King of Pain (Lords of Las Vegas #5)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Luke

We stop midday to refuel the truck and grab some road snacks.

I love Alice, but the gas is seriously eating into the budget.

When Kate goes into pay, I pull out my burner and call Kincaid Enterprises. I get the front reception.

“Kincaid Enterprises, how may I direct your call?”

“Mason Kincaid,” I answer, blowing out a long breath.

“One moment, please.”

I hear the line connect. I know I won’t get Mason directly, but I know all three of his assistants.

If any one of them answers…

But no one does. My brow furrows. What the fuck is that about? Instead, I go to voicemail. “This is Luke. I need Mason and I need him now. He can call me at…” Fuck. What was the burner’s number?

Kate comes back out, carrying a bag of food as I hang up the phone. “Hey…” I wave the phone. “Know how I find the number to this thing?”

“Who’re you calling?” she asks, tossing the snacks behind the seat and pulling out my Walmart bags, finding the box for the phone.

“My family.” I hit redial and get the operator again.

“Mason Kincaid,” I repeat, pulling the truck out of the spot.

I once again go to voicemail. “Hey. It’s Luke again. Here is the number.” Kate holds up the box. “Can you read it to me?” I ask.

She does, me repeating the numbers one at a time. “Call me ASAP.”

“You think your family can help?” Kate asks as I toss the phone on the dash.

“Definitely,” I answer without elaborating. My family being mega rich isn’t a secret. But right now, we’re in this bubble. I like it. I could have been this guy.

Maybe I should have been this guy. Beat-up pickup, worn boots, Walmart T-shirt. I would have been all right. Hell, I can still land a girl in med school even without the money. And I just get to feed her, and tinker with Alice, and…

I don’t know. It feels more me than anything has for a long time.

I’m not even sure why I don’t tell her about my family. Could be she’d realize I’m as bad as Vincent. That she needs a different plan besides sticking to my side.

Could be that I know the truth. She’d be safer away from me. And now that I’ve got a line to Mason, I’ll be going back to Vegas very soon.

I don’t need Kate anymore. And she needs to get back too. She’s got the internship starting.

She’s got her head on my shoulder, her nose periodically rubbing the fabric of my T-shirt.

Hell, I haven’t gotten ahold of Mason yet. And I won’t just leave Kate on some corner. I’ll make sure she’s tucked somewhere safe. Able to get back.

It takes up most of the day, but we finally pull off down a dirt road around nightfall. Alice doesn’t go anywhere quick, and Kate insisted on hitting a grocery store so she can cook for us. Which is a good idea. We’ll spend far less on groceries than on gas and eating out.

I haven’t heard back from Mason, which pisses me off and honestly worries me. Is Roman all right? How much shit are they in? Should I have gone back to Vegas? Kate could have navigated…

But as we pull up to the cabin, I stop worrying and just stare.

It’s absolutely fantastic.

Built with logs, it’s small, but clean on the outside with a nice porch and even flower boxes.

“You’re sure the guy who owns this doesn’t care that we’re using it?”

“Well, we’ve got a phone now, I can call him.” Kate holds out her hand and I pass her the phone.

She fires it up and then starts to dial before she looks at me blushing. I love her cheeks all pink. “Is it all right if I tell him you’re my boyfriend?”

“What?”

“I don’t really know how else…” Now she’s bright red. “I have to give him some explanation.”

I wink, my hand settling back on her thigh as I squeeze. Does she want to play boyfriend/girlfriend? I’m going to fuck her so good tonight. “Go for it, love.”

She hits the call button. “Hey, Mark,” she starts, “it’s Kate.”

I hear the warm greeting on the other end of the phone and a bit of jealousy makes my hand tighten. “It’s good to hear your voice too.”

“No. I’m good. Yeah. School is going good. Thanks for the help this semester. I don’t know how I would have done it if you hadn’t.”

My eyes go wide. This isn’t just some guy she kind of knows. He helped her with tuition? Who did she say he was? My fingers flex, moving closer to her pussy because that shit is mine.

I get it. I keep pushing the possessive angle. I let out a long breath, trying to relax.

“Yeah. Mom’s good. I mean, she’s Mom. You know.”

I watch her as she shifts in her seat. “Hey, I’m on a road trip with my boyfriend.” That’s right. She’s passing me off as her boyfriend. This time, I really do relax back into the seat.

“Yeah. New. But I have that week off and we thought we’d get away.”

“The cabin. Really? You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“Yeah. I remember where the key is. I’ll water everything. Yeah. I remember how to start the stove.”

I swallow down a lump, something so intimate in this conversation. He sounds like a nice guy. “I love you too,” Kate hangs up, then quietly hands the phone back.

“Who did you say Mark was?”

“My stepdad. I mean, him and my mom got divorced after a couple years but…” Her hands knot together. “He’s the only real dad I’ve ever had. All the others…”

“All the others?”

She dips her chin lower. “My mom dated a lot of guys. A lot of them really shitty. Twice, the guys she was with were so bad, I’d run away to Mark.”

I’m fully turning in my seat. I thought I had it bad. Yeah, my dad up and left us, but my mom was rock solid. “Shit. Kate.”

She shrugs. “We still talk all the time. Me and Mark. I guess I talk to him more than I do my actual mom now that I’m an adult.”

She brushes at her cheek. Is she crying? I use my good arm to tug her closer. “I get it.”

“Do you?”

“Mostly. My dad wasn’t around either. The men in my family aren’t the most dependable.”

“I see.” I hear the warble in her voice.

“But my mom, she raised me right. She didn’t date until after Arabella left.”

“Arabella?”

“My cousin. Single mom and she takes in two kids that aren’t even hers. They were Kincaids, my dad’s family, but she still loved them like her own.”

“I’d like to meet your mom.”

I smile at her. “Yeah. She’s a good woman.”

Kate slides away from me on the bench seat. “Want to go inside? We’ve got a lot of unpacking to do.”

“Sure. This place is amazing.”

“It’s tiny, but really just as cute on the inside as it is on the outside. I remember when Mark built it. He let me pick all the furniture and the curtains. My mom hated it here, but I’ve always loved it.”

I get why.

She opens her door and hops out of the truck. I get out too and come around to her side. “You know. This place matches your truck well. A little dingy but in the best kind of way with all kinds of charm.”

“My favorite,” I answer, pushing the seat forward to get the bags in the back. Bright side. No one is finding us here.

Mason can take all the time he wants to call me back. Well, as long as it’s in the next twenty-four hours.

The permits expire in like three more days and I need to make sure my family comes out on top of this one if we’re ever going to get rid of the Vendettis.

Still, at least for tonight, I’m treating this like an actual vacation. I’ve got a beautiful woman by my side, tucked in the pine trees of Colorado. What could be better?

But an hour later, it is.

Because Kate starts cooking, her ass looking amazing in her jeans as I sit at the retro table, the kitchen filling with the most amazing smells.

I’d gotten a six-pack of beer at the grocery store and I crack one open now, taking a swig.

Kate turns around, and seeing the open bottle, steps away from the stove, picking it up and taking a swig too.

We’re at the sharing-drinks phase, are we?

This is all new territory for me, but I hook her waist, pulling her close and plant a kiss on her belly. Her shirt has a bit of a crop so just enough of her skin is exposed that I plant my lips on it, tasting her.

She swats lightly at my shoulder and then returns to the stove. I prop a foot on the other chair, leaning back. I can’t remember the last time I was this relaxed.

That’s when I hear a scratching right outside the door.

“Fuck,” I’m on my feet in a second, Kate freezes at the stove.

Grabbing a knife from the block, I start toward the front door.