Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I didn’t notice anything about the lobby. Everything was just a blur around me as I focused on the golden center elevator.
And just as I got to it, the doors slid open.
Then there he was.
Wearing a pair of sleep pants and a tee that had been hastily put on, seeing as it was inside out and backward.
But what I noticed most was the way the second he saw me, his arms opened wide, inviting me in.
I didn’t hesitate.
I walked right into him and let him wrap me up.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Milo
I’d just gotten out of the shower when I heard my burner ring.
I thought she was just calling to say the dress fit well or the lock worked. Something calm, casual.
But the second I heard her cry out my name, I knew something must have gone seriously sideways.
I stumbled back through the suite, yanking off my towel and dragging my pajama pants up my still-wet legs as I talked to her, trying to get her to focus and head toward me.
When I knew she was on her way, I reached blindly into my suitcase for one of the few t-shirts I’d brought with me.
Nerves shook my marrow as I grabbed my keycard and shoes before rushing out of my room and heading downstairs.
Then there she was as the elevator doors opened.
I clocked the new dress, the way it hugged her curves, how it contrasted with her skin.
But it was her face I lasered in on.
And she looked fucking ashen.
Her pretty blue eyes were red-rimmed and watery.
And her gait looked too loose, too wobbly.
She looked like she might fall apart.
Then the second I had her in my arms, she did.
Her legs decided to give in, and if I hadn’t been holding her, she’d have slid to the elevator floor.
“You’re okay,” I assured her, fingers massaging the back of her neck as we took the short ride back up to my floor.
I practically had to pull her along with me to my door. She teetered on her heels as she waited for the keycard to unlock the door.
Then we were moving inside.
I tugged her purse off her shoulder, dropping it on the ground next to the couch, then pulling her down with me, letting her legs slip over my lap.
She was quick to rest her head against my chest as I reached to pull her heels off before putting my arms around her.
“You’re alright now,” I assured her.
My gaze tracked over her, looking for any signs of injury. But I didn’t see any blood or bruises.
Still, something was clearly wrong.
Her whole body trembled against me.
I wanted to ask.
I wanted to know if shit had imploded.
If I had to call Domenico and get him out.
If I had to tell Remo that the jig was up.
I just didn’t want to pressure her.
So I ran my hands over her slowly, trying to ground her with my body.
Little by little, the shaking eased and her breathing went slower and deeper.
“Did someone hurt you?” I asked.
“No.”
“But something happened.”
“I left the flashlight,” she said, jerking upright, eyes huge.
“Fuck the flashlight.”
“But… but my fingerprints…”
“Trust me, Roe. That’s not something we have to worry about.”
“Okay. Alright,” she said, talking to her own nerves.
“Tell me what happened.”
“I went in to, you know, get the information. I think the flashlight worked. At least I hope it did. And I started going through drawers. I took pictures of documents, and—”
I resisted the urge to ask her what was inside of those files. There would be time for that once I knew what had her so freaked out.
“Did Frank come back?” I asked.
“No. No, it wasn’t Frank.”
But it was someone.
Fuck.
“One of his guys?”
Roe shook her head once, snuffled, then glanced up at me.
“It was the pit boss.”
“The pit boss,” I repeated, straightening. “The woman?”
“She’s the only pit boss I know of.”
“What happened? What did she say?”
“She came running in. She didn’t actually catch me doing anything. Aside from blinding the camera. She… she told me to run. To get out of there. That I had two minutes at best. Then she ran to get away too.”
That was… an interesting development.
From my understanding, the pit boss was one of the most respected in the area. Someone was always trying to poach her. Why she stayed with Frank was a mystery.
Helping Roe made me wonder if it had nothing to do with loyalty to her boss.
Or maybe she simply knew what would happen to Roe if she was caught and decided she didn’t want another woman to go through that.
“That was weird, right?” Roe asked.
“Yeah, that was weird. She was probably watching the pit cameras but caught sight of the white-out on that one and came to investigate.”
“Then why let me go?”
“My working theory is because she knew what Frank would do to you, in particular, if he found you. It’s no secret around there that Frank thinks of you as his pet. But anyone with eyes would know you keep him at arm’s length.”