Ryley's Revenge (Gloves Off #2)(59)

Paxton approached us, his hesitant smile slowly turning to a frown. “When I said to change, I regret that now,” he said, staring at Gabriella. “Unfortunately, we have no choice.” He handed us each a black silk scarf.

“What is this for?” I asked, smoothing the silky fabric through my fingers.

“It’s part of the rules. They won’t let you anywhere near the entrance without it on. Are you ready for this?”

He held out his arms, so I looped mine on his right while he waited on Gabriella to take his left. Sighing, she slowly slid her arm through his and glimpsed up at him.

“I’m ready,” she assured him. “Just as long as nobody touches me, I’ll be fine. I’d hate to get kicked out because I ripped some guy’s balls off.”

Paxton pulled his arms in, drawing us closer. “No one is going to touch either one of you.”

We started toward the hotel exit, my blood racing in my veins. We were about to cross over to the Dark Side . . . literally.





THE RIDE WAS silent and judging by the tension in the car, I was afraid Paxton was going to think better of the situation and turn us around. I could see it in his eyes—he regretted agreeing to our demands. He’d put his trust in us, and if we waivered from that trust, he would pay the consequences. Surely, Gabriella could see that he was trying to prove himself to her?

“All right you two, put your blindfolds on. It’s almost show time.”

I glanced back at Gabby who smiled reassuringly before tying the scarf around her head. I saw enough of our surroundings to know we weren’t exactly in the good parts of Vegas. My skin prickled, but I put on my blindfold and sat back in the seat. My world felt like it was quickly spinning out of control.

“I’m warning you,” Paxton began, “you’re going to hear me say and do things I don’t want to do. Just smile and go with it. Ashleigh, you’re my guest, which means you’ll be glued to my side. For Ryley’s sake—stay there. I don’t even want to know what happens to women if they venture off into a dark corner.

“Gabriella, as much as I hate you doing this, you’ll be taken to sit with the other females who were gambled off. They’re going to slap a bracelet on you when we walk in and when the time comes, you’ll have to go. As soon as the fight’s over, I’ll come get you.”

“Great,” she mumbled sarcastically. “Nothing like being treated like a herd of cattle. I guess I just have to sit pretty until Ryley kicks Camden’s ass.”

“Let’s hope so,” Paxton remarked. “If not, then we’re going to have some serious problems getting out of there.”

The blindfold made me feel vulnerable, weak. I had to protect not just myself, but my babies as well. This was a nightmare. For the rest of the way, I blocked out every sound and movement, and focused on one thing . . . Ryley. He made me stronger, showed me what life was like outside of the box. Colin had always been my safe place, but Ryley was the area outside of that, an adventure. I wanted more adventures with him, and now I was afraid we wouldn’t get them because something bad was going to happen.

“We’re here,” Paxton noted. “Just be quiet while I talk. That especially goes for you, Gabriella.”

She snorted. “I know what’s at stake, Paxton. I care about what happens to Ryley.”

The car slowed and Paxton rolled down his window. The smell of cigarette smoke wafted into the car and I almost gagged. Smells were a lot stronger now that I was pregnant.

“Show me the mark,” the man barked.

I couldn’t see what was going on, but Paxton must’ve done something right because the guy chuckled. “Well, I’ll be damned, if it isn’t the Reaper. We haven’t seen you much around these parts recently.”

“Not been in town much, man. I heard there’s going to be a killer fight tonight. Thought I’d come check it out.”

The man chortled. “Fuck, yeah. We got the Twins of Terror battling it out. And it looks like you came bearing gifts. The one in the back looks mighty tasty. Got a nice set of tits on her.”

“You got that right,” Paxton agreed. Biting my lip, I waited on Gabriella to start cussing, but she kept her mouth shut.

“You know the rules, Reaper. Surely, I don’t need to repeat them, do I?”

“Nah, I’m good. They’re not going to use their lips for much of anything, other than sucking my cock.”

“I hear ya on that. If you get tired of ‘em, let me know.” The sound of a rusty gate creaked in the night air and soon we were on our way.

“Good luck with that, cocksucker,” Paxton grumbled as he rolled up the window. “Keep your blindfolds on. We’re not in the clear yet.”

“I can’t believe you’re a part of this shit,” Gabriella snapped. “And you wonder why I don’t want to go out with you.”

“I was a part of it. Let’s get that straight right now. And as far as going out with me, you don’t have a choice anymore. Shall I discuss the terms with you now?”

She scoffed. “Can we please talk about that later? I don’t want to stress Ashleigh out any more than she already is.”

“That’s fine with me, sunshine. We can discuss it later tonight, alone.”