Chapter 30

thirty

. . .

Demi

The factthat I’d spent three freaking nights in this hospital when I should have been released shortly after the surgery had pissed me off beyond belief.

I was fine.

My tests had all come back normal.

I had a broken arm. Lots of people broke their arms, and they didn’t spend three nights in the hospital. Yes, I’d hit my head. Also, not my first time hitting my head. My dad was playing games. I’d now realized who he was. He always got his way because he played dirty.

He didn’t want me at that fight, and he’d proven his point.

But he’d better buckle up because I was about to break myself out of this hospital and get my ass to that fight.

I was going to be there for Romeo whether my father approved of it or not.

Brinkley, Peyton, and Tia had taken shifts staying here with me. They’d finally admitted that Romeo had asked them to make sure someone was with me at all times. They were keeping him updated on how I was doing.

I never doubted that he loved me.

I knew he needed to be focused on the fight, or I’d snatch Tia’s phone and call him right now. But worrying about me was the last thing he should be doing.

I didn’t need my father’s permission to go to Las Vegas.

I didn’t need Romeo’s permission to go to his fight either.

I was a grown-ass woman who could make my own choices.

Unfortunately, I needed Dr. Westman’s permission to get the hell out of here.

“How’d you sleep?” Tia asked from the cot beside me as she stretched her arms over her head.

“Not good. It’s fight day. We’ve got to get out of here, Tia. I mean, we are down to the wire.”

“Demi, I think you need to just watch the fight on TV here. Your dad is not going to be okay with this. And Romeo doesn’t want you at that fight. He doesn’t want you anywhere near Leo.”

“And I respect their opinions, but I disagree. And I’m going, with or without you guys,” I said, just as Brinkley walked into the room with three coffees in her hands.

“What are we talking about?” she asked as she studied me and handed me my drink.

“The fight. I’m going to be there. Where is Dr. Westman? I’ve had enough.”

Brinkley studied me for a long moment and then handed Tia her coffee. “There are two police officers waiting out in the hallway to speak to you. They think they have a lead.”

“What the hell is going on? Is everyone trying to stop me from going to that fight?” I tossed my hands into the air.

“I don’t think they care about the fight. I think they care about catching the guys who put you in here. And if we can prove Leo did it, then I am all for it.”

“Fine. Send them in.” I shrugged as the nurse walked into the room. “Maggie, I’m begging you to get Dr. Westman to come here and release me. Please.”

She nodded. “He said he was coming here in about fifteen minutes. So, hang tight. I’ll go see where he is.”

The two officers came walking in, and I sat on the edge of the bed as they both stood in front of me. “I know we’ve questioned you a lot about this, but we found some footage that actually came from the cameras that you had installed on your building. Peyton gave us all the tapes, and we’ve been going through them. We didn’t think the angles were going to catch anything, but sure enough, we got a pretty good photo of the man who struck you because his mask had come off when Romeo had thrown him to the ground. We can’t see the other two men’s faces, but if we can catch one, it’ll lead to the others.”

“You probably don’t know him, but we ran him through the system, and nothing has come up, so he doesn’t have a record. It’s a long shot, but we wanted to see if you recognized him before we go public with the photo,” the female officer said.

“Okay. I’m happy to look at it. Do you have the photo?”

She pulled out a photograph from the file she was holding and handed it to me.

I studied it for just a few seconds before I sucked in a breath. My heart raced, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. “I know this guy. He went to college with me.”

I searched my mind for where we’d met.

And then it all fell into place.

“He’s fraternity brothers with Ronny Waterstone. I met him at a frat party once. Oh my God. This wasn’t Leo’s doing. Ronny was behind this.”

“The senator’s grandson?” she asked.

“Yes. He must have something to do with this.”

“Do you know this guy’s name?”

“Darius McDowel. He graduated with me this last year.”

“All right. This is exactly what we needed.”

“Unbelievable,” Brinkley and Tia said at the same time.

“Let’s keep this quiet for right now until we bring this guy in for questioning and he ties Ronny to this. We don’t want him to have time to cover this up before we can get a confession.”

I nodded.

My father had blamed Romeo.

Romeo had blamed himself.

And this had nothing to do with him. Ronny was going to hurt my boyfriend because he was pissed that he’d been exposed.

I was pacing in little circles, and the officers left and said that they’d be in touch.

“Should we call my brother?” Tia asked.

“No,” I said. “We’re going to that fight, and I’ll tell him in person. He needs to be focused right now. Not worried about me or anyone else.”

They both nodded.

“So, how do we spring you out of here?” Brinkley asked.

I pulled some clothes out of the bag that my mother had brought me. Tia helped me as I slipped the jeans on beneath my gown and then we hurried into the restroom so she could help me change into the T-shirt before tossing the gown onto my bed. I pulled my tennis shoes on, which Brinkley helped me lace, and I was ready to go just as Dr. Westman stepped into the room.

He raised a brow. “Someone is ready to get out of here.”

“I need to leave right now. I’m going to that fight, and no one is going to stop me. So please, do the decent thing and release me.”

He looked between me and Brinkley and Tia and tapped his pen against my chart a few times.

Tia took that moment to speak up. “Wings or wheels, Doc? We can fly, because my bougie sister-in-law has access to a plane. But if it isn’t safe for the patient to fly, my brother will hunt you down and murder you himself, so if driving is better, just say the word.”

“Wow. Threatening my life, are we?” He smirked. “I was coming to release you, Demi. Your father has done all the delaying he can, but you’re cleared to leave.” He held up his hand as I picked up my duffle bag, ready to get out of here. “No flying. I’m choosing wheels for this one.”

Brinkley glanced down at her phone. “We’ve got time. Looks like we’re going on a road trip.”

“Give Maggie five minutes to get your paperwork ready. She’s as eager as you are, so she’ll be quick.”

“Thank you,” I said, as I gathered all my things and waited for Maggie.

She came flying around the corner, paperwork ready, and I signed on the dotted line. I gave her a big hug, and she promised to come into the coffee shop next week to see me.

All three of us made our way out of the hospital, and Brinkley informed us that we would make it there in plenty of time, pending there was no traffic. But Las Vegas on a Friday night was always crowded, so I was eager to get on the road.

We’d all agreed not to tell Romeo or Lincoln or anyone that we were driving there. Brinkley just told Lincoln that I’d been released, and she was going to help me get settled at home, and she would be there before the fight.

We didn’t want Romeo worrying about me coming there, so this was the best option.

As we were rushing out of the hospital, my father was walking toward me, his face red and angry.

“What’s this? You’ve been released? I asked for another MRI.”

I glanced over at Brinkley and Tia and asked them to give me one minute.

“I’ve been cleared, Dad. Two MRIs and a CT scan were more than enough. I’m heading to my place to get unpacked, and then I’m going to go watch the fight with friends. I’m fine.” I didn’t even feel guilty lying to him now. He’d lied so many times that I doubted he even remembered what the truth was.

And at the end of the day, I no longer trusted him. I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t tip off Ronny or his family. I didn’t trust that he would do something to stop me from going to Las Vegas.

I don’t trust my father to have my back.

But Romeo always had, since the moment we’d gotten together.

And I was going to return the favor.

I was going to be there for him the way he’d always been there for me.

My father’s gaze searched mine. “You know I love you, right? I just want to keep you safe.”

His words didn’t hold any weight anymore, but this wasn’t the time to take him on.

That day would come.

Today was about Romeo, not my father.

“I do. I love you, too. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“All right, sweetheart. I guess I’ll head back to the city. Your mom isn’t ready for me to come home, and I’ve been staying at that hotel in town while you’ve been here.”

“Go back to the condo and get some rest.” I kissed him on the cheek and hurried to the car, where Brinkley and Tia were waiting for me.

“Brinks was going to pepper-spray him if he tried to pull you into his car,” Tia said.

“He’s not quite at the level of kidnapping me just yet, but thanks for having my back. Now, let’s get on the road,” I said, climbing into the passenger seat of Brinkley’s rental. Tia had insisted I sit up front so they could keep an eye on me and make sure I didn’t pass out, which made me laugh.

“You do realize I passed out because I hit my head on the pavement. I’m not a fainter.”

“Yeah. But Dr. McHottypants whispered for us to keep an eye on you, and I’ve googled all the concussion symptoms.” She held up her phone and turned on her flashlight, nearly blinding me. “Pupils look good.”

Brinkley pulled out of the parking lot over a fit of laughter. “Dr. McHottypants is twice your age. Your brothers would lose their shit over you crushing on him.”

“He’s a silver fox,” Tia said. “Hey, I’m excited about this last-minute girls’ trip, but I have no clothes with me.”

“We have no time to stop. We can shop in Vegas,” Brinkley said, as she merged onto the freeway.

We spent the next few hours talking about all that had happened over the last few days. I checked the odds on the fight, and Romeo was a huge underdog, but he’d known that going into this.

My stomach twisted in knots as we got closer, and I kept checking the time.

We’d stopped once to use the bathroom, and Tia had bought enough junk food for a week’s-long vacation.

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” I asked as we turned down Las Vegas Boulevard, and I slipped my tennis shoes back on.

“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 done to 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 kept turning 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.

“What the fuck is this?” Lincoln whisper-hissed under his breath.

“She got released, and there was no stopping her. She needs to see him before he fights.” Brinkley reached for his hand, and he shook his head.

“He doesn’t want you near Leo,” Lincoln said. His eyes met mine now.

“Leo wasn’t involved in what happened,” I said. “Please, Linc. I need to talk to him.”

“All right. I hope we’re not making a huge mistake. And, Tia, I thought you didn’t want to see the fight live. You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“How about you take me to a different room? I don’t think I should see him right now. I’ll wait down here during the fight.”

“Good idea.” He paused and pushed open a door to a room that had TVs and a couch. He told Tia to wait there. She hugged me and Brinkley goodbye and asked us to text her with updates.

Lincoln shook his head as he led us further down the hallway. A few guys in security shirts moved past us, but it was otherwise quiet down here.

He pushed open the last door and held his hand out for me to go inside. Romeo was getting his hands taped, and he looked up to find me standing there.

He didn’t look angry. His gaze softened, and he motioned for Butch to stop taping.

“Can we give them a minute?” Lincoln asked, and all the guys walked past me, each giving me a hug one at a time before they were all out in the hallway. I couldn’t wait another second. I ran toward Romeo and threw myself against him on a whoosh, careful of my arm.

His arms gently came around me. “What are you doing here, baby?”

“I needed to be here. With you.” Tears were streaming down my face because I was just so happy to be near him.

“You’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” I used the hand of my uninjured arm to stroke his face. “It wasn’t Leo who did this. It had nothing to do with you. The cameras caught a photo of the guy you knocked down. He was a fraternity brother of Ronny’s.”

His brows pinched together, and he nodded as he listened.

“But none of that matters. Not tonight. You go out there and show how hard you’ve worked. You have nothing to prove to anyone anymore. You fight this fight for yourself, okay?”

“I can’t believe you’re here.” He pulled me against him again. “I love you so fucking much.”

“I know you do.” I pulled back and smirked. “I never doubted that. I love you, Golden Boy. And I will be cheering you on tonight.”

“If it’s too much, you take a pass and come back here and wait for me, okay?”

“It’s not too much. Anything you can take, I can take with you. You just go out there and do your thing.” I took his hands in mine and kissed his knuckles on each hand. “I believe in you, Romeo Knight.”

He nodded, a look of contentment settling on his face. “I’m ready.”

“I know you are.”

“You’re awfully cocky tonight.” He leaned down and kissed me. “Now, get out there with Brinkley and take your seats. Let me get gloved up. I’ll see you in twelve rounds, baby.”

I kissed him one last time. “You will.”

Joey came through the door, and everything moved quickly after that. Nash and Hayes escorted Brinkley and me to our seats. We were in the press area off to the side, but we had a good view of the ring. They both hustled back to meet Romeo as they were going to be right there beside the ring as part of the crew.

I said a silent prayer.

But I already knew he was going to be okay.

He had to be.