Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 93699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
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The Snarky Glove
FORTY-FIVE
PRESENT DAY
TRAVIS
Las Vegas, Nevada
Two Nights Before the Rematch
“I’m betting one hundred thousand dollars on Christopher Juarez, all day, every day,” the sports anchor on television said. “He’s got the hunger, the momentum, the scrappiness. Everything.”
“Turn this shit off, Harry!” Ralph called out my trainer from across the room.
“No, please leave it on.” I flexed my hands. “I’m looking forward to sending him a ‘Sorry for your Loss’ card once this is all over.”
“Good to see that level of confidence in you, sir.” Harry smiled. “Juarez won’t know what hit him.”
“Oh, he’ll definitely know.” I rolled my wrists. “The entire world will.”
“Alright, everyone!” Ralph clapped his hands. “Let’s break for dinner and reconvene in the penthouse. We’ll run through the final checklist before Mr. Carter gets his mandatory eight hours of sleep.”
When the last person left the room, Ralph shut the door.
“I’m quite pleased with what I’ve seen from you this weekend,” he said. “You’re one hundred percent locked in, and I like it.”
“I’m only sixty percent focused, and you know it.”
“Just wanted to hear you say it first.” He shook his head. “Your wife didn’t get on the private plane that you sent. It arrived empty.”
“What about my sister?”
“She came via your best friend’s plane,” he said. “No pun intended.”
“How is that a pun, Ralph?”
“She said she felt uncomfortable joining the ‘mile-high club’ in yours.”
“You could’ve kept that shit to yourself.”
“Sorry. Anyway, onto your security for the night,” he said. “Do you want two or three guards outside your place?”
“Send the plane back for Mrs. Carter, please.”
“What?” He shook his head. “I just told you that—”
“Send the fucking plane back.” I demanded. “Otherwise, I’ll be on it in ten minutes and bring her here myself.”
Silence.
“Travis, she’ll be here in some capacity for the fight.” He sighed. “Trust me.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
“I’ve spoken to her,” he said. “I doubt that she was lying.”
“When were you planning to tell me about this?”
“I wasn’t.”
“I see.” I crossed my arms. “What does ‘some capacity’ mean?”
“How it sounds, I guess.” He avoided my gaze, but I moved in front of him.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means she agreed to take some staged pictures for the press, since you’re still legally married, but she’s trying her best to move on with her life,” he said. “She wants you to do the same.”
“What time will she be here?”
“No, Travis. Focus on this match, please.” He placed his hands on my shoulders. “Your legacy is on the line, and I know that Mrs. Carter would want you to be at your best.”
I said nothing.
“If I tell you how good she looked when I saw her earlier, would that help at all?”
“Start talking.”
FORTY-SIX
PRESENT DAY
TATIANA
Fight Night
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
UFC Card 302: Christopher Juarez v. Travis Carter
My heart ached as I looked up at the billboard above the arena. Mr. Faber was standing outside the town car with his hand outstretched, patiently waiting for me to step outside.
Breathe, Tati. Breathe.
“You look lovely this evening, Mrs. Carter.” He served me a compliment. “I hope you’re not stalling in this car because you’re second guessing that stunning dress.”
“Thank you, Mr. Faber.” I smiled at him. “I’m just nervous.”
“Do you mind if I join you on the seat for a second?”
“Be my guest.”
He shut my door and walked to the other side, taking a seat across from me.
“I’m not one to get in my boss’s business,” he said, “but I want you to know that you mean the world to him.”
“Well, we did marry each other.” I forced a smile. “I would hope so.”
“I’m in on the scheme, Mrs. Carter,” he said. “Not at first, but I figured it out eventually.”
“Sorry we lied to you.”
“It wasn’t a lie at all.” He pulled a handkerchief from his blazer. “It’s obvious to anyone who spends more than five minutes around you two that you’re meant for each other.”
I dabbed my eyes.
“Years ago, whenever I’d pick him up from one of his drunken nights, he’d talk about one woman he could never quite get over.” He looked up at the marquee. “I’m pretty sure that woman was you, so since we’ve been out here for over an hour already, do you mind if I channel my boss with my next words?”
“Of course not, Mr. Faber.”
“Good.” He nodded, then he took a deep breath. “Get the fuck out of this car and get inside.”
FORTY-SEVEN
PRESENT DAY
TATIANA
Fight Night
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
“Are you sure you don’t want to sit with me and Hayden?” Penelope asked, caressing my hand in the VIP lounge.
“I’m sure,” I said. “I don’t want to jinx him again.”
“I’m sure he would love to see you this time.” She smiled. “More than me, I promise.”
I held back a laugh and shook my head. “I’ll watch from a distance.”