Page 29 of What Comes Around

“Welcome to Las Vegas, Mr. Sinclair,” he greeted with a respectful nod.

Knox returned the gesture briefly, and we loaded in without ceremony.

The drive to the hotel took less than twenty minutes. The conference was being hosted inside one of Sinclair’s partner casino properties, a polished expanse of marble floors and crystal lighting designed to impress before anyone even reached the gaming tables.

We checked in and received our keycards. We had thirty minutes before the first session.

I went upstairs, dropped my bag, checked my reflection, retied my bun, reapplied lipstick, and was back in the lobby within twelve.

We regrouped and headed straight into the first conference.

The opening panel lasted two hours. By the time it ended, my brain had already begun discarding half the information.

We were released for a forty minute break.

Ethan and Julian wanted sushi from a place inside the casino and Marcus followed them. Knox was pulled aside almost immediately by a small group of investors.

I had no interest in sushi and even less interest in hovering nearby while Knox handled business.

So I went alone.

I chose a quieter restaurant tucked near the edge of the complex. I ordered grilled sea bass, a side salad, and sparkling water, then took my receipt and found an empty table near the windows.

I had barely sat down when a man appeared in front of me.

“Mind if I sit?”

He was already pulling out the chair.

Before I could answer, he sat.

Chapter 10: The Way He Looked at Me

He was confident. Casual. Borderline rude. The kind of man who smiled as if he already knew he would get away with it.

Big, broad, thick-necked, built like an athlete. Short dark hair, light stubble.

“I didn’t say yes,” I pointed out.

He smiled wider. “But you didn’t say no either.”

“I didn’t have time.”

“Still counts as acceptance.”

I studied him for a moment. He looked amused.

“You here for the conference?” I asked.

“No,” he said easily. “I’m here for a different kind of pain.”

That earned him a look.

He chuckled. “I’ve got a fight tomorrow.”

“Boxing?”

“MMA.”