Page 20 of Double or Nothing

“Good riddance, Vegas… Hello, New York.”

Five years later…

Chapter 13

Sutton

“No.”

Like a petulant child, I sit in the chair across from Mac and cross my arms over my chest. All that’s missing is me stomping my feet and slamming the door. Though, at this point, I’m not beyond doing it, considering what he’s requesting.

“No?” He phrases the word as a question, even though he knows damn well what I said. The surprise in his voice is comical. I’m not exactly sure what other response he was expecting. After all, I’ve avoided the damn city for the past five years. Why in the fuck would he think I want to go back now?

“You heard me.”

“You can’t say no.”

Like hell, I can’t. I am the star of this little show. The top performer for Rocked Records. They don’t tell me what to do. I tell them.

“Yeah, well, looks like I just did.”

Mac stands from his chair and walks around the room. He isn’t pacing. He’s thinking. In fact, I’m pretty sure I can see the wheels in his head spinning as he tries to determine what he can say to me to get through to me. The promise of money? Nah, he knows that means nothing to me. Work my emotions? That would only get the opposite response. The only emotions I have toward that city or anything in it are negative. Anger and hatred are the first to come to mind.

Vegas. Sin City. Home.

The place where everything bad that ever happened in my life occurred.

Mac knows all this. We’ve been friends for most of our lives, and he knows me better than anyone. More importantly, he knows there is nothing he can say or do to get me to go back there. That’s why I’m not sure why he is so hell-bent on trying.

His first attempt, he tries to commiserate with me.

“I know why you don’t want to go back, Sut. I get it. I really do.”

Sure he does, but I can hear the “but” coming a mile away.

“But…” Bingo. “There are good things about Vegas, too.”

“Such as?” I scoff.

When he finally faces me, a smile plastered on his smug mug, he thinks he’s found his loophole, and he looks pretty damn pleased with himself about it. I hate to ruin his moment, so I allow him to continue, eagerly awaiting his sudden revelation.

“Kathryn Keller.” The name falls from his lips nonchalantly, as though him saying it didn’t just rock my entire world.

Five years. That’s how long since I’ve heard her name spoken out loud. That’s not to say I haven’t thought about her. I have. How could I not? Still, the moment we boarded the plane to New York, Mac swore to me he would never say her name again. It was a promise he kept until now. Not only does he break his promise and say her name, he has the nerve to use her against me. My one weakness. Kathryn Keller. My Kitty Kat.

Fucking Mac.

At one time, memories of her instilled anger, but now they only cause pain. The sound of her name causes an ache in my heart, one so deep, I press my hand to my chest to dull the pain.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” I formulate the words through clenched teeth.

Mac stares at me. We both know exactly what he said. The words I never wanted to hear again—Kathryn Keller—the name a reminder of the woman who I walked away from. The one every song I sing is about. My one and only regret.

The shit that stirs inside of me at the mere mention of her is astounding. Shit that I thought I had buried the minute I stepped onto the plane to New York hits me full force. It sends me back to that day when my entire life changed, back to the moment where my dreams came true and fell apart simultaneously.

The music career I had dreamed of but never thought possible suddenly became my new reality. I was hell-bent on getting out of Vegas, and with good reason. And the record deal? It was my golden ticket.

There was only one other thing in my life that mattered. Kat.

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