Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
R ayna laid limp in my arms. Josh howling like a schoolboy as vomit splattered across my favorite pair of shoes.
“Fuck.” I hitched her up in my arms. “A little help here.”
“She passed out.” Josh grabbed under her arms.
I cradled her in my arms and hosted her back over my shoulders. She weighed nothing. Just a tiny little thing with the long legs. When we hit level three of the parking garage, Josh’s phone rang.
We stepped out of the elevator. I peeked to my left and right before moving. Our car was parked right where we left it. My driver standing by with the door open.
“Yeah.” He mouthed the name Stanley to me. I gripped the flesh of her thigh and took off toward the car. If everything was going according to plan. The FBI would be raiding the party right about now.
I sat Rayna in the passenger seat and kneeled next to her. I check her eyes to make sure they were reactive. She was still breathing. She might have passed out from the drugs in her system or fainted from all the excitement. I adjusted her dress, not liking that all those men got to see her like this. It was revealing way too much. She shivered. I shucked off my jacket and pulled my shirt off. I wrapped it around her and pulled her arms through the sleeves. It was way too big on her. I button it before buckling her seat belt.
“We’re leaving now.” Josh spoke into the phone. He rounded the truck.
I closed her door and followed him. I scanned the parking lot. Thankfully, we were alone.
“Let’s go.” I climbed in the car, and we took off. We drove through the parking lot, down the two ramps and out of the exit. We drove behind the building and out onto a service road which led to the highway.
I opened Rayna’s window to let some fresh air in. We all smelled like cigarette smoke, and bad whiskey. I would be burning these clothes.
She looked like an angel sleeping. I rolled up her right sleeve and then her left and sat them on her lap. She grabbed my arm.
She was still sound asleep. What did they give her? Since she was breathing and not in immediate distress, I wasn’t too worried. She curled into me and laid her head on my shoulders. I caressed her cheek and kissed the top of her head.
Underneath the smoke, I smell the subtle scent of coconuts. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent.
Josh grunted.
I looked up to find him watching me.
He glared at me, shook his head, and turned back around.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled into our private garage entrance at the Quad. I breathed a sigh of relief. My family has homes all over the world, but there is a reason most of us live in Vegas full time. It was the most secure. The one place in the world I felt completely safe.
Tonight was supposed to be the last operation. Josh had grown weary of the mission. It seemed never ending. You shut down one place and two more popped up in its place.
I did it to support Josh, who felt an obligation to right his families’ wrongs. And, because it was the right thing to do. But this one touched close to home and looking into Rayna’s eyes, I felt it first-hand why we did what we did. We had to protect women like her at all costs.
* * *
My driver, Patrick pulled up in front of our private elevator. I climbed out of the car.
“You want me to get her?” Patrick asked.
I grunted. He backs off, with his hands raised in surrender. No one touches her.
Opening her door, I take her into my arms.
She sighs and rests her head on my shoulder. We enter the elevator and ride up to the PH level in silence. As the doors opened, Josh and Patrick both surveyed the hallway. It would be near impossible for someone to make it up to this floor unannounced.
It only housed my penthouse and two other guest rooms. Josh lived on the floor below. My brothers all had places in the Quad, too. Tyler had the penthouse in Quad I. Russell in Quad II. I lived in Quad III. Chandler had an apartment on the top floor of Quad IV. It was only a five-story building, but his place was the biggest out of all my brothers. We joked he was compensating for something, but Chandler was the best looking of us all.
We walked down to the end of the hall. Josh opened the door to my place. I kicked off the ruined shoes and headed straight for the nearest bedroom. I laid Rayna down on the covers and grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and tucked her in.
She immediately pushed off the covers. My shirt and the dress gathered around her waist. She settled down with her legs splayed open. “Fuck me.” I whispered as her black lace panties came into view.
“Ky,” Josh knocked lightly. “Everything ok?” I quickly covered her back up before joining him in the hall. I didn’t want to leave her alone, didn’t want to be standing over her like a creep when she woke up. I wanted to make sure she knew, she was safe.
“Shh.” I motioned for him to keep his voice down.
“They finished the raid,” he pierced his lips.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Santorini got away.”
“Fuck.” I rubbed my beard. “How?”
“They don’t know.” Josh shrugged. “Maybe he had another escape route. Afterall, it was his hotel.”
“Yeah.” I shook my head. “She’s not going to be safe until he’s caught.”
“He’ll be coming after us, too.”
“I’m not worried about us.” I dismissed the notion.
“Santorini has friends, Kyler.” Josh said.
“His friends are going to scatter when they know the FBI and Interpol are after him.” I nodded.
“What are we going to do about her?” He asked.
“I am going to keep her safe, until they catch Santorini and all of his men.” I walked back toward her room. “I brought her here. She’s my responsibility. This isn’t on you.”
“Hey.” He grabbed my arm. “You say she needs to be protected? We protect her. All of us. Not just you.”
“I just mean . . .” My voice trailed off.
“I know what you meant.” He realized. “You’re not alone in this Ky.”
I nodded and hugged him.
“Get a shower.” He patted my back. “You smell like a cheap hotel.”
“Get Randall and Chandler in here in the morning.” I head back to Rayna.
“Okay, I’m having Patrick put additional men on the floor. Just in case.” Josh walked to the door. “Night, man.”
After a quick lap around the apartment to make sure everything was secure, I jumped in and out of the shower and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Rayna would be thirsty when she woke up. I grabbed a couple of bottles of water before heading back to check on Rayna.
But when I stepped back into her room, the best was empty.
“Fuck.”
She gasped.
I spun around and found her wrapped in the blanket and huddled on the floor.
I kneeled in front of her.
“What are you doing back there?” My calm voice surprised me.
“You said a bad word.” She pointed, but her hand dropped heavy to her lap.
“I’m sorry.” I held my chest. “I thought you’d left.”
“I don’t’ even know where I am.” She blinked a few times. “Did you buy me?”
“What?”
“Did you buy me?” Her voice was soft and childlike. “How much did I cost?”
“I did not buy you, but I would have if I had to.” I stood up and offered her my hand. She stared at it. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She placed her hand in mine.
“How did you get me?” She glared at me. “Where am I?”
“You don’t remember what happened.”
“Rabbits.” She pointed above my head. “You had rabbit ears.”
Did she take a bump to the head?
She shook her head like clearing out the cobwebs.
“I’m so tired.” She followed me to the bed. I sat her down. “And, confused.” She held her head in her hands.
“Take it easy.” I patted her hand. “Here, drink this.”
She took the bottle and took an audible gulp.
“Easy.”
“Who are you?” She wiped her mouth. "Wait, don’t tell me. Kyle.”
“Close. Kyler.” I shook her hand to get her to look at me. “Kyler Grant.”
“Rayna Smith.” She tilted her head. “My friends call me Rayn.”
“Like Rayn Drops.”
“Rayn Drops.” Her giggles filled the room but stopped abruptly when she slumped forward. When she sighed, her whole-body shook. “If you didn’t buy me, then how did I get here?”
She was so adorable and so precious.
“I rescued you, Princess.” I lifted her chin.
“I’m not a princess.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m a ninja.”
“A ninja?” I nodded. “Ninja Rayn Drop.”
“Yeah, Ninja Rayn Drop.” She smiled. I loved that smile. “I like it.”
“Well, thank you for rescuing me.” She sat up straight. “It was very shiverious of you.” Her face scrunched up. “No, that’s not right.”
“Chivalrous?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” She looked down at the ground and her body slumped again.
“Well, it was my pleasure.”
She pouted.
“What’s wrong?”
“I threw up.” She pointed. “On your fancy shoes.”
“You remember that.” I wiggled my bare toes.
“I’m so sorry.” Tears swelled in her eyes. “I’ll buy you a new pair.”
“Hey.” I sat next to her and pulled her into my arms. “It’s okay Rayn Drop. I got another pair, just like ‘em.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” I squeezed her shoulder.
She sat up and scoots away from me.
“And, thank you for not letting that other man buy me.” She shuddered. “He was bad news. And Mr. Santorini. I don’t like him.” She gave me the cutest puppy dog eyes.
“You won’t have to deal with him ever again.” I nudged her arm.
“You’re making a lot of promises, Kyler Grant.” She smirked. It was the first sign of her sassiness. I got middle vibes from her in the lobby, but now I picked up on her little with an attitude.
“By the way, if you had bought me, what was I worth?” A twinkle appeared in her tired eyes.
“Oh, Rayn Drop.” I stood up. “You are priceless.”
I extend my hand. She looks at it.
“Where are we going?” She reaches out.
“Let’s go get you cleaned up a little.”
She scooted off the bed and looked down. She pulls the shirt away from her body.
“OMG!” She clutches her chest. “I can’t believe I walked around in public in this thing.” She looked again and rolled her eyes. Her hand reached up and touched her lips.
I flipped on the light in the bathroom. She flinched.
“Why don’t you take it off?” I turned on the faucet.
She gasped.
“I bet if you put your hands inside the shirt, you can shimmy out of it.”
“Oh.” She blushed and turned away from me. The dress fell down around her ankles. She kicked it away. “You can burn it, if you want.” She put her arms back into the shirt and crossed her arms over her chest.
She peaked at the mirror on one wall of the bathroom. Touching her fingers to her lips.
“I don’t think this paint will come off.” She pouted.
“Let me give it a try.” I hoisted her up on the counter and opened one of the draws. A packet of wet wipes sat in the back of the draw. The label said it was safe to use on her face. I wiped the lipstick off her lips and showed it to her.
“Wow, magic.” She touched her bare lips.
“Let’s see if we can get the rest of this clown makeup, off.” I gently cleaned the rest of her face. Removed the eyelashes and the multiple layers of makeup to reveal her natural beauty. Her face brightened and those big brown eyes looked up at me with such gratitude. It knocked me on my ass. I had never reacted to a woman the way I reacted to Rayna.
“Can you help me with this, too?” She picked at a curl in her hair. “It’s got like a bazillion pins in it and it's hurting my neck.” Her head slumped forward, and he groaned for emphasis. The sound vibrated through me and made my dick ache.
“I think you need more sleep.” I reached up. “Let me see what I can do.”
I took each pin out one at a time, careful not to pull her hair. As I took them out, spiral curls fell down her back and framed her face. I paused and took her in, all her innocent beauty in front of me. I fought the urge to run my fingers through it.
“Last one.” I add it to the rest of the pile. “Only a gazillion.”
“Is gazillion less than a bazillion?” She asked and giggled.
“I think so.”
She lifted her hands, but they fell back down by her side when a yawn took over her whole body.
“Why am I so tired?” She pouted.
“You’ve had a big night.” I searched the other draws and found a brush and some hair ties. I gathered her hair in a ponytail on top of her hair and secured it. “I think it’s time for Ninja Rayn Drop to catch some zzz’s before her next mission.”
I tapped her nose, and her face scrunched up in the cutest way. She nodded and reached her arms up. My chest tightened with affection for this little creature in front of me. She was fierce and strong, but so sweet an innocent. I hated what she went through tonight and hoped it didn’t take that innocence away. I gathered her in my arms. She wrapped her arms and legs around me. She was so adorable and would probably forget all this by morning time, but tonight she let me care for her and I was grateful.
Tomorrow would be another story.