Page 19 of While He Breathes

“What?” I snap.

As if he’s predicted the move, a familiar deep voice sounds from behind us. “One hundred million dollars,” Orion shouts, and I just about fall off my chair in surprise.

Do people actually have that kind of money lying around?

“Don’t raise,” Max instructs, and I drop the paddle into my lap.

“What the fuck was that?”

“That was a little bit of payback for everything he’s done to you.”

I glance over at him, and he smirks down at me.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like whatever you’re planning?”

“Because you’re most definitely not.”

“Max,” I warn.

“Ember.”

“Please tell me you didn’t bring me here tonight under false pretenses.”

“Okay, I won’t tell you that.”

“Max!” I snap.

“We’ll talk in the car on the way back to the hotel. But there are a couple of things I actually want from the bill. It’s just an added bonus getting to mess with your boy back there.”

“He’s not my boy.”

“Sure, he’s not.” He laughs. “That man would literally hand you every dollar he’s ever made if you asked. Why not have a little fun with it?”

“Uh, maybe because I’m planning on killing him.”

Before Max can respond, another item is brought out on stage, and I’m momentarily distracted from the fact that my best friend just forced someone to spend $100 million just for a laugh.

Max tugs me to the elevator as soon as the auction ends, and we’re among the first people to escape the underground space.

The entire experience was bizarre, and I’m once again questioning why people with money do weird things, like attend secret auctions and pay entirely too much for things.

All in all, though, I’m just grateful to be escaping without Orion catching up to me again.

I thought I was ready to face him, that I had shoved all the feelings I had for him into a little box and shut it so tight there was no way for it to burst open, but I was wrong.

I’m trying really hard not to let it get to me, and instead, I’ll take a few more months to heal before coming back to LA and ending him.

Pushing back the timeline isn’t the end of the world.

Or at least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself.

Max guides me toward the waiting town car and helps me into the back seat before sliding in beside me.

As soon as the car takes off, I allow my shoulders to relax and the tension to bleed from my body. In all the ways I imagined the night going, the reality wasn’t even close to my worst-case scenario. I had Orion throwing me over his shoulder and kidnapping me, Lucas pulling a weapon from somewhere and killing me, and me losing my shit and killing them both as potential outcomes. Thankfully, none of them came to pass.

“You did good tonight, babe,” Max says softly.

I open one eye and glance at him, expecting to find his usual cocky smirk staring back at me, but instead it’s the softer side of Max that he reserves for the people closest to him.