Page 12 of Bastard

I tried to keep myself distracted with all of this so I wouldn’t fixate on Sam’s “need to know” secret. By the time Friday night rolled around I was a cranky son of a bitch.

“Turn here.” Sam pointed down yet another street and suddenly we were in traffic.

The whole situation screamed security issues to me. “How much further?”

“Down that street there.”

I gritted my teeth and scanned the cars. Then I saw the street signs. “Is this game traffic?”

Sam batted her eyes innocently. “Game?”

“The Mantas. The stadium is like two blocks from here.” And it was Friday night. They were starting a three-game series with Boston.

“Huh. Imagine that.”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Home Run howled from the back seat, clapping his hands. “Please tell me Mistress Moneybags is giving her favorite guys a game night!”

Sam snorted but didn’t say anything else. Nothing at all. Not as I took the next turn, not when I stopped at the security gate and gave our names, and not when I slid into one of the two parking slots designated for our party. She didn’t need to. The surprise was out and we were on fire.

“Oh shit. Oh shit! This is really happening!” Riddick stared up at the covered stadium.

I couldn’t remember ever seeing him in awe. Surprised, yes. But in awe? Never. And even though I was equally excited, I was also nervous with the way Sam jumped out of the car so freely when I hadn’t even had a chance to glance around. She went right up to a woman in black slacks and a fancy blue Mantas blouse. In her hands she held badges and paperwork. I followed after Sam as fast as I could from the other side of the car.

“Ms. Stroman. Welcome to Sunshine Stadium. I’m Eve Spencer. We spoke on the phone.”

Sam shook her hand. “Call me Sam. Please. Please excuse them, they just figured out the surprise.”

Eve laughed. “That makes this even more exciting. We love hosting real fans!”

Sam turned to me. “This is Eve Spencer, Director of Fan Experience. Eve this is Jace Malone, my head of security and Mantas super fan.” Sam slid her hand inside mine, which surprised the hell out of me considering we were in public.

While I was in shock Eve held out a badge on a Mantas lanyard. “Don’t worry about security for tonight, Mr. Malone. We’ve got it handled from here.”

“Be that as it may—”

She held up a hand, cutting me off. “We host high profile guests all the time. Celebrities, diplomats, the President—who is my husband’s uncle, and the reason I have my own security detail. Trust me, you can take the night off. There’s more security here than almost anywhere on the planet.”

So that’s why Sam was so relaxed. Now that I could relax too, I realized just how relaxed she was. Carefree. Happier than I’d seen her since…fuck, since high school.

Damn.

Okay. Tonight, no matter what happens, I was going to enjoy it. “A night off and a game?”

“Thanks Sam!” Storm, Riddick, and Home Run said at the same time, stealing my thunder.

Therefore I kissed her. Because I could.

“Right this way,” Eve said, heading into the shadows. We followed her inside a door, down a hallway, and to a set of stairs. I had been to several games and knew the basic layout of the stadium. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I could swear we were headed in the direction of the field. Not to seats or a suite—the actual field. “They should be right in the middle of warmups.”

Home Run hit me in the arm. “Oh shit!” He and Storm began jumping up and down, howling.

Eve opened yet another door with her special badge, walking us out into a special area next to the field, then to a little door in the padded wall. “Come on out.”

Riddick and I froze while Home Run and Storm leapt out onto the artificial turf, jumping, slapping each other, and shouting Mantas chants at the team a few yards away.

“Is this really happening?” I whispered. My head felt like it was on fire and my heart was racing really, really fast. Only in my wildest dreams did I imagine stepping foot on the field, let alone getting this close to the whole team.

Sam squeezed my hand. “Oh this is real. Go!”

---