“Quick interview before we go in!”
“KO! You ready for tomorrow night?”
The press was yelling the second KO stepped out of the car. I barely had time to unbuckle my seatbelt before cameras started flashing.
“Daddy!” Dakoda hopped out behind him, and KO turned long enough to scoop him up and kiss the side of his head before setting him back down. Then his attention found me as I rounded the front of the vehicle.
“Shit about to get crazy.” He stepped forward and pulled me into his chest.
“I know.”
“I’ma have security take y’all to y’all seats,” he said softly. Then he looked over my shoulder at one of the security guards. “Make sure they get inside.”
“Got it!” The guard nodded, and KO kissed my forehead one last time.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” I replied, and then, just like that, he was gone, pulled toward the entrance by reporters, his handlers, and the cameras.
“My daddy famous.” Dakoda grabbed my hand and pointed after him.
“Apparently.” I laughed.
“Come on, miss,” the security guard said. “Let’s get you two inside.” I nodded, and just like that, Dakoda and I followed the crowd into the weigh-in. The moment we stepped inside, my eyes ballooned. The venue was packed with people. Music blasted through the speakers, fans filled the seats, and the huge screens flashed highlights from KO’s previous fights. My eyes glanced down at Dakoda. He was loving every second of it.
“Daddy gonna win,” he said.
“I know,” I agreed as we found our seats near the front. A few feet away, KO’s opponent, Hollywood Lou, was already on stage talking cash money shit, flexing his championship belt. The crowd seemed to love it, but I wasn’t impressed. There was no way that man was in the same weight class as KO. My man was gonna beat his ass.
“Lyrius.”
I looked in the direction I’d heard my name and was immediately annoyed to see Cherry taking the empty seat next to me with her perfect makeup and pantsuit that showed too much cleavage.
“Oh.” I smiled politely. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Her eyes drifted toward Dakoda. “He’s cute.”
“Thank you.”
For a second, neither of us said anything, just kept our eyes on the stage waiting for KO to come out.
“You know, Victoria is gonna be excited to hear you made it to Vegas.”
“What?” That name hit me like a punch to the chest. Every muscle in my body froze, and my smile slipped.Victoria. Cherry blinked at me like she’d said nothing strange at all.
“Oh, nothing.” She laughed softly.
“No, what did you just say?”
“I said, welcome to Vegas.”
I stared at her, knowing that she was playing in my face. She’d definitely said Victoria. I hadn’t heard that name in years, not since she’d left me on KO’s floor. Before I could ask another question, somebody called Cherry’s name from the floor, and she stood.
“Enjoy the weigh-in.” She looked in my direction before walking off and leaving me sitting there, staring after her, confused and uneasy. There was only one Victoria I knew, and there was absolutely no reason KO’s publicist should know her. The crowd exploded, and I looked up to see KO step onto the stage in all his nearly naked glory. He was wearing nothing but trunks, tattoos, and baby oil. Lord. My man was fine.
“That’s my daddy!” Dakoda jumped to his feet, cheering, and I joined him, clapping with everyone else, smiling when KO pointed toward us, laughing when Dakoda waved both armsover his head, trying to get his attention. From the outside, I probably looked like the perfect, supportive girlfriend. But inside, I was unraveling because, while everybody else was focused on the weigh-in, I couldn’t stop thinking about how the hell Cherry knew Victoria, and for the first time in a long time, I felt afraid.
Fight night felt different this time. Not because of the cameras. Not because of the money. Not because half of Vegas had my face plastered across billboards. Not even because this was my big professional boxing debut. Nah, it felt different because this time, I had a family waiting for me after the fight. I had a reason to be the greatest.
