Protect & Serve(150)

With a running start, I jumped over the back of the couch and got him in a headlock.

“Nothing to worry about boys,” I yelled as I wrestled with Nick. “We’re good to go!”

“What the hell has gotten into you?” asked Jimmy. “Now you’re starting to look like the fighter we used to know.”

“Like I said, just had to take care of a little business.”

“Well, whatever it was I’m glad you did it. You had us a little concerned with how you were acting this week.”

I looked down at Nick and cocked an eyebrow. He was still struggling to get out of the headlock.

“Not me, Luke. I never worry about you.”

“Good because the only one who has anything to worry about is Simmons. He has no idea what’s about to hit him.”





31





Bria





I checked my phone obsessively. Luke said it would be close but I didn’t know how close. The fight was scheduled to start in less than an hour and we hadn’t even landed yet.

I had to be driving the poor woman who the M.M.A.C.S. sent to get me insane.

“Are we close yet?” I asked for the thousandth time.

“Almost, dear. The pilot is just waiting for clearance to land. He promised that the second a runway opens up he’ll get us on the ground.”

She was sweet. From the moment the car service picked me up she was helping me. She told me what to expect when we got to the arena, the fastest way to get through security to the locker rooms, and a host of other details.

I didn’t have time to do anything before I left. The freedom I felt was similar to what I had when we took the vacation. It was a sensation I didn’t plan on losing this time.

While I was waiting at the airport for the jet to finish refueling I decided to call the office. Christine tried to screen me out but I told her if she didn’t put me through to Jones I’d keep calling all day until I got him.

When he answered there was a lot of trepidation in his voice. He asked how I was doing.

I’d told him that wasn’t his concern anymore. I also told him HR could stop their stupid investigation because there was no way I was going back to work at that place even if they didn’t find me at fault. He was taken aback.

He started in with a bunch of lawyer-speak about how he didn’t want to lose me but because of the liability… and on and on.

I told him I didn’t care about that and then let him know what I thought of him for not seeing my side of the situation. Then I told him what a psychotic bitch his assistant was and how she made all of the employees miserable. He seemed genuinely surprised by that but I couldn’t be bothered to stick around for his response. I hung up on him mid-sentence. It was one of the more satisfying phone calls of my life.

I didn’t even dwell on it either. I had a better path in life now. My thoughts were focused on the here and now. And that meant that the future would take care of itself, whatever it may hold.

Today that meant going to Luke.

The plan was for me to get to the locker room so that I could see him before the fight. They had a VIP section in the front row where the friends and family of the fighters were allowed to sit. I would be allowed in there after seeing him.

“Okay, honey. The captain just told me we are cleared to land. It should only be a few more minutes now.”

“Oh thank you so much.”

I felt a little ashamed that I couldn’t remember her name.”

It was ten after eight now. I prayed I would make it in time.

During the flight I busied myself by reading articles about the fight. A lot of the publications picked Luke to win but most thought it would be a really close fight. It was more real to me now than it had been before.

I’d never been to any live sporting event, let alone a prize fight where the man I loved was one of the competitors. It’s funny, in all the time I’d spent with him I never thought about what it would be like when it came time for him to actually fight. He seemed indestructible to me. Now all I could think about was his humanity...

My stomach turned just thinking about him getting hit.

What if he got hurt?

What if he lost?

I was jostled in my seat as the jet touched down.

“And just like that, we’re here,” said the nameless woman with the soft eyes.

We taxied to a stop after a few minutes of maneuvering around the tarmac by the pilot.

It was eight-nineteen.

“Okay, Bria. The stairway is down. We can exit the jet.”

I took a deep breath and unfastened my seat belt.

Here we go.

There was a long black car waiting for me.

“This way, ma’am,” said an older gentleman in a blue suit. “I’ll be escorting you to the event.”

“Thank you. I think we’re running out of time.”