Tyler's Undoing (Gloves Off #1)(49)

“Then stop wasting time and go find her.”

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked.

Rolling her eyes, she snorted and waved me off. “Please, I’m a Reynolds. There’s nothing I can’t handle.”

I used to think that about myself too, but now with Kacey, I couldn’t help but second guess everything I did. She was angry with me and I had no clue how to handle it. I was about to find out though.





ONCE WE GOT into Paxton’s rental car, he started it up and headed down the highway.

“I need some answers,” he demanded. “What are you doing in Arizona and why was Tyler Rushing coming after you? Does your brother know you’re out here?”

Leaning my head against the seat, I blew out an angry breath and closed my eyes. “No, he doesn’t know, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell him. Tyler, on the other hand, is a different story.” Paxton’s loyalties always leaned toward me, but he was still my brother’s friend. I had to tread carefully.

“A different story,” he scoffed, staring at my profile. “Please tell me you’re not f*cking him.” When I didn’t answer, he took my chin and made me face him. As a kid, I was never good at lying and he knew it. He could always see it in my eyes. Sighing, he let me go and gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. “I can’t believe this shit. You’re actually f*cking him, aren’t you? I thought you were smarter than this, Kacey.”

I thought I was too.

A tear escaped the corner of my eye and I hastily wiped it away, keeping my gaze on the prickly cacti rushing past as Paxton sped down the road. My heart hurt, like thorns spearing through my chest. “I tried to stay away, Pax, but I couldn’t. He kept pursuing me and I gave in. When Nana died, he never left my side. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through without him.”

Paxton’s eyes went wide. “Your grandmother died? When? You should’ve called me, Kace. I would’ve been there for you.”

“She died a couple of weeks ago, and no, you wouldn’t have,” I snapped. “You were probably too busy getting into trouble.”

“Well, if you wouldn’t have changed your phone number, I would’ve called to fill you in. After you disappeared to Las Vegas I cut ties with your brother.”

Gasping, I turned to face him, his expression serious. “What? Why?”

We stopped at a stoplight and he looked over at me, piercing me with his stare, his voice gentle. “You should already know why, Kacey. I only stayed around because of you. Yes, I got into some trouble, but I’m over that now. When you left, I put all of my concentration into training. I haven’t spoken to your brother in almost a year.”

“Really? Shit, I didn’t know. I’ve barely spoken to my brother in the past year.”

Paxton pulled the car off to the side of the road and parked. “Okay, before we go any further, where are you staying?”

“We’re at the Camelback Inn,” I replied, pointing down the road.

Rolling his eyes, he snorted and shook his head. “That’s where I’m staying too. So you and Tyler are spending the weekend together, huh? Great,” he added sarcastically. “I bet he’ll love seeing you with me. Do you want me to take you back right now?”

My phone vibrated with an incoming call, but I ignored it. “Yes, please. It’s probably best I get back and get my things before Tyler gets there.”

Nodding, Paxton pulled out and started down the road. Thankfully, we were only a couple miles from the hotel. “You can stay with me if you want and I can drive you to the airport in the morning.”

Before I could reply, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. Curiosity got the better of me, so I huffed and opened the message.

Tyler: Where are you? We need to talk. Nothing happened between me and Gabriella. From now on she’s going to keep her distance and stay away. You have to trust me.

Paxton glanced down at my phone and his eyes hardened. “The last thing you need to do is trust him. I know there’s something going on between those two, or at least there used to be.”

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“Because,” he growled, “when he found out I was interested in Gabriella, he made sure to tell me to stay the f*ck away from her. Needless to say, I don’t listen very well.”

“Wait, what?” I hissed, anger coursing through my veins. “You actually like her?” Throwing my hands in the air, I shook my head incredulously. “Okay, this shit is starting to piss me off. First, I have to deal with her and Tyler, and now you. It was bad enough watching her go into his room with just a towel around his waist. I can only imagine what they were going to do in there.”

“Is that why you left the arena?”

I hesitated for only a few seconds before nodding my head. “Yes, and now I’m wondering if he still has feelings for her.”

What was it with this chick? All the guys were so hard up about her. Even my brother wanted her.

“I highly doubt they were doing anything, Kacey. Gabriella isn’t that type of girl. Besides, she’s too busy with her pansy-ass baseball player boyfriend to make time for anyone else.”

It didn’t matter if she had a boyfriend or not. It still didn’t change the fact she was going to be alone with Tyler, wearing a short, skimpy dress. I wasn’t stupid. “How do you know she’s not like that?” I asked. “And where is her boyfriend while she’s in a room with a half-naked ex?”