“Did you even love me at all?” I ask, tears flowing down my face. Why haven’t I left yet? Only an idiot would stay and watch. They both laugh, before she turns to look at me.
All it takes is her eyes landing on me again for the betrayal to seep further in me, making me feel like she just stabbed me in the gut.
But it’s all it takes. I grab my bag I dropped from the floor and turn my back to them.
I haul ass away from the sight, slamming the door as I go. That bastard. That fucking bastard. My own fucking kinfolk. How could they do this to me? Tears are steadily falling down my face as I reach the elevator. I press the button so many times, I fear it will break. I need to get out of here. I can’t fucking breathe.
The elevator pings and the doors open. I stumble inside. The same man from earlier is still leaning against the back wall. His head peeks slightly from below his hood watching me as I stumble in and turn my back to him. But the mirrored walls giveme away. The hurt I am feeling comes crashing over me as I let it all go. Crying as if there is no one around to hear me. But there is. He’s probably wondering what the fuck is wrong with her? But I couldn’t care less in this moment. My body can sense his stare on me. I can feel the heat from it. It hits me the same way it did a few weeks ago. Whenhewas near. My hands tremble as I press the ground floor. Once. Twice. A third time. Why won’t this thing move already?
My vision blurs more as tears I refuse to acknowledge any longer keep falling.
I take my phone from my pocket and send a quick text to Ashton.
Me: Something happened, I need a room.
The man behind me begins typing away on his phone, clearly agitated.
The elevator comes to a stop and the doors open. And I see her, Ashton, standing there waiting for me. She walks to me, and as she looks at me, she knows. She doesn’t ask. She doesn’t hesitate. She walks straight back to the two ladies at the reception desk. Their expressions soften as they see us. They knew. Their faces look somewhat apologetic.
“We have been informed that for as long as you are here, Miss…”
“Reith,” I answer. She smiles softly, then continues.
“Well, Miss Reith, per request from the boss, you’ve been upgraded for the remainder of your stay. To the room with the best view.”
I glance at Ashton, who just shrugs her shoulders.
“The boss?” I ask, frowning. But the woman is already handing Ashton a slip of paper with some numbers written on it. No key card, just a paper with numbers. A code, I’m guessing.Ashton takes it acceptingly, listens to whatever else the lady says, then turns and grabs my arm as we head to a different set of elevators.
CHAPTER 14
Payson
We ridein the elevators to the highest floor. Ashton had to type in a code for us to enter, and again as we stepped out of the elevator and walked up to a door. The only door by the looks of it on this floor. Strange.
“Let’s get you showered and looking presentable, then we can go downstairs and gamble ourselves away. Or you can go thank this ‘boss,’” she says smiling. “I have already lost my husband to the poker tables, so the least we can do is enjoy ourselves as well.” She giggles at her own words, and I can’t help but smile too. We step inside and my mouth falls open at the breathtaking view before me.
“Wow, you really need to thank this guy,” Ashton says, walking to the floor to ceiling windows across the room. “Come check this out, they weren’t kidding. This view is spectacular.”
I walk over to join her, running my hands along the smooth fabric of the couch. Everything is so pristine, so neatly placed, and clean. Clearly I am in the wrong room. I’ve been to manyfancy hotels, and each room has its own flaw. Thanks to Cora, I can pinpoint the absolute tiniest detail that’s off.
I turn acknowledging the view, and Ashton’s right. It is spectacular. We are so high above everything, the people walking the street below look like little ants. The sunset lights up everything for as far as I can see in its miraculous orange, purple, and pink glow. It helps.
“Come on,” Ashton says, walking away. “Let’s find the bathroom, clean up, and go find us something to drink.”
I eye a mini bar to my right. “There’s a bar right here,” I say, gesturing toward it, but she doesn’t turn around. “You have to pay for those, but by the looks of it, I’m sure whoever owns this room can afford if you drank as many as you wanted.”
That makes me laugh. She isn’t wrong.
“OMG, you have got to see this,” she screams excitedly from what I assume is the bathroom. I hurry to where she is, and it’s unreal.
“My design,” I say, looking around. “This is my design.” I can’t help but smile. This man obviously has outstanding taste.
CHAPTER 15
Ledgar
I probably shouldn’t have interfered.I should have just left her to fend for herself, but what kind of person would that make me. The minute she stepped foot inside my building I was aware. I can pull up a camera from anywhere in the hotel and casino straight to my phone. Watching her was easy. Trying not to go to her, well that was something different.
