Page 43 of Finding Redemption

There was more room in the plane than there had been in the MRI machine the day before.I kept reminding myself of that over and over again as the pilot taxied toward the runway.Everyone had elbow room.Henry and another bodyguard even had two seats between them.

My ears began to ring, a dark veil falling over my eyes.The sun was out, shining through the windows.It was a cloudless day, perfect for flying, or so I’d heard Luck telling Bella on the way to the airport.Sun meant light, and light meant no darkness.I was safe.Not confined.If I needed to use that bathroom, I could get up and go whenever I pleased.I didn’t have to hold my bladder until it felt like it was going to burst, only to wet myself after hours of being denied.

“Hey.”Paxton tipped my chin up, his hazel eyes luring me in.“It’s okay, kitten.Breathe.I’ve got you.”

I blinked a few times, realizing he’d moved Bella to his other side so he was now between us.His scent filled my nose with each deep inhale, and some of my panic started to dissipate.As clarity slowly returned, my face began to burn with shame.Tears pricked my eyes at my weakness.

“Who wants to watch a movie?”Sariah asked, thankfully keeping Bella distracted before she could realize I had been seconds away from a full-on freak-out.“Excuse me.Could we get some popcorn, please?”

A voice I didn’t recognize said they would get it right away, and I vaguely realized it was one of the flight attendants.“Would anyone like something to drink?”

“Herbal tea,” Luck told her.“With honey.”

Despite the buzzing still lingering in my ears, I found myself smiling.It had been years, but he still remembered how I liked my tea.

“Milk and cookies, please,” Bella said sweetly.

“Beer,” Paxton muttered, tucking my head under his chin.

“Make that two,” Luck instructed.“And red wine for Sariah.”

While she went to get our drinks, the other attendant took care of the security team.Slowly, I began to relax to the sound of Paxton’s steady heartbeat under my ear.By the time a cart was rolled out, I was calmer and some of my embarrassment had faded.Bella picked the movie, surprising us all by not choosing something Star Wars-related, but it wasn’t a long flight to Las Vegas and we didn’t finish it before we landed.

A limo and two cars were already waiting when we touched down, ready to whisk us off to our hotel.I wasn’t all that impressed by what I saw on the ride, and neither were Bella and Sariah.When the car stopped in front of the hotel entrance, Henry opened our door.

Bella got out and waited on me.Paxton followed, while Luck and Sariah exited from the other side of the limo.At least fifty other people were coming and going, but my attention was drawn to a woman in a skintight dress who walked toward us.There was barely any cloth to cover her with, the slit down the front leaving everything but her nipples showing and the hem ending right under the curve of her bottom.

“Hi, Pax,” she purred.

He was talking to one of the other bodyguards and didn’t look her way, not even when she shifted her long legs to give a flash of the—thank goodness—underwear she was wearing.It was a thong, but at least it was something, and Bella didn’t get a peek at the stranger’s no-no.

As she came to stand beside me, Sariah made a hissing noise that was loud enough for the blonde to shoot us a scathing look.But then she saw Sariah and abruptly walked away with the friends I hadn’t noticed until they were kicking up dust with their hasty departure.

Bella didn’t notice the interaction because she was bouncing up and down, holding on to my hand as she begged me to braid her hair.“Yes, precious,” I promised, hugging her as Paxton walked over to us.

“Kitten, I have something to take care of at the office.But Luck and I will be back in time to get ready for the fight.”He bent to kiss me.I was so lost in the taste of him that I barely heard Bella giggling.When he lifted his head, I saw so much hunger in his moss and gold eyes that my knees went weak.“Go upstairs with Sariah.Someone from the spa will be up to pamper you.”

It took me a moment to process what he’d said, but when I did, I jerked back.“What?No!I don’t need that.”

“Don’t argue with me, kitten.”Kissing me again, he stepped back, shooting Henry a glance over the top of my head.“They stay in the room.If anyone other than a woman from the spa tries to touch her, kill them.”

“Paxton!”I cried, slapping the back of my hand against his chest, and I glanced at Bella to make sure he hadn’t scared her, but she was giggling at her father’s antics.“Be serious.”

“I am serious.They touch you, they die.”

ChapterTwenty-Six

Brooke

I heldBella’s hand as Sariah and I entered the elevator with Henry and another member of the security team behind us.Sariah scanned a card that Luck had slipped her, bypassing all the other floors and taking us straight to the penthouse.When the doors opened again, we stepped into what could have passed for someone’s home rather than a hotel suite.

Three women dressed in linen tunic uniforms stood waiting for us, three massage tables set up in the living room area.

Henry asked for their work identification and checked them against something on his phone before he would even allow the women to speak to us.Once he was satisfied with whatever he saw, he gave me a nod, and then he and the other man melted back into the scenery.

For the next hour, the three of us enjoyed massages.Calm music and ocean sounds filtered through the dimly lit room as I lay naked beneath a warmed sheet.All of it was a first for me, from the spa treatment to staying in a five-star hotel.Afterward, we were served a light snack and cucumber water to hydrate while two different women arrived and worked on styling my hair.Another set of women did the same for Sariah with her hair and makeup.All of them were subjected to the same treatment from Henry, who diligently inspected their credentials before they were allowed past the foyer.

They were going to do Bella’s hair as well, but she was adamant that I be the one to braid her hair.“She’s the only one who gets it perfect.You don’t mind, do you, Brooke?”Her warm brown eyes pleaded with me.I wouldn’t have told her no even if I couldn’t move my arms.

---