Page 94 of Broken Player

I was no stranger to tuxes. Black tie was my bitch. But this was the first time that I wasn’t focused at all on myself. Griffin had insisted on coming with us, and I tore my gaze off the hallway where I was waiting for Ryan to step out in her dress as he stepped into my line of sight. My little brother borrowed one of my tuxes, and I swear to god he wore it better than me.

Fucker.

And it was weird as fuck that I had a brother, but not a bad weird. I was getting used to it, and it was actually kind of… nice. He moved to stand next to me, turning his head toward the empty hall as he adjusted his sleeves and toyed with gold cufflinks. “What are you staring at?”

I rolled my shoulders back, standing taller. I still had an inch or so on him, and I planned to use it. “I’m waiting for Ryan.”

“Bro, you’re going to be waiting until you’re old. This thing will probably be over before she’s ready,” he commented, patting me on the shoulder and walking off.

“She’s not like that,” I tossed back just as the door to my room opened, and she stepped out. I sucked in a breath as I took her in, starting from her feet strapped into gold heels that looked uncomfortable as fuck, up the slit in her dress that showed her bare leg all the way up to her hip. The desire to run my tongue over the exposed skin slammed into me as I stalked forward, my legs moving on their own.

Stepping in front of her, my hands skimmed along her waist over the soft fabric that hugged every curve. I dropped my lips to her exposed collarbone, inhaling her sweet scent. “There aren’t words for how good you look, Freckles,” I complimented. “I don’t think we can leave the house. I’m not going to be able to kill everyone who looks at you in this dress and still be able to deal with Yates.”

Anticipation crackled between us as she giggled, a soft, charming sound that made me smile against her warm skin.

“Unless you plan to share, we need to go or we’re going to be late,” Griffin’s gruff voice came from somewhere behind me and made me want to take back all the somewhat warm and fuzzies I’d been feeling toward him just a few minutes ago.

Ryan’s hands slid up my chest, pressing me gently back as she looked up at me with enchanting eyes I wanted to fall into and never find my way back out of. “Just think about how good it’ll be later when we’ve been building anticipation all night,” she murmured as she stepped away from me, letting her hand drag across my chest. I groaned, holding myself back with a lot of fucking effort from throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her back to my room.

Instead, I slapped her on the ass as she passed by me, enjoying the yelp she let out and the sting in my hand. It’d have to do for now. We filed out of the house in a single file line, Griffin stepping into the waiting limo first, followed by Ryan and then me. We had to keep up appearances, so I rented this thing for the night.

Griffin immediately reached for the bottle of champagne chilling, popping the top. “Take it fucking easy with that shit. We’re not going there to party. We have a job to do,” I reminded him. I’d been really hesitant to take him with us, but he insisted, and I didn’t want to fight him on it. I had too much other shit toworry about. He was a big boy. He could take care of himself. But if he fucked this up for us, I was going to be pissed.

We stopped by the hotel in town and picked up Connor, Julian, and Indy. From what I could tell, Sebastian didn’t typically get himself mixed up in the physical part of protecting people. He preferred to stay behind a computer monitor.

With six of us in the limo, it was a bit more crowded, and I hadn’t missed how everyone had quickly roamed their gaze over my girl as they climbed in before respectfully keeping their goddamn eyes to themselves. My arm rested across her lap with my hand possessively gripping her bare thigh. My fingers itched to slide higher, and I sure a fuck wasn’t shy, but there were four other guys in here, and even I had my limits. Letting them watch my girlfriend come was a hard line.

Griffin actually helped keep the atmosphere light, pouring champagne and handing it out and joking around with Connor and his guys. He seemed like the type of guy who could get along with anyone without really having to try that hard. The alcohol helped take the edge off, but we all stopped before it went any further. We needed to stay sharp, and we all knew it.

I may not have been a member of Connor’s team, but I’d taken care of shit both by myself and with him enough times to know how things needed to go to be successful.

And wewouldbe successful.

The limo pulled up to the ostentatious club, and the driver opened the door. Connor, Julian, and Indy stepped out first, followed by Griffin, and Ryan and I were left alone in the cab. “Are you ready, Freckles?” I asked, stroking my thumb against her soft cheek. She leaned into my touch and briefly closed her eyes, exhaling.

“I’m beyond ready. I can’t wait to make him pay for messing with my family and the man I love,” she assured me.

“Don’t do anything reckless, Ryan. I mean it. He’s more dangerous than we’ve given him credit for. I know you can kick his ass if you need to, but we have no idea what he’s capable of when he’s trapped,” I warned.

“I’ll be careful,” she promised, kissing me once, twice, and three times before her soft lips lifted in a smirk, and she stepped out of the limo. I took in the incredible view of her body draped in that fucking red dress that would haunt my dreams for weeks. With one final exhale, I pushed myself off the seat and followed her out. The door closed behind us, and the limo pulled away.

We were gathered in a loose circle, going over our plans one final time. Ryan wrapped her fingers around my arm. I escorted her inside, still hating the idea of anyone but me seeing her in her dress. Connor had gotten a text message from Sergeant Ferraro letting us know he was inside and ready. He got the warrant, and his men were getting in place right now.

All we had to do was get in, and Ryan was going to steal the microphone and make a speech. And then Yates would be arrested, and everything could go back to normal. No, better than normal because I’d have Ryan. We hadn’t talked about it, but she’d fit in perfectly with my friends in LA. Her and Quinn. And I had no intention of going back without either of them.

Connor went ahead of us, talking to the man guarding the door. I didn’t know what he said, but the man let us all pass. He didn’t look happy about it and scowled at me as I passed. I gave him a little salute because I was an asshole, and sticking it to these kinds of people made me happy.

Right outside the ballroom, I had a flashback to a few weeks ago when I crashed Ryan’s engagement party in this very same room. It looked exactly the same as if they couldn’t have been bothered to decorate it the way she wanted for such a special day.

Someday when we get married, it will be different.

Shoving those thoughts aside, I caught Ryan’s attention. I was worried she had a flash of the same memories I did only worse, and I wanted to make sure she was okay. She gave me a small smile, and her eyes sparkled as if she were excited. She continued to impress me time and time again. I wondered when I’d stop doubting how amazing she was.

I kept underestimating her, and I needed to knock that shit off.

Outside, we decided we would step into the ballroom in pairs. Connor and Julian would go first and blend into the crowd. Two minutes later, Indy and Griffin would make their appearance, and we’d give them a couple of minutes to mix and mingle. And then Ryan and I would go in last because we were the most likely to be recognized.

Right after Connor and Julian stepped through the doors, I spotted Lucas down the hall with a couple of his guys. His blue uniform stood out in the ridiculous setting of this place, and I welcomed the stark contrast. I was practically giddy at the thought of seeing Yates in handcuffs being dragged out of the room in front of me in a matter of minutes.

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