Page 56 of All In

I spot Ranger walking up the stairs to the porch and realize this is my opportunity. “Can you tell me the name of the closest town?”

“Charlottesville,” the guy in the passenger seat says. “It’s only a ten- or fifteen-minute drive. It’s not too bad.”

I give them a polite smile and move to climb back out. “Thank you. Have a good night.”

“You too, ma’am,” the one on the left says.

Tanner waits for me by the car door, and we head up the steps and into Ranger’s house together.

It’s a beautiful home, with very few windows on the bottom floor. I’m even more baffled by the rectangular boxes above the two front windows. I’ve seen shutters before, but I have no idea what those contraptions are.

My head swivels as we step inside a large foyer. To the left is a small formal living room, and my eyes widen when I see the same rectangles above the windows.

How freaking strange.

Whatever.

I’m exhausted.

This is an unfamiliar environment, and I take a step back when a beautiful woman with long, dark hair bounces down the stairs.

Ranger stands from dropping the duffel bags. He startles as the woman rushes him, and his gaze quickly darts from me to her and back again.

I take another step back as my heart races.

Holy shit.

Does he have a wife?

Is that why he straight-up ran away from me this morning?

If he does, then he should be ashamed of himself.

Or maybe I should be.

I climbed into his bed, like I had the right.

She walks right up to Ranger, smiling up at him like they’re very acquainted. “Did you kill him? Do you have pictures? You promised me a picture!” She slaps his chest playfully. “Come on. Don’t hold out on me now!”

I trip over my own feet as I continue to back away.

My instincts don’t like another woman that close to him, which is absolutely insane because I have no claim on him.

“Lucien Andretti is dead,” Ranger says, bowing his head. “I have verifiable proof that you can find on Ramirez’s phone.”

“Holy shit! You really did it,” the woman shrieks, wrapping her arms around him.

He nods. “It was a team effort, but I told you that he would pay for what he did to you.”

My heart drops.

They weren’t there to save me.

They were there to kill the guy who kidnapped me, and not even because of what he did to me.

Two men barrel down the stairs as a third comes in the door behind me.

Fury pulses through my system.

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