Without Regret (Devil's Playground #1)

by Nicole Edwards

  The towels were folded as though the housekeeping service for the hotel also serviced Isaiah’s penthouse, which she figured was the case. It explained the pristine counters and floors.

  After taking the rug from its perch over a towel bar on the shower door, Cassidy set two white towels on a ledge nearby and climbed into the shower.

  While she allowed the warm water to rain down on her in the massive glass stall, Cassidy thought back to her last conversation with her brother. He’d been scared, telling her she needed to leave town for a little while. He had suggested she go visit their parents in Florida, but Cassidy had refused. She had a job, after all. A job that probably wasn’t there for her anymore now that she hadn’t shown up or called in two days. Did they wonder what had happened to her? Or had they gone as business as usual without her there?

  Sighing heavily, Cassidy reached for the shampoo.

  Fifteen minutes later, she forced her weary body out of the shower. After winding her hair into one of the towels and drying off with the other, she pulled on the clothes Isaiah had loaned her. They hung on her, but they weren’t too bad. Better than putting on what she’d been wearing.

  Crawling into bed, she tried her best to ignore the scent of the man that washed over her. It was a sexy, seductive smell that made her body ache for some comfort. From Isaiah.

  “You’re going crazy,” she said aloud after closing her eyes.

  And that was the last thing she remembered before drifting off into blessed sleep.

  5

  “Hey, boss,” Van greeted when Isaiah stepped up to the bar to check on his main bartender. “Guy was over here asking about you a few minutes ago.”

  Isaiah nodded.

  He knew that Van wasn’t talking about just any customer. He wouldn’t have bothered to share that information if it wasn’t important.

  “Said he’ll find you later.”

  Great. Just fucking perfect. He doubted this man was looking for him, but rather, was looking for Cassidy Owens.

  By now, the word was probably out that Max Adorite had intervened and was keeping Cassidy within his protection. Since this was Vegas and Isaiah and Micah were known to handle Max’s business dealings in Sin City, it made sense that the guy was seeking Isaiah out.

  Figuring shit was going to go down regardless, Isaiah shot a quick text to Max, letting him know that the guys looking for Cassidy had come to the club. He’d wait to see how Max wanted to handle things before he made any moves.

  Isaiah managed Devil’s Playground, but that wasn’t the extent of his job duties. After all, when he’d signed on with the Adorite family years ago, he hadn’t been disillusioned about what they did or who they were. And it didn’t matter what they asked of him, Isaiah was loyal to the Adorites. Always would be.

  The life he lived wasn’t simple, nor was it easy. Never had been. Having grown up in a town known for its debauchery and poverty, Isaiah had done what needed to be done in order for him and Micah to survive. After his parents had been murdered when he and Micah were nineteen, he’d dedicated his life to surviving. Which was how, years later, he’d ended up with the Adorites. The only family he and Micah had. They watched his back and he watched theirs.

  Now, he had to make sure he protected Cassidy Owens at all costs because that was what Max had asked of him.

  “I’m heading up. Call me if you need anything. Tony’s at the door. Have you seen Micah?” Isaiah had only seen his twin brother briefly since he’d come down to the club. They’d talked about a couple of issues, but then Micah had gone off on his own to handle something.

  “He’s around here somewhere. Saw him earlier,” Van informed him as he prepared a drink, grinning and winking at some chick who was eyeing him from the other side of the bar.

  “If you see him, tell him I went up. He can handle closing.”

  “Will do, boss.”

  With that, Isaiah left the club and ventured up to his penthouse. Doing his best to keep quiet, he slipped inside, nodding to Frank, who was still standing guard outside the penthouse door.

  After pulling off his jacket and laying it over the arm of a dining room chair, Isaiah loosened his tie and headed down the narrow hall to the bedroom. He found Cassidy asleep in his bed, tangled up in the black silk sheets, her fiery hair haphazardly strewn across his pillow.

  Unable to help himself, Isaiah admired her in the light from the bathroom that spilled into the room. She wasn’t the sweet angel he’d imagined her to be when she was asleep, and that pulled a smile from him. The woman hogged the entire bed, limbs flung about, her mouth slightly open, her breaths deep and even.

  She looked like a woman who hadn’t slept in a decade, and yet she was still the most beautiful woman he’d seen in a long damn time.

  What was it about her that intrigued him so much? He couldn’t answer that question because he knew so little about her. In fact, he didn’t know a damn thing about her other than her basic history and that there were some crazy fucks out to get her brother and they weren’t above using her to get to him.

  “What time is it?”

  Isaiah smiled into the darkness, watching as Cassidy rolled over and hugged the pillow.

  “Almost four,” he told her.

  “In the morning?”

  “Yeah. Go back to sleep.”

  “Where will you sleep?” she mumbled.

  He wouldn’t, but he didn’t tell her as much. “The couch.”

  When her deep breathing resumed, Isaiah slipped out of the bedroom and back to the living room, then over to the small kitchenette. He headed to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water, and then slipped into his office, leaving the door open so he could hear Cassidy if she needed him.

  Pulling open his laptop, he started doing his own research, checking into the things Max had sent him via email. By the time the sun broke over the mountains, he’d learned a hell of a lot more about Cassidy Owens, but not enough that he could figure out a way to get her out of the situation she found herself in.

  Truth was, if they were going to get to the bottom of this, they were going to have to put their boots to the ground. More than likely, they were going to have to draw these bastards out.

  And he had a pretty good idea of just how to do that.

  6

  Cassidy rolled over and, through blurry eyes, scanned the nightstand for the clock. When she saw the time, she fell onto her back and sighed. She’d slept for six hours, which was twice as long as she’d slept in the last couple of days. Oddly enough, she felt better than she had since she’d fled her trashed condo earlier in the week, but like every day, the first thought that came to mind was her brother.

  Was Jordan alive? Had he purposely abandoned her knowing she would have to settle his debt? Could she settle his debt?

  At this point, she didn’t know exactly how much he owed—somewhere between twenty and forty thousand according to her brother—but Courtney Adorite had promised to find that out for her. After Courtney had explained that Cassidy’s parents had contacted Sniper 1 Security to help her out of this mess, her mind had been somewhat put at ease. Except for the part that was still worried about Jordan.

  The only positive was that she had someone helping her.

  Her mind drifted to Isaiah and his twin brother, Micah. Closing her eyes, she remembered seeing them both for the first time. Perhaps her fear had made them appear larger than life, Isaiah even more so than Micah. There was something strangely erotic about the man. He made her think of hot, dirty sex, and that image was exactly what her mind conjured—as well as her dreams—as she lay in his bed. She could still smell him, a heady, masculine scent that made her feel oddly safe.

  She wished he were there with her, if only to put the last of her fears to rest. She could practically imagine what it would feel like to be wrapped in his arms, held against his hard body.

  And no, she wasn’t the type of girl who could go to bed with a man on the first night she met him. Never pretended to be. Her
life had been spent on the straight and narrow. She didn’t get into trouble, didn’t date the bad boy because he made her heart rate spike. She tended to lean toward safe men. Didn’t mean she couldn’t fantasize, though. At the moment, it was the only thing she could do in order to not think about the danger that had closed ranks around her life and seemingly put her in a choke hold.

  “We need to run an errand.”

  Cassidy’s eyes flew open, and she saw Isaiah standing above her. She knew it was him based on the intent glimmer in his dark eyes. Unlike his brother, Isaiah didn’t have laugh lines around his eyes. From the very first moment she’d seen him, he’d been nothing but serious. And grumpy.

  Well, except for that wicked smirk he’d shot her in the elevator. But that didn’t count.

  “Where?” she questioned, forcing herself to sit up and drop her legs over the side of the bed.

  “Your condo.”

  “What?” Her eyes widened as she took in his more-than-serious expression. “Why?”

  “To get some of your things. And then we need to swing by your brother’s place. See if we can find anything helpful.”

  “My brother … uh…” How did she put this? “He doesn’t have a place.”

  One of Isaiah’s dark eyebrows lifted slightly.

  “He sorta stays with me when he needs somewhere to go.”

  “Then we’ll search your place.”

  Cassidy wasn’t sure that would do much good, but staying in bed all day sure wasn’t going to get her anywhere, either.

  Meeting his gaze, she nodded. “Give me a few minutes to get dressed.”

  As Isaiah walked out of the room, Cassidy pretended not to be worried about how the day would go. She also pretended not to stare at that man’s extremely fine ass encased in those faded jeans.

  Sadly, the first was easier to ignore than the second.

  7

  Micah was sitting in the car at the VIP entrance to the hotel, waiting for Isaiah and Cassidy when they came downstairs. From the looks of him, he hadn’t been to bed yet, but that wasn’t unusual for either of them. Isaiah hadn’t bothered to sleep, either. When the club closed, he tended to be riding a wave of adrenaline for a few hours, which meant sleep didn’t usually come until mid-morning. Looked like that would be delayed even longer today.

  When Isaiah had contacted his brother to let him know they were heading to Cassidy’s to check out her place, Micah hadn’t sounded all that keen on the idea, but Isaiah knew his brother would do what needed to be done. He wasn’t the type to shirk his responsibilities, no matter how much of a playboy he was.

  And Micah was a playboy. Even more so than Isaiah. Not once in the last two decades since their parents had died had Micah ever had a serious relationship. At least not one that Isaiah knew about.

  “Morning,” Micah greeted them when they joined him in the car.

  Isaiah helped Cassidy into the backseat before climbing into the passenger seat.

  “Would it be possible to get something to eat?” Cassidy asked, her voice low as though she was scared to ask the question.

  Micah glared over at Isaiah. “You didn’t bother to feed the girl?”

  Isaiah glared at him right back. Food had been the last thing on his mind.

  “I know a place,” Micah said, not waiting for Isaiah to give his approval, which was fine with him. The girl had to eat.

  Fifteen minutes later, Micah parked the car in a small lot behind one of their favorite diners. It was a well-kept secret, off the strip and not privy to most of the tourists. Considering most visitors to Vegas didn’t venture off the strip, it was one of those places the locals tended to frequent.

  Once they were seated, with a round of coffee and three of the house specials ordered, the three of them sat quietly. Isaiah could’ve easily adapted to the silence for the next hour, but clearly Cassidy had other ideas.

  “What are you hoping to find at my place?” Cassidy asked, peering between the two of them with acute interest.

  Micah looked at Isaiah, giving him the opportunity to answer. He wasn’t quite sure what they were hoping to find, other than perhaps a glimpse into the woman’s life. Maybe something her brother had left behind that might lead them to his whereabouts. “Anything that’ll lead us to where your brother might be.”

  “Do you think he’s alive?” Cassidy asked, a note of sadness in her tone.

  “Yes,” Isaiah replied firmly. He had no reason to believe otherwise. “If he weren’t, they wouldn’t be after you.”

  “Why not?” she rebuked. “Wouldn’t they still want their money?”

  “Possibly,” Isaiah replied. “But it usually doesn’t work like that. Your brother’s on the hook for the debt, not you. They’ll settle the score with him any way they have to, even if it means hurting you to draw him out, or even by setting an example with him.”

  “By killing him, you mean?” Cassidy asked.

  Isaiah nodded. That was exactly what he meant.

  The waitress delivered their coffee and scurried off to the other side of the restaurant.

  “Since they already trashed the place, don’t you think they’d have found what they were looking for?” Cassidy’s eyes slid over to Isaiah.

  “Not necessarily.”

  “Did you call the cops?” Micah asked when Isaiah didn’t elaborate.

  “No,” she said simply. “I’m a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them.”

  Isaiah smiled as he stared down at his coffee. He liked the girl’s gumption. She was smart and cautious, perhaps a tad fearless. A sexy combination.

  “So what, specifically, will we be looking for?” she asked as they waited for their food.

  “Anything to help us locate him.”

  “Why do you want to find him?” Cassidy inquired hesitantly, tearing open two packets of sugar and pouring them into her cup.

  “So we can clear your name. It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

  “What will you do to him when you find him?”

  That was the million-dollar question. Isaiah had no idea what Max intended to do once they found Jordan Owens; he simply knew he was supposed to be looking for him. Were they going to hand him back over to these guys so he could take care of his debt? Doubtful. More than likely, Max would draw Jordan into the fold, if the man seemed worthy enough.

  “Do you know where he might’ve gone?” Isaiah asked, ignoring Cassidy’s question altogether.

  “No,” she answered, glancing down at the white ceramic mug in her hands. “I’ve tried to call him, but he’s not answering.”

  “I doubt he kept his phone,” Micah offered. “It’d be an easy way for them to track him down.”

  “Do you have family around here?” Isaiah asked, wondering if there was someone else these men might go after in order to get their hands on Jordan. With her parents in Florida, that was a little out of their way, but if she had, say, a grandmother or something, they’d need to devise another plan to keep her safe as well.

  “No. My parents are in Florida, and they haven’t seen him, either. Since he told me to go there before he ran, I doubt he’d go there. They’d find him.”

  Isaiah agreed. Jordan might have made some pretty powerful enemies, but at least he seemed to have his family’s best interests at heart. Didn’t help that he’d fled and now the guys he owed were coming after his sister, though.

  “Any other family? Grandparents? Aunt? Uncle?”

  “No,” she said without blinking.

  “What if we don’t find him?” Cassidy asked, her clear green eyes sliding back and forth between the two of them.

  “Let’s not think about that just yet,” Isaiah said. “Let’s eat and we’ll go from there.”

  Thankfully, the waitress delivered their food at that moment. Despite the millions of questions Isaiah had for the pretty redhead still staring at her coffee mug, he figured now wasn’t the time to get into them.

  If he was lucky—and he usually was—there’
d be plenty of time for that later.

  8

  Cassidy knew that she should’ve taken advantage of the silence when Isaiah all but instructed her to eat, but she was too nervous.

  She blamed it on her curiosity.

  Despite the strange fact that she trusted these men—although she knew nothing about them—she was still curious as to who they were, what they did. Why they would help her.

  “What’s on your mind?” Micah inquired as the two men dug into their food while Cassidy continued to play with her fork.

  She shook her head, suddenly not wanting to voice her questions.

  “Might as well spit it out,” Isaiah grumbled.

  Cassidy met his unyielding gaze. “Why are you helping me?”

  “It’s my job,” he answered easily, never taking his eyes off her.

  “I thought you worked at a club.”

  Isaiah smiled, and that small gesture sent a shiver of awareness through Cassidy. That minute gesture changed his appearance in ways she hadn’t expected. He went from handsome to striking in an instant.

  “We do. But that’s not all we’re capable of,” he explained.

  “Meaning you work for the mob?”

  “Something like that,” Micah added, not bothering to look up at her when he spoke.

  “Is that who Max Adorite is? The mob?”

  Isaiah set his fork down and picked up his coffee. “Max Adorite is a businessman. He’s merely looking out for his interests.”

  Cassidy knew it was more than that. She’d gathered as much from their phone conversation last night. “How is helping me good for business?”

  “It’s not,” Micah grumbled, and Cassidy got the sense that he wasn’t all that fond of helping her.

  Luckily, he wasn’t the one in charge. At least from what she could tell.

  “His wife asked him to,” Isaiah told her.

  She already knew that much.

  Isaiah nodded toward her food and then said, “Eat. We’ve got things to do.”