Chaotic (L.O.R.D.S. #7) — Chapter no 40

FORTY

EV ERETT

he guys left about an hour ago. I don’t know where they wentT or when Kashton will be back. Who knows how long we’ll be in Sin City, so I went ahead and unpacked our things because I don’t like living out of a suitcase.

I walk out of our bed room and see the girls must be in their rooms.

I’m al ready bored to death. I’m not much of a gambler, so I’m not sure what to do. Plus, I’m not sure how Saint and Haidyn would feel if I took their wives out on the town. I’ve seen what Ashtyn does when she runs wild in Las Ve gas.

I knock on Charlotte’s door, and she opens it with a smile on her face.

“They said something about our own private theater. I thought we could watch a movie,” I offer. Kashton sent me a text of ideas to do with the girls without having to leave the Royal Suite. He was trying to be helpful, but I took it as a subtle hint to stay put.

“Sounds good. Give me ten minutes.”

I close the door and walk over to the one I think Ashtyn and Saint are occu pying and knock on it. She takes a little longer to open, and I give her a smile.Be nice. I ignored her on the plane, but I can’t do that the entire time we’re here. “Charlotte and I are going to watch a movie. Want to join us?”

“Yes.” A bright smile spreads across her face, and I feel bad for hat‐ ing her so much. I’ve spent so much time all alone that I never stopped to think about some one like her—someone who once had friends and then lost them.

I give them both a few minutes to get ready while I call down to whoever is in charge of this room. I ask if we can watch a movie and am told they will get the room set up with everything we need.

Less than fifteen minutes later, we walk into a room that could eas‐ ily seat fifty people with an IMAX screen and all the goodies we could think of, from popcorn to candy and ICEEs.

“What would you like to watch?” the man asks.

“I lovePretty Woman,” Charlotte answers.

“Hmm.” Ashtyn frowns at that option. “What aboutTitanic?”

“Oh, I like that movie too.” Charlotte nods, sitting in a black leather chair. She presses the button to re cline her seat, wrapping up in a blanket. She places her cell in her lap and stares at it for a second.

When she looks up and notices I’m watching her, she gives me a big smile.

“Everything okay?” I ask. She looks worried. Maybe she’s still get‐ ting sick and needs something.

“Yep.” When she looks away, her smile falls.

I glance at Ashtyn, and she’s staring at me expec tantly. Oh, yeah.

Titanic. I shrug. “Sure.” I’m up for whatever. I just needed some‐ thing to do. I don’t want to be that woman who waits around for a man. I almost roll my eyes at that thought. I followed him to Ve gas, didn’t I? That’s already a failure in my book.

The butler starts getting everything ready, and Ashtyn grabs a cherry sucker out of a glass bowl. “Want one?” She holds another out to me.

“Thanks.” I take it as she tries to hand one off to Charlotte.

“No, thank you.” She yawns, and I have a feeling she’ll be the first one out.

We all get comfortable, and the movie starts. As I pre dicted, Char‐ lotte is out, with her cell in her hand before Jack and Rose’s iconic back-of-the-boat scene.

Ashtyn sucks on her sucker like it’s a dick, and the slurping noises are grating on my nerves. She pulls it from her lips. “This…this is my favorite scene.” She looks at me, smiling.

And I don’t like it. It’s one of thoseI know some thing you don’t know smiles.

She shoves the sucker into her mouth once again and goes back to try ing to get it off. I watch her, wanting to slap it out of her pouty

lips.

KASHTON The guys and I enter the conference room of the old, aban doned airport that they re fer to as the Airport. It is known as the most elite illegal gambling ring in Nevada. The Ma son broth ers own it and are al ready sitting at a ta ble, awaiting our ar rival.

“Hooke,” Tanner Ma son, the oldest brother, says. “Since when do you need an en tourage to talk business?”

“What business?” Bones digs.

“That’s not why I’m here.” Hooke speaks to Tanner, ignor ing Bones.

“Then what is the emergency, boys?” Tanner looks to each of us.

Haidyn pulls out his cell and scrolls through it for a second before hold ing it out. “You sent me this video. We need to find the woman.”

Tanner frowns. “Why? Don’t you have Hudson? Just ask him.” He, too, is in the video with the woman, walk ing around the Airport.

“Can’t.” Haidyn shakes his head.

“Did you kill him al ready?” Trey, the youngest of the broth ers laughs.

“Nope, but I ripped his eyes out. He can’t see shit. And when I asked, he re fused to cooperate.” Haidyn grunts.

“You ripped his eyes out and he sur vived?” Trey sounds impressed.

“Very fortu nate, I know.” Haidyn smiles proudly.

“Why is she important?” Turner, the middle brother, takes a look at the video.

“She was a Queen,” Titan answers. “A few years back.”

“She’s also my as sistant,” Hooke adds. “Has been for two years now. As far as I knew, she didn’t know the Lords existed. Then she gets spotted with one in Ve gas…” He shakes his head. “We’re miss‐ ing some thing.”

“Technically, Hudson isn’t a Lord,” Saint re minds him.

“Close enough.” Hooke huffs. “Whether he had been initiated or not, he was still working for them.”

“Maybe she was working that weekend?” Turner offers.

“No,” Titan says. “All bookings for Queens go through me. She knows that.”

“Maybe he offered her a bonus to keep it hush-hush. Old client who wanted to meet up? I’m sure it happens.” Trey shrugs and adds, “You can clearly tell she’sworking.”

Titan runs a hand through his hair, not wanting to argue because it could be possi ble.

Hooke speaks. “That’s an option, but she told me she was coming here for a photo shoot.”

Tanner sits back, crossing his arms over his chest. “What kind of photo shoot?”

“It was for a magazine. The photographer was Harvey something.”

He waves his hand in the air.

The Ma son brothers exchange a look, and Hooke steps forward and barks, “Fucking speak.”

Tanner stands and Haidyn grabs Hooke’s upper arm to pull him back from the ta ble. “We’ll check the cameras. Do a facial recog ni‐

tion, but it could take a few days.”

“We’ll wait,” Saint tells them.

“What exactly are we looking for?”

Hooke sighs because that’s an open question. “If she was with one Lord, I’m as sum ing she knows oth ers.” He shrugs. “I’d look through footage before and after the date that she was here with Hudson.”

Tanner nods. “We’ll keep you updated.”