Kase was hesitant to draw the attention of the mafia to his club, but Seth offered to be there under an alias. None of us wanted his brother, Nikolai, to get wind of his involvement.
Nikolai and their father wanted vengeance over something that happened twenty-five years ago. My parents and several others in our inner circle played a part in their takedown. For that, my sisters and I were marked.
Nikolai started first with my twin sister, Emma, and we all ended up getting sucked in. That was why I bore the Michelson brand on my back. A dragon tattoo. It was to bind me into fighting for them, a payback for my parents’ part in taking down their lucrative underground fighting ring. It was all a huge clusterfuck, but luckily, I hadn’t been fully pulled in . . . yet. My time was coming.
While waiting for the elevator, I pulled out my phone and typed Peyton’s name into the search engine. She was everywhere on the internet. I clicked on “images” and thousands popped up. Of course, the most recent ones were of her walking down the strip with everyone last night. She was so fucking sexy, and I was right there with her. I clicked on the article titledWho Did She Marry?and there was a poll with all the answers. A pang of jealousy twisted in my gut as I read who was in the number one slot.Kase Rushing.And there at the very last entry was none other than me.
CHAPTER4
PEYTON
Everything was set.
My flight was scheduled to leave in three hours, and the cab would arrive shortly to take me to the airport. Was I nervous about going through the airport alone? Unfortunately, I was. I’d never done it before. One thing was for sure, my mother was going to kill me when she found out, but probably not before my brother got to me. I kept waiting for the dreaded knock on my door.
Reagan was my best friend, and we always kept each other’s secrets, but this was different. She was genuinely worried about me, and I had a feeling she was in her room right now, plotting with Braden on how to keep me away from the airport. That was why I needed to leave before they could stop me.
Grabbing my suitcase handle, I pulled it up and rolled my luggage over to the door. I was ready. However, a loud knock made me jump back when I was about to open the door. My pulse skyrocketed, and I held my breath. Maybe if I didn’t answer, whoever it was would think I had left.
“Peyton, open up,” Ethan called. “I know you’re still in there.”
Silently, I groaned and tilted my head back. I needed to stay away from him before I continued my reckless path of falling into his arms again. Not moving an inch, I stayed in my spot, refusing to open the door.
He knocked again. “Seriously, Peyton?”
Go away, I wanted to yell. Why did he have to make things so complicated? A few seconds later, all was quiet. I was about to look through the peephole when my phone started to ring.
Dammit!
And then I heard Ethan’s laugh just outside the door. “You should’ve put it on silent, cupcake.” I swung open the door to see Ethan leaning against the frame with a smirk on his face.
“So much for distance. You’re infuriating, Ethan. What do you want?” I snapped.
He straightened and peered over my shoulder at my suitcase. “I’m here to stop you. Reagan paid me a little visit. Apparently, you have it in your head that you’re going to the airport alone.”
“Iamgoing alone,” I challenged.
His grin widened. “No, you’re not.”
He slid in past me and grabbed my suitcase. “Looks like you’re stuck with me. My stuff’s already in the truck. And just so you know, there are paparazzi everywhere. I’m not letting you navigate through that shit on your own.”
Why did it turn me on to see his protective side? Why couldn’t I just hate him? It’d make things so much easier.
“So what? I’m just supposed to forget about my flight?”
Ethan stared incredulously at me. “I’m sure you’ll manage. You’re worth what? Millions? I’m sure you won’t go broke after spending a couple hundred on a flight.” True, but I didn’t like throwing money away. He wheeled my suitcase out into the hallway.
“I thought you were staying in Vegas a while longer,” I stated, grabbing my purse off the couch and joining him.
“I was,” he said, turning to face me, his expression serious, “but getting you home safely is more important. I’m your stand-in bodyguard.”
Bodyguard, huh? Was it wrong that I liked hearing those words come out of his mouth? We walked side by side to the elevator.
“It’s not an easy job, Ethan. You’re going to regret taking it on.”
Ethan snorted. “I can handle it.”
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside. I was thankful we were alone.