Page 113 of Keep Your Guard Up
I was utterlylostin him, and I didn’t ever want to be found.
Chapter 62
Chance
“WOOO!” JJ hollered for the fifth time in less than five minutes. “Fuck yes, Chancey boy! WOOO!!”
“JJ, I appreciate your hype, man,” Dylan started. “But in case you didn’t notice, we’re currently inside a moving vehicle.”
“WHO CARES, DEE-DEE! MY BEST FRIEND IS A WORLD CHAMP! WOOHOO!”
“I promise we’ll leave you a nice tip,” I told the driver. He laughed, muttering something about young-ins.
“Oh my god, do you know how much clout I’m gonna get being friends withtheChance Riordan, Light Heavyweight Champion of the world? I can practically see the girls falling at my feet!” JJ sighed dreamily, resting his head on a fisted hand.
“Proud of you, mate,” Dylan said, turning from his seat up front with the driver to face me. “You deserve this more than anyone.”
My brother stared at me. Eyes a shade darker than mine, he studied me. We still hadn’t talked about what I’d said at the press conference, but that conversation was coming. He clearly did too, since he ended the conversation with a slight dip of his chin.
“I’m proud too! I feel like a proud mother hen over here. You’ve just won your title. Lynnie’s finally found herself someone she fancies. And I got one of the ring girl’s numbers. It’s been a successful night for all.” JJ wiped a faux tear of pride from his eye, clutching his hands to his chest in theatrical awe.
“What about me?” my brother asked.
“You managed to get through the entire night without starting a fight of your own,” JJ retorted.
Dylan and I snickered— that really was an achievement for him. My brother had been kicked out of a few of my early-day fights for … disagreements.
“Where’s Mari?” he asked me.
“She was heading back here to get changed to head out with us. I told her not to hang around for the post-fight interviews, so she took Al, Elijah and Marilyn too. Apparently, it’s tradition for the oldies to go out for dinner together after a big win.”
The driver pulled in front of our hotel, a tall skyscraper with over twenty floors. I handed him a fifty-dollar bill out of my wallet and apologised for my best friend’s craziness. “I gave Sunny the key to our room, so she’s gonna meet us in there.”
We all piled out of the car and into the large, warm, golden foyer. The seccies stood tall at the door, warding off the press that suddenly had the knowledge we were staying here. Guests and people bustled around the lobby, but I stood out like a sore thumb with a couple of cuts and shiners on my face.
“So, where are we thinking for celebrating?” Dylan asked when we got into the elevator.
“I was thinking either Vikki’s or The Reef.” JJ was bouncing with excitement in his seat.
“Dude, no. That’s where all of the midlife-crisis women go,” my brother groaned.
“So?” JJ asked.
“You wanna hang around women where a common topic could be what colour their kid’s shit was that day?”
“Who said we’d be talking?” JJ waggled his eyebrows, causing both of us to swat him in the arm.
“Awe, man. I thought at least one of you would team up with me on the other. Not with each otheragainstme!”
The elevator finally dinged on the nineteenth floor. Our footsteps were muffled by the carpet as we walked down the long hallway, JJ and Dylan bickering like an old couple.
I was four doors away from ours, room 1507, when I tripped on something. Catching my fall with my front foot, I inspected the culprit. A gold stiletto heel.
I recognised this shoe.
There was another about two or three metres away.
No, no. Something wasn’t right.
