“I won’t.”
I steadied her, set her gently on her feet, and smoothed the rumple out of her dress with hands that refused to shake. “I’ll make sure that you’ll beg to stay.”
“Beg?” she said.
“Maybe I’ll do some begging too.”
She smiled slowly, like a sunrise you earn by staying up all night. “Deal.”
I walked her back to her suite, not because she needed an escort up one floor on the elevator and down one corridor, but because I needed the walk to remind my body that we still had a casino to run and a saboteur to catch. At her door, she scanned her key. The panel blinked green.
“Good sign,” I said.
“Don’t get cocky.”
“Never.” I lifted a hand to the doorjamb instead of to her face because restraint would earn me her trust. “Text me if you need anything. If you think you might need anything, let me know.”
“I will.” She took a breath. “Leo?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. “Now unpack your suitcase.”
She laughed and slipped inside.
I stood there a second longer. It was on me to make the Olympus Royale Hotel and Casino worthy of her staying.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Orion, and then merged in Ares.
“We need to talk.”
Chapter 11
Tashi
I stood in the brothers’conference room with my laptop open, my phone displaying engagement metrics in real time, and enough nervous energy zinging through me to power the entire Vegas Strip.
“Are you about to pitch something that will give Orion an aneurysm?” Leo supplied, grinning from his seated position.
“Probably.” I pulled up my presentation. “But it will work.”
Orion stood pacing, fingers steepled, expression unreadable. After yesterday’s cold professionalism, I expected resistance. Instead, he just nodded. “Show us.”
I clicked to the first slide with the caption:The My Heroes Tour.
“I didn’t get to tell you all the details yesterday. It’s a Las Vegas scavenger hunt where we visit high-profile Strip locations while I post clues and content. Followers engage for chances to win Olympus Royale gaming credits, with a grand prize luxury weekend stay.”
Ares, leaning against the window with his arms crossed, shook his head immediately. “Absolutely not.”
“Hear her out,” Leo said quietly.
“We’re already dealing with—you know.”
I gritted my teeth. Something was going on they wouldn’t tell me about, and I didn’t like being kept in the dark.
Ares continued, his voice tight. “Kurt Wilder’s looking for any excuse to hammer us with regulatory violations. And you want us to parade around Vegas like we’re running for office?”
