Wilder gazed intently at the way Ares and Leo touched me, and I pulled away.
He looked at each of the brothers in turn, then back at me. “Nevada Gaming Control takes sexual misconduct very seriously. This hotel’s license could be at risk if we determine that management knew about or participated in inappropriate workplace relationships.”
The threat hung in the air like a guillotine blade.
The brothers moved as one unit, stepping in front of me like a wall.
Orion glanced at the paperwork. “Fine. We’ll be there. Is there anything else you want, Mr. Wilder?”
“No. I’ll see you at the hearing.” He turned smartly and walked out of the Olympus Royale.
“The nerve of him,” I fumed.
The hotel’s license would be at risk. The brothers’ reputations would be destroyed. Everything they’d built could crumble because Daniel had weaponized his father.
The lobby fell silent.
“Well,” Leo said finally. “That was a clusterfuck.”
“Tashi—” Orion turned to me.
“Don’t.” My voice came out shakier than I wanted. “Just…don’t. Handle this without me making it worse.”
“You didn’t make anything worse,” Ares said. “This isn’t about you—it’s about him wanting revenge when we won our first hearing with the Gaming Commission.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that if he gets hold of footage from that elevator, or from any of our…encounters…you’ll lose everything. The hotel. Your reputation. Everything you’ve built.”
“We don’t care,” Leo said.
“You should.” My throat tightened. “I’m not worth that.”
“Yes,” Orion said quietly, “you are.”
The certainty in his voice nearly broke me.
“I need to go,” I said. “Pack my things. Figure out…whatever comes next.”
“You’re not leaving the hotel,” Ares said immediately.
“Ares—”
“No. Wilder wants you isolated. Vulnerable. Away from us so he can pressure you into making statements that incriminate allof us.” His voice was firm. “You stay here. In your suite. Where we can protect you.”
“That’s exactly what Wilder’s expecting. That’s what will make this look worse.”
“I don’t care how it looks,” Ares said.
I looked at all three of them—these men who’d somehow become everything to me in less than two weeks—and felt my heart crack.
This was my fault. My choice to get involved with all three of them. My inability to walk away when I should have.
And now they were going to pay the price.
“I’ll stay,” I said finally. “For now. But if this gets worse—I’m gone. I won’t let you destroy yourselves trying to save me.”
Chapter 16
Ares
