“Ghost,” she murmurs, brushing the back of her hand over her wet cheeks. “I…what…this is the women’s bathroom.”
“I saw you upset earlier so I followed you in here… Hey,” I say, a little panicked when those blue gems fill up with tears. She starts folding into herself so I take her hands before she can bury her face back in them. “Hey, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“I have to leave,” she sniffs, leaning into my touch when I cup her cheek. “I have to get out of Vegas.”
“And go where?”
“I don’t know!” she wails, pushing into my arms. I wrap an arm around her waist to hold her up before she sends us both toppling back. Then she’s back to crying, her tears wetting my shirt. “I don’t know where else I’m supposed to go now. Isn’t Nevada like a million miles from Texas? Am I going to have to leave the country now?”
“Why would you need to leave the country?”
“Because they’ll kill me if I don’t!”
Her words give me pause. I grip her shoulders and pull her back from the embrace until we’re facing each other. “Who is trying to kill you, Iris?” I ask firmly, my tone leaving no room for argument. “Tell me.”
“The cartel,” she whispers, more tears welling. And so, she tells me all of it. With tears rolling down her cheeks and heartbreak in her voice, she tells me about the murder she witnessed, the case that followed, and how she was forced into witness protection. “My real name is not even Iris Turner but I don’t want to go back to being Elizabeth and I don’t want anew name. I don’t want to move to another city but the Víboras Gemelas…”
“Shh,” I soothe, pulling her head back to my chest and stroking her hair until her sobs subside. I have to tell the Steel Sinners president, Pope, about all this. While I have experience dealing with organized crime—I was part of an Italian mob family my entire life before I fucked up and got booted—this here isn’t just my choice to make. If I am to deal with a kingpin set on coming after Iris, then I’ll have to involve Pope. The last time I went rogue, I lost my family and burned bridges. I’m not repeating that mistake.
“I’m okay now,” Iris says, pulling back from the embrace, flushing when she notices the tear stain on my shirt. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump everything on you. I’ll just leave and…”
“Do you believe that I am going to let you leave this casino after learning all of that?”
“It’s not your problem. I’ll just call my Marshall and…”
“You’re not leaving this casino until this little problem has been taken care of. Let’s get you cleaned up then you’re coming with me.”
“Where?”
I haven’t decided yet, but one thing is for certain, I’m not leaving her side for anything.
She argues.
Well, she tries, but her protests are half-hearted at best. I read the relief in her eyes, the hope that flashes in them when I stay firm in my decision to keep her in the casino. Her protests are for form’s sake when I guide her out of the bathroom, my hand firm on hers and take her to the bank of elevators. “I don’t want to trouble anyone,” she whispers when we step in. “MaybeI’ll lie low in my apartment for a couple of days and they’ll leave me alone.”
“That’s not a good idea. If they know where you work, they know where you live.”
I stare at the buttons and debate which floor to take her. I could take her to Pope’s office and arrange accommodations for her. Hell, there are rooms reserved for guests in the casino, but the thought of leaving Iris to spend the night alone when she’s dealing with the demons of her past doesn’t sit well with me. After a few seconds of deliberating with myself, I decide my apartment will have to do; it’s where I want her anyway. Close. Where can I keep my eye on her. It’s not fucking ideal to house the girl when I want her as madly as I do, but I’ll deal with it.
“Ghost—”
I back her to the wall when the doors close, my eyes on hers. “There is one thing I want you to know, Iris. Men like the ones that are after you do not quit until they’ve had their revenge.” It’s what I would do if I were after someone I wanted to erase from the face of the earth. “Chances are, they have been watching you for a while now.”
She gives me a shaky smile. “Well, that doesn’t scare me at all.”
“Hey, they’re not going to get to you now.” I reach out and run a finger over her brows, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear then run the back of my hand over the soft velvet skin of her cheek, making her shiver. “Anyone who comes after you will have to go through me first.”
“Why?”
Because you are mine and I’ll carve into anyone who touches you. Because I’ve never wanted anything as badly asI want you and can’t bear the thought of another man hurting you. Because I can relate to being forced into a life you weren’t prepared for and wanting to cling to it.
“Because you’re now the club’s responsibility and a man threatened you on our turf,” I say instead, certain the rest would scare her off. “Anyone who comes to Elysium and makes threats here is begging for trouble with the Sinners.”
“No, I mean, why areyouhelping me? We’ve never even talked before.”
I’m saved from answering when the elevator doors open on the tenth floor. “Let’s get you settled in. I have to make a call.” I see the question in her eyes but she doesn’t voice it. Instead, simply nods and follows me down the hall and to my door. I’ve never brought a woman into my apartment before, never had reason to and as I open the door, I feel the air shift between us, grow static. It becomes glaringly obvious that we’re going to be in closed doors, alone. Together. In a spacious one-bedroom apartment that houses a single bed. “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable and I’ll make that call now.”
I don’t wait for her to respond as I step back outside, closing the door softly behind me. I don’t immediately call Pope. I give myself a few minutes for my body to calm down. I haven’t felt this out of depth since I put down the bottle two years ago. I worked so fucking hard to get back in control, but this little bartender threatens to strip me of it.
