I just have to hope that she doesn’t fucking burn me—or the club.
A sudden movement to my left has my eyes finally shifting from Elizabeth when Nitro pulls up a seat beside me.
A faint smirk crosses his lips while he relaxes back in his chair. “You keep staring at her like that, Pres, and people are gonna start talking.”
Snorting out a laugh, I scrub at my beard. “You’ve been shadowing her today. Tell me, what’s your gut telling you?”
Nitro tilts his head to the side, pulling some kind of indifferent face. “Honestly, I can’t tell. She’s hard to read. Woman’s built walls so damn high she’s clearly holding something back.”
I hum under my breath. “It might just be because she’s trying so hard to put on that tough-girl exterior for us.”
Nitro chuckles. “Yeah, I can spot it a mile away. She’s trying everything she can to make herself believe she’s not terrified to be here with us, but the fear is practically dripping off her. It reeks. But if the bravado is what she needs to reassure herself that we’re not the bad guys, then go for it. Hell, maybe she should be an actress instead of a reporter with the performance she’s putting on.”
Chuckling, I nod in agreement. I’ve seen it. The subtle glances when no one is watching. The way she’s clocking each exit point, making sure she knows every single way she can make a fast escape if she needs to.
Elizabeth is smart—cunning even.
The problem with her is that I have no clue what she’s thinking unless her body language gives her away. And the only cues I’ve gotten from her are disdain and lust.
Two polarizing emotions.
She’s clearly conflicted, so it’s my job to get her to meet somewhere in the middle. Because if I can’t by the time she’s supposed to be finishing her opinion on the club, who knows what the hell she’ll say about us.
“All I know is I have to keep her close. Keep my fucking eyes on her constantly,” I say just as my cell starts ringing in my pocket.
Nitro nods in agreement as I draw out my phone, glancing down at the caller ID where Millie’s name lights up the screen. Furrowing my brows, I show it to my VP. “Wasn’t she supposed to be out with her friends dancing tonight?”
Nitro frowns, sitting back in his chair. “Yeah, I dropped her off myself. You know she doesn’t like just any old Uber driver. So, if she’s calling you andnother father, there’s gonna be an issue.”
Gritting my teeth, knowing that Nitro is one hundred percent right, I swipe the call. “Millie, you okay?”
The muffled hum of music in the background sounds down the phone, but Millie’s rushed breaths are what capture my attention first. “S-Sin… I-I’m in serious trouble!”
Sitting up taller, my eyes instantly shift to Will, our prospect, knowing that he’s going to go crazy if Millie is in danger. They try to hide their feelings from us, even from each other, but I know he’s going to be the first to dive headfirst into whatever this is. “All right, stay calm and tell me what’s going on.”
She sniffles, trying to keep quiet, which only makes my anxiety heighten. “The girls I was hanging out with tonight decided they wanted to go to The Strip and have some fun. I wasall on board with that, but then they started heading toward the casino district—”
“Oh fuck, don’t tell me,” I reply, knowing full well where this is going.
Millie can’t hold back her tears as the sobs echo down the cell. “Sin… they dragged me into the Hidden Hand Casino before I had a second to tell them I couldn’t go in there. The girls wouldn’t take no for an answer. When they went to the dance floor, I took off for the bathroom stall, and I locked myself inside. I’m too scared to go out in case the Alliance finds me.”
Running my hand through my hair, I let out a long groan. “Fuck.”
Nitro furrows his brows. “What’s going on?” he urges.
“Millie’s stuck in a bathroom stall at the Alliance casino. We gotta go get her.”
Nitro’s eyes widen, knowing precisely what that means.
Millie continues to cry on the other end of the line. “I’m so,sosorry, Sin. Inevermeant for this to happen. To put the club in danger because of me…again. I’m sofucking stupid!”she whimpers.
“Don’t youeversay that. You know we’ve got you, Millie. You stay where you are. We’re coming right now. Donotmove,” I warn as I stand along with Nitro.
“Sin?” she whispers.
“Yeah?”
“Please hurry… I can’t go through that again.” The fear in her tone sends a shudder down my spine.
