Page 80 of Wrecked By You
Ella and I met Nolen in one of the many bars dotted around the hotel, and less than an hour later, we’d settled on a deal including a sliding scale rental agreement that allowed me time to build the brand and the business before paying full price for this amount of space in a prime Las Vegas location.
If Ella had expected a family member to cut me some slack, she’d had her eyes opened. Nolen, like all the Kingcaids, struck a hard bargain and did zero favors regardless of whether or not you shared DNA. Sometimes our family went in harder on negotiationsbecausethey shared your DNA.
“I’m not sure how that happened, but I think I’ve just been had,” Nolen said, draining his glass of iced water.
I withheld a chuckle. “Stop with the drama. It’s a fair deal.”
“Yeah, for you.”
I rolled my eyes, and he laughed.
“I’ll have my lawyer draw up the contracts. It’ll only take twenty-four hours or so. You’ll be able to sign them before you leave Monday morning.”
“Sounds good.” I stood, cocking my head to Ella. “Well, we should go relieve Ginny. Catch you later.”
Halfway toward the swimming pool area, my phone rang. My blood ran cold as the caller ID scrolled across the screen.
“I need to take this.” I jerked my head to the coffee shop in the lobby. “Go grab yourself a coffee. I won’t be long.”
She frowned but agreed, giving me the occasional worried glance over her shoulder as she trekked across the expanse of marble.
I answered the call, my heart thudding in my chest. “Kingcaid.”
“Mr. Kingcaid. I have news.”
Chapter26
Ella
Safety is an illusion.
I sipped my latte,my anxiety ratcheting up as I watched Johannes pace up and down, his spine stiffening with each traverse of the lobby. I hoped it wasn’t to do with the nightclub award he’d put so much work into getting. No, they weren’t due to announce the winner for a few days yet, so that couldn’t be the reason for his obvious agitation.
He glanced over his shoulder at me, a deep scowl drawing his eyebrows inward. I smiled. He turned away. My stomach flipped, and I tapped my fingers against the side of the cup until the noise of nails on ceramic got on my nerves. I switched to tearing up paper napkins instead.
Eventually, he cut the call and slid the phone into his pocket, but he still kept his back to me, lifting a hand to run his fingers through his hair.
I pushed the cup away and rose to my feet, heading toward him. When I got within a few feet, he pivoted.
“What’s wrong?”
His lips thinned to a white slash, and in two steps, he’d reached me. Taking a firm grip of my elbow, he propelled me toward the bank of elevators.
“Johannes, what’s going on?”
“Not here,” he growled.
He jabbed a finger at the elevator call button, anger coming off him in violent waves. I wrenched out of his grip, taking a step away as the elevator doors opened.
“I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me what’s happened. Is it the award?” If it was, then I couldn’t figure out how I’d ended up as the target of his fury. Unless I’d somehow done something to jeopardize his success. But I had no idea what that could be.
“The award?” He frowned. “No, it’s not the fucking award. Now get in the elevator.”
“No.”
I spun on my heel and strode across the lobby.Choose to be alone with an angry man? No, thanks. Johannes hadn’t shown me a single sign that he had it within him to mistreat a woman, but everyone had a first time. And I didn’t plan on being his.
“Ella, wait.” He caught up to me and made a grab for my arm.