Leaving Las Vegas (Entangled Ignite) by Aleah Barley Read Free Book Online Page B

figure out what was going on. Being safely outside of Las Vegas wouldn’t hurt. It might even have a few benefits.
    He looked at Glory again.
    Really nice benefits.
    They passed a highway sign identifying upcoming Boulder City and Hoover Dam.
    “I’ll pull over in Boulder City. Let you out,” Glory said.
    “No need. I’ll stay with you. For a while.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “The thugs might show up again.” Luke’s voice was crisp, clear, like he was forecasting the weather. “Besides, someone needs to keep you out of trouble.”
    When he looked at Glory, he was surprised to see hurt cross her face.
    Luke blew out a breath. He was being a jerk. Time for the truth. “I think the robbery was a sham. Someone paid Tiffanette to kidnap me. She’s not working alone. Whoever it was knew my company would have paid a fortune to get me back—and that everything would have been kept quiet. As long as my company paid the ransom, cops wouldn’t have been involved.”
    “Meaning?” Glory asked, her brow furrowed.
    “After you left, Tiffanette shot Bone. I don’t think she meant to, but that changed things from bad to as-bad-as-it-can-get for her.”
    “Is he going to live?”
    “Yeah, but he’ll need an ambulance. A doctor. The police will be asking him a whole bunch of questions.” He frowned. “Which means Tiffanette’s got a different end game. Even if I’m not around, she’ll come after you—with her partner. They can’t have any loose ends running around, and you’re one hell of a loose end.”
    “I wasn’t the only one there.”
    “A gangster, a thug, and Chester. Tiffanette could have worked something out with them—using favors, money, or fear—as long as I showed up in a few days. You’re something else. You’re unpredictable.”
    “Thanks,” Glory said, beaming.
    She’d taken his comment as a compliment. Cute.
    …
    Bad guys were after Luke. They wanted to kidnap him.
    Worse, now they were after Glory. But she figured that didn’t mean Luke had to hang out with her as she careered across the country, headed back to West Virginia. “You don’t need to stick with me. I can take care of myself.” She kept one hand firm on the steering wheel, raising the other to toy with the chain around her neck. The silver cross that was her good-luck charm. She was going to need all the luck she could get. Especially sitting next to some thumped-up city boy with only the best of intentions. “I don’t need some self-appointed protector, especially one who’s used to sleeping in a feather bed. I’m not going to be staying at any five-star hotels.”
    “It doesn’t matter.”
    “You’d be better off without me.”
    “And if I want to go with you?”
    Glory blinked in surprise. “Excuse me?”
    “The past few hours have been different, certainly, but they weren’t entirely unpleasant.” He gave her a sidelong grin. “I want to go with you. I need to be out of Las Vegas, sure. But I also want to make sure you’re safe. To make sure you get home in one piece.”
    “How very knight-in-shining-armor of you.” Glory bit her lip, considering.
    The man was a liability. Not to her health, though. She didn’t really believe Tiffanette would bother chasing them outside the city. No, the real danger was to her peace of mind.
    She should have kicked him out back in Las Vegas, but that kiss…
    Wow . It had blown her mind, completely obliterating her common sense.
    It hadn’t seemed to blow Luke’s mind, however. The man was calm, collected. In the brief time they’d known each other, he’d proven to be clever, capable, and—she hated to admit—useful. Traveling together was a bad idea, but she couldn’t think of a better one.
    Still, he deserved one last chance to bow out gracefully. “Home for me is in Beaux, West Virginia. It’s a bit of a ride. Besides, the way things are going, you could be slaughtered by angry bikers. Stung by bees. Torn to shreds by half a million tiny elves.”
    Luke