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Scotty’s ominous chuckle echoes in my eardrums. He takes a few steps back and raises his hands. “No need to get your panties in a wad.”
He winks at me and I shiver. “I’ll be seeing you, Little Peach.” He drops his arms and smirks at Luke and Mark before turning and disappearing around the corner.
Luke turns to Mark and runs a hand over his short beard. “Fuck,” he mutters before turning to me. With quick strides he reaches for me and I slam into his chest. His heart is racing as I wrap my arms around him.
“I’m ok.” I try to reassure him.
He sighs and pulls back to meet my gaze. He seems calm, but his dark and stormy eyes tell a different story. It’s subtle, but it’s there.
“I didn’t know he was in town. I would have been more careful,” he says.
Mark claps Luke on the shoulder before I can fire off my million questions. “Not here,” he says. He meets my eyes with sympathy before he takes off, disappearing around the same corner as Scotty.
Luke takes my hand and we follow him. “Can you come to my condo? I’ll tell you everything there.”
I struggle to keep up with him and he slows. “Yes.”
We turn the corner and he freezes, pulling me to an abrupt stop. Mark and a few hotel employees are trying to corral a group of photographers who start shouting and snapping photos when we appear. Luke curses. The attendant pulls his car up in front of us and jumps out. “Sorry Mr. Reilly. I don’t know where they came from,” he says.
Luke shakes his head as he opens the door for me and I climb in. “It’s not your fault. I’ll see you next time.” He hands him cash and hustles to the driver’s side. He puts it in gear and we fly onto the road.
My mind reels with thousands of questions, but Luke is silent, lost in thought. I settle on something simple. “Are you ok?”
His shoulders drop and he lets out a sigh before reaching over and squeezing my knee. He returns his hand to the wheel so he can merge into traffic. “Yes, sorry. I’m just pissed he ruined our date.”
“I still had a good time,” I say, and he shoots me a quick smile.
“Me too. Is your brother working tonight?” he asks.
“Yea, why?”
“Can he come to the condo? He should hear this too.”
I regard him for a second then pull out my phone and send John a text. My apprehension climbs the closer we get to the condo.
“Was Mark following us all night?” I ask.
“Yes. He’s good at being discreet. He was downstairs when we were at the restaurant, and about 100 feet from us on the beach. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I was trying not to overwhelm you.”
I shake my head. “It’s ok. I’m glad he was there.” Whoever this Scotty person is, I didn’t need Luke and Mark’s reaction to know he was dangerous.
We pull into the underground parking structure for his building and he parks next to a Porsche. He turns off the car and turns to me, taking my hand and leaning close. “I’ll never let anything happen to you. I’ll keep you safe. Trust that from here on out, ok?” He kisses my knuckles and I nod.
He holds my hand all the way to his condo and doesn’t let go. When we walk inside Jackson greets us. He looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “Damn, woman. You trying to kill him?”
I blush at his compliment and Luke smiles at me. Brando stands from the couch. “You look amazing, Liv,” he says, pulling me in for a bear hug. I mumble a thank you.
Jordy walks in from the hallway. “Are you ok?” he asks as he pulls me in for a hug. I nod yes, but I’m confused why everyone is here. Mark walks in with John a few minutes later. My brother hugs me and makes sure I’m ok as everyone takes a seat in the living room. We join them and they all turn to Luke like we’re in a board meeting and he’s the leader.
He takes my hand and sucks in a deep breath before he speaks. “Scotty and I have a long history. It all started when I was coerced into marrying a porn star on my 21st birthday.”
My eyebrows climb my forehead and I make a mental note to tell Vera that she was right. The internet lies. I just didn’t realize the truth could be so much worse.
