Page 85 of Taking the Fight

Peyton snorted. “I’m sure they’d like that.” She sighed and slapped a hand on her leg. “You know what? I think I’m going to buy myself a house.”

“You have the money for it. Might as well spend it,” I chimed in.

When we arrived at the jewelry store, I parked and we walked in together. A tall blonde with exceptionally white teeth beamed at us. “Good afternoon. Welcome to …” But then her eyes widened, and she gasped when she recognized my sister and me. “Oh my God, I know you two. You’re Peyton Emerson,” she said to my sister, “and you’re Braden, the MMA fighter.” She clutched her chest. “My name’s Emily. My husband will never believe this. He’s a huge fan of yours.” She turned back to Peyton. “And I’m one of yours. Your movies are awesome.”

Peyton looped her arm with mine. “Thank you. We appreciate that.”

Emily held out her hand and shook my hand, then Peyton’s. “I’m sorry for the fangirling. What can I do for you today?”

Peyton patted my arm. “My brother wants to find a ring for the woman he loves. Her name’s Reagan Jameson.”

Emily nodded and smiled at me. “Oh yes, I know who she is. I’ve seen pictures of you two on the internet. My husband also likes watching her fight.”

That made me laugh. “Reagan’s fun to watch.”

Emily chuckled. “Yes, she’s feisty. Do you know what kind of ring she’d like?”

Peyton answered for me. “Something not overly extravagant, but elegant.”

“Come with me,” Emily said, waving for us to follow her. “We have tons to choose from.”

Peyton’s eyes lit up as we walked past numerous cases of rings. “Oh wow, these are gorgeous.”

Emily stepped behind a counter and grinned. “They are.” She pointed out a selection of rings that would be perfect for Reagan. “Do any of these pop out at you?” Emily asked.

Scanning over the rings, I instantly locked in on one. I pointed at it and Peyton gasped. “Oh yeah, that’s it. Reagan’s going to love it.”

I looked up at Emily and pulled out my wallet. “I’ll take it.”

CHAPTER41

REAGAN

ONE MONTH LATER

(Las Vegas, Nevada)

I’d been to Vegas several times in my life, but it was way better experiencing it with Braden. We went to casinos, walked the strip, watched the fountain show at the Bellagio, rose the rollercoaster at the top of the Stratosphere, and even visited the Hoover Damn. There was a mob museum we strolled past, but I figured we’d had enough of the mafia for a while.

When we weren’t sightseeing, we were training. Braden and I both had huge fights tonight and we won, still managing to hold onto our titles. The same went for my brother and Ripp. So it was time to celebrate, and what better place than at the most exclusive club in Las Vegas … the Labyrinth. If anyone could throw a party, it was Kase Rushing. He’d promised us a massive reunion shindig and we got it. It was a private event, but Kase let us invite whoever we wanted. Needless to say, the place was filled with primarily females, which didn’t surprise me in the least. Ethan and Ripp were probably responsible for half of them, while the other half was all Kase. I started to believe he knew everyone in Vegas.

The night was young, the music was pumping, and the energy was electric. Braden walked off with Ethan, Kase, and Carter while I hung back with Peyton and Emma. We walked around the club, danced, and mingled with everyone. Peyton was a huge hit. Of course, we all had our own level of fame, but she was far superior to me on that front—she was a movie star.

Once we got through the crowd and back to the bar, we ordered a round of lemon vodka shots. Peyton held hers up in the air. “Ready, ladies?”

I held mine up and so did Emma. “Ready,” we said in unison. We tossed the liquid back, and it went down like water.

Emma fanned herself with her hand. “Whew, it’s hot in here. I think I need some air.”

Grinning wide, Peyton grabbed our hands. “I know where we can go.”

She pulled us through the crowd to a locked door by a keypad. I looked over at Emma, wondering what the hell Peyton was doing. All she did was smile at me. Reaching into her back pocket, Peyton slid out a card and swiped it. The red light turned green and she opened the door, waving us in quickly. Out of all the times I’ve been at the Labyrinth, I’d never been to the private areas.

“Where does this go?” I asked, looking up at the staircase.

Peyton shut the door behind us and grinned even wider. “You’ll see.”

She took the lead while Emma walked up behind me. When we got to the top of the stairs, there was a hallway. There was a room to the left, which looked to be Kase’s office, but I didn’t have time to look. Emma nudged me from behind to keep moving and Peyton grabbed my hand, pulling me further down the hall to another door. She opened it to reveal a shorter set of stairs that led to yet another door.

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