Page 52 of Chaos Luck Wrath

“I swear to God, Gage, if I see them hanging around after tonight, I will kick your ass.” Her finger jabbed him in the chest to accentuate her threat.

“Noted,” he chuckled. “Now, let’s go back and enjoy the rest of the party, okay?” He walked over to the desk and grabbed his drink, taking a large sip.

He coughed and scrunched up his face. “Fuck, this is definitely your drink. You and the damn ass water you call whiskey.” Gage’s least favorite liquor was whiskey, that shit burned like a motherfucker on a good day. The brands Layne enjoyed were some high-octane blends that left him questioning if she had any taste buds at all.

Layne laughed as she continued drinking Gage’s cocktail. “Well, you’re stuck with it now. I’m really enjoying your Negroni.” Playfully she stuck her tongue out at him.

He shook his head and took another sip, trying to get past the harsh bite of the alcohol. Swatting her ass with his hand, he nudged her towards the door. “Damn brat. Get out there before I give you something else to do with that tongue.”

With a giggle, she opened up the door and went back out to the club. Once they were back on the dance floor, Layne leaned back against Gage’s chest as she suggestively moved her body against him to the pulse of the music. Idly, she sipped on the drink in her hand.

Her mind wandered as to what delicious trouble they were both going to get to once they got back to his condo. Gage’s hand roamed over her body wondering how he got so damn lucky with a woman like Layne. This night was turning out to be everything he hoped for, and more.

While she was lost in her thoughts, her eyes caught a face in the crowd. It startled her so much that she dropped her drink. Her body immediately went stiff as a board.

The music began to fade, the volume becoming more tolerable as it transitioned to the next song.

Gage straightened as Layne’s glass shattered against the floor and splashed the beverage around their feet. He came around to face her, his face filled with concern. “Baby, are you okay?”

Layne craned her neck to try and look around him to see if she could catch another glimpse of the face she saw. “I…” She looked all around them, and she wondered if she had seen anything at all. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just thought…”

“You’re as pale as a ghost, Layne.” He also took a look around at their surroundings. He didn’t see any threats, but he did see Joey over by the bar and flagged him down.

God, was she losing her mind? Her heart felt like it was leaping over massive hurdles inside her chest. She looked at Gage and tried to force an at-ease smile on her lips. “I promise, I’m good.”

Gage chugged down the rest of his drink, not liking the way she looked so spooked.

Joey wasted no time in forcing his way through the crowd of people when he saw Gage’s hand wave him over. “What’s wrong?” He looked at Layne and immediately got on the defensive seeing how shaken she looked, even if she was trying to conceal it.

“Nothing is up.” Layne tried to calm them both down.

“She just clammed up and dropped her drink,” Gage explained. “I’m going to take her home.” He set his empty glass on the tray of a waitress as she walked by.

“I will go update Jax and the rest of the guys, then meet you back at your place.” Joey patted the side of Gage’s arm. Then, he reached out and captured Layne’s chin between his thumb and finger. “Seatbelt on,” he demanded with a smile before he locked his mouth on hers firmly.

She happily accepted his kiss, returning it with one of her own. “It’s a five-minute drive, and you both are overreacting.”

The look they both gave her after that said it all. They had every right to be on edge given everything all of them had been through. Her face fell as she slumped her shoulders in defeat.

Satisfied that Layne wasn’t going to put up any more of a fight, Joey left to go find his brother’s backup crew. Gage wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided her towards the door.

Once outside, Layne looked at the cars parked out front. She didn’t see his busted-ass Jeep anywhere. “Where did you park?”

Gage pulled out Layne’s car keys from his pocket and pressed the remote start on the key fob. “Ran into a bit of car trouble when I went to leave this morning, so I took yours.”

She couldn’t hide the fact she wasn’t surprised. “The Jeep wouldn’t start—again?”

Leading Layne towards the silver BMW, he kept his head on a swivel. “Look, she’s an old gal. Some days she needs a little extra love to get movin’.”

“For fucks sake, Gage, that damn Jeep has been revived from the brink of death five too many times.” Arriving at her car, Gage made sure she was strapped into the passenger seat per Joey’s instructions, five-minute drive or not.

He came to the driver’s side, sliding in behind the wheel with the intention to be her chauffeur back to Hudson Yards.

She looked over at his profile while he focused on the road. At this time of night, the roads were mostly empty, making the trip rather peaceful.

Layne wondered how it was that she had two handsome men willing to go above and beyond for her. As irritated as she got with their protective efforts, deep down it made her feel more valued than her family ever did. That feeling of being worthy was something her brother was slowly trying to destroy.

A few beads of sweat started to appear on Gage’s forehead. He blinked his eyes several times as the traffic lights and their surroundings began to gradually shift in his vision. His hand came to his eyes, trying to rub the focus back into his brown hues.

---