I cringe.

Holy shit, I think I’m dead.

I crack open my eyes and look around, my throat burning from the bitter acid taste in my mouth. I’m in Lily’s room, sprawled out on one of the beds, but I’m so close to the edge, I’m in danger of falling out—

Thump.

“Ouch,” I cry as I crash to the floor.

I rub my back and turn around to glare at Darcy. Not that she’s awake enough to realize that she literally just kicked me out of the bed. Lily is, though. She sits cross legged on the other bed, grinning at me, while I scowl at her.

“Hey. You’re awake.”

“Awake?” I mutter. “That’s arguable.”

How the fuck is she so chirpy when I feel like a squirrel crawled into my mouth and died? Then I see the dark circles under her eyes. I smile, because that explains it. She’s delirious from lack of sleep.

I rub my head and stand up, but I lose my balance and end up falling back onto the bed. I groan into the mattress, pulling myself up into the fetal position, deciding it’s all too hard. I crack my head sideways and frown at Lily as she giggles not so discreetly into her hand.

“What time is it?” I mumble.

God, it hurts to talk.

It’s like the words are clinging to my throat with razorblades. I don’t drink very often, so when I do, it takes my body a while to recover.

“It’s just after seven.”

Seven? In the morning? Then why the hell am I awake?

I fumble for my phone, wanting confirmation, but the numbers are too blurred for me to make out. I blink but then I give up, tossing my phone on the floor. I cover myself with the blanket and groan. I don’t think I could possibly feel any worse than I do right now.

Oh God.

I was wrong.

I throw the covers back and hurl myself out of the bed, gasping for air.

“Fuck. Darcy!”

“Whoever smelt it, dealt it,” Darcy mumbles, not even opening her eyes.

I clutch my stomach and groan, almost dry heaving from the stench. I shudder, because I can still taste it. Lily hands me a bottle of water, her body shaking from laughing so hard. I take it and unscrew the cap, gulping it down. I get through more than half the bottle before I stop for a breath.

“I’m glad you find this so funny,” I mutter. “What the hell happened?”

“You don’t remember?” she asks, surprised. “You both passed out on me in that karaoke bar. I had to get Milo to help me carry you guys back up here.”

“Milo?” I frown. “We went to a bar?” I frown harder. “Karaoke?”

“Milo was the security guy at the bar.” She looks at me strangely, a laugh escaping her lips. “You really don’t remember anything, do you? I thought I was the one who was supposed to forget.”

I lie back down on the bed and close my eyes, concentrating as hard as I can on remembering something. Lily singing, flashes through my mind. I make a face. I thought she was joking about the karaoke. I must have been really drunk to agree to that. Which explains the hangover. I’m probably the only person in the world who is nonfunctional after only two drinks

This is what I get for drinking.

“Shit,” Lily gasps. “Fuck. Fuck.”

I sit back up and squint at her, the panic in her voice and three consecutive cuss words enough to worry me. My phone buzzes from its currently unknown location, but I ignore it, because I can barely focus on one thing at the moment without adding something else to the mix.

“Lily! What the hell?” I growl, flinching when her phone hits the wall right near my head. It bounces off into her suitcase. I glare at her, but she won’t meet my eyes. “You nearly knocked me out with your stupid phone.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, impatience lacing my voice.

“It’s nothing. Forget it.”

I narrow my eyes suspiciously at her. Forget it? Unlikely. The red cheeks are a dead giveaway that she’s done something stupid., so is the fact that she’s about to cry. I sigh.

I bet she’s texted Julian.

“Lily—”

“I’m sorry,” she wails, cutting me off. “I clicked the wrong button and—”

She stops speaking when my phone buzzes again. Her eyes widen in horror as I reach into a stack of clothes for my phone. I raise my eyebrows when a message from her lights up my screen. I’m much more alert now—probably because I’m finding this whole thing the tiniest bit amusing. If she’s stupid enough to fail at sending him a text, then she deserves me rubbing it in her face.

Lily: This is what you’ve been missing: Attachment.

“Something you want to tell me?” I ask her, swallowing a giggle. “You can start with how much it’s going to scar me if I click on that attachment.”

“Delete it. Please, just delete it.”

Fuck, it must be bad.

“What’s going on?”

I glance over at Darcy and laugh as she sits up in the bed. She’s still half asleep, her hair pointing in all directions and her makeup all over her face. She frowns, looking from Lily, to me. “Will one of you answer me?”

I smirk and hold up my phone.

“Looks like Lily’s been busy.”

“What is it?”

“A crisis averted is what it is.” I grin. “I think she was trying to text Julian, but she sent it to me instead.”

“Jesus,” Darcy mutters. “Really, Lily? Are you fucking nuts? Why would you text him?” She glances at me expectantly. “Boobs?”

“Don’t think so,” I say with a frown. “It’s a video.”

“Are you sure you want to watch it? I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s into some kinky shit.” Darcy narrows her eyes at Lily. “There was a candy bar on that desk last night and I’m not seeing it there now. You know what that means.”

I stare at her. “Gross.”

“Katie, please wait,” Lily begs. “Let me explain—”

She stops talking when the video starts. Darcy crouches down next to me, so she can watch it too. The two of us giggle and joke about my crush on Adam. I glance at Darcy, my stomach churning.

Adam?

Fuck. There’s a blast from the past.

“I don’t even remember this,” I murmur.

“Really?” Darcy winces. “In that case, you might want to stop watching …”

But I can’t stop watching.

My heart pounds as I walk onto that stage. When I start singing the song I wrote for Adam when I was fourteen years old, it’s like all my nightmares are coming true. The fact that I wrote for him in the first place is bad enough, but I can’t sing for shit, so every note sounds like I’m being murdered.

“Oh Lord, Kat. I can’t believe she recorded this. Can I get a copy?” Darcy giggles. “Kidding,” she mutters when I glare at her.

I’m annoyed at Lily for recording it, but I’m more upset with myself. Nobody made me get up there and sing. My hands shake as I grip the phone. I bite down on my lip so hard that I taste blood, but the pain is welcome, because it’s taking the focus off how embarrassed I feel.

Thank God nobody else has seen this.

Darcy continues to choke back laughter, but when Lily joins in, I lose control. She doesn’t deserve to find this amusing. Accident or not, if this landed in Julian’s hands …

Or Adam’s.

God, I can’t even imagine how horrifying that would have been.

“I’m so sorry,” Lily whispers, her eyes wide.

“Delete it,” I growl. I get to my feet and lunge for her phone. “Delete it right now. I want to watch you press that button—”

I jump when someone pounds on the door, my heart thudding in my chest. Lily teeters forward, her eyes wide. She looks like she’s about to throw up.

“Lily? Katie?”

I freeze. Everything else stops, because I know that voice.

“Darcy, then?” He sighs. “Come on. I know you’re all in there.”

My first instinct is to hide, but I can only hide for so long. Then facing him will be a thousand times worse. I take a deep breath and stalk over to the door. I grasp hold of the handle but takes me a moment to work up the courage to twist it open.

My heart races when his face comes into view. His sexy, rugged, perfectly proportioned face and those full, soft lips …Adam Jenkins.

“Katie Harris.” His eyes twinkle as he looks me up and down, then he nods appreciatively. “Well, aren’t you all grown up?”

I glare at him, my face growing hot, the pounding in my heart getting faster and faster. All I can think about is how I stood on that stage and sang something so personal …

About him.

And now he’s here.

The question I can’t answer is why.

His lopsided grin sends shivers down my spine, as does the intensity in his stare. I feel naked, the way he’s looking at me, to the point where I look down to make sure I’m wearing clothes.

I shift my gaze off him, feeling exposed and vulnerable. There’s no doubt about it. He’s definitely still the same arrogant asshole who made my childhood hell. The only positive I have to cling to right now is that she sent that video to me and not Julian. If Adam had seen it…God, I would die. I stiffen when a thought hits me.

What if he saw the live version?

No. He must have seen us when we were checking in, or when we were walking around. We haven’t exactly been discreet. Julian must have sent him to get rid of Lily. I take a deep breath. Yes. That has to be it.

He clears his throat, jolting me out of my thoughts, his electric eyes burning through mine. I can’t stop leering at those muscles, and the way his tattoos curl around his biceps …

I thought for sure the beer gut and receding hairline would’ve come with age, but no such luck.

“Can I help you with something?” I finally say.

God knows how long I’ve been standing there, gaping at him, like a tool. I stare at him coolly, trying to hide how unnerved I am at seeing him.

“You can start by explaining what you’re doing here,” he says.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we’re having a girl’s weekend,” I retort.

“Ah, so it’s just a coincidence that you turn up at the same hotel in Las Vegas, on the same weekend as Julian’s wedding?”

I think about lying, but then decide to own it, so I cross my arms over my chest and shrug, looking him straight in the eye, keeping my expression hard.

“No.” I shrug and raise an eyebrow. “We knew. So, what?”

“And you still thought her being here was a good idea?” he says, shaking his head. “Darcy, I can understand, but I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.”

“Hey,” Darcy growls, appearing behind me in the doorway. Her expression changes when she sees him. “Hey there, Adam. Long time no see,” she murmurs, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

I stifle a laugh and push her out of the way. If only she had a mirror, because she looks like raccoon roadkill a week after it was struck.

“Lily would have come, whether I did or not,” I retort. “I thought I could stop her from doing something stupid if I were here.”

“Get your things together,” he sighs. “All three of you. We’re leaving now. I’ll drive you home.”

“Excuse me?” I laugh. “Besides the fact that I’m not going anywhere with you, it’s a seventeen-hour car trip back to Seattle. Why the hell wouldn’t we fly?”

“I’ll come,” Darcy says, nearly falling over herself. She smiles at him. “You can drive me wherever the hell you—”

“Darcy,” I snap.

“Sorry,” she mutters.

She makes a face and backs off, sitting her ass down on the bed. I sigh and turn back to Adam, who is leaning casually against the doorframe, that smirk still poised on his lips.

“You want a better reason to leave? Fine. I’ll give you one,” he says. “Lola, Julian’s fiancée? Her father is concerned Lily is going to ruin the wedding. He’ll do anything to stop that from happening.”

“Well you can tell him he has nothing to worry about, because Lily has promised to be on her best behavior. I speak for all three of us when I say”—I put my hand up when Darcy opens her mouth—“we’re not going with you,” I say sweetly. “And you can’t make us.”

“Can’t I?” he says, the edges of his lips lifting into a tiny smirk.

I shiver at the thought of him making me do anything, which quickly fills my mind with dirty, sexy thoughts I should definitely not be thinking. My entire body shakes, but I keep looking him in the eye.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough for you to understand.” He presses his lips together as he smiles at me. “Does the name Alberto Domenicov mean anything to you?”

“Sure, he’s one of the biggest crime lords in the …” I swallow. Oh shit. “That’s Lola’s father,” I mumble.

“Yeah.” Adam chuckles and rubs his jaw. “That’s him. So, do you want to help me get Lily away from here or wait until he does things his way?”

“I knew it!” Lily gasps.

“You knew what?” I say, irritability creeping into my voice.

“I knew that bitch was no good for him.”

“Actually, Lola’s not so bad.” He grins. “It’s her family you need to worry about.”

“How do you know so much about this, anyway?” I demand.

“I know because I’m Alberto’s right-hand man.” His dark eyes sparkle as he leans closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Who do you think hides the bodies for him?”

Of course.

I laugh, because after being expelled from high school and shipped off to boot camp, where else could he go but into organized crime? I exchange a look with Darcy, who shrugs, then I turn back to Adam.

“This criminal thing you’ve got going on doesn’t shock me at all.” I smile at him and narrow my eyes. “I guess when you’ve got talent, you roll with it, huh?”

“It’s more of an art, than a talent, but thanks for acknowledging it,” he says. He glances at his phone. “Ten minutes and I’ll be back. Got it?”

His story has instilled enough doubt in me that I’m not brave enough to keep arguing with him. Besides, he’s right; Lily can’t be here. As much as I want to believe Darcy and I can handle her, after last night, I’m not so sure.

“Fine,” I say, gritting my teeth.

“Good.”

He gives me a satisfied nod as he walks away, the swagger in his step drawing my gaze directly to his ass. I’m still admiring it when he glances back over his shoulder, catching me in the act. He grins as my eyes dart to his face. I flush when they lock on his.

“Katie?”

“What?” I snap.

“I almost forgot. Can you thank Lily for the video for me? She’s right. I’ve definitely been missing …” He pauses rub his jaw, then he smirks at me. “Something.”

Oh, God, no. Please, no.

I press my back against the door, frozen to the spot, as he turns around and saunters off down the hallway, chuckling to himself. I can’t breathe. Or move. Or do anything other than will myself not to cry. My hands shake as I force myself to walk back inside the room and slam the door shut. My heart pumps wildly in my chest, like it’s about to explode. Darcy puts her hand on my shoulder, but I’m too busy glaring at Lily to acknowledge her.

“Hey, are you okay? I know it was a shock seeing him—”

“He saw it.” I interrupt Darcy.

Her eyes widen. “He was there?” she hisses.

“No. He told me to thank Lily for the video.” I snap my head up and narrow my eyes at Lily. “Want to explain what the fuck he meant by that?” I hiss.

Lily lets out a strangled sob.

“You sent it to him?” I gasp, glaring at her accusingly. “How do you even have his number?”

My heart stops again as another realization hits me.

If Adam and I both got that text … who else did?

“I don’t have his number,” Lily whispers. “He must’ve had Julian’s phone.” She pauses. “Or Craig’s. Or maybe Andrew’s …”

“Jesus, how many people did you send this to?” I screech.

She looks down at her fumbling hands.

“Lily?” I demand, my body shaking with anger.

“My entire contact list,” she croaks, her voice so low I can barely hear her. “I know this looks bad, Katie, but I swear I didn’t send it to him on purpose.”

“Your entire …” I gasp, ignoring Darcy’s snort. The magnitude of what Lily is saying hit me. “So, your brother … God, your parents?”

“Everyone, Katie. Even our grandma,” Lily wails. She covers her face with her hands again. “God, even the pediatrician who delivered me. I’m so embarrassed.”

I laugh. She’s embarrassed? What about how I’m feeling?

“Shit.” Darcy chuckles gleefully. “Didn’t I tell you she was a shithead? God, I’d be mortified. Everyone else I could handle, but the fact that Adam saw it? I’d kill myself—”

“Not helping, Darcy,” I snap.

I sit down on the bed. I feel numb, until I remember he’ll be back soon.

I have to get out of here.

Even if it’s only for a minute, I need to get out of this room and clear my head.

“Stay here and keep an eye on Lily.” I snap at Darcy as I walk over to the door. “I’ll get our things from our room.”

I stalk down the hallway, alternating between intense surges of anger and spontaneous fits of laughter. To anyone passing, I must look crazy, but I don’t care. Not only did he see that video, I have to sit in his car for seventeen fucking hours and pretend I’m fine? I laugh, because this is ridiculous. There’s no going lower than this.

I’ve hit rock bottom and landed hard on my ass.