Chapter 16

"I'm still mad at you," I grumble, wiping my sleepy eyes.

Grady's strong form is plastered to my back as I wake. I'm even more shocked that Ward is nowhere to be seen. I kinda felt like we had a moment last night. My instincts liked having him take care of me, but my fingers dig into my forehead as I remember blabbing a bunch of information I should have kept to myself.

"I know you are," Grady says in a serious tone as he runs his hand over my stomach. "Would it make you feel any better if I apologized? Because I'm not above getting on my knees and begging for you to forgive me. I'm genuinely sorry that I lied to you."

I sigh and my lips roll together with the force of how hard I exhale. "I wanted it to, but that didn't make me any less upset. That sucks."

"You're running a fever," Grady says, brushing his lips over my cheek. "It's not dangerous yet, but I noticed it last night when I climbed into bed."

My ass pushes back into his pelvis. "You'd think all of the sex yesterday would have helped. God, was that only yesterday?"

"It was, but we slept like normal. I'm guessing it's around three or four in the afternoon." He nuzzles his cheek to mine from behind. "Do you think you'll be able to forgive me? I had a couple dreams last night that I wish I could forget."

I roll to face him, and he clearly looks tired. "I'm not going to hold you to an impossible standard when I kept things from you, too, but I also feel really dumb right now."

"Anni Girl?—"

"No, stop. This is not a breakup conversation. My heat is going to be here soon, and I'm not going through that without you. I might be pissed at you right now, but I still trust you more than anyone else."

"Good. You should. I'm on your team, always." He brushes a quick peck on my lips. "I've got a few things for each of us in the bags down in the trunk, but we're going to have to do a little shopping."

"That's not going to happen," Kane growls from somewhere behind me. "At least, no in-person visits to a store for Annika." My head twists, and I barely catch sight of him tossing down the bags Grady grabbed from his safe room. "Get dressed and come downstairs. The three of us need to get on the same page."

"Apparently, he appointed himself the boss of this operation." Grady snorts.

The door slams behind Kane, making me jump. I still can't believe how quickly everything can fall apart. It's even more concerning to think the Andrettis know where I am. Heats make it impossible to stay clear enough to protect ourselves. It's a nightmare I don't even know how to go about tackling.

Grady and I make our way downstairs after getting dressed. He was a thoughtful packer, considering he packed me spare bras, underwear, and even a toothbrush. It's clear my hormones are in full control because all I can seem to focus on is how romantic it is that he had a bag of emergency essentials stocked away just for me.

"Took you long enough," Kane grunts. He's leaning against the wall a few feet past the bottom of the stairs. He has on dark jeans that are a little worn in the knees and thighs, combat boots, and a dual holster that falls under his arms. The long-sleeve Henley seems stretched to capacity over his strong chest.

Did he get buffer over the years?

Why am I licking my lips like a total creep?

Yes, Kane has always been ridiculously attractive, but time has been kind to him. He still has a lithe frame, but the muscles of his arms and shoulders fill out that Henley in a way they wouldn't have three years ago.

His blondish-brown hair falls over his forehead as his green eyes narrow.

"Sorry, boss. We didn't get the memo about it being a timed mission," Grady says, tightening his hold on my shoulder.

"Of course you didn't," Kane growls, shoving himself off the wall. "You never take anything seriously. Do you, Michaels?"

My system instantly dislikes hearing him use Grady's real name, and I have no idea why.

"Someone pissed in his Cheerios," Grady teases.

"Ward and Cas are almost back." Kane quirks an eyebrow. "There are two hits Merrick wants checked out."

"What does that mean?" I ask, sounding a little frantic.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Kane says, giving me what I think is meant to be a reassuring smile.

"We know those guys last night aren't the extent of Lucien's manpower in Vegas." Grady pulls me to face him. "We talked about it while you were with Ward when we first got in. If we can take them out?—"

"What the fuck is your problem?" Kane growls, making me jolt.

Grady rolls his eyes at Kane. "In case you haven't noticed, she handles things a fuck of a lot better if you communicate."

"Yeah, like I'm going to take advice from you," Kane scoffs. "You know he's been lying to you since you met."

Kane's condescending tone sends me right back to three years ago. He's always pushed my buttons like no one else.

"Yeah, he lied about his name," I snap. "But he's never treated me like a doll or, even worse, a clueless child."

"Don't act like a child, and I won't treat you like one," Kane growls.

"There's some tension there that's going to be absolutely explosive when it comes to a head." Grady laughs. "The point is, you saw how quickly we handled that invasion last night. Whether we like each other or not, we still make a solid team. If we can wipe out any remaining stragglers loyal to the Andrettis, that will give us a window of opportunity to get the hell out of Vegas without being followed."

"Won't they just send replacements?" I ask, chewing my lower lip.

"They will, but the plan is to be gone before that happens. Your brother seems to feel confident you'll be safe with Cas and Ward. Would you be comfortable staying here alone with them?" Grady asks.

"Cas is kinda pretentious. I'm pretty sure he thinks he has a golden cock and that every woman will gladly fall over herself to climb on it." I shrug. "But Ward isn't so bad."

The sound of three distinct sets of laughter fills the air.

I go stiff, glaring up at Grady. "You really couldn't have warned me?"

"Aww, princess." Ward chuckles. "Don't pout." My head spins to see him clap Cassian on the shoulder. It's kind of adorable that he calls Cas princess.

My eyes move to Kane, and he watches me carefully. I'm not sure why, but I bet he's remembering all the times he called me that.

I used to hate it and kinda dig it in equal measure.

"If the two of you are leaving, now would be the time." Cassian gives a tight smile, refocusing on me. "Ward and I did a bit of shopping for you while we were out." His gaze rakes down my form. "Which you were obviously in need of."

My jaw falls as my eyes narrow.

Grady packed clothes that were exactly my style.

"I told you to wear the thigh sheath," Grady whispers close to my ear. "Feel free to shank his ass if he steps out of line."

"I have no idea how long I'll be forced to house you," Cassian says, striding into what I would consider a formal living room.

Ward's hand on my lower back guides me to follow the jerk.

A beautiful woman in a tight black-and-silver dress pushes herself out of one of the club chairs.

There are racks of women's clothing lined up against two walls, and a stack of boxes line the top of the long, thin dresser on the back wall.

"You are stunning," she purrs, coming to a stop in front of me.

Well, outside of being gorgeous, she's also a liar.

I haven't brushed my hair since I woke up. Grady tried to pack for me, but he's still a man. There was no hairbrush, makeup remover, or makeup in the emergency bag he packed for me.

I look like a hot mess at best and a flat-out disaster at worst. I've still got yesterday's makeup on, at least what didn't wash away in my ten-minute shower last night. I probably look like a raccoon.

"Colette," she says when I still don't say anything. She extends a hand, and I finally shake.

"Annika."

"I've got a few things that will accentuate your figure," she says, smiling brightly. "Let's get to it." She spins around, heading for the racks, while I'm still standing, dumbfounded. "Don't worry about cost. It's on Cas's dime."

That's a relief, since I don't have a single freaking dollar at the moment. It's clear Cassian has never been on the run before. I don't need fancy dresses and jumpsuits. I need jeans, shorts, T-shirts, and anything else that can hide a gun and is easy to run in.

I look at Ward, who still has his hand on my lower back. "Is that his girlfriend or something? Does she get commission off every sale?"

Why did he try to get me to fake being his girlfriend if he already has one?

Truthfully, I'm confused.

I'm supposed to be staying hidden. Someone will eventually report me missing. Anyone who sees me is a possible witness who can inform the police of my whereabouts.

"No," Ward chuckles.

"Oh, God, no," Colette says at the same time. "Cas is my brother."

My eyes meet the man in question as he lazily leans against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. There's something about the look on his face and the way his eyes sparkle that leads me to believe he thinks I asked because I care.

Which I absolutely do not.

Not one single bit.

Even if his ridiculously strong jaw is covered with just the right style beard to accentuate his features.

Fuck. My. Life.

My mom was always a girly girl. She loved shopping and getting her nails and hair done. She and Colette would have gotten along perfectly.

I, however, still don't have a single clue why Cassian thought I needed a wardrobe of fancy dresses and clothing items I'll never wear.

"Are you pouting?" Ward asks, sounding highly amused.

I cross my arms over my chest.

Cassian walked his sister out, and I'm still baffled.

Were they just trying to keep me busy?

Maybe they were being polite, and their gesture slightly missed the mark.

"Why did I just try on six dresses that I'll never wear?" I ask as Ward squats down in front of my chair.

"Well, we figured you'd want something nice to wear tonight to meet Canton Forbes." He chuckles, and those damn little crinkles appear around his eyes.

"Is there a C theme for every member of the Forbes family?" I ask, licking my lips. Damn, Ward smells all kinds of delicious. His scent has hints of honey and something smoky. It's hard to describe—but maybe pipe tobacco. Whatever it is, my system is a big fan.

"You're cute." Ward stands, offering his hands. "Come on. I knew you weren't going to be enamored by the dresses." He tugs me up and leads me to the dresser lined with boxes. "This might be a disaster, but I tried."

"Don't worry," Cassian says from behind me. "I helped. You should find most things actually fit. Ward was less than zero percent helpful." He chuckles, coming to a stop at my side. "When the saleswoman asked for your sizes, he scratched his beard and said, She's pretty small. I don't know, something like this. Then held up his hands like that was actually going to help."

A laugh escapes my lips as I look at Ward over my shoulder.

His cheeks are rosy, and he shrugs. "You're tiny compared to me."

"Thank you," I say, trying to hold back any humor from my tone.

"I guessed around a size eight or ten," Cassian says. "But that one said there was no way. We ended up picking up several size ranges just in case, and Colette brought gowns in a variety of sizes."

It sounds like he's genuinely trying to be helpful. So, I twist toward him and smile.

"Yep, anywhere from a size ten to a twelve. Shirts are usually a large or extra large." I shrug. "Omegas are curvy, but I carry most of my weight on my bottom half."

"Women's clothing sizes are ludicrous. I picked up multiple items in the same size, yet they weren't uniform." Ward runs his fingers down my hip.

I laugh. "That sounds about right."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing Cas seems to have an uncanny ability for picking out women's sizes," Ward says, gesturing to the boxes. "Stay on the right side when opening. Those items should fit perfectly."

"The ones in the back are bras and panties." Cas speaks close to my ear, causing his warm breath to tickle over my skin. "Don't fret. I'm fairly sure I got close to your normal size for your tits too."

I snort.

It's very difficult to decide if I want to stab him or thank him.