Beautifully Dangerous
Page 14
“That’s a hell of a long way to travel with an ‘I think I might want to talk to him’ mindset.”
“You’re right. I do plan on talking to him.”
“Hey, I can take you to him now if you want. I got unlimited access backstage, so to speak.”
“Is Mad Max still his trainer?”
“Of course.”
“Then I won’t have any problem seeing Archer. I just don’t want to pop in unannounced right before his tour kickoff fight. I think I’ll wait till he wins, then slip back there before they leave for the hotel.”
“Yeah, that’s probably best. So he has no idea you’re here?”
“No, and I really don’t know what kind of reception I’m going to get either.”
“I see...”
“Eva!”
Someone’s shouting my name. I turn around and see that it’s Mad Max, working his way through the crowd with a huge smile on his face. The moment I see him, any anxiety I had about coming here vanishes.
“Max!” I shout. He gives me a huge bear hug. I’m elated. I know it’s only been about three months, but it feels like three years.
Finally he breaks off the hug and steps back, holding my hands in his. “I never thought we’d see you again,”
“Yeah...I wasn’t sure I’d ever come back, either.”
“I’m happy to see you, and I see you’ve discovered your replacement. Have you found him to your liking?”
“He’s kinda nosey.”
“Isn’t that a prerequisite for the job?”
I take his arm and draw him away from prying eyes. It’s a little hard to talk here, but we still manage to communicate.
“So Archer...” I begin.
“He took it hard, Eva. You should have talked to him before you left. You know how little he used to talk. Well, he’s even less communicative now. His three and four word sentences have been cut down to two words, a shrug and a nod.”
“But I was shown proof—”
“Oh yes, the bank statements. If there’s one group of people Archer dislikes even more than the Ramirez brothers, it’s the guys who created the accounts which were passed to you by the Ramirez brothers. I’d have thought you’d be a little more discerning than that, but you just blindly ran with it.”
“I know I know...I was exhausted, to the point I couldn’t think straight. When I saw the papers, I simply put two and two together and it answered a lot of questions for me. Or at least it made sense...So you think he hates me then?”
“I hated you then.” Seeing my crestfallen face, he softens and says, “I didn’t mean that. It’s just that I could see what your disappearance did to Archer. It nearly finished him as a fighter and as a man. That’s the reason I’m saying this. I love you like a sister Eva, but I can’t let you do this to Archer…and to yourself again. I know this hasn’t been easy on you either.”
“But I know the truth now. I know he would never cheat. I know what kind of person he is.”
“So you say. But what happens when he’s accused of blood doping or steroid use? And he will be. Someone is always starting rumors about the top fighters. It goes with the territory. What if you’re shown evidence of a plot again?”
“I love Archer. C-can’t that be enough?”
“In a perfect world...”
“So I should just go?” I can’t believe this is happening.
“It’s better for Archer. He needs to concentrate on fighting. He’s only got so many years left in him as a fighter. It’s now, it’s this tour, or never! Because of the turmoil surrounding last year’s tour, no one was granted the prize to stay and fight in Vegas, so the Ramirez brothers are both back on tour, as is Archer. This is his year. He turns twenty eight this year, and much younger fighters are coming up through the ranks. The tour is rough on a fighter. Archer needs the Vegas gig if he wants to continue fighting at the top. It’s gotta be this year or not at all, Eva. It’s my job to make that happen, so I’m going to have to ask you to go. Mister Nosey here can help you...Now, where is he?”
Mad Max is still talking, but nothing is getting through to my brain. All I heard was the word “no” and my brain shut off. Suddenly, my world is just a sea of nameless faces, multi-colored spotlights, searing pain, and agonizing grief. Everything is spinning around me faster and faster until the floor comes rushing up to meet me.
Everything is black.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“Of course she is. She’s just had a bad shock.”
“Give her some room to breathe.”
“Who brought him here?”
“Sorry, it was me. She came so far...I just couldn’t stand to see her turned away without having a chance to see...”
“Eva.”
That voice.
“Eva”
My heart is melting.
“Eva, wake up.”
My body is tingling at the sound of his voice. I feel like life is being restored where it has been long absent. I feel a hand on my face and it is unbearably gentle. As I open my mouth to speak, the breath of life rushes in, and my heart begins to pound against my ribs. I can feel the warmth returning to my cheeks, and my pulse tremors beneath his fingertips.
“She’s waking up. Give her some room.”
“Eva, stay with me.”
I hear my voice far away answering back, “I’m here now.”
“Be here forever.”
“Forever,” I answer back.
I feel his lips brush my forehead and my heart leaps out of my chest as my entire being is suffused with passion like I have never experienced before. I lift my chin so that our mouths meet, and the rush of our unbridled passion explodes into the crowd. Tendrils of light and energy are surging through the crowd, energizing and electrifying them. And then, simultaneously, 50,000 hands link together as estranged lovers find each other again, sons and daughters return home, and bitter enemies become friends. Harsh words become whispers of passion throughout the arena as if the entire crowd has taken a draught of a love potion all at the same time.
And nobody notices the fighter and videographer get up to leave. We walk across the arena hand in hand, but before we open the doors and walk out, I let my camera fall to the floor. He lets his gloves slip through his fingers. We link arms, as well as souls, and vanish into the night.
THE END