Page 64 of Playing Dirty
He slid the suitcase onto the floor and sat beside me, resting his arm along my shoulders. “Vegas is gonna be good for you,” he said quietly. “Fun. And… I need you to trust me on this.”
I turned toward him, my hand coming to rest over his heart. “I dotrustyou, Rhett. I always have.”
“Then keep doing it.” His thumb brushed my jaw, his gaze steady and warm, even if something unspoken lingered between us.
I searched his face for answers, but he wasn’t giving them. So I gave him the only thing I could. “I love you, Rhett. And you can trust me to take good care of your baby while I’m gone.”
He grinned at that, a spark of the man I knew breaking through. “My truck’s in good hands. The courier is picking it up in an hour to haul it to the big city. But if she comes back with one scratch?—”
“—you’ll what? Send me to Vegas again?” I teased, leaning in until our foreheads touched.
His voice dropped, low and certain. “Just… come back to me, Callie.”
I didn’t say it out loud, but I was certain of one thing—whatever Rhett, Sawyer, and Colt were lining up while I was gone had Matt’s name written all over it.
Maybe that was on me.
I’d ignored Rhett’s warnings months ago, too wrapped up in proving I could handle Matt on my own. Now here we were, playing this half-secret game that had me flying out of town while they stayed behind to deal with him.
By the time we slid under the covers, the suitcase was zipped and sitting by the door like it couldn’t wait to hustle me out of here. Rhett curled in behind me, his arm draped heavy and warm over my waist, his breath steady against my neck.
I wanted to ask him again what was going down while I was gone and wanted to demand answers instead of piecing together the scraps I’d overheard. But I didn’t—because if I pushed, he’d either shut down or give me just enough to keep me in the dark.
So instead, I slid my hand over his and whispered, “I love you. And I’ll make sure the paint job is done right before they ship it back here.”
His laugh was quiet, a low rumble against my back. “You better. That truck’s got history.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, knowing we weren’t talking about the truck anymore.
In the morning, I’d be in Vegas, surrounded by neon and strangers. But tonight, I was here, with Rhett, and the ghost of aman who’d wrecked too many lives already lingering at the edges of our bed.
And I promised myself—when I came back, I would never mention Matt’s name again.
Chapter Twenty
County Line
Rhett
By the time I got back from the airstrip, the house felt too damn still.
A few hours earlier, I’d stood on the tarmac with my hands in my pockets, watching the private jet climb into the morning sky. Callie, Tessa, the twins, and Dalia were on board, bound for Vegas. The plan had been simple—get them out of Lovelace so the rest of us could do what needed doing. Still, watching that jet disappear made something twist in my chest.
The quiet hit me the second I walked through the door. No twin chatter bouncing off the walls. No Tessa telling somebody to use their inside voice. No Callie’s laugh cutting through the noise like sunlight breaking clouds. I’d gotten used to the chaos faster than I’d admit, and without it, the place felt… hollow.
Colt was at the kitchen table with a steaming mug, looking like he’d been up for hours. Across from him, Sawyer was already camped out at my laptop, eyes glued to the screen, fingers tapping with a steady rhythm.
I poured myself a coffee and leaned against the counter. “You two planning on saying good morning, or is this one of those silent-operator deals?”
Sawyer didn’t even look up. “Working.”
Colt gave me a look over the rim of his mug. “Before we get too far into this, you need to remember—Matt’s got a family. Kids. Whatever we do here… it’s not just hitting him.”
I took a slow sip, letting the bitter heat settle. “I’m aware.”
“You sure?” Colt asked. “’Cause once this ball starts rolling, we can’t stop it.”
I set my mug down, the sound sharp against the counter. “He went after Callie’s name, Colt. Tried to tear her down when she walked away from him. That’s not a mistake. That’s a choice. And he doesn’t get to keep walking around like he’s untouchable.”
