“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about the other women.”
I shrugged. “We weren’t exactly on speaking terms when I found out.”
“What do we do now?” Kali asked.
Ripp let me go and I faced her and Valentin. The answer was simple . . . I had to go off on my own.
“As you can see, Nikolai was able to get in here undetected and kill my brother. He could easily come back.” I focused on Kali and Ripp. “I can’t be here with you guys; it’s too dangerous.”
Ripp stormed over to the bed and grabbed his bag off the floor. “Then let’s go home. I’ll pack my shit up right now. We’ll hop on a private jet and get help.”
“No,” I snapped, charging over to him and grabbing his arm to stop him from packing. “It still puts you and everyone I care about in the line of fire.”
Ripp glared angrily at me and scoffed. “We’re already there, Wren.” He reached into the dresser beside his bed and pulled out all his T-shirts, shoving them into his bag. “Nikolai wants revenge on me, too, because of my father. He was the main one who helped take down the Dark Side. It’s just a matter of time before it’s my turn.” Ripp averted his glare to Valentin. “Let him come so I can kill the fucker myself.”
Valentin stepped forward. “There is another way, but I don’t think you’ll like it,” he said. “If you want to end this, you will need help.”
Dread filled my gut and I shook my head; I had a feeling I knew where this was going.
“Hell no,” I growled, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m not asking Seth Michelson for help.”
The way Valentin stared right into my eyes made me shiver. He was part of the mafia and just as dangerous as Seth and Nikolai. The only thing that made me see him differently from the others was how gentle he was with Kali.
Valentin walked up to me, his voice low. “I don’t think you have a choice, Wren. Let me make the call.”
Kali nodded in agreement, and so did Ripp, which shocked me. I guess there was no choice.
CHAPTER10
SETH
“Vince Pennington didn’t waste any time tucking tail and running, did he?” Benny said as he drove us out of my newly owned hotel parking lot.
When I got word Vince was gone for good, I went straight to the hotel. I’d already met with the staff this morning and told them they were all getting raises.
“Vince may be a fucking moron when it comes to gambling,” I replied, “but I knew he’d be smart enough not to procrastinate.”
“How long do you think we’ll be staying in Vegas?”
I met Benny’s gaze through the rearview mirror. “A few more weeks. Once everything is settled at the hotel, I need to spend some time in New York.”
Benny nodded in agreement. I’d been gone from New York for far too long. My phone rang once we arrived at my house and Benny pulled into the garage. It was Valentin.
“Hey,” I answered as I stepped out of the car.
“Have you seen the local news?” he asked, his voice tired.
It just so happened that I had. Knowing Vegas, there would always be robberies, murders, prostitution, and more in the news.
“Yeah, why?” I wondered.
A heavy sigh echoed through the phone. “Did you see the story about the hotel murder?”
“I did,” I answered, curiosity bubbling in my chest as to why he was asking. “But there wasn’t much information on what happened or who the victim was.” If he’s mentioning it, though, it means it had to be linked to someone we knew. “What’s going on, Rossi?”
Valentin cleared his throat and a cacophony of voices murmured in the background. “I’m putting this call on speaker so everyone knows what’s happening.”
“And who is everyone?” I asked as I opened the door to my home.
