“I guess that’s not the end of the world,” he said. “I just looked at the team’s schedule and we’re on a long road trip before the holidays. We’re out nine days and we get back on the twenty-second. So it kind of works out. You don’t have to leave until mid-January, right?”
“I need to be back by the twelfth or so, but yes, I can stay a good three weeks. You won’t be around that whole time, though, right?”
“Actually, probably not.” He sighed. “I just found out that we’re going to be playing on New Year’s Day in Limaj. Coach Wylde said they’re building a couple of extra days into the trip so we have time to do some promotional events that’ll be tied into a little sightseeing. The guys I’ve spoken to so far are all bringing their families, so while it’s going to mean a little less time for us together, it’s going to be pretty fun.”
“It does sound like fun,” I acknowledged. “So this coming week, I’ll look into flights and book a multi-leg trip. Or should I get in touch with Everly so all of us WAGs can fly together?”
“That’s probably a good idea,” he said. “Unfortunately, I don’t think we can all fly together. Usually doesn’t work that way with official team trips, but I’ll make sure and ask, okay?”
“Yes, perfect. Let me know.”
“All right, well, I have to get going. I’ll talk to you either later tonight or tomorrow before we take off.”
“Have a good day,” I whispered as I disconnected.
Damn, I felt so far away all of a sudden. This was my home, but somehow my life was five thousand miles away in Las Vegas. And it made no bloody sense at all.
24
Dax
We got to L.A. early in the day on Saturday. We left with the band, who needed to be here in time to set up and eventually do a sound check. I’d been given a cool-as-shit earbud that made me feel a little like James Bond, and I’d had to work hard not to grin from ear-to-ear like an idiot. It wasn’t that I didn’t take my role tonight seriously, but more that it felt so natural. Though I was wearing the polo shirt with the company’s logo on it, I’d asked Chains not to make a big deal about me working with them tonight. Not for any reason other than disrespecting the Sidewinders.
If and when I made the decision to retire from hockey, I’d tell the team before word got out in the media. I’d played it off to my teammates, saying someone had called in sick from Chains’ team and my filling in was a joke. No one had given it a second thought, except Ian, who, of course, knew the truth. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any issues tonight and no one would notice. In the meantime, my earpiece and I were walking around the iconic Hollywood rock club like we owned it, and it was pretty great.
“Listen up!” Chains raised an arm as Nobody’s Fool got on stage to do their sound check. “Lexi will be crowd-surfing during the guitar solo in ‘Raging Inferno.’ It’s the sixth song they play, so make sure you keep up. I want Grim, Dax and Tony in the crowd here—” He pointed. “There and there. That way, you’re surrounding the area and hopefully can keep it contained. I’ll be by the front door, just in case some jackass thinks they can nudge her out that way.”
“Where should I be?” Zaan called out. “I’m not a bodyguard, but when my wife is in the crowd, you can bet your ass I’m going to be on alert.”
Chains nodded. “If you can get there once the floor is packed, stay by the stairs that she’ll take to get back on stage. Sometimes, fans will be desperate for a high five or whatever, and you can put your body between them and her, giving her a chance to get where she needs to go.”
“I’ll be backstage,” Sandor called out, since he and the Royal Protectors were on site as well. “Xander will be down front, in case anyone tries to jump on stage, and Lennox will be…”
He gave an overview of his team’s positions before, during and after the show, and I looked around, trying to imagine how it would look once the place filled up. My body practically tingled with excitement and I tried to focus on the next couple of hours until the show started. Supposedly dinner was being brought in for the crew and both security teams, but I was too amped up on adrenaline to eat.
“How come you got the cool Westfield Security polo and I didn’t?” Zaan asked as we headed to the private area upstairs that had been blocked off for the band and crew.
“I’ve been training with one of Chains’ martial arts experts and thought it would be the perfect way to test my skills,” I hedged, smiling.
He arched his brows. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a terrible liar?”
I laughed. “Everything I just said was the absolute truth.”
“You’ve been different since you and Isla got together,” he said slowly. “I can’t put my finger on it, but as long as you’re happy, I won’t pry.”
“I think sometimes we start to grow up in ways we never expected,” I said slowly. “It’s not something tangible, but it happens over time, so one day you wake up and realize the things you wanted at eighteen are different than what you want at twenty-eight.”
“Sounds about right.” Zaan nodded but turned as Lexi called to him. “I’ll see you in a bit,” he told me, heading in her direction.
I hadn’t thought of things that way until just now, but it was true. I was a different man at twenty-eight than I’d been a decade ago and while
