Against the Odds (Fighting to Survive #2)(49)

My hand is still on his shoulder. He looks down at my hand and I promptly remove it. He brushes his shoulder where I had touched him. “Oh, this is anything but a game, Mr. Grether.”

“Why are you following me? What do you want?”

“I want my daughter, but, of course, that is impossible.”

“So help me, God, Drake.” I take a step closer to him and he holds up his hands and laughs.

“Relax, Bobby, I’m here on business.”

When he holds up his hands, I am reminded that the room is surrounded by cameras. I take a small step back and try to relax my shoulders. “And what business is that?”

“Actually, I’m a primary sponsor of a championship boxing fight coming up next year.” Can it be? Is he sponsoring my fight with Kennedy? “It’s true. Didn’t you read your itinerary? I did read it, but I didn’t see anything that was a red flag. It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of each other this weekend,” he says smugly.

I square my shoulder and say, “If I didn’t know better, I would say that you are stalking me.”

“Stalking you?” he asks. “No, not stalking. This is strictly business.”

I can see Gus walking up to join us. He looks furious. “And the hospital? What was that?”

“Pure coincidence.” He smiles and says, “It’s a small town we live in Bobby. Surely we are going to run into each other from time to time.” In fact, I remember seeing you in the past. You do have a certain amount of fame.” He looks at his watch and says, “Please, if you’ll excuse me. I’m late for a meeting.”

He leaves before Gus reaches us. “What in the hell was that?”

“He said he’s one of the main sponsors for the fight,” I say walking out of the casino towards the main entrance.

Gus pulls the itinerary from his jacket pocket and begins to look over it. “I have no idea how we overlooked this. Here is it, Sinclair Enterprises in bold letters.”

I look over and sure enough it’s on there. “I bet he had sponsored this fight before he met me. I need to make a phone call, can we meet up later?”

“No problem.”

I call Leah to check in on her and it goes right to voicemail. I also call Bruce and he answers immediately. I tell him about my trip to Vegas and about running into Drake. There are just too many strange events to be coincidental. I’m standing in the corner of the vast lobby and watch as Abel Kennedy is escorted in with his team. I turn slightly so as not to draw attention to myself. I watch as he follows the concierge in. “Hey, I have to go. Something's come up,” I say, disconnecting the call from Bruce.

I study Kennedy’s gait as his team follows behind him towards the numerous elevators. When they are out of site, I head to my room. I search YouTube and watch the most recent video of Kennedy working out. He hasn’t fought since we entered into a contract for the champion fight. However, when you use a public gym, anyone can and will make a recording. The latest video is very amateurish, but I can see what I’m looking for. I try Leah again with no luck. I open a beer from the bar and decide to stay in for a while. My mind drifts from Kennedy to Sinclair. I cannot seem to be able to process Drake being here. Am I paranoid? Is this just business? I down the first beer and decide on another.

Dad, Gus, and Tim walk in laughing. I can tell they’ve been drinking. I’m sitting at my computer shifting from watching Kennedy on YouTube and researching Sinclair Enterprises. “Well, there he is,” Tim says.

“Are you guys having a good time?” I ask, looking up from my computer screen.

“Tim’s a little inebriated,” Dad slurs.

Gus holds up a beer and I nod. “Just Tim?” I ask.

“I may have had one…”

Dad begins to say and I interrupt, “One too many,” I laugh. I close my laptop and stand. My legs are stiff and I realize I’ve been sitting in the same spot for several hours.

“Working on something?” Gus asks in a low voice.

“I’ll explain later,” I say to only Gus. “I’m hitting the tables. Who’s with me?” I announce loudly enough for every to hear.






Chapter Six: Coincidence or Strategy?

Leah

I cry as Chelsea, Madison, and Caden leave the shop. I stand there, speechless. She’s right. One family will lose everything. If they lose Madison, will it feel like death to them? I put my hand over my heart at the memory of losing Jamie. The pain is still there and the memory is still vivid. I slowly sit down as her words replay in my head. It’s just a matter of time before Madison is removed from my life, forever.

I gather my purse and leave without saying goodbye to Bethany and Dove. I didn’t want to explain what was going on. I try to calm down before driving home. I call Mom and check on Gracie and that seems to help. I’m relieved when I don’t hear Gracie screaming in the background.

Next I return Robert’s three missed calls. I know he’ll be worried.

He doesn’t say hello, he answers with “Is everything okay? I’ve been calling.”

“Everything’s fine. I had to go to the shop and get a few things and I left my cell phone in the car. Are you having fun?”

“I won some money on the tables.”