“Should I call the police?” Mom asks.
“No, he’s not going to do anything to her. If anything, she’s the one who is in bitch-slap mode,” Izzy says. “Where are you taking her, Ty? She’s wearing a vintage Valentino. Can’t you kidnap her in one of her signature Target sweatpants or something?”
“Thanks, Izzy.” I send her two thumbs up, because lifting my head after all the alcohol is a bad idea.
“Sorry, sissy.”
Ty stops at the end of the hallway, puts me down in front of the elevator and presses the button.
He palms my cheeks, storm in his black eyes.
“Take me to Shane’s room before I kick open every door in this place,” he demands. I’ve never seen Ty so agitated.
Is that what this douchebag cares about? Retaliation?
I put on an indifferent mask. "How did you figure out I was in Vegas?"
He reaches for his pocket, taking out my iPhone cover—a hipster cat with a trendy hat and Harry Potter glasses. Pointing the cover at me, he arches one brow. Yeah, I kind of gave myself away the minute I threw my phone in the parking lot of The Heat.
"Shane didn't tell me anything about you," I say. It's a lie, but I'm done playing fair. He fed me enough lies to last for a decade. “I heard you talking with that Ray guy.”
Ty throws his head back, looking both pained and frustrated. "Stop covering for him, Barbie,"
I squint my eyes in annoyance, turning back toward the hallway and marching my way back to my room. He grabs my wrist, pulling me into his chest.
“Please get mad at me, Blaire. Kick me, punch me, curse at me, break shit. Throw me in the fucking doghouse and let me pay for what I’ve done. But please don’t walk out on me. I can't change my past, but we can change my future.” He closes his eyes, sighing in despair.
My family is still watching us like it’s a Broadway show.
My ego is wounded. My heart is smashed. This has got to be the worst thing I’ll ever have to do. I shrug and purse me lips. “Sorry, Ty. Shane was right. You and I are just too different to be together.”
Ty’s facial expression shifts back to frustration as the elevator arrives and two seniors smile in our direction from inside.
“Going down?” the woman asks.
“Yep.” Ty pulls me inside with him.
The silver-haired couple exchanges knowing glares. They know who Ty is.
“Wilder! We bought tickets for your fi-—” the man starts.
Ty cuts him off, completely focused on me. “I'm done hearing about this guy filling your head with bullshit about me. He has an agenda, and I’m going to make him admit it. You're going to see it now.”
“Don't shoot the messenger, lover boy. We both know that what Ray said was true." I refuse to spell it out with a pair of avid fans listening. The old couple are staring from him to me, wide-eyed. "Anyway, good luck with your plan. I don’t even know what room Shane is staying in.”
Ty’s phone beeps with a text message. He frowns at it briefly. The elevator door pings open.
“Oh, but I do.”
Ty is racing down the hallway and I follow him, wishing I wasn’t in a vintage cocktail dress so I could run faster and that I didn’t kill my phone earlier today so I could warn Shane. Ty will crush him if he gets the chance.
I’m frantic and when I see a maid pushing her cart in our direction, I stop her and beg her to call security.
Tyler kicks another door open and walks straight into one of the rooms. I don’t know who told him Shane’s room number, but whoever it was had good intel. I see Shane sitting on the edge of the bed, fiddling with his phone.
“What the—” He stares at Ty in bewilderment, but regains composure fast. "You have a lot of nerve coming here, Wilder. You slashed my tires. You beat up my roommate. You hurt Blaire bad. No offense, but you're kind of a mess, dude. People don't pull shit like that."
Ty grabs Shane by the neck of his I Can Give a Headache to an Aspirin tee shirt, but he doesn’t hit him. I know he wants to prove a point to me, but he is struggling, still fighting his demons, his anger fits. And that's what I'm afraid of. That he is still the kid who can be lured into a fight the minute things go south.
"You…" Ty shoves a finger into Shane's chest. "Always wanted her for yourself. Just take the damn hint. She doesn't want you. You lost. I won. She's mine."
Shane jerks loose of his hold. "Dude, you only won momentarily. And as usual, that’s only because you cheated. She didn't know what kind of guy you are, what kind of stuff you do. Blaire's not yours. She’d never willingly get it on with a male prostitute."