Her eyes twinkled and a smile lit up her face. It was clear she was in love with him. I dreaded the day her secret came out. She was going to face a lot of animosity from her family and our friends, especially after I heard how worried Ripp was that she and Seth were seeing each other. No one was going to approve.
“So, the mafia boss doesn’t try to boss you around?” I asked, trying to make a joke.
Kali smacked my arm. “No. And he’s not the boss yet, just the boss’s son. And get this, they own a private island that Valentin wants to take me to. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to get away for that one, though.”
I couldn’t even imagine what it’d be like to own a private island. “Good luck with that.”
We arrived at the hotel and Kali pulled up to the entrance, shut off the engine, and opened her door.
“What are you doing? You’ll get towed if you park here,” I said.
“No, I won’t. I just wanted to walk you to your room and say good night to Parker,” she replied.
I smiled, knowing my brother would be disappointed when he found out she was seeing someone. Sliding out of the car, I tucked my purse under my arm.
“Speaking of Parker, he’s going to be sad when he finds out you’re taken.”
A look of shock flashed across her face as we walked into the lobby. “Does your brother have a thing for me?”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened before I could answer. We stepped inside and I pressed the button for my floor.
“I think so; I’ve seen how he looks at you,” I confessed.
Kali smiled, but there was a sadness behind it. “Parker’s a great guy; any girl would be lucky to have him.” I couldn’t agree more. The elevator opened and I pulled out my key card as we walked down the hall. “What’s Ripp been up to today?” she asked.
We made it to my door and I laughed. “Not sure. He’s giving me a wide berth right now. I got a little pissed at him when I learned about the fight money.”
Kali giggled. “Could there be a little something going on between you two?”
I stared at her like she was crazy. “Definitely not. The guy might be hot as hell, but that’s as far as it goes. He drives me insane and not in a good way. He’s like an annoying brother.”
Kali nodded toward the door. “Well, let me say good night to your good brother so I can keep my car from being towed.”
“I thought you weren’t worried about that,” I said, lifting my brows at her.
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, so maybe I am.”
We both laughed as I slid the key card into the door. When I opened it, we were met with sheer darkness. But that wasn’t what made the blood run cold in my veins.
Kali grabbed my arm, her fingers digging into my skin. “Do you smell that?”
I did and it made me sick to my core. It was the metallic smell of blood . . . and lots of it. Her grip tightened as the lights from the hallway illuminated a dark figure on the floor.
It was Parker.
There was a pool of blood around his body. It felt like I was in a horror movie but I was numb to the tragedy around me. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. How could it be real? Just three hours ago, I was talking to him.
Kali’s gasp of terror brought me out of my stupor. My heart began to race and sweat poured down my back. I could hear her shrieks behind me as I walked into the room. I heard her mention 9-1-1 and getting help, but I couldn’t get my voice to work.
With each step toward Parker, I felt my world crash all around me. I’d often worked under the cloak of night when Parker and I had to steal things to survive. My eyes were accustomed to the dark. I didn’t need the light to see his broken body on the floor, bathed in thick shades of crimson. His leg was turned unnaturally and he had a small, round bullet hole in the center of his forehead.
“Wren!” Kali shouted.
I knew her screams had to be loud, but they were muffled to my ears. I moved closer to Parker and knelt beside his lifeless body.
A set of arms grabbed me from behind, and I heard a man’s voice, but I jerked out of their hold. I couldn’t leave Parker. I had always been his protector and I had failed.
Parker’s blood oozed around my knees as I leaned over to clasp his face. His skin was cold like ice and paler than a ghost. I wanted to see life in his gray eyes but realized that would never happen again.
