Mason:Inked Reapers MC(89)

As the announcer welcomed Jasper's opponent to the stage, Kait knew  without a shadow of a doubt that Carl Santino couldn't be trusted and  worse, that he was probably looking to ruin Jasper just like he had with  all his other clients and his strange sports drinks were somehow a part  of that.





Chapter 94



Jasper could feel the adrenaline running through his veins. He was  pumped up and on fire. As the announcer called his name and the crowd  roared, he knew he could do this; he knew that he could win. He couldn't  even feel his bad knee which was wrapped with a supportive brace.



Knocking his hands together, Jasper was ready. He bounced from foot to  foot, unable to keep still. The hum of the excited audience further  fuelled his energy. This was his moment to reclaim his status, to prove  to the world that he wasn't done yet, that Jasper Duboix still had  something left to give.                       
       
           



       



"Fight!"



The first bell rung, and Jasper leapt at his opponent like a wild cat,  throwing punches which landed with deadly accuracy. All the other  fighter could do was try and remain standing while he took the blows.  Jasper clamped his teeth against his mouth guard and kept punching. His  arms felt like powerful springs which just kept releasing. He felt like  he could go all night.



Another bell rung. The first round was over, and Jasper was ahead on  points, but the way he was performing, his opponent would be knocked out  before too long.



"That was amazing, Jasper, just brilliant," Carl approached his corner  of the ring as Jasper dropped on to a waiting stool and used a towel to  try and dry up some of the sweat which was running down him in rivers.



"Thanks," Jasper replied breathlessly.



"I knew you could do it," Carl was patting him on the way as though he'd  already won. "He's basically all yours for the taking now."



Carl passed a plastic sports bottle up in to the ring. Jasper raised it  to his mouth and drank heavily, too dehydrated to even glimpse at it.  Once he was in a fight, he ran on auto-pilot. All of his behaviors were  learned and tactical.



"That's it," Carl commended him, "you'll need all your energy to finish this guy off."





Chapter 95



"Jasper, no!" Kait was screaming to be heard over the roar of the crowd.  Jasper was on the other side of the ring, drinking down the sports  drink Carl had given him. Kait felt the knot in her stomach tighten with  each sip he took. She kept screaming and waving at him, but it did no  good; it was like he was completely spaced out and unaware of his  surroundings.



"Dammit," Kait eventually had to admit as she sagged back down in her  chair and the announcer declared the start of the second round. As she  watched Jasper stand back up and approach the center of the ring,  banging his fists together in an intimidating way, she felt sick. She  sensed that something terrible was about to happen and there was nothing  she could do to stop it; all she could do was watch.





Chapter 96



With each step he took, Jasper felt the energy seep out of his body like  water down a drain. He suddenly felt exhausted. Gone was the  excitement, the adrenaline. In its place was never ending fatigue.  Jasper felt like he'd looked down a well and the limitless darkness he  saw had somehow invaded his body.



"Come on," he urged himself with a brisk shake of the head. Was one  round really all he had in him? He'd been training harder than ever.  Surely he could last longer than this?



But as a punch connected with his chest, knocking the air out of his  lungs, Jasper realized that one round was truly all he had to give. He  did his best to avoid his opponent's punches and kicks but his own  movements were slow and sluggish. Each time he saw a punch coming, he  was unable to move out of the way in time. He heard his own bones crack  as powerful blows connected with his cheeks, shoulders, and ribs. He was  utterly powerless to do anything other than take a beating. Soon, even  remaining standing was an effort.



"Just don't drop," Jasper thought to himself. Because if he dropped in  the second round it really was all over. He'd go from being a has-been  to a joke.



Gritting his teeth, Jasper weathered more blows, but his body was  beginning to crumble beneath him, like a cake that hadn't been cooked  long enough. His opponent delivered a sharp right hook, and Jasper went  down. First he staggered back, noticing his own blood splattered across  the mat. And then he dropped. His knees buckled, and he fell to the mat  like a defeated giant. Before he closed his eyes, he saw the crowd on  their feet, yelling and jeering. Were they happy or mad? He couldn't  tell. As he slid into darkness, the arena became still and silent.





Chapter 97



"Jasper! Oh God, no!" Kait was crying, one hand hovering over her mouth  in horror. Jasper lay on the mat of the ring, his eyes closed.



"I've never seen someone go down that hard," the person behind her noted sadly to their companion.



"Jasper!" Kait had to get to him. She pushed towards the burly security  guard, and instead of holding her back, his stern face crinkled with  pity. He let her pass and hurry towards Jasper's corner of the ring  where Carl was already poised to help escort him back to the dressing  room.



"What the hell happened to him?" Kait demanded shrilly.



"He lost, that's what happened," Carl replied tersely. He was on his phone and seemed distracted.



"It was that drink!" Kait reached for his shoulder and spun him around to face her.                       
       
           



       



"You're hysterical," Carl told her, his eyes narrowing.



"He's unconscious!" Kait gestured madly towards the ring where paramedics were now bent over Jasper.



"He'll be fine," Carl shrugged. "Fights get knocked out all the time.  We'll give him a precautionary MRI, one night in hospital and he will be  right as rain."



"You're a monster!" Kait spat through gritted teeth.



"How about you go and tend to your boyfriend instead of arguing with  me?" Carl suggested in a sickly sweet voice. Kait wanted to tell him to  go to hell and to slap the smug smile off his face, but she needed to be  with Jasper. With a terse sigh, she left Carl and went to check on the  man she loved.





Chapter 98



When Jasper opened his eyes, all he saw was blinding light. He squinted  against it and tried to get his bearings. As he moved, he felt the sting  of something restrictive in his arm. The more he looked, the more he  recognized the white tiles on the ceiling and the beeping which provided  an annoying soundtrack to his thoughts. He was in hospital. Which could  mean only one thing  –  he'd lost. Regret powered through him like a  blade. How could he have lost? He was primed to win. He went out hard  and fast in the first round. Had he given too much too soon?



His head ached with all his questions, and the machines beeped shrilly in disapproval.



"Argh," he groaned. "Dammit."



"Jasper?" Kait's voice was welcome and sweet beside him. He felt her  touch upon his hand before he was able to turn on his pillow and look at  her.



"Kait," he coughed her name. His throat was so sore, as though he'd been swallowing razor blades all afternoon.



"I'm so glad you're awake," Kait told him, squeezing his hand harder.



"What?" Jasper swallowed nervously, not sure he truly wanted to know. "What happened?"



He saw the pained look on Kait's face which said it all.



"I lost, didn't I?"



She nodded, confirming his initial fears.



"Dammit!" he slumped back angrily against his pillows.



"But I think I know why," Kait moved closer to the bed, her voice low.



"Because I'm past it," Jasper replied bitterly. "Because I've had my  time and now I'm going to go out as a loser. I'll never be back on top."



"No!" Kait's tone was insistent. "It's because Carl has been drugging you."



"What?" Jasper titled his head to gaze at her. She sounded crazy.



"It's those drinks," Kait continued, talking quickly. "Those damn drinks  that Carl insists you drink. There must be something in them, something  that sedates you and forces you to lose. You need to stop drinking the  drinks, Jasper!"



"Kait," Jasper gave her a sad smile. She was sweet to try and make him  feel better, but what he needed to be doing was addressing the facts. He  was past his prime and needed to finally accept that. Kait's crazed  theories weren't going to make anything better.