Vegas, Baby: Complete Series

by Fiona Davenport

  “Gotta get you out of the picture so I can win the tournament,” the man growled as he dragged me towards a door a few feet down the hallway. The handle turned when he jiggled it, and he yanked it open. I stumbled when he shoved me inside, following me in.

  “What?” I mumbled, shaking my head to try to dispel the fogginess of my brain.

  “Where’s your phone?” I shrunk away when his hands dipped into my pockets to search for it. I didn’t want him to take my cell, but I was relieved when he found it because he stopped touching me. I was too weak to fight when he tied my feet together and my hands behind my back. He shoved me farther into the corner and put the sweet smelling cloth over my face for another minute or so again. Then stuffed something into my mouth to gag me. Once that was done, he pulled a shelf lining one of the walls to the ground so it blocked my path to the door. Stepping backwards, he muttered something about it being good enough because he only needed to buy himself a couple of hours.

  I was too dazed from whatever was on that cloth to understand what he meant, but not so confused that I didn’t get that he’d locked me in a closet. In the dark. With no way to get out or call someone for help. I should’ve been terrified. Just three days earlier, I would’ve been. That was before Becket came into my life, though.

  He had a meeting and probably wouldn’t realize I was missing until he came up to my suite, and that was still hours from now. But the possibility of being stuck in here until then didn’t scare me because I knew beyond a shadow that he’d come for me. He’d turn this hotel upside down if that’s what it took to find me, and I had a hunch he’d have a lot of help doing it between Drew and Knox.

  Becket was a great guy with good friends, and I was lucky to have found him. He was a keeper, and I never planned to let him go. Lucky for me, he wouldn’t let me get away even if I tried. Just like he was going to hunt me down and rescue me from whatever trouble I’d stumbled into.

  My faith in him was unshakable, which could only mean one thing. I loved him...and he loved me back. It’d just taken being shoved into a dark closet with no way out for me to realize it.

  Chapter 11

  Becket

  My fingers tapped against the table impatiently as I waited for Zack and Drew to arrive.

  “Hot date?” Griffith asked with a knowing grin.

  “Something like that.” I kept my tone neutral when I answered, stilling my hand from the telling action.

  Griffith raised an eyebrow and took a swig of his beer. “Seriously?”

  I frowned at his response. “Why does that surprise you?”

  “I met Zack for dinner last week and he may have suggested I set you up because you were—how did he put it—oh, yeah, ‘becoming an old maid’. I take it you aren’t interested?”

  “Nope.” I muttered, unwilling to say any more about it. I didn’t want to talk about Lia with him. I wasn’t worried about my relationship with her, but I didn’t like how star struck my woman had been over another man. What was it about rockstars? Anyway, the last thing I needed was for Griffith to take an interest in her.

  Drew arrived just then, and Zack trailed in a few minutes after. After taking the other two chairs, they put in drink orders, then shook hands with Griffith.

  We shot the shit for a time, loosening up the atmosphere, presumably to put Griffith at ease so he would be more open to our proposal. Although, of the four of us, he seemed the most relaxed.

  Finally, I interrupted the chit chat. “I need to get going. I’ve got plans for the evening.”

  Drew laughed and gestured in my direction as he spoke to Griffith. “Becket has recently become pussy-whipped.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re one to talk.”

  Drew winked at me and grinned. “Didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

  I lifted my beer in a salute of agreement before taking a swallow.

  “That reminds me,” Drew leaned back in his chair, watching me with curiosity. “Are you still planning to deal in the tournament tomorrow? I know you’d keep your commitment to me, but if you’d rather spend the day with Lia, we’ll find a replacement.”

  “Why would I do that? Lia is playing so I might as well deal even if it can’t be at her table because that could be considered a conflict of interest.” I grinned. “But I’ll still have a front row seat to watch her kick everyone’s ass.”

  Drew’s brow furrowed, his face clouding with confusion. “That’s what I thought, but Addy and I just went over the list of participants. Lia didn’t register.”

  My hand froze with my beer hallway to my mouth. “She didn’t—what the fuck?” The bottle in my hand slammed onto the table.

  Drew nodded and pulled his cell from his pocket, murmuring as he dialed. “I’ll check with her again. We still had ten minutes until it closed when we looked over the list.” He hit a button on his phone and held it to his ear. After a moment, a female voice picked up, presumably, Addy, the event manager who was handling the tournament. “Is Cornelia Carrington on the list?” he asked. “I know. But check again.”

  I sat on the edge of my seat, my body vibrating with tension. When Drew locked eyes with me and shook his head, I shot to my feet, nearly upending the table.

  Something was very wrong. There was no way in hell Lia would have changed her mind about playing. This was a prestigious, national tournament and I knew she hoped it would convince her family that this was a serious career.

  I turned and took a step but was halted in my progress by a hand grabbing my arm. I whipped back around and stared at my brother with murderous intent. “Let me go or I swear I will lay your ass out,” I snarled.

  “Calm down, brother,” he said warily. “I just wanted to offer my help and figured maybe you should make a plan rather than just running around half-cocked.”

  My eyes narrowed, my lips curling malevolently. “I am fully cocked, Zack. Someone is going to a eat a bullet tonight if I don’t find my woman right the fuck now.”

  Drew sighed and waved a hand in my face to get my attention. “You’re sure she didn’t just change her mind?”

  I jerked my head from side to side. “No fucking way.”

  “Alright, then let’s be logical about this. I’ll bring in Knox, and we’ll figure this out,” Drew appealed.

  “Fine,” I gritted. “But do it fast.”

  Before I could blink, Knox appeared at our table. I didn’t know how that motherfucker was so quiet or seemed to know exactly where to be, but I didn’t much care at the moment. I was just grateful we didn’t have to wait for him.

  “Problem?” he asked his alert eyes taking me in.

  “Lia’s missing,” Drew explained. “She didn’t sign up to play tomorrow.”

  Knox frowned and folded his arms over his chest. “I saw her in the coffee shop a couple of hours ago. She was on her way to registration.”

  “Apparently, she never made it,” I answered through clenched teeth.

  Zack’s hand loosened on my arm, when I seemed to have calmed down somewhat but he didn’t let go. “What about her card?” he asked.

  I swung my eyes to Zack. “Her player card?” I clarified. I didn’t know where he was going with this.

  He nodded and gestured to Drew. “I assume you chip your high-rollers like we do?”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked as my head once again swiveled in Drew’s direction.

  “Fuck, why didn’t I think of that?” Drew rolled his eyes in a self-depreciating manner. “We put RFID chips in the high-roller cards since they are much more likely to be stolen.” He turned to Knox—or, the empty spot where Knox had been standing.

  Drew lifted his chin towards the exit. “Security,” he stated before walking away. I pulled my arm back and Zack easily let it go, then I quickly followed after Drew.

  “Anything I can do?” I heard Griffith ask. I assumed Zack’s response was physical because I didn’t hear him reply.

  As we reached the door, Zack spoke up. “We’ll call you abou
t rescheduling.”

  “Yeah, of course. No problem. Go take care of his girl.”

  My mind focused on Lia, and I couldn’t really hear anything else above the din of the casino and the rushing in my own ears.

  Drew was holding the door open to the main security office and I brushed past him, rushing up a couple of steps to an area filled with monitors and equipment.

  Knox was already leaning over a computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard. When I entered the room, he tipped his head to the left, indicating a trio staring at the monitors in front of them. “Fin, Marquita, and Kevin are going through footage,” he told me.

  “I’m going to look for her,” I informed him, spinning around but I was blocked by Zack and Drew, the latter putting a firm hand on my chest.

  “This hotel is over 150,000 square feet, Becket. You’ll waste more time running around than waiting here to see if security can come up with something.”

  I knew he was right, but I was having a hard time being rational while I was seething with anger and consumed with fear.

  “Got it,” Knox announced suddenly. “Third floor. East side by the gallery. She’s…” he trailed off as he bent to take a closer look at the computer. “Is that a custodial closet?”

  “What the fuck?” I shouted, not waiting another second to bolt out the door. The nearest stairwell was behind the check in desk near the bank of elevators. My hands were shaking so it took me two swipes to get my security card to unlock the damn door, then I took the stairs two at a time. The heavy, metal door banged against the wall when I yanked it open, the sound bouncing ominously off the cinderblock walls.

  My feet hit the floor running, the steady thump, thump on the carpet matched my pounding heartbeat. I vaguely heard directions being shouted at me from behind and when I finally reached the door I was searching for, I grabbed the handle and wrenched. Only to have my arm almost pulled from the socket. The door was locked. “Fuck!” I roared.

  Just then, Knox skidded to a stop next me, and he waved a key card in front of the reader on the left side of the door. I heard a faint click and attempted to fling the door open again, succeeding this time.

  My eyes combed every inch of the closet frantically until they landed on an overturned shelf. I felt like a million-ton weight was lifted off of me when I spotted Lia lying on the ground behind it. Until I realized she wasn’t moving. I leapt over the shelf and spilled contents so I could kneel at her side. I immediately checked for a pulse and when I felt the fixed beat of her heart, I exhaled harshly. I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding my breath.

  I started to look her over and that’s when I noticed the gag in her mouth and the rope around her wrists and ankles. Rage like I’d never experienced began to build inside me. I pushed it back, knowing I needed to focus on my girl at that moment. Carefully, I removed her restraints and the gag before sitting on the cold floor and gently lifting her onto my lap.

  “Lia, sweetheart. Wake up, baby,” I pleaded softly, brushing her hair away from her pale face.

  “Is she alright?” Zack asked. I looked up and realized they’d all followed behind me.

  “I’m not sure,” I admitted, pain lancing through my chest. However, the fury was still growing, and it needed an outlet. I locked my gaze with Knox’s and my jaw hardened. “Find the motherfucker who did this to her.”

  “Done.” Then he was gone.

  Lia moaned and her head moved from side to side, a grimace marring her beautiful face. “Ugh.” She blinked a few times then squinted up at me. “How could you let me drink so much?” she grumbled.

  “Pardon?” I was confused by her question.

  “This is one hell of a hangover, Becket. Shouldn’t you have stopped me?”

  “A hangover?” I was still lost.

  “Yeah,” she groaned but her tone had sass. “You know, that thing you get when you drink too much. With the pounding headache and the dry mouth. A hangover.”

  I suddenly realized that she hadn’t remembered what had happened to her and was assuming the effects from—my guess was chloroform—were symptoms of a hangover.

  “You don’t remember what happened, sweetheart?” I asked gently. She tried to sit up but got dizzy and fell back into my arms.

  Her expression turned thoughtful and she winced, as though thinking was painful. Then it was as though a lightbulb came on and she sprang up so she was sitting in my lap. Then she dropped her head into her hands and whimpered. “Fuck. That man. He dragged me in here and…” Her shoulders tensed and her head lifted, a dark scowl on her face. “The son of a bitch kidnapped me!” I almost laughed in relief that she seemed to be okay and because her indignation was adorable.

  “Did he say anything to you?” Drew asked, casing her head to fall back so she could peer up at him.

  “No. Well, just something about keeping me out of the way for a couple of hours.”

  Drew frowned. “Do you know about what time he grabbed you?”

  His words reminded me of what could have happened, and I started to get worked up again. Clearly in tune with me, Lia put her hand on my arm and rubbed up and down, her tender touch soothing me.

  “A little after six, maybe?” she guessed.

  Drew cursed, then pressed a button on the ear piece in his right ear. “Check the cam footage of the registration area and get the list of anyone who signed up between six and seven-thirty.”

  Lia’s brows rose as she grasped what Drew was insinuating. She looked at me and shook her head. “Someone didn’t want me playing in the tournament?” She ran an agitated hand through her tangled hair. “That was really worth kidnapping me?”

  “The purse is almost a million dollars,” Zack muttered as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Money is a powerful motivator. If they knew about your reputation and were desperate enough, they might have figured they had no chance to win if you were playing. We should be grateful locking you in a closet was all he did.”

  I stiffened and Lia’s gaze flew to my face, recognizing that I was on the edge of losing my shit. She cupped my cheeks and softly kissed my lips, releasing some of the tension. Then she scowled up at Zack. “How about we not dwell on what ifs and get me some food. I’m freaking starving.”

  Ignoring everything and everyone besides Lia, I latched onto her request, giving myself something else to focus on. I stood swiftly, keeping her cradled in my arms. Her fingers toyed with the hair at the back of my neck, melting away any last vestiges of fear and anger.

  Once we were on the elevator, headed back to her suite, I studied her gorgeous face and got lost in her incredible gray eyes. I’d known how much I needed her even before the fear of losing her. But now I knew I couldn’t live without her.

  Chapter 12

  Lia

  I woke up with a jolt, surprised to find myself sprawled on the plush mattress of my bed with Becket sleeping next to me. My last memories from the night before were devouring the food delivered to the room and then cuddling into his side while he talked to Drew, Zach, and Knox. Becket and I had barely gotten a minute alone in my suite before the guys charged in behind us. He’d wanted to kick them all out, and I’d been fully on board with that plan. All I’d wanted was food, a shower, the chance to tell Becket that I loved him, and some much-needed sleep.

  Then Drew mentioned that he’d arranged for the chef in the Lennox’s best restaurant to send up enough appetizers, entrees and desserts to feed an army, and my stomach had growled so loud that it echoed around the room. At that point, Becket was wholly focused on getting some food into me, and it would’ve been rude to make Drew leave when he was the one providing it. And if he was staying, then the other two might as well too. So I took a quick shower, inhaled my dinner, and then apparently conked out for the night.

  “Ugh,” I groaned after rolling over. My head was pounding, and my body ached in several places. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that bruises had formed on my arms, butt, and back overnight. It was going to wreak h
avoc on my game play today, being stuck in a chair for hours on end playing in a tournament I badly wanted to win...the one I never got the chance to register for yesterday because I’d been kidnapped. “Shit!”

  Becket rolled over and wrapped his hand around my middle before I could scamper off the bed. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  I dropped my head against his chest and squeezed my eyes shut. “I can’t win a tournament unless I play in it, and I never made it to registration.”

  Becket tilted my head back and pressed a gentle kiss against my lips before reassuring me, “You don’t have to skip the tournament. Drew had his assistant add you to the registration.”

  “He did?” I grinned at him. “That’s so awesome! I’ll have to hunt him down to say thanks at some point today.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he pulled me closer. “Fuck no! Your gratitude belongs to me, just like the rest of you. Besides which, I already thanked him for us.”

  “You’re picturing something along the lines of how we apologize to each other, aren’t you?” I squirmed a little, thinking about all the ways I could express my appreciation to Becket.

  “Maybe.” He flashed me a grin and kissed me again, deeper this time.

  I reluctantly pulled away from him to glance at the clock on the bedside table. “I hate to say this, but it’s going to have to wait until after the tournament since I barely have enough time to pop some pain relievers and get dressed before I need to head downstairs.”

  “Shit, sweetheart. I should’ve grabbed you some pills and water first thing this morning.” After he slid off the mattress and padded into the bathroom, I went over to the closet to grab my outfit for the day. I paused in dressing to swallow down the ibuprofen he handed me and spent maybe five minutes on my hair and makeup once I was done.