“Then we force his hand.”
I tilted my head in confusion and motioned for him to continue.
“If he’s already catching enough heat from this video to offer a rematch, let’s add some fuel to that fire. Let’s hit the media. We do a press release to tell the entire world how easy it truly is to crumble the invincible wall. Make it known that he won’t give you a shot at his belt because he’s scared of The Silencer. We’ll set you up some interviews and let the world get to know Till Page. We can make the public beg for this fight.”
“I can do that,” I answered as I mulled over the possible scenarios.
“But this is going to take time.”
“Time is the one thing I don’t have.”
“When’s Eliza due?”
“Seven months.”
“I need you to commit to one more year.”
“A year?”
“It’s two fights. We’re going to shame this asshole into offering up that title, and you’re taking it from him. Then you’re defending it. Then you’re getting the implant.”
“Let’s assume I beat him. How much could I make in the next fight as the defending champion?”
“Millions.”
The sound of his word never made it to my ears, but I heard it all the same. It was the crystal-clear ringing of a lifetime of security.
“Set it up,” I breathed.
Slate clapped his hands together and jumped to his feet while I sat dazed counting dollars in my head. Millions of dollars.
I sat with sweaty palms for hours as Slate made numerous phone calls between agents, attorneys, managers, and even trainers. In the end, going to the media wasn’t even necessary. When Slate told them that we would be willing to make concessions on pay in exchange for a title shot, they pounced. Considering the instantaneous hype of the fight, it would reel in at least thirty million, and with less than three hundred thousand dollars written into my contract, it would all go to Matthews.
It was well worth the gamble though. They had no plans to pay me anything substantial for that fight, but with the title on the line, the dollar signs were infinite.
Four months later . . .
“HOLY. SHIT.” QUARRY SPUN WITH his arms stretched wide in the middle of our Las Vegas suite. Then he lost his balance and almost plowed me over.
“Hey, dumbass.” Flint caught him by the back of his shirt at the last second. “Watch where the hell you’re going!”
“My bad.” Quarry patted my stomach then excitedly went back to dancing around the room.
“Christ. What did you pack, Eliza?” Till huffed then set down my three huge suitcases. “And what the hell is that?” He pointed to the small, pink bag with a pink B monogrammed on the side.
“It’s Blakely’s bag—” I replied, and he captured my hands before I had a chance to completely finished signing my explanation.
“Our unborn daughter, Blakely?” He bit his lip to stifle a laugh.
“You can’t be too safe, Till. What if I suddenly go into labor while we are here? What would she wear home from the hospital?”
“Well . . . we’re only gonna be here for seven days. If you went into labor, she would be three months early. We’d have way bigger issues than what she would wear home from the hospital.” He winked and dipped me back for a wet kiss.
“Hey, I quit my job to be here. Don’t you dare get all snippy about what I packed.”
His lips twitched. “You hated that job.”
“No. I didn’t hate it.”
His smile grew to full-blown.
“I loathed it! Thank you.” I pressed an exaggerated, humor-filled kiss to his mouth.
He laughed against my lips. “I love you.”
“I was nervous about the flight, okay? It made me feel better to have a little bag for her just in case.”
He teasingly pretended to bite at my hands as I signed.
“Stop!” I hit his chest.
“Um, I said I love you.” He kissed my forehead.
“Oh, right. I briefly forgot how needy you are,” I teased. “I love you too.”
Till began tickling me, and when I looked up, I caught Flint watching us. He smiled and quickly looked away. I made a note to talk to him later. He’d really been acting off recently, even more withdrawn that usual.
There was a knock at the door, and Quarry darted over to answer it.
“Dude, you are huge!”
Slate laughed as he walked in with Leo, Johnson, and a new guy I didn’t recognize. But Quarry was right. He was huge.
“Okay. Listen up!” Slate’s lip twitched, and Till shook his head at his attempted joke. “Leo’s running security for all of us this weekend. I know you’ve seen the hype, but this isn’t going to be like it is at home. You guys are celebrities here. You will be recognized. ”
Till moved behind me and folded his arms around to rest on my stomach.
“Do not leave this room without security. Period. This is Alex Pearson. He’s been with Leo for about a year, but this is his first trip with us. Please don’t scare him off. I’m talking to you, Q.”