Page 63 of Liar & Champion
He lurched to his feet, but didn’t drop his dinner. “Mrs. Death-Hammer. Do you need to go somewhere?” Somehow he didn’t look directly at the dress or my Vegas standard cleavage. Guy was seriously quality.
I patted his enormous shoulder. “Hey, I just thought, wouldn’t it be nice to go down to the fight and tell Nix personally how grateful I am for all the sacrifices he’s made for me? You can come if you’d like. Do you think I’ll need a ticket to get in? I’m not interested in watching the fight, just seeing my husband.” Would it get him in trouble to have his wife on the set? Naw. I’djust pretend I was one of the girls who went to these things so it looked better on tv. They always got in free, anyway, right? Like Jezebel and company. I was wearing my ticket.
He blinked at me and then followed me quickly when I didn’t wait for his permission. Too bad he didn’t get to finish his kebabs, but I was on a time crunch here.
“No, you won’t need tickets, it’s just that it’s going to be a crush, first fight of the season, and some of the fans’ll get a little wild.”
I flashed him a smile. “Then aren’t I lucky to have a big strong man at my side to protect me.”
His frown was interesting. He was a bodyguard, wasn’t he? Of course bodyguards would want to minimize risk first of all, but this wasn’t some back alley brawl.
I walked with confidence in my yellow heels, all the way to the elevator, then stood with Tom at my shoulder, still eating his kabobs because the man was sensible. He could probably double it as a weapon if that’s what we needed.
“So, you’re surprising Nix tonight,” he said between the roasted chicken and the zucchini.
“Do you think it’ll get him in trouble with the boss?”
“Oh, he’s the boss. He does good work, too. I think you’ll agree once you see him in action.” He sounded so proud of Nix.
I flashed him a smile. “I’m sure I will. He’s been more than competent at everything he’s put his mind to.”
He nodded and ate the zucchini and the next two peppers in one bite, then swallowed without entirely chewing. “I’m not surprised by that. He’s always been nervous about the idea of setting down with one woman, but once he commits, he’s in it for the long haul.”
Or six months, but same difference.
Chapter Twenty
LIAR
In the lobby, it was distinctly empty, like everyone was already somewhere else. At the fight, of course. The sidewalk was the same, except the closer we got to the MGM, the busier it got, until we were in quite a press, but Tom stayed in front and to the side, pushing through like the wall he was. He was a nice wall, and no one seemed to mind parting for him.
There was only one instance where things got awkward, and that’s when some guys were yelling at each other, and one of them tripped and went down right next to me. I bent down to help him up, giving him an eye-full of my magic bra, and he came up all feral and stuff, but Tom was there, pushing him back, his voice low, soothing while he tugged me forward with an arm around me, blocking anyone else who might get crazy.
No one did. It’s like everyone’s reaction was the same if they thought I was with Tom. “Tom, your girl’s an angel!” “Tom, don’t you know better than to take a lady to a fight?” That kind of thing.
He didn’t answer them, and I didn’t either, just went along with his arm kind of around me as he blocked anyone else who might get too friendly. Finally, we slipped through a side door,Tom’s key opening it easily, and then we were in a hall that smelled like lemon polish and lavender, a bit strong to keep the body odor down. It didn’t do anything to block out the sound of raving fans, though. The announcer’s voice was low, deep, compelling, reminding me of Horse.
“And now, to start our lineup, we have a newcomer that you are going to like. Welcome Angel! He’s so pretty, but he won’t be pretty when he’s done here. Let’s hear it for Angel!”
The crowd screamed. I grabbed Tom’s hand.
“Hey, is there somewhere I can watch the fight? I’m kind of curious. Somewhere out of the way, not public, maybe close to where the fighters come out?” Was that too obvious? Probably. I smiled extra bright.
He gave me a curious look then slowly nodded. “Sure. I have just the box. No one should be using it tonight, it’s where the people with backstage passes go so it’s a short distance. It’s a maze down here though, easy to get lost.”
“A box? Sounds perfect.”
He smiled almost warmly. “Sure. We’ll get some food down there, and then you can be more comfortable, out of harm’s way, but right there where you can surprise Nix.” He gave me an approving nod, and I felt guilty for using him to see Beastie, although I was also here to see Nix. Of course I was. He’d given me a kitchen and a studio. Not to mention a wardrobe. I’d kiss his socks off the first chance I got. Right after I gave Beastie a piece of my mind. And a shot of morphine. If he was here. He probably wasn’t here.
“The fight is in the center with stands all around, but under the stands are boxes, and they have screens that interrupt the benches, you know, so you pay for good views and don’t have to worry about blood. Some people like the blood.”
I kept my smile in place while my stomach roiled. If Beastie was actually spraying his blood around, I was going to kill him.
The private box was nice, luxury carpet, couches that were waiting for an orgy, and a big window that was part glass and part tv screens that showed the fight up close and personal.
I stood there for a second, staring at my idiot bestie who was walking around on the white square looking like he was checking his tires, just totally out of place, no fear, no tension in his bare shoulders, but he was wearing nothing but a pair of white shorts and looked about as pure and pretty as an angel.
“That’s a new guy,” Tom said as he ushered me forward with a hand on the small of my back. “Sit down, get comfortable. This fight won’t last too long, no more than thirty minutes and then you can see Nix.”
