Page 50 of The Betrayal

“Bad ending?”

“Loveless marriage. She was a narcissist. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a saint. Far from it, probably a bit narcissistic myself. But we brought the worst out in each other. We were toxic as fuck and that was not what I, or she, wanted. We parted amicably.” He shrugs a shoulder up as if completely unphased. I had never heard this side of this story. Just that she was a bitch. He used to call her Satan. Never knew her real name. Knew her as Auntie Satan. She was a bitch though, then, when I was a teen, he told us they were splitting.

“Fair play,” Dex nods a couple of times.

“Never been in love, don’t think I am capable of such a feeling…” he pauses for a moment and swings his head round to look at me, blinks a few times and I see soft waves lapping against a beach, calmness. Complete stillness.

“Shit, this has got deep,” Dex laughs and orders another round of champagne.

We hit a bout of turbulence and my heart falls from my chest, my stomach flipping and making me feel nauseas. Sweat beads on my brow, and even though it was merely minutes, it felt like hours. I have never been on a plane before; I didn’t know what to expect.

Smiling, I excuse myself from my seat and walk to the back of the plane and with each step, my nerves make me feel sicker. Pushing through the door, I make it to the toilet just in time to throw up the contents of my stomach.

Shit.

This was not ideal.

I stand, my hands shaking softly as I turn the faucet on and wash my hands before splashing my face with cool water. Staring at myself, I look washed out suddenly.

I’m not alone long when there is a soft knock on the door.

“One minute,” I call out, my voice quivering.

“It’s me baby…”

And my skin pebbles.

Sliding the lock across, I pull the door slightly, his worried eyes on me, his brows creased.

“Are you okay?” he pushes through the door, hands cupping my face as he holds my gaze and I feel the sting at the back of my eyes.

“Motion sickness; the turbulence set it off… scared me to death,” I whisper, and he pulls me into him, enveloping me in his embrace, my ear to his chest so all I can focus on is the steady beat of his heart.

“It’s okay baby, I’ve got you.”

And that’s how we stand until I am ready to take my seat.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

KEATON

We check into the Bellagio hotel and arrange to see Sage and Dex later on in the evening. I feel out of sorts and Ari hasn’t been well since the plane, resulting in her being sick into her handbag in the car on the way to the hotel.

Once in the large room, I eye the two separate beds and it annoys me.

Walking into the bathroom, I run her a bath and fill it with bubbles.

“Ari,” I call out softly and she is laid on the bed, curled into a ball.

Smiling, I walk slowly over to her and all I can do is stare at her. She really is beautiful. Too beautiful. Leaning over, I place a soft kiss on her cheek and pull a comforter over her body.

Couple of hours sleep should help.

Then we can have our evening.

Sitting by the window, the strip is alive and thriving beneath us and I am on my laptop working through this month’s accounts. Titus and Kaleb haven’t taken a job in weeks due to Wolfe and it’s showing. We’re okay, for the moment but we need something to keep us ticking over without diving into savings.

Cradling my scotch, I take a mouthful when I hear Arizona stir. Lifting my eyes from the screen, I watch her for a moment.