Note: Acknowledgements to Meian16 for his help in writing the fight scenes!

Chapter Ten

After nearly half an hour had passed and some more fights had taken place, Samuel realised his number was almost up and he needed to get back to where the other fighters were waiting.

He looked over at Alexandra who had been leaning forward eagerly watching the fights yet not without some wincing and covering her eyes when it got intense.

Yet despite the excitement of the different fights, and the entertainment that went in between with the showgirls, Samuel kept his eyes and ears open for the mafia that Jason talked about.

He wondered whether to go around and see if he could find them, but he didn't want to leave Alexandra on her own just in case he drew attention to himself for the wrong reasons.

He also knew Alexandra was worried too, and this wasn't her field.

Samuel knew he could take down anyone who tried to hurt him, but Alexandra, even though he had taught her basic fighting moves and he knew she had her mace and stun gun, he still couldn't help but feel bad he had brought her here.

As the next fight ended, Samuel looked over to Alexandra and squeezed her hand.

"Babe?" he asked.

Alexandra looked over.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You know." Samuel said, "Give how I've only just found out the Mafia's here, and I know you're worried, if you're in comfortable in any way, we don't have to be here..."

Alexandra's eyes widned.

"What?" she asked stopping him right there.

"No Sam," she insisted "I'll be alright, you've worked hard to get here! You can't quit now! Not because some high powerful mobsters have decided to watch and bet like everyone else here! You should go down there and do what you came here to do! I'll be fine!"

Samuel blinked.

He was proud of his girlfriend that she was ready to support him, as well as at her courage being somewhere very dangerous and risky for a vulnerable woman.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Alexandra nodded with a determined frown on her face.

"Positive," she stated "And if anything happens..."

She opened her handbag again revealing her mace as well as the stun gun.

Samuel smiled as he remembered.

"I'm glad you're always prepared." He smiled and squeezed her hand before leaning over and kissing her.

Alexandra kissed him back and winked, then the announcers spoke up again to announce the next fight.

"So many fights and many more to go!"

The crowd cheered and screamed.

"Are you ready for more?" the second one cried to which the crowd yelled and screamed in agreement.

The announcer then to announce the next fighters.

"Then put your fists together! Stamp your feet and scream for our next fighters!"

"Up to Box his way to the top of the food chain! From Lincoln Nebraska, it's Jens Lemmington!"

A young man with blonde hair and tanned skin and wearing green shorts and lime green tapes around his fists stepped into the ring and did a few right and left hooks showing he was a boxer along with some rock music playing in the background as he made himself known to the crowd.

"And he will be facing, the striking, the precise Lyoto Summers from Raleigh North Carolina!"

The second fighter who was wearing tight white pants and had an eagle tattoo on his chest got into the cage and did a few front kicks as well as a floor punch making the crowd shout and cheer.

"Karate fighter verses a boxer." Samuel murmured as he watched "This should be good!"

No sooner did the fighters get given the word to start than Jens quickly took to the middle of the cage, putting his fists up in front of him and establishing control.

In response, Lyoto stayed on the outside of him, keeping a slight gap in between them as he started to circle around him.

Keeping his eye on Lyoto, Jens rushed at him and threw a punch aimed at his head.

Lyoto sidestepped out of the way and landed a swift kick to Jen's midsection as he did so to which Alexandra winced as she saw that, and her own stomach did a flip.

Grimacing slightly from the shot, Jens frowned before putting his hands back up and quickly turning to face Lyoto once more, closing the distance with him.

Lyoto stood his ground until Jens began to throw a combination of punches at him, aiming at both his head and body.

Lyoto did a superb job at dodging and blocking Jen's punches while connecting with counter strikes of his own.

"Whoa!" Alexandra exclaimed as she watched "It's only going to take a chance for one to get the other."

"They can't keep it up for long." Samuel clarified as he watched "One will get the upper hand before long!"

And he was right, for one of the blows Lyoto was successful at striking was a kick to the same spot he connected with not too long ago in the fight.

This time, however, the blow buckled Jens badly and he held his side, backing away from Lyoto.

Alexandra gasped when she saw that.

"He's a goner!" she muttered.

Seeing his opportunity, Lyoto rushed at Jens and was looking to end the fight, but as soon as he was within range, Jens threw a massive right hook that caught the oncoming Lyoto flush in his face, causing his body to go limp and crash down to the mat motionless.

The crowd was stunned as the referee checked on Lyoto, saw he was knocked out, and called for the end of the match.

Alexandra blinked.

"I didn't see that coming!" she exclaimed.

"Jens sure had hidden strength there!" Samuel agreed as he saw the announcer hold up Jens's arm in triumph announcing him the winner whilst Lyoto was placed on a stretcher and removed from the cage.

As that happened, Alexandra suddenly noticed a woman in a black suit and sunglasses walk over to the cage and to where Lyoto was and observe him.

At first, she wondered if the woman was checking on him out of concern, that was until the black suited woman looked to the cage and held up her hand giving a couple of finger gestures at Jens who looked to her.

Alexandra frowned as she observed then saw the black suited woman join a group of other men and women dressed in similar clothes seated near the cage to the right-hand side of the spectator's area.

She instantly called Samuel's attention to them and pointed at them.

"Do you see them?" she asked.

Samuel looked over and he too noticed them.

"Yes!" he said.

"You don't suppose they're the Mafia, do you?" Alexandra asked concerned "That Jason mentioned?"

"Might be." Samuel frowned as he analysed them "I can't see too clearly from here."

He pondered for a moment.

"I could ask the other fighters if they know, or I'll see if I can get close enough to find out."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Alexandra asked worried.

"I won't get too close." Samuel reassured her "Just close enough to try and find out anything important."

Samuel was about to stand up when the next fight was announced, and he sat back down again to watch.

This time it was Sean Winters from Providence, Rhode Island and Nate Roberts from Montpelier, Vermont.

From the starting bell, Sean and Nate met in the middle of the cage, both of them grappling one another and trying to get the other to the mat.

Both of them countered each other's transitions, so much so that the two of them ended up against the cage, Sean holding Nate against it.

No sooner did they start than Samuel was able to identify their fighting styles, Sean being a Ground Grappler and Nate being his style Jiu Jitsu.

Alexandra also noticed Nate's fighting style and looked at Samuel.

"Who's the strong one in this fight?" she asked.

"Either could take the other down." Samuel replied, "Let's just keep watching."

Suddenly, Nate adjusted so that he had Sean against the cage, he leapt up and wrapped his legs around his opponent's waist, throwing his body backwards in an attempt to get him down with his body weight.

However, Sean kept a tight grip on Nate and slammed him down to the mat hard on his back, landing on top of him in a dominant position.

Keeping Nate grounded, Sean maneuvered his body so that he was laying on him sideways. However, Nate countered this by locking one of his own legs with Sean's to keep him from moving while at the same time grabbing a hold of one of his arms and trying to apply a submission hold on him.

Gritting his teeth and mentally cursing, Sean tried to pull his arm away from Nate before he could put him in a submission, and Nate held onto him as best as he could.

Eventually, Sean snatched his arm back from Nate and maneuvered himself so that he was between his opponent's legs.

Nate grabbed one of Sean's arms and threw his legs up and around his head. He then began to pull on his arm and squeezes his legs around his head, locking on a Triangle Choke.

Alexandra's eyes widened as she recognised the move as one she had seen Samuel do in his previous fights, and she realised Sean was at Nate's mercy!

Samuel nodded his head as he observed, and he too saw Sean was going nowhere.

Sean's eyes went wide, and he managed to get to his feet, trying to free himself from Nate's hold, but Nate applied more pressure to him.

With no other option, Sean grabbed onto Nate as tight as he could and, mustering up all the strength he could, began to lift Nate off the mat until he was standing fully and had Nate up on his shoulders.

Alexandra and Samuel both gasped but Samuel narrowed his eyes as he knew this wasn't the end yet!

Keeping a tight grip on Sean's arm, Nate threw his body backwards and pushed his pelvis up into his opponent's arm, putting even more pressure on it and bending Sean's arm at an awkward angle.

Sean could feel his arm inches away from breaking and before it could, he tapped his hand repeatedly on Nate's leg, giving up and conceding the match.

At once the bell sounded seeing Sean tap out, and the fight was over.

Nate let go of Sean before standing up and throwing his arms in the air in triumph and the crowd cheered with joy and victory as well as booed in disappointment.

Amongst those cheering where the smartly dressed group Alexandra and Samuel had spotted as who they believed was the Mafia in attendance.

Samuel then realised it wouldn't be long until he was called up to fight and he looked at Alexandra.

"Babe." He said, "I think I'll be called soon."

Alexandra bit her lip.

"Okay hun." She said, "But be careful alright?"

Samuel nodded with his eyes narrowed.

"I'm always careful." He said as he kissed Alexandra and stood up "And you?"

Alexandra winked and patted her handbag which gave Samuel the answer he wanted, and he stood up and started to make his way back to the where the other fighters were awaiting their turn.

As well as him, there were a few other fighters who hadn't gone into the ring yet, so he had to join them.

Yet as he passed the area where the suited men and woman were, he couldn't help but linger to see if he could get any information about them.

From his observation, he could see they were wearing smart black suits which was typical of most Mafia groups.

Some were wearing dark glasses and a couple of men at the front wore large rings on their fingers with jewels that glittered in the lights.

"No doubt about it." He thought to himself "They got to be the Mafia; I better keep a close eye on them."

He walked back to the fighter's area where he saw Jason again along with six other fighters.

As soon as Jason saw him, he walked up.

"Thought you weren't coming back!" he said, "Where you been?"

"With Alex." Samuel said, "As well as observing the other fighters who've made it to the next round!"

"Right..." Jason replied.

"And I think I located the Mafia!" Samuel said in a low whisper.

"You have?" Jason asked.

Samuel nodded.

"They're near the cage dressed in suits and sunglasses, and the two men at the front are wearing large sparkling rings."

Jason's eyes widened.

"Swipe me..." he said, "It's the Chicago Outfit!"

"What?" Samuel asked not sure if he heard right.

"The Chicago Outfit!" Jason hissed "They're not just any Mafia! They're THE Mafia!"

Samuel went pale as he heard that, but he didn't have a chance to do or say anything else before he heard his name being called.

"Samuel Henry!"

He looked over to see the man with the clipboard calling him over.

"Thanks again for the heads up!" he said as he ran over to the man with the clipboard.

Jason nodded at Samuel as he ran off and bit his lip with worry, wondering why the Mafia were there and if they were just there to watch or do something bad.

Samuel and Jason weren't the only ones who were concerned, as Cam and Barry who had still been watching the fights from their hiding places behind the bleachers also saw the black Suited men and women and their eyebrows raised in question.

Barry was the first to spot them and nudged Cam who had been watching the showgirls with a hungry look in his eyes.

Cam was drawn away from the sight of the girls as he felt Barry nudging him.

"What is it?" he asked irritated, but Barry pointed to the suited men and women.

"Look!" he said.

Cam did so and cocked his head.

"Who...?" he asked.

"I'm not sure exactly." Barry said, "But they look rather familiar!"

Cam narrowed his eyes as he looked again then his eyes widened.

"Well knock me down with a raindrop!" he said, "Those can't be the Mafia?"

"My eyes don't lie my friend." Barry said "Those outfits, the details! We've seen them before during our gangster days!"

"Me too!" Cam agreed.

"The Chicago Outfit!" they said together.

Barry rubbed the top of his nose and looked at Cam.

"We should get closer to them." He said, "Find out where they're here!"

Cam nodded.

"And if we find out anything interesting, we can report back to the Boss!"

"Exactly!" Barry said "Then lets go!"

The tournement is still ongoing, and Alexandra and Samuel have spotted the Chicago Outfit Mafia (A real Mafia I may add, whose most famous member is Al Capone, aka Scarface!)

And they're not the only ones as Cam and Barry have spotted them too!