His Kingdom (Owning Vegas Book 1)

My arms wrap around Evie’s neck. “I can’t believe you’re here,” I choke out, tears threatening to spill free.

She drops her bag to the ground and pulls me closer. “I’m so sorry,” she says. “You should never have been alone through any of this.”

“Stop! Don’t you dare make me cry!” I warn as I finally release my grip to look my friend up and down.

She’s wearing a denim dress. It’s fitted, her breasts popping out of the neckline, and she’s paired it with white converse high-tops. Sounds casual, but Evie makes even the most-casual outfit look elegant. She’s slightly taller than I am, and thinner too. My friend is a beauty queen, like a legit beauty queen. She’s won pageant after pageant. Her mother forced her into competing until Evie turned twenty and decided to say no more. Her long strawberry-blonde hair hangs in curls down to her waist and her face is perfectly made up.

Evie might have left the pageant world behind, but some habits never left her. Like refusing to go out without being perfectly put together. She’s just flown across the country, and you wouldn’t know it. I glance down at my cutoff denim shorts and the black t-shirt I borrowed from Louie’s closet. I look like shit in comparison.

“You look amazing, as always,” I tell Evie.

“And you look like you’ve just had sex.” She raises her eyebrows at me. “Oh my god!” She covers her mouth and squeals. “You just had sex.”

“Shhh!” I clamp a palm over her face. “I don’t need all of Nevada to hear what a crappy person I am,” I tell her.

I drop my hand and Evie shakes her head. “Why on earth would having sex make you a crappy person?”

“Because I was supposed to be married, remember? Runaway bride.” I point to myself. “And here I am, shacking up with some guy I just met.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen the man you’re shacking up with and he’s not just some guy.” Evie smirks. “He’s some insanely hot, tall, dark, sexy, and dangerous guy.” Her eyebrows waggle up and down. “Besides, you and Owen were over well before you walked out on the wedding. And we both know it.”

She’s not wrong. I guess I was in some kind of denial for months, if not a full year before the wedding. “It doesn’t matter. I was still engaged not even a week ago.”

“Pfft… no one cares,” Evie says. “Now, are we going to stand here all day and argue about whether or not you should or should not be having sex, or should we go and stash my bag somewhere and then find a bar?”

“Come on.” I grab Evie’s suitcase from the ground. And as soon as I do, a man in a suit steps up and takes it from me.

“Miss, Mr. Giuliani sent me to help you with your bags,” he says.

“It’s one bag,” I tell him. “I think we can manage.”

“All the same, ma’am, it’s my pleasure to help.” The guy nods. Turns and starts towards the elevator.

“Talk about service,” Evie says, linking her arm with mine. “Guess there are perks to sleeping with the owner.”

“Shh.” I elbow her in the side. “The orgasms are perks enough, believe me,” I tell her quietly.

Once the bellman leaves—after refusing to accept my tip, mind you—I show Evie around before escorting her to the suite where she’ll be staying.

“This is nice, like really nice,” she says. “Okay, this…” Her hand waves up and down my body. “…isn’t going to cut it.” She smiles.

“No.” I shake my head. I know exactly what she’s thinking. She wants to make me over. It’s one of her favorite things to do. As much as she hated the pageant world, Evie loved the glam of it.

“Yes,” she says with a big smile, while the sound of the door opening has my eyes widening. There is literally only one person who could be walking in right now. Louie.

“Wait here,” I tell Evie as I rush towards the entrance. Only to stop dead in my tracks. Okay, so maybe there’s more than one person who is able to help themselves into this room. “Babysitting duties again?”

“Something like that. Boss has made reservations for you and your friend at Olives,” Sammie tells me.

“Olives?”

“It’s a bar downstairs,” he says.

“Oh, cool. Tell the boss I said thanks.” I go to turn back to the room when I run into Evie.

“Hey, I’m Evie, and you are?” She holds out a hand to Sammie.

“Sammie.” He takes her palm with a glint in his eye. “Pleasure to meet you.”

I look between the two of them before asking, “Where is Louie?”noveldrama

“Ah, he had a meeting,” Sammie tells me.

“Okay, well, we’re going to be up here for a while. You know, girl stuff. So why don’t you go and… I don’t know… do what it is you do before you were forced to babysit me,” I suggest.

“You have a babysitter?” Evie asks.

I roll my eyes. “Louie seems to think the city isn’t safe and that I shouldn’t be walking around alone,” I explain. “Just pretend he’s not here. You’ll get used to it. Now, let’s do this makeover.” I’m hoping my sacrifice of being her personal Barbie doll is going to keep Evie from asking about Louie or his insistent need to give me a bodyguard.

“Yes. Let’s do this.” Evie drags me back into the bedroom. Her bag gets emptied onto the bed, the contents of which spill out everywhere. I stare at all the makeup, brushes, and clothes. “I’ve got everything we need. But we should video call Rachel. She shouldn’t miss out on this.”

“You’re right.” I smile. “Thank you again for coming here. I didn’t know how much I needed you.”

“I know. I’m often underrated. But don’t stress. I’m here.” Evie grins, then it drops. “Seriously, how are you really handling all of this? Have you spoken to Melanie?”

“No, how can I?”

“I don’t know, but she’s your sister. That’s not going away,” Evie says.

“She slept with my fiancé. Even if I was going to call it off, Melanie didn’t know that and she still slept with Owen. How long were they even going at it behind my back?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I didn’t know. Or I would have told you right after I killed them both and torched their bodies,” Evie says with a smile. “There is no murder if there are no bodies, right?”

“Right. I just… She was my best friend. Other than you and Rachel, of course, and I honestly thought nothing could come between us.”

“I know.” Evie sits on the bed. “I don’t know what to say, but I do think you’re going to find a way to move on from this somehow. I’m not saying you should forgive her. In fact, I don’t think you should. But I do think eventually, for your own sake, you should talk to her.”

“Maybe.” I shrug as I pick up my phone and hit the video call button next to Rachel’s name.

“Hey! I can’t believe you’re both in Vegas without me,” she answers. “But are you okay? I’m really sorry. I know we don’t like him right now, but he was a big part of your past.”

I look to Evie to see if she has any idea what Rachel is talking about. She shakes her head and lifts a shoulder. I return my focus to my phone. “What are you talking about?” I ask Rachel, positioning the camera so it shows both Evie and me on the screen.

“Ah, Owen. You didn’t hear?”

“Hear what?” Evie chimes in.

“Owen is dead,” Rachel says, using her well-practiced doctor’s tone, “He was found in a hotel room in Vegas. He overdosed.”

I blink. He’s dead. I blink again. No. Louie wouldn’t have done that. But then his words from last night play over in my head: I won’t ever let anyone hurt you, Charlotte. Holy shit, Louie killed him.

“Charlotte, are you okay?” Rachel’s voice brings me back to the present. “I’m sorry. Of course you’re not. That’s a stupid question.”

“I’m fine. Evie is about to give me a makeover. You wanna watch?” I ask her.

“Ah, sure,” Rachel says.

Setting the phone up on the bedside table, I turn to Evie. “Make me as hot as you possibly can.”

I want to look good. If I look my best, maybe I’ll feel my best—or at the very least better about the fact that I’m sleeping with the person who murdered my ex. And worse than that is the fact that I don’t want to stop seeing Louie, even knowing the truth. Or what I’m assuming is the truth…