Chapter 21
Rafi
I wake up to my alarm, 7 AM. I didn't set it early today because I needed to be able to rest fully. But now I need to get up and get going. My first meeting isn't until 9, but I have a panel of reporters to deal with, another photoshoot, more work on Twitter for the muscle tape company.
It's going to be a long day. I look over at Emma and she's completely passed out. I never get to see her like this, she's always the first one up in the morning. She has an internal alarm clock that just wakes her up at 5 am every day. Sometimes I think even earlier. It's no wonder she doesn't normally go out and party.
I'm glad she's enjoying herself though. But I know she might regret the drinks so I quickly throw on my shorts and shirt and quietly exit the bedroom, letting the door softly click shut behind me.
I order room service, plenty of fruit and eggs for me and plenty of baked goods and sugar for her. I had it scheduled to arrive an hour later so I could get in some last minute push-ups, jumping jacks and crunches in. No other time to exercise today before the fight.
I'm hopping on the balls of my feet, releasing some energy, keeping my body warm and ready, when room service arrives. I tip the guy and carry the tray in.
Emma's still sound asleep so I grab a big glass of water and two aspirin and sit beside her. Brushing her hair away from her face, her thick dark lashes begin to flutter. A soft moan leaves her lips and before opening her eyes, she stretches her body out, like a cat. Eventually her eyes open and she rubs them and grumbles.
"Mhmm. Hey," her voice heavy with sleep. I chuckle, she's definitely got a hangover. Hopefully not too bad.
"Hey." I hand her the aspirin and she looks up at me with relief, taking them and downing the entire glass of water.
"Oh my god, what time is it?"
"It's about 8."
"Shit." She rubs her forehead, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry about last night," she says quietly and looks away.
"What are you talking about?"
"I didn't mean to drink like that. I'm sorry if I was an ass."
"Babe." She doesn't look at me, so I crawl over her and capture her between my arms. "You definitely were not an ass. You giggled a lot, got me horny, then passed out. I just knew you'd be hurting this morning since you don't normally drink like that."
She cringes and covers her eyes with her hand.
"Bad hangover?"
"No. I have a little bit of a headache, it's fine though. Just realizing I have to get up and, you know, be present. And I fell asleep with my hair in a towel. It's gonna take a while to fix."
"There's not a damn thing to fix. You could show up to my match like this and I'd be psyched."
She laughs and pushes me away so we can both get up.
"I ordered breakfast for when you're ready. I'm going to go eat. Your glasses are on the table next to you. Come out when you're ready."
She nods and I leave her to it. I make up a plate and grab a seat at the table by the window. There was once a time when living in Vegas was a dream, but it was less the city and more that I thought this was where I needed to be to move up in the world.
Being with Emma has made me realize that I don't really need to have ten matches a year to be happy. I don't need to rake in cash. I'll make enough at this fight and a few others scattered around to have us both set for life. Just me and her and maybe a cat. And the hot tub.
She comes out a few minutes later and makes a plate. As I suspected, she stocks up on pastries and comes to join me. We eat in comfortable silence for a while before my phone starts going off and I know my day is about to start.
Eventually, I'm pulled away from her, and we say goodbye for the day. I can't fucking wait for tonight. I'm excited for the match but it will also be the first one she watches. Having her there makes it feel more thrilling, to show her what I'm capable of. Maybe it's some bullshit alpha male stereotype but I'm looking forward to showing her that I am the best. I can provide for her. I can protect her.
Looking forward to tonight makes the rest of the day that much more bearable.
* * *
In the VIP room at the back of the stadium, the sound of 100,000 people out there reverberates and rattles the walls and windows. It's the biggest fight of my career. My opponent, Gonsales, has been the reigning Nationals Champion for two years, but he lost his International fight. I've been watching his matches, following his career. He's only a couple of years older than me but he's been in the game a while.
I've no doubt I'm going to win. We have a similar fighting style, but his history is rooted strongly in kickboxing. I have a particular talent at taking down kickboxers, my ability to move quick but with brute force is unparalleled. So no, I'm not worried.
Coach finishes wrapping the KT tape around my arm, the same brand I'm advertising for the endorsement deal. I've used it pretty much every day since I took on the deal, making sure I supported the product, and fortunately, I do. It holds up great, doesn't sweat off.
"Okay, don't forget, in his last match against Warrick, at Internationals, he lost because he kept dropping his right shoulder. It's a habit formed from an old injury. It'll tell you everything you need to know. Watch his shoulder."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Coach." I nod, ready to start. I'm itching to get out there, itching to fight. I stand and bounce on the balls of my feet, helping to release some of the adrenaline.
I hear the announcers and it's time.
I make my way out of the room, approaching the long hallway and the onslaught of lights of thousands of cameras. I'm the challenger, so I come out first. In a booming, echoing voice, the announcer lists my stats, my weight, my gym and Coach as I bite down on my mouthguard and approach the cage.
Before I climb in, I look to where she should be seated and she's hard to spot but I find her. She can't tell because of my mouth guard but I'm smiling.
She looks massively uncomfortable and it only makes me laugh, because crowds and people and cameras are not her thing. Hell, she leads a secret life as The Heart Thief, she definitely doesn't want attention drawn to her. All the more reason it means a lot that she's here to support me. I won't let her down.
I'm glad Stetson's sitting beside her, so no reporters or fans fuck with her. I move to climb in when I spot a familiar blonde head flash behind Emma. The head stops moving and I'm right. Fucking Tina. She gives me a wide smile and I shake my head, not willing to let that crazy bitch distract me. I look back to the cage and climb in.
The announcer brings out Gonsales, listing off his many accomplishments. The guy is impressive. But I'm about to knock him down a peg.
He comes out and the crowd roars. They didn't boo me, which is sometimes common for the challenger, but Gonsales is the reigning champion, he deserves this level of respect. He meets me in the cage and we nod respectfully to each other. We've met a few times now, most recently at the press conference a couple of hours ago.
The announcer steps back and we begin. I know instantly that it's no contest. He's injured. It's very slight, and he's working hard to hide it, but his shoulder is bothering him. I almost feel bad. Still, I draw it out.
He kicks high and I duck, pushing him off. We grapple and fall into a roll before I kick and push him off me, not letting him corner me. I hear Coach at the corner of the ring yelling, 'finish it!' but I'm having too much fun. Gonsales knows it too, he's getting frustrated with me. His punches are getting sloppy.
The fight goes on for another few minutes like this before I decide to finally put him out of his misery. I let him lunge for me then wrap my legs and take him down, getting him pinned just right so the pressure on his shoulder doesn't relent. The announcer shouts enthusiastically, ready to call it, the crowds roaring, when suddenly, there's a booming crack.
I don't release Gonsales, but we both freeze. There's another crack, and a loud screeching tears through the auditorium, a piercing, echoing sound. The announcer yells frantically, so I let go of Gonsales and look up. The cage of lights overhead, covering nearly the entire arena, is coming down. One section, close to one of the exits, has already cracked and nearly hit the ground.
People are screaming and running wildly, bodies colliding. Gonsales and I burst out of the cage and I try to run toward Emma but there's too many people between us. Somehow, through all the chaos, Stetson and I catch eyes. I don't know if he can hear me but I point to the back exit, "GET HER OUT OF HERE!" I scream. He nods and I watch as he grabs her and takes off to the closest exit.
I trust Stetson to protect her from panicking crowds, but I still wait until they're close enough to the red lit exit sign before I can focus on anything else. The beam overhead cracks again and Gonsales and I bolt toward the back hall, both of our respective teams waiting for us.
Arena staff are finally starting to get involved. A loud smash shakes the ground, one of the metal cages holding up the lighting system has fallen completely. I don't see any people near it thank god, but it's increased the intensity and panic in the room ten-fold.
We manage to work with the staff and help to get everyone out safely, as far as anyone can tell. We make it back to the VIP room and Coach says we need to head to a different part of the building for safety reasons and everyone's ushered away. I text Stetson to make sure they're safe, and he replies immediately, assuring me they're away from the building and heading to the hotel room. I tell him I'm not sure when but I'll meet them there.
What a fucking shit show.