20. Amorette
AMORETTE
I was surprised the helicopter ride was so smooth.
Parker was a good pilot. There hadn’t been many opportunities for me to ride in a helicopter, but this was by far the best ride I’d been on.
The way these things dipped to the side so easily would make me motion sick, but I hadn’t experienced any of that today.
Although, I was incredibly bored during the ride.
We all had headphones on, but there was zero conversation. Parker had been focused on piloting and Grey messed around on his phone. Both were in the front while I was strapped so nicely in the back. No phone, no book, just the backs of two admittedly gorgeous, yet questionable, men to stare at.
We landed on a rooftop helipad after what I thought might have been a couple of hours.
There was no way to be certain without a clock.
As soon as we touched down, three men walked out to wait outside the ring with crossed arms and dark sunglasses.
Dressed in all black, they reminded me of Vegas bouncers on steroids.
The strong downdraft from the blades had their shirts billowing, teasing tan strips of chests and stomachs.
Each man had a ‘kill first, ask questions later’ vibe, and I stiffened.
Grey had grown on me. I had no idea what Parker did, but he’d let me go, even if it was for his own asshole amusement. A brief fear skittered across my mind… What if they were more like the warehouse men than I’d thought?
It took less than a minute for my brain to discard that thought. They might not be heroes, but they weren’t evil either. They couldn’t be.
As soon as the engine started to die down, Grey and Parker unbuckled their seatbelts and hung their headsets on hooks. I followed suit, perching on the edge of the seat, waiting for them to get out and help me. I’d definitely need the assistance in this outfit. Unfortunately.
As the deafening sound of the blades slowly stopped, the footsteps of the men echoed over the concrete. They addressed Grey with a deference that seemed odd. He’d been nothing but his version of kind to me, which admittedly was a little harsh, but he hadn’t tried to demand obedience.
Only how well did I really know him?
Grey ignored them, popping the door open and ducking in to stare into my eyes. Cupping both sides of my neck, he bent forward and pressed his mouth to my ear. “No one here knows how you came to be with us. It plays to your benefit and mine to be my lover. Can you do that?” he whispered.
His hot breath ghosting over my ear caused a full-body shudder. When he pulled back, he had a shit-eating grin on. I narrowed my gaze, wanting to point out it was a human reaction and I had sensitive ears, not that he made me shiver. But I didn’t.
Instead, I nodded.
What he proposed made sense, and I didn’t have to be a genius to know I could be in deep shit if people realized where I was before. Would men see me as fair game? Would I be an acceptable target for their anger?
In this, I was all too happy to play along.
“Good. Remember. Stay with me, unless I say otherwise.” He smirked and I knew he wouldn’t be saying otherwise.
Grey moved his hands to my waist and lifted me out, setting me on the ground in front of him.
Close but not quite touching. When he turned to address the men, he tucked me into his side, his hand sliding down my back in clear possession, stopping just above my ass.
I wanted to shoot him an irritated glare for taking advantage of the situation, but I didn’t want to give myself away.
I was also fairly certain his hand wasn’t on my ass because it couldn’t reach it. Bastard.
There was an air of annoyance wafting off the men as they continued speaking like he hadn’t ignored them for the last few minutes. Whoever Grey was to them, it seemed their obedience only went so far.
Parker walked around the helicopter checking a few things, then he slipped his hands into the pockets of his black slacks and strolled toward the rooftop door, whistling a vaguely familiar song. He didn’t glance at us once, apparently having better things to do inside.
Finally, Grey started to give the men orders or instructions or something. I wasn’t quite sure since it was all in Spanish. When we returned to his apartment, I’d ask for a program to learn the language.
If there was anything I hated, it was being at a clear disadvantage.
Back in the normal world, I’d have started working immediately to eradicate the weakness.
Here, I was at his mercy. The fact I’d have to ask permission for anything grated against my pride, but this was all baby steps.
I could suffer through any hit to my pride as long as I survived .
We started walking toward the door Parker had just gone through, and the men didn’t try to hide their obvious interest in who I was. They leered and eye fucked me the entire walk to the door. But Grey didn’t pay them any attention as he kept barking out rapid Spanish.
Shit, their gaze on my body was making my skin itch, but I’d be damned if I gave them the satisfaction of knowing it. Instead, I raised my chin, looked dead ahead, and added a little strut in my walk as they fell behind, because… Fuck them.
I had never cowed before men, not even in the warehouse, and I wouldn’t start now. As much as I hated to admit it, Grey’s presence at my side added to my bravery.
Damn him.
The sounds of our footsteps reverberated around the enclosed stairwell. Graffiti was scrawled over every inch of the concrete walls, but the floors were swept clean. Not like some of the dirty, trash-filled stairwells in Virginia.
Grey stopped my descent a few floors down and opened the door to the main building. “We’ll take the elevator from here.”
Holy shit. I tried not to make a show of glancing around at the opulence and large, sleek doors lining the hallway.
We were in a hotel, by the looks of it. Which could be deceiving, obviously, from the wing Addict had kept me in.
Although I had a strong gut feeling, this was a hotel where the fights were held. It just made sense.
A few maids were in the hallway with their linen carts, chatting happily to each other. When they saw us appear though, they cut off all conversation and dropped their gazes to the floor, cupping their hands in front of them.
I didn’t like that.
Glancing up at Grey, I wanted to see if he thrived on this kind of regard, but he was moving his gaze between the men at our side and the hall in front of us.
I’d seen wealthy men like him move around DC.
Most of the population didn’t exist to them.
I wasn’t sure how his callous attitude made me feel or why I would even care.
We rounded a corner to the elevator bay that was every bit as fancy as the hall. With shiny black marble and bright lights lining the ceiling, highlighting just how good the maids were at their jobs.
One of the men stepped forward to press the button, and when he stepped back, he was within my personal bubble. He didn’t smile, but his gaze was proprietary as it swept over my chest and down to my ass.
Grey looped his arm around my stomach, growling at the man as he pulled me against his chest. He paled, and all three collectively stepped back.
I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. A knot in my stomach loosened as I placed my hands over his forearm, thanking him the only way I knew how at that moment. He wouldn’t let anyone touch me. He would protect me. And that made me like him a little more.
Damn it.
From that point, I didn’t exist for the men.
They didn’t even look at me out of the corner of their eyes.
Their deference when Grey first got out of the helicopter returned with a vengeance.
They’d just needed a reminder of who Grey was…
but now I was more than curious. It raged through me, begging me to ask all the questions I knew he would never answer.
If he had this kind of power, why did he act like he was also a roundabout victim of the life he’d been born into?
I pushed the thought from my mind as the elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside. The men allowed us to go first. When they did follow, the men stayed on the other side of the space, crowded against the wall to avoid touching me. It was hard to keep the triumphant smirk off of my face.
When the doors opened again, I’d get my first real look into what I was positive was illegal underground fighting. An unassuming, quiet ding sounded as the doors slid open and Grey walked me out.
This level was a cross between posh and industrial. Posh in the way the black walls and floors gleamed under the fluorescent lights. Industrial in the way the ceiling exposed all the lighting, ductwork, and whatever else was typically hidden.
Like a nightclub in the daylight, it seemed odd to be empty, even though thumping club music played from the speakers. The room wasn’t terribly large, but there was a door at the end, which was apparently right where we were heading.
Grey scanned his phone at the keypad and the door unlocked. The next room or two were impressive. The right side was floor-to-ceiling windows, and the doorway on the opposite wall led to a sleek boardroom.
My brain fritzed over this new information as I was both shocked and disgusted at the way criminals did business.
But I wasn’t ignorant. I practiced law and knew better than most that the worst criminals were the wealthiest and liked the finer things in life, but it was different to experience it firsthand.
The hand at my waist squeezed and I looked up into Grey’s mischievous green eyes.
“We’re going into the conference room. The door will be open, but you can stay out here if you want. You can watch the staff get ready for the fight down below.” He nodded toward the window.