open.

“Well, is that any way to talk to a man of God?” an Irish voice replied.

“What are you doing here?” Kieran asked, as he let Farther Pat in the door.

“Didn’t seem right letting you fight without following tradition,” he told us as he gave me a quick hug.

“You flew halfway around the world for confession? What’s the real reason?” I asked with a smile.

“The congregation and I bet five hundred pounds on you, so I’m here protecting our investment,” he answered.

“Very Christian,” Danny chuckled.

Another knock sounded at the door, and one of the managers put his head around it. “Ten minutes, Mr. O’Connell,” he said.

“Well then. We don’t have time for a full confession, but how about a quick prayer?” Father Pat asked, and Danny nodded his permission. We gathered around in a circle, even Danny, and bent our heads.

“Dear Lord, we ask you not for victory, for somehow that seems wrong. But only for Con’s protection and the courage for him to be strong. Strength not to conquer, but just that he fights well. And proves himself a sportsman at the ring of the final bell.”

“Amen,” we all said together, and a contemplative silence fell about the room. There was no whooping and hollering and no talking smack about Temple. The time for talking was done. Now there was only doing what needed to be done.

Kieran held up my green silk robe and helped me slip it on. Shit was a lot fancier when you fought at this level. I’d keep it for Em if I won. She’d get a kick out of that. Her flight would be landing any minute now, but I knew by the time she got her bags and made it here, the fight would be done and dusted.

I bounced from foot to foot to keep limber and because I was so wired that I could barely keep still. Stopping for a moment, I spoke quietly to Danny, out of earshot of the others. “I wish Sunshine could have been with me for this,” I admitted.

“She is here, son. She always will be,” he replied, and I nodded, knowing that he was right.

“In case I forget to say it later, thanks for everything, Danny. I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for you.”

“You’re welcome, son,” he replied, squeezing me on the shoulder. “Now, tear this arrogant little fecker apart so we can go home,” he said, making me grin. The venue didn’t allow smoking and had alarms practically every two feet. Not being able to have a cigarette for hours on end was making him twitchy.

I closed my eyes briefly and thought about Em. Right then I knew she’d be looking at her watch and thinking of me too. This was the moment I was going to prove to her and every other fucker in the world that her faith in me wasn’t unfounded.

* * *

The music playing in the stadium stopped. After a brief pause, the opening bars to my introduction music boomed through the speakers, making the floor shake. The door opened for the last time.

The crowd roared as the spotlight caught and followed me to the ring. My heart was racing so fast, it felt like it was going to explode in my chest. But with every beat, I became more and more pumped. With every step, I breathed deeply, sharpening my will to end this, to end Rico Temple.

“Hurricane, we love you!” I heard a woman’s voice scream from the crowd. They didn’t love me. They didn’t fucking know me. There’s only one woman who knew me, who’d love me with or without these gloves, one woman who owned me. The crowd was fickle. They loved a winner, and tonight that meant they would love me.

The rest of the screams were white noise, and the sea of faces was lost behind the flash of bulbs. I reached the ring and walked up the steps, climbing between the ropes with the boys behind me.

Kieran took off my robe as my music ended. After a brief pause, Rico Temple’s stupid-arse song rang in my ears. “I see his shit taste in music hasn’t improved,” shouted Kieran, making me smirk. I did a lap of the ring, ignoring the smoke machines and other stupid shit his entourage had going on. I wasn’t intimidated by his crap, the size of this place, or anything else. Like my girl had once said to me, the only thing I had to fear is fear itself.

Liam and Tommy sat in the front row, an empty seat between them. It didn’t matter that Em couldn’t make it on time. There would always be a seat for her wherever I was fighting. Whatever happened, however the next twelve rounds played out, this fight was for her. I would give the very best of myself, knowing that she’d taught me how. This was my tribute to the woman who’d changed my life. To the woman who’d changed me.

Chapter 27

I rotated my shoulders and shook out my arms as I waited for the bell. The emcee climbed into the ring and circled around as he waited for the crowd to settle. I’d met him a couple of times before, and he seemed like a really nice guy. He even came to wish me luck earlier on. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who thought that Rico Temple was an arsehole.

When the crowd finally calmed down enough for him to speak, he raised his microphone, and his booming voice echoed across the arena. “Ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to welcome you to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. AL Promotions presents the main event of the evening. Twelve rounds of boxing for the WBO Heavyweight Championship of the World. And now the officials are ready. The fighters are ready. Are you ready?” he called out, getting the crowd all riled up again.

“Boxing fans, ARE YOU READY?” he called out, and the crowd screamed back at him. “For the sixteen thousand eight hundred fans here in attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the millions watching around the world, courtesy of HBO, ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready to ruuummmbbble!” The whole arena was electrified, his words switching them on and bringing them to life.

“Introducing first, fighting out of the red corner, standing with his head coach Danny Driscoll, wearing green-and-white shorts and officially weighing in at two hundred twenty pounds. Tonight with honor, he challenges for the World Heavyweight title. The fighting pride of Ireland, Cormac ‘The Hurricane’ O’Connell.” The crowd erupted, and I raised my hand in the air in silent thanks.