Mason:Inked Reapers MC(94)

Kait felt a flutter of excitement run through her. So when Jasper won,  which he was of course going to-she had to believe that-she'd get back  fifty times her original bet. Her mind struggled to reach the grand  total which would buy a house outright along with a car and a luxury  beach holiday. She started to feel slightly dizzy.



"Are you sure you want to do this?" The guy asked warily, misreading Kait's excitement for reluctance.



"Yes," Kait nodded confidently. "I'm sure."



"Okay then," the guy began processing the bet, "but don't say I didn't warn you."





Chapter 109



Outside the betting office, Kait hungrily cleaned in the fresh, outdoor  air. Her hands were shaking by her side. She'd never in her life spent  so much money before and definitely not in such a reckless way. There  was a risk that she'd never see that money again which she'd worked so  hard for, but it was worth it because placing the bet meant she was  going all in on Jasper, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.



When she was quite certain that her heart had settled in her chest, she  headed back to the office, wondering how she'd possibly make it through  the next few hours at work when all she could think about was the  impending fight that was going to change their lives either for better  or worse.





Chapter 110



Jasper turned up the music in his ears so that it was at a deafening  volume. It was the only way to drown out all the negative thoughts which  constantly plagued him. In just a t-shirt and shorts, he was heading  out for a jog before going to train at the gym for a few hours. It was a  good way to test his bad knee which had actually starting to improve  over the last few days. Jasper was daring to believe that he perhaps  wouldn't need surgery on it at all.



His feet pounded the pavement in time with the angry rap music he  listened to. It had been the music of his childhood, the soundtrack to  his rise from the bottom to the top. He liked the emotion that came  across in rap music, the gritty determination that the artists had and  Jasper shared.



As the music played, he ran with the sun warming his back. He ran all  through the upmarket neighborhood he lived in and ended up at the edge  of the local pool where the sunlight glistened against its vast glassy  surface. Picking up speed, Jasper completed a circuit around the pool.  Even then he had only just started to sweat. He went around a second  time. Now his t-shirt was starting to cling to his back and he was  breathing heavily. The music pounding in his ears helped keep his energy  up. He briskly jogged back to his apartment building where Carl was  impatiently waiting at the front entrance.



"You're late," Carl taped the face of his designer watch. Jasper clocked  the item with surprise, wondering why his agent hadn't yet pawned it if  times were really so hard for them both financially. And if Jasper was  struggling for money, then surely Carl must be too since Jasper was his  sole client? The watch was easily worth several thousands of dollars  even second hand.



"Nice watch," Jasper commented as he climbed in to the car which was parked on the curb and waiting for him.



"Win tonight and you can treat yourself to one," Carl quipped, climbing in the driver's side of the vehicle.



"I told you to be ready for ten," Carl announced sharply as he started the engine.                       
       
           



       



"And what is it now?" Jasper glanced at the clock on the car's dashboard, "ten fifteen, I'm hardly late."



"We're on a tight schedule today, Jasper," Carl explained, gritting his teeth.



"And whose fault is that?" Jasper threw back. "You're the one who wanted three hours this afternoon to just chill."



"I told you, I've got a meeting."



"With who?" Jasper lamented. "I don't have any sponsors, and you don't have any clients except me."



"How about I let you do your job and you let me do mine, deal?"



"Deal," Jasper grumbled, turning to look out the window at the houses  speeding by. Houses he'd previously just jogged past. He'd forgotten how  much he used to enjoy running, especially first thing in the morning or  late at night when it felt like everyone else was sleeping and the  whole world was beautifully still.



But thanks to his bad knee, he'd tried to avoid running excessively.



"My knee is feeling better," he commented to Carl.



"Is it? Oh, good," Carl replied somewhat absently. Jasper frowned; he'd  thought his agent would be ecstatic to hear such news. Perhaps he was  just feeling nervous about the fight. After all, he had his career  riding on it just as Jasper did. Win or lose, they were in it together.  That's what Jasper had always liked about Carl; he'd been with him as he  rose to the top. It helped him feel like he could trust him. He just  wished that Kait liked Carl at least a bit. It was going to be difficult  juggling the pair of them in the future, but Jasper would adapt; he'd  have to. He couldn't foresee either of them going anywhere.



"I'm feeling really good about tonight," Jasper added, smacking his hands together.



"Sure you'll do great," Carl was pulling in to the car park of the gym.



"Great? I'm going to kill it!" Jasper insisted.



"I know," Carl turned and smiled at him, but there was a sadness in his eyes which Jasper hadn't seen before.



"Everything okay?" He wondered anxiously.



"Yeah," Carl shook himself, and the sadness was gone. He was back to his old, sharp self.



"Are you okay to spot me for a bit?" Jasper enquired as he climbed out of the car.



"Absolutely," Carl grinned enthusiastically, "anything for you."





Chapter 111



Kait held her breath as the lights went down in the arena, and the two  fighters were introduced in to the ring. People were cheering louder for  Jasper's opponent, already discounting him as a has-been. It pained  Kait to hear. She just had to keep telling herself that Jasper was about  to turn it all around. She was once again on the front row on the  opposite side of the ring to Jasper. She sat there tightly crossing her  fingers.



He looked powerful and determined as he stepped in to the ring wearing  bright red shorts and a matching helmet. As he banged his gloved hands  together, he revealed his impressive muscles. Jasper was ready. Kait  could feel the energy radiating off from him over to her. He'd been  training aggressively and it had all been for this moment  –  for this  chance to reclaim his rightful glory.





Chapter 112



Before a fight, Jasper always got tunnel vision. He had learned that it  was important to focus solely on the task at hand, not get caught up in  the excitement of the crowd or be cowed by the grandeur of a venue. All  that mattered was landing his punches correctly and winning.



Jasper stepped in to the ring feeling like he was on fire. Every fiber  in his body tingled with anticipation, ready to spring in to action. He  could do this. He was not going to go down in the second, he was going  to win! The referee dropped his arm, a bell sounded, and the first round  commenced.



The next few minutes were a whirlwind of expertly executed punches,  kicks, and dodges. Jasper thundered at his opponent like an angry  tornado from which there was no escape. He punched hard and fast, and by  the time the bell run to signal the end of the round he was ahead on  points.



As he dropped down on to his stool in his corner of the ring, he tried  not to get déjà vu. This was how it had gone down before  –  he'd come out  strong and ended up burning out.



Leaning back Jasper panted heavily and removed his mouth guard so that  he could drink from the sports bottle that Carl had just given him.



"Way to go there, champ," Carl shouted to be heard over the excitement roar of the crowd.



"You've got this."



Jasper could only nod as he hungrily downed the liquid inside the sports  bottle, wiping his mouth afterward, and taking a few more seconds to  gather his strength before commencing the next round.                       
       
           



       





Chapter 113



"Please, don't be tainted," Kait couldn't take her eyes off the water  bottle in Jasper's hand as he gripped it tightly and drank deeply from  it. With each swallow, Kait grew even tenser. Her mind hammered panicked  questions at her.



What if Carl switched the drinks back? What if he'd known what she'd  done? What if Jasper were now to lose? They'd both lose everything.



"Come on," Kait crossed her fingers even tighter. It had to have worked. She had to have stopped Carl.