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“We’ve got my press pass, and I’ll text Lincoln to come get us when we get there.”
“Okay, that works.”
“I hope my brother doesn’t lose his shit when he finds out you’re here for the fight,” Tia said as she bit off another piece of her red licorice.
“I need to let him know in person that I’m okay. That Leo didn’t do this. That he should just focus on all the work he’s doneto prepare for this fight. I was always supposed to be here,” I said, feeling butterflies swarm my belly because this was really happening. Everything he’d worked for was happening today.
“He can’t get too mad. You’ve got the sympathy sling on your arm and the whole concussed thing going for you,” Tia said.
I chuckled as we turned into the hotel, and Brinkley groaned at all the traffic. “Okay, we need to get up front somehow,” she said before she shocked the shit out of me and pulled into a lane that was coned off and drove down with people shouting at her.
“I guess we’re doing this,” I said when she put the car into park.
“Hey, this lane is closed. You need to get in line!” a guy who was in his early twenties shouted before he jogged toward us and came to a stop right in front of me.
“This here is the girlfriend of Romeo Knight, the guy fighting tonight. This is his sister, and I’m his sister-in-law. And I’ve got a press pass that says I need to be in there before this starts. How about you be a good guy and help us out?”
He looked between us and held his gaze on me and then nodded slowly. “Yeah, I recognize her from Leo’s social media. And wait a minute, aren’t you married to that NFL quarterback?”
“Damn straight.”
“If I let you go, will you get me both of their signatures?” he asked, as he raised a brow.
“Yes. Done.” Brinkley tossed him her keys.
“What’s your name?” I asked, already on the move.
“Johnny Cane!” he shouted after us.
“We will be back with autographs, Johnny Cane!” I yelled. We were moving as fast as we could without jostling my arm, as we made our way across several lanes in the valet area now.
“Come on, we’ve got to get inside first, and then we’ll figure out where to go.” Brinkley was just ahead of us and she keptturning around and telling me not to run. She led us to the events area and headed straight for the VIP line, which was thankfully much shorter than the other lines.
“Thank goodness your magazine splurges for the good seats,” Tia said. Brinkley pulled her phone out for them to scan the tickets.
We hustled once again, walking briskly, which was not easy without the use of one arm.
We stopped at the escalator, and there was security there.
Brinkley stepped to the side and pulled out her phone and dialed Lincoln. “Hey. I’m here. I need you to do something for me without asking any questions.”
She paused and listened. “Very cooperative today, Captain. I need three badges to get down there.”
“No. It’s not press.” She paused again. “What did I say about all the questions? Can you just trust me on this?” More silence. “Love you, too.”
I kept looking at the time and glanced over my shoulder to see the crowds of people piling into the auditorium. It finally hit me that we were actually here.
This fight was happening.
“Oh my God. I’m going to throw up,” Tia said as she looked around, and her face went completely pale.
“You keep it together, T. They won’t let you back there if you start freaking out. And if Romeo sees you upset, he’ll worry about you. We’re here for him. Got it?” Brinkley’s voice was eerily calm, and even I pulled my shit together.
Tia nodded. “Okay.”
Lincoln came up the escalator, and his shoulders slumped when he saw the three of us standing there. He nodded at the security guard and flashed the passes. “These three are with me.”
The guy scanned the badges and moved aside to let us through.
