“Ah, caught you mid-blink. Let me try again.”
I laughed. “You’re impossible.”
Click.
“Perfect,” she said, mostly to herself. “See? Not so bad, right?”
“Only because it’s you.”
Julia settled into her seat, smiling to herself as she scrolled through her camera’s gallery. “I better transfer some of these pictures to my laptop when we get to the hotel, otherwise I might not have enough storage to take pictures of the guys mid-match.”
A sudden thought occurred to me. “Have you ever seen a fight before?”
“No. Why?”
“I should probably warn you, it can be kind of… gruesome.”
“Really?”
“The stuff you see the guys doing during training is tame by comparison. I just want you to be prepared.”
“Are we talking cuts and scrapes? I think I can handle that.”
I shrugged. “Cuts, scrapes, cauliflower ear, broken noses, missing teeth, split lips. There’s no telling what can happen during a match. If you’re the squeamish type, it may be a good idea to sit it out and watch the video playback instead.”
Julia shook her head. “I want to be there to support them. What kind of journalist would I be if I ran at the first sign of something uncomfortable?”
“True. I’m just trying to look out for you.”
“I’m made of tougher stuff than that, Dylan, but thank you. I’ll be perfectly fine.”
I nodded, impressed by her resolve. “If you’re sure.”
“What’s cauliflower ear?” she asked, pulling out her phone.
“Don’t look it up.”
A moment passed. “Oh, ew.”
“Told you.”
Just ahead, the brilliant glowing lights of the Strip could be seen, the city’s massive sign lit up like the Fourth of July.
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada.