Chapter Five
ELIZABETH
The ride to the casino crackles with tension.
Will’s knuckles stand out white against the steering wheel, his grip so tight the leather groans under his hands.
His gaze doesn’t shift from the road, eyes narrowed, unblinking.
It’s almost as if he lets his focus slip for even a second, it might break him.
His chest rises and falls too quickly, his breath fogging faintly against the windshield despite the air conditioning.
Every muscle in his jaw flexes, and the longer I watch him, the more I wonder if the wheel will give before he does.
The SUV’s engine roars as we speed through the Vegas streets.
Adrenaline courses through my veins, my heart pounding as we get closer.
It’s easy to see that even though Millie isn’t technically a club member, she means a lot to these people, and they’ll do anything they need to do to protect her.
I glance out my window at Sin, who is riding his Harley just ahead, behind Deek, who is leading the convoy.
He appears completely at ease, as if the possibility of a confrontation doesn’t faze him at all.
Somehow, Sin’s arrogance suits him. I guess that’s why he is the president and why Will is still a prospect.
Chalk and cheese.
Sin is heading into this fight like he’s already won, and Will is losing his shit before we’ve even arrived. It’s interesting to watch from an outsider’s perspective.
“C’mon! Why the fuck are they riding so fucking slow?” Will grumbles under his breath, slamming his hand on the steering wheel in frustration.
Widening my eyes, I exhale and reach out, resting my hand on his forearm for comfort. “I’ve only been at the club a couple of days, Will. But from what I’ve studied about your president, I see that he clearly does things for a reason.”
Will glances at me, fear etched in his features. “Fuck, I know. It’s just… it’s Millie…” he hesitates, his nostrils flaring, then he turns back to face the road, his tone deflated.
Weakly smiling, I nod. “As I said, I haven’t been here long, but from what I have seen, I know that Sin is going to do everything he can to get her back, and in one piece.”
Will lets out a long exhale. “Finally, we’re here,” he mumbles, totally ignoring what I just said.
The bikes pull into a parking lot, and Will moves in behind them.
The brothers dismount, Sin’s expression unreadable, while Will and I exit the SUV.
Sin gathers everyone together, keeping his voice low. “Remember, no hero shit.” He turns to Will, glaring at him. “I mean it, Will. I need you to keep your shit together. If you can’t… stay the fuck out of here!”
Will nods. Rolling his shoulders. “I’m okay, Pres. I swear.”
Sin spins, his gorgeous eyes locking on mine. “Stay by me, do not wander off,” he warns, his voice low but firm.
“Sure thing, bossm—”
“I mean it, Elizabeth. This isn’t a fucking joke. You shouldn’t even be here.” The clear aggravation in his tone tells me he’s serious. The way the other brothers are staring at me like I am a liability hits me harder than I thought it would.
Shit.
Maybe I shouldn’t be here.
What the fuck are you doing?
“Maybe I should—”
“Let’s go!” Sin orders before I can even get my words out, his arm around me, pulling me with him, guarding me, protecting me.
The rest of the club surrounds us as we enter the bustling casino.
The bright lights and chatter mask the tension simmering beneath the surface.
Sin strides in as if he owns the place, the rest of the club members following closely behind.
I walk beside him, trying to keep my nerves in check, though it feels as if a rollercoaster is wreaking havoc on my insides.
It’s not hard to see the way the crowd parts for us and the wary looks people give Sin and his men.
It’s clear that Defiance has a reputation and not just within their own circles.
“Ghost, track her cell,” Sin orders.
Ghost pulls out his cell, opens an app, and a pin flashes on his screen. He glances up, looking across the vast room, and then he points to a bathroom. “She’s in there.”
Will instantly exhales, his shoulders sagging that Millie is still in the bathroom while the corner of Sin’s lips turns up. “Will, Deek, Koa… head on in and bring her out. We’ll stand outside and keep watch.”
Will doesn’t hesitate, taking off before the other two brothers have a second to match his pace. But they are quickly by his side when the three men enter the female bathroom.
I glance up at Sin while his eyes scan the casino floor. His posture shifts, his shoulders squaring as if waiting for an imminent attack. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” I whisper.
His nostrils flare as he shifts me farther behind him. “We’ve been spotted. I need those fuckers in there to hurry the hell up. Ghost, send Koa a message to get their asses out here ASAP. We gotta go.”
Ghost nods, sending the text as I follow Sin’s line of sight to where a group of men are watching us from across the casino floor. I swallow hard, feeling the tension around me rise as the men in crisp black suits start to cross the floor toward us.
“Fuck… brothers, get ready. Here they come. Wildcat, stay behind me,” Sin urges, pushing me behind him again, his large frame completely sheltering me from the men stalking toward us.
Sin throws his hand out for them to shake, a gesture of goodwill.
The leader of the group, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, steps forward, a smirk playing on his lips as he completely ignores Sin’s hand.
“You lost something, Sin? Maybe the treaty guidelines on where you should and shouldn’t be?
Need my consigliere to email you another copy?
Maybe pin it to the clubhouse door so you can read it on your way out. ”
Sin lets out a snort, withdrawing his unshaken hand. “No need. Apologies for not notifying you of our arrival. We’re just here to take what’s ours,” Sin replies, his voice steady, an edge to his tone that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention.
The two men stare each other down, the room seeming to grow quieter around us—the hostility in the air, the unspoken threat hanging between them. I stand just behind Sin, my heart pounding, not knowing how this is going to play out.
The man narrows his eyes on Sin. “And what on earth is here, on our turf, that could possibly belong to you?”
As if on cue, the bathroom door opens, and Koa and Deek step out, their eyes wide, watching the standoff in front of them. A laughing Will and Millie walk out, arm in arm together, completely oblivious to the tension surrounding them.
“Oh, I see. Welcome back, Amelia,” the Alliance member goads, catching Millie’s attention.
She gasps, spinning, her body instantly reacting as she retreats straight into Will, holding onto him for dear life. “No… God, no! Sin, please don’t let them take me again. Please!”
The Alliance members chuckle to themselves as Sin takes a step away from me, my anxiety reaching a critical level now, seeing the undeniable fear in Millie’s eyes while Will comforts her.
Sin steps up to the scarred man, his eyes glaring into his enemy’s as he snarls. “We have a lot of eyes on us now, Lorenzo. Do you really want to start something in the middle of your casino, with everyone watching you? All we want is to take Millie and leave,” he requests.
One of Lorenzo’s men steps forward, almost snarling as he does, pushing past his boss to get right up into Sin’s face.
His gaze is so intense as he stares Sin down.
There’s something familiar about his eyes, but I don’t have a second to register what it is before he shoves Sin hard in the chest, forcing him to take a step back, bumping into me.
“You think you can come onto our turf and not expect to pay a price?”
Sin steadies himself, rolling his shoulders.
My breathing hitches as the rest of the club brothers take a protective step forward to flank their president.
“You’d better keep your button man under control, Capo dei capi, or all these patrons in your establishment will soon see what the owners of this casino are really about.
And I know you don’t want to lose your customers, especially if a fight were to break out…
people could be injured, killed even, in your house.
That’s a bad look for you, Lorenzo. Especially if we were to go on record saying we were merely here to collect an underage girl who was let in by your staff.
She was dragged here by her friends and asked us to bring her home.
Then it was your man, Dante, who started the fight when we simply wanted to take her and leave without a problem.
You can see how that would look bad for you, right, Lorenzo?
” Sin questions, but his tone is clearly mocking.
I try hard to keep the smile from forming on my face as Lorenzo pulls a clearly annoyed Dante away from Sin.
Lorenzo, the Capo of the Hidden Hand Alliance, sneers, but after a tense delay, he nods, letting out a frustrated huff. “Take her. But remember, Sin, this is our turf. Next time, there won’t be any talking.”
Sin’s jaw tightens, but he nods once, turning to Millie. “Let’s go.”
Will slides his arm protectively around Millie while he leads her in front of the group, her face still pale as she rushes to get away from a history I now really need to know more about.
“And Amelia,” Lorenzo calls out, but it only makes Millie walk faster. “I see you here again… I’ll pay a visit to your father. I think you understand what that means, don’t you, amore?”