Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Arabella
Three hours later I sit at the bar, a sparkling seltzer water in front of me, waiting for Luke.
He’s late and I’m annoyed.
The last few hours have been a lesson in pain, coupled with the hours of crying, I’m tired.
I refuse to watch the door, but it takes all my energy not to glare at it in anticipation.
The bartender has been eyeing me for the last twenty minutes, I know he’s working his way up to asking me out.
That last thing I need is another man to manage. I’m full up.
I take a sip of my seltzer and turn away as the bartender tries to make eye contact for the third time in the last minute. But I wish I hadn’t. In fact, I’d wish I’d smiled back and flirted shamelessly.
Instead, my gaze collides with the man who is walking through the door.
Gris.
How does he even know I’m here? This time, I know it’s not a coincidence. I told him just hours ago that I didn’t want to see him again.
I turn back toward the bar, closing my eyes and trying to collect myself.
“You all right?” the bartender asks.
My eyes pop open. “Fine. Thank you.”
The bartender eyes Gris as he slides into the chair next to me. I clench the glass of water, needing something to hang onto.
“Princess.”
“Asshole.”
I see his lips curl into a smile. “I see you’re still wearing your ring.”
I turn toward him, tossing him a healthy glare. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to speak with you.”
“Well, I don’t need to speak with you. You should leave.”
“I’m not leaving until I’ve said?—”
“I’m done listening to you. I heard what you had to say already.” I’d leave, but Luke should be here any second. I pick up my phone and call his number.
“If you’re calling Luke, don’t bother. He isn’t coming.”
The phone slides away from my ear as I stare at Gris. How would he know Luke’s plans. By slow degrees, the truth sinks in. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Hey, babe,” the bartender leans over the bar. “You good? You sure you don’t need some help?”
Calmly, I set my phone down on the bar and I draw in a deep breath. “I don’t need help. Like I said. I’m fine.” I’m not fine. Luke, the brother I love most in this world, is part of this scheme against me. What in the world is happening?
“Luke sent you tonight, didn’t he?”
Gris doesn’t answer, but his grimace tells me all I need to know.
Slipping from the stool, I start for the door. I won’t cry. I’m not going to yell. Yet.
Gris falls in step behind me as I dial my phone again. Luke doesn’t pick up. I charge out of the bar, the cooler night air filling my lungs as my call goes to voicemail.
I’ve been a victim this whole time.
It’s my fault. I take responsibility. I accepted Preston. I let Mason make all these plans. I trusted Luke when I shouldn’t have. Okay, that last one was not my fault.
I get his voicemail. “Luke Kincaid, you call me back in the next five minutes or I will never speak to you again.” I hang up.
Gris is behind me, I can feel him. Spinning, I give his chest a hard push. These emotions I can’t control are welling up inside me. What is happening? Mason is trapping me, Luke is double-crossing me. No wonder all the Kincaid men want to kill each other. “Go away, Gris.”
“We’re not done.”
“We’re done.” And then I pull up the Uber app on my phone, tears making it difficult to read.
Frustrated and just wanting to escape, I spin blindly away, stepping out into the crosswalk. I barely see the flash of headlights before sick dread freezes my limbs.
I see the car, feel it baring down on me, but I just…
Strong hands yank me back and suddenly I’m against Gris’s hard chest as the car whizzes by, the wind blowing my hair across my back. I grip his biceps, my held tilting back to look up into the dark depths of his eyes. “Gris?”
He wraps his arms tighter around me, his nose dropping into my hair. “You’re all right. I’ve got you.”
I blink up at him twice, just trying to understand. I’m exhausted, physically and emotionally, and I can feel my body sinking.
His arms around me tighten. “I’m going to take you home.”
“Yes, please.” I know I told him I never wanted to see him again. That I just stormed out of the bar. But what just happened has melted away the last of my fight. I’ve got no more today. If anything, I just want to sink into his strength.
I know all he’s done. Then again, I’m not exactly a pillar of virtue over here. I’ve done a bunch wrong, but it’s time to learn from my mistakes. Which means, I shouldn’t give too much away to this man.
He’s using me to get revenge on Mason. He’ll use any information I give him to his advantage. But right this second, I don’t need to talk…
I’m off my feet and in his arms. It’s so like that night in Hawaii, the way he feels, I wish for a moment I could be back there.
Back to the feel of his skin before I knew everything else.
My phone rings, but my face is buried in Gris’s shoulder, and I barely register the sound.
He stops, still holding me, he whispers. “Take out your phone, luv.” It’s still gripped tightly in my hand. He sets me down long enough so that I can pull my arm between us, looking down at the phone.
My eyes are blurry, but I can still read Luke’s name.
Right. I told him to call me back. I fumble to push the button. “Luke?”
“Bug…”
His stupid pet name for me fills my mouth with acid. I hang up again. I just don’t want to hear anything else in this moment. I’m done listening.
Still holding me, Gris takes the phone out of my hand and calls Luke back. He lifts me up again, with one arm and, he starts carrying me down the street. Even though my phone is pressed to the ear that I’m not resting against. I can still hear everything.
“What’s wrong, Arabella?” Luke asks.
“It’s me,” Gris answers.
“Where is Arabella?” Luke demands.
“I’ve got her. I’m taking her home.”
“What the hell happened tonight? You said you needed to talk with her. Why is she so upset?”
I lift my head, my brow scrunching.
Luke does not sound like he’s betrayed me. Then again, Luke’s an idiot.
“Arabella wasn’t looking where she was going and stepped out in front of a car.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Luke spits into the phone.
“She’s all right. I’m taking her home.”
“I take it, since you called me from her phone, that she knows you and I are?—”
“She knows the basics. I’ll explain the rest to her tomorrow. Right now, I think she needs some sleep.”
We reach his car, and he opens the passenger door, practically pouring me into the bucket seat.
I distantly note the smell of rich leather before he’s around to the driver’s side, starting the car and taking off into Las Vegas traffic.
A million questions swirl in my head. But the one that pops out of my mouth, “How’d you learn to drive on the other side of the road?”
He chuckles. “Took a bit of time.”
“Will you be the duke someday?”
“Unlikely, but possible.”
I let out a long breath. “How many spots are you away from being an actual king?”
“Fourteen.”
I guess I don’t want to discuss anything of consequence. My heart is aching. And I don’t want to tell Gris anything I’ll regret. So instead, I keep asking about his life away from Las Vegas. “Do you like the weather in England?”
“It’s dreadful. Then again, all this sun is almost oppressively happy.”
I smile. “I liked New York. Summer, winter, everything in between. It snowed at Christmas sometimes.”
I’m curled into the seat, my eyes closed. His finger brushes over my cheek. “I like New York too. I like Boston even better.”
“Oh yeah, why’s that?”
“I don’t know. It’s older. Smaller. Homier.”
I feel myself unwind. It’s so nice to have a regular conversation. “I’ll go someday. When this is all over. I mean, if I can afford it.”
“Afford it?”
I shake my head. “Mason’s cutting me off at some point, I’m sure. I may never trust Luke again. Maybe Roman will help me out… or Leo. Then again, I’m not sure I want to ask. I’ve been a burden enough.”
He’s silent as I kick off my heels and draw my knees up. I’m in a dress, curled in his seat like a small child. And maybe it’s childish, but I have this feeling like I just want out of this whole life. Of this mess. Escape.
I’m in the vortex of a tornado, and one wrong misstep, I’m going to be drawn in, flung to some unknown place, likely in a broken heap.
“I seriously doubt your family finds you to be a burden, Bella. They all love you.”
“I am a burden.” I open my eyes, but I turn away from him to look out the window. I’ve only ever sucked resources, I’ve never been an asset. “The one time I brought something of value, Preston’s contacts, I messed it all up.”
And that’s the truth.
Gris is silent for a minute. Two. It goes on so long, I get lost in my own thoughts. The hum of the engine and the passing city.
But as we reach the garage of my building, he finally speaks, “Luke sent me to Hawaii to save you.”