All I see is her.
The candle on the table between us flickers, throwing light across her cheeks, flushed from the wine and her laughter. She’s in the middle of a story about Finn, briefly assigned to a team tasked with escorting a mining executive’s family out of Central America along with their menagerie of pets. And how Finn was forced to climb a tree to rescue the daughter’s Persian cat who’d made a break for it.
Her eyes glitter when she snickers. “Finn hates cats. Apparently his sister had one, and it peed on his clothes all the time. Ever since, he’s held a grudge.”
She laughs, bright and unguarded, and something hooks deep in my chest and pulls. I want to capture the feeling and hold on to it forever.
I’m happy. Truly. Deeply. Happy.
The night has been unhurried and easy. We haven’t stopped talking since we got here, and it feels so… normal. I don’t want it to end.
“Sera!”
Her spoon freezes halfway to her mouth, and her shoulders go rigid. I look up.
Ray ‘The Hammer’—former world heavyweight boxing champion—is standing ten feet away, staring at us. Flanking him are two hulking men in red velour athleisure. Both are wearing dark sunglasses despite the fact that we are in a dimly lit restaurant.
I’d laugh at the image they make—two goons straight out of a bad Vegas movie—except Sera’s face has gone blank. The easy warmth I’ve been enjoying is gone.
My eyes narrow on Ray as he strides over with a wide smile, seemingly oblivious to his daughter’s cool reception. His resemblance to Brady is there, though his face bears the hallmarks of a career spent in the ring. He’s wearing jeans and a purple-patterned shirt, open almost to his belly button. The diamonds on his watch catch the candlelight. The man is practically designed to draw attention.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” He sounds delighted, but Sera’s face is a frighteningly blank mask. “I haven’t seen you in so long. I’d hoped to see you last time I was in Atlanta. I called…”
He sounds hurt, but Sera’s jaw tightens further, and she doesn’t speak.
His gaze darts to me before returning to her, refusing to give up. It’s obvious where Sera and Brady get their stubbornness.
“What are you doing in Vegas?” He presses. “You didn’t tell me you were coming to town. We could’ve had dinner.”
His eyes slide back to me, and I see the exact second he recognizes the tattoos above my collar and decorating my hands.
His smile falls, and his face hardens. He extends a hand across the table. “Ray, Sera’sfather.”
He puts such an emphasis on the word that Sera snorts, but I’m already rising. The older man’s grip is crushing, and the protective father act would be cute, except I know how much this man has hurt her.
I squeeze back just as hard, holding his gaze, not blinking. After a long beat, he lets go. I don’t. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” I say, before releasing his hand.
To the man’s credit, he stands straighter, never breaking eye contact. “Can’t say the same. Who are you?”
I open my mouth to answer, but Sera interrupts. “Ray, we’re in the middle of something here. I’ll call you another time.”
“When?” His voice is softer now.
“I don’t know… soon.” She pushes her chair back. “Liev, are you ready?”
Ray steps back to give her room. “Come on, Sera. Just give me a minute.”
“Another time.” She doesn’t meet his eyes and steps toward me. I take her hand, and Ray notices, his gaze flicking to where I’ve interlaced our fingers.
Ray’s eyes travel over her face, dipping to the scars on display. “You look beautiful tonight, sweetheart.”
Sera’s nostrils flare, and her eyes flash, but she snaps her mouth shut on whatever arrow she was going to fling at him. “Thank you,” she says through her teeth.
Regret and sadness are etched on her father’s face. When he opens his mouth to speak again, Sera turns her shoulder and walks away.
The desert night has grown chilly while we were eating. Shrugging out of my suit jacket, I drape it over her shoulders without a word. For once she doesn’t protest, just pulls it tighter around her. We walk in silence for a few minutes, dodging the crowds clogging the strip’s sidewalks despite the cold.
Finally, she exhales a shaky breath. “I didn’t have to be such a bitch.”
