Page 83 of Deviant Princess (Knight's Ridge Empire 5)

“You talk shit, Gunner. I bet you haven’t heard a word that woman has said.”

“Pretty sure she said good morning at some point.”

“Fucking idiot,” Link mutters, throwing one of the packet biscuits from by the kettle at him.

We sit there shooting the shit for a while, and amazingly, I actually manage to forget about my reality and just enjoy the easiness of their company.

There’s no pretence, no hidden agenda, and as far as I know, zero lies or bullshit.

Everything is great, and I almost start to think things will turn somewhat back to normal now that I’m away from the Cirillos. But right as I begin letting myself dream about my newfound freedom, a loud bang sounds out on the hotel room door from the room I should be in.

I sit bolt upright on Xander’s bed.

“That’s just Cruz, right?” I ask, although I know with every fibre of my being that it’s not.

I don’t know how I know, but I do.

Link, Gunner and Xander all stand, grabbing their weapons that are littered around the room and taking a step toward the open interconnecting door.

We all get our answer about who it is not three seconds later.

“Emmie,” a chillingly familiar voice booms. “I know you’re in there. Open this fucking door right now.”

Link glances back at me. He looks calm, but there’s a wildness in his eyes that wasn’t there a few moments ago.

He’s different from the other guys. He’s not the kind of man anyone would assume was part of an MC. He’s got ‘IT geek’ written all over him. He even has the glasses to match. I’m sure in another life he’d work in an office, fixing people’s server issues. But somehow, he’s managed to find his way into the most notorious MC in the city. I’m sure there must be one hell of a story behind that, much like there is for most of the guys.

“Emmie, open the door or I’ll open it for you,” Theo warns darkly.

I jump up from the bed, knowing full well that he’s not bluffing. I’m actually surprised he bothered knocking at all, if he’s so confident I’m in here.

“How the fuck did he find you?” Link hisses. “You left everything behind, right?”

“Yeah, apart from what I was wearing.”

Link and Xander share a look.

“Fire escape,” Xander says. “The truck is out the back. You’ll be gone before he smashes his way in here.”

“You can’t be serious?” I mutter, although from the speed my heart is racing at, I’m surprised it doesn’t come out a little more panicked.

The thought of facing Theo again after last night fills me with dread.

I’m not scared of much in life. Enclosed spaces aren’t my favourite, especially if they’re dark and cold like the old rooms Mum used to tell me to hide in while she was ‘busy’ with guests, but the thought of standing before him again, looking into my eyes, sends a wave of pure fear through my body.

“Did you want to answer the door to him right now?”

“Nope. Fire escape it is.”

“Isn’t that only going to piss him off more?” Gunner asks.

“You care about pissing off the mafia prick?” Xander asks in shock.

“Hell no, I just wanna keep our girl safe.”

Warmth spreads through me that I’m their first thought.

“You two stay here and deal with him when he inevitably breaks the fucking door down. I’ll take Em back to my place. Meet us when you’ve dealt with the cunt.”