Page 9 of Victorious, Part 2 (The LA Defiance MC #6)

Something shifts in the air between us. The same electricity I felt during our kiss earlier, but different now. Warmer. More real. Less desperate.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a bitch,” I whisper.

“You haven’t—”

“I have,” I insist. “But I want to make it up to you, if you’ll let me.”

His eyes search mine. “What’d you have in mind?”

I glance around at the desert landscape, the setting sun painting everything in shades of gold and orange. “Well, for starters, you’re definitely driving the rest of the way to Vegas.”

Phoenix laughs, the sound rich and warm. “You think I’d let you behind the wheel again after that stunt you pulled?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t,” I admit with a grin. “Turns out I’m a terrible driver when I’m having a panic attack.”

“You’re a terrible driver, period,” he teases, but there’s no malice in it.

“Hey,” I protest, swatting at his arm. “This is why I do social media, I repeat, I am not Letty!”

“You’re definitely not Letty,” he agrees with a smirk. “More like Grace driving that Fiat through Rome in Mission Impossible .”

I laugh, remembering how all the female leads in Mission Impossible seemed to be amazing at everything, including driving, except poor Grace.

She really was exceptionally bad.

In the end, though, it was Grace who saved the entire world, so…

“Fine. You can be my chauffeur for the rest of the trip. But I’m buying you dinner when we get to Vegas,” I demand.

A slow smile crosses his lips, and he nods once. “Deal.”

We start walking back toward the truck, Dracula trotting along beside us like he’s been part of our group all along.

“Phoenix?” My tone raising on the end as we reach the passenger door.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For not giving up on me. For jumping in the back of a moving truck to stop me from making the biggest mistake of my life. For…” I gesture helplessly, trying to find words for everything he’s done. “For everything.”

He steps closer, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. “You don’t have to thank me for caring about you, Clo.”

The simple words hit me harder than they should. “I know. But I want to.”

He studies my face for a moment, then leans down and presses a soft kiss to my forehead. It’s gentle, sweet, and completely different from the desperate, angry kiss we shared earlier.

“Come on,” he says quietly. “Let’s get you to Vegas. I have a feeling this trip is about to get a lot more interesting, and don’t worry, I won’t handcuff you as we drive, Reel Girl.” He winks at me, then takes off for the driver’s side.

My heart pounds dramatically as he jumps in and calls out, “C’mon, Grace, let’s go!”

It’s only when he calls me Grace that I understand his handcuff comment was from the same car scene in Mission Impossible .

Not a sexual joke.

Or was it?

Dracula circles around my feet, and I look down at him, widening my eyes. Bending down, I pick him up, cradling him to my chest. “I think I need a cold shower, Dracula,” I whisper as I climb back into the truck.

“You say something?” Phoenix asks behind the wheel this time.

Settling into my passenger seat, where I belong, with Dracula on my lap like he’s claimed me as his human, I shake my head. “Nope, ready to go.”

He smiles as I close my door, and I feel something I haven’t felt since this whole nightmare started.

Hope.

Not just that my family is safe, though that’s a huge part of it.

But hope that maybe this trip isn’t just about work, obligations, and following orders.

Maybe it’s about something else entirely.

Something that has to do with the way Phoenix looks at me when he thinks I’m not paying attention. The way he’s been worried about me without me even knowing. The way he jumped into the back of a moving vehicle because the thought of losing me was more terrifying than getting hurt himself.

He starts the truck, our playlist instantly playing “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. The song is somehow a beacon to our destination ahead as he takes off. The desert highway stretches out ahead of us, leading toward the bright lights of Vegas that we can’t see yet, but we know are waiting.

“So…” I say as Phoenix pulls out onto the highway, “… what’s the plan for when we get there?”

“Well, Sin’s expecting us tomorrow afternoon. That gives us tonight to get settled, maybe grab some dinner, check out the strip if you want.”

I nod, my mind already spinning with possibilities. “It’ll be good to get back to work. To feel normal again. Let those stress levels wind down for a bit.”

Phoenix grins at me. “Vegas will be good for both of us. I’ll make sure we have a great time, Clo. I promise.”

I study his profile as he drives, noting the strong line of his jaw, the way his hands grip the steering wheel with easy confidence. This man, who’s been worried about me, who has risked everything to keep me safe, who sees my work as more than just a hobby.

The song lyrics talk about the blank page in front of you.

That’s kind of what I feel like I have now.

A blank page ready to write whatever story, whatever content, Phoenix and I are ready to create.

Now that I know Maverick and Haven are safe back home, I can allow myself to have fun in Vegas by relaxing and unwinding for a while.

The sun is setting behind us as we drive east toward Vegas. Dracula purrs contentedly in my lap, and the truck hums along the highway with a steady, reassuring rhythm. For the first time since this trip started, I’m not thinking about what we left behind or what we might find when we get home.

I’m thinking about what’s ahead.

Vegas. Work. Days of creating content in one of the most photogenic cities in the world.

And Phoenix.

Whatever this thing between us turns out to be.

The thought should terrify me, but it doesn’t.

Instead, it feels like the beginning of something I didn’t know I was looking for.

“Hey, Phoenix?” I say as the lights of a small town appear in the distance.

“Yeah?”

“You think Vegas will let us leave without at least one arrest or a canon event?”

He glances at me, that slow smile spreading across his face. “With you? I’m betting on it.”

We both chuckle, and as we drive toward the City of Sin with hearts finally lighter than they have been in days, I can’t help but think that maybe I need to loosen up. Stop worrying about everyone else and live a little. Because, as they say, ‘ What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.’

And what my brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

So, I’m going to have fun with Phoenix in Vegas.

Well, as much as a nineteen-year-old girl can have anyway.

Carpe diem!