Page 107 of Scattered Glitter

I knock on the door and step back, trying to steady my breathing and calm my nerves. Tonight isn’t only about getting the job done, it’s about Levi, making sure he’s safe, making sure we don’t lose everything Oscar built, including the guys and our makeshift family. She’s also part of that equation.

If I mess this up, if I misjudge her or push too far, it won’t only be me who pays the price. It would be all of us.

Footsteps approach from inside, and anticipation builds until the door swings open. My breath catches in my throat. I’ve seen beautiful women. This is Vegas, after all. We’re in showbiz—models, actresses, stunning people everywhere.

But her?

Fuck.

She’s so damn beautiful. Her hair is done, makeup perfect, glitter shimmering all over her upper body, masking the scar on her shoulder. She’s a fucking vision, her green eyes popping against the dark eyeshadow.

All of that isn’t what draws me in most, though. It’s the confidence she exudes, the way she stands a little taller, daring the world to look past the glitter and see her.

Or maybe she’s daringme.

“Hey, you ready?” I manage, keeping it casual.

Her lips curve upward softly. “I think so.”

I glance down at her dress, then back at her face. “Do you have a purse? Alaric thinks you might need one to pull off the switcheroo or something.”

She rolls her eyes, a playful glint in her gaze. “Oh, Captain Bossy thinks he knows what I need? Is he going to be there tonight too?”

“Captain Bossy, huh?” I smirk.Fits the little dickhead. “No, he won’t be. He’s home, ready to help out via text if you need him.”

“Oh, okay.” She shrugs it off, but I can tell she’s disappointed.

I wonder if there’s something he didn’t tell me about them texting.

“Fine, I’ll grab a purse, but…” She peeks over my shoulder briefly and then smiles as she gestures to the inside of her apartment. “You better get in before one of my neighbors sees you and calls the paparazzi or something.”

Apparently, I don’t move fast enough because Glitter tugs me in by the sleeve of my black suit. It’s another reason why she moved up in my respect so quickly. She’s not a screaming fangirl. She even rolls her eyes when someone fawns over us.

Which iskind of hot.

She disappears into her room, and my eyes wander around her small place. The pink couch, the mess, and all the glittery decorations. I hadn’t looked around much yesterday, too occupied with my nerves about whether she would accept my apology for being a fucking asshole to her.But now, I take it all in, and it gives me even more insight into who she is.

There’s a pack of Twinkies lying on the coffee table, and when I glance over to the kitchen, I see an overflowing trash can stuffed with even more Twinkie wrappers and fast-food containers. She doesn’t appear to like cooking. There are also empty Jack Daniels bottles, which makes my gut twist a little, but then I notice a cat bowl with food.

She has a cat?

“You look pretty handsome tonight,” Glitter says, startling me out of my thoughts as she reappears with a purse in her hand. “I thought you didn’t have anything other than your twenty black T-shirts.”

“Yeah, I don’t. I borrowed this one from a costume rental place on the Strip.”

She looks puzzled. “You did?”

“No, Little Thief.” I chuckle. “It hung in my wardrobe.”

“Ha-ha. Shall we?”

I catch her wrist, stopping her from moving past me, and she glances up. For a split second, I see it—the hesitation, the vulnerability.

I fucking love reading her. Love the mix of emotions she always wears, even when she tries to mask them. She’s the most intriguing and difficult puzzle I’ve ever had, and I want nothing more than to solve her.

Every little piece, crack, and edge.

But I can’t let myself get carried away.

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