For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,124

pillows. They were gone too. Then there were all the empty plastic and paper bags. Things that had been filled with her new wardrobe this morning, and now they were tossed around like empty garbage.

She couldn't even get a word out. All Rhaven could do was lift her hand to her lips and reach the other out as her legs gave way. Her body sank, but strong hands closed on her sides, Psyc was there, easing her to the ground. He pressed up against her side, holding her while her mind struggled to make sense of this, to grasp the loss of things she hadn't yet believed were real.

"It's all ruined," she breathed, feeling her eyes finally spill over. "My life. They took my new life away."

"It's just clothes," Psyc soothed. "Just stuff, beautiful. It's not you, and that's what's important."

"Did Braden do this?" she asked, looking up at him.

There was no way - but she also couldn't think of how anyone else could get in. She'd been so sure of him, though. Sure, plenty of people had screwed her over, but he didn't seem the type. Yet if it wasn't him, then how had this even happened? The door had been locked!

Lifting her head, however, allowed Psyc to notice her tears. "Oh, god, Rhaven. No! Braden wouldn't do this to you."

"But he's the only one with a key," she insisted.

He smoothed back her hair. "It's going to be ok."

She couldn't help but pull back. "It's not ok, Psyc! This was my life. This is everything I have left to my name. KoG chased me out of my home. Kate and Adam spent so much money on me, and..." Her throat clenched. "Oh, god. The room. I can't afford the room!"

'We'll handle it," he promised, turning her face back to him when she tried to survey the damage. "Listen to me, beautiful. We'll take care of this. You're ok. This is only stuff. We'll make sure you have the best fucking life, ok? Even if I have to do it on my own."

"I..." She rolled onto her ass so she was facing him. "Is this because I kissed you? Is he mad?"

Psyc moved to mimic her pose. "Rhaven, it wasn't Braden. He's been in that booth all day. We ate lunch with him, remember? I can't say it isn't because I kissed you, though. Or the interviews? No, those were too recent." He paused when someone banged at the door. "It's not your fault, Rhaven. Not one little bit."

Then he clambered to his feet and jogged into the other room. The banging came again before he reached the door, harder this time. Rhaven leaned to see what he was doing, and Psyc got there just as the lock clicked. He pulled open the door to reveal Adam, Kate, and Braden on the other side, just visible over the toppled furniture.

"What the fuck?!" Braden roared, seeing the damage immediately.

"Shit," Adam breathed. "Kate, call the front desk. Make sure they get the footage from this hall and back it up."

"Cops?" Kate asked.

"Not right now," Adam said, walking deeper into the suite, his head turning from side to side as he looked at the mess. "Where is she?"

"Bedroom," Psyc told him before Rhaven could try calling out. "Someone ruined her clothes. All of her stuff, man."

"Who?" Braden growled.

"No idea," Psyc said. "We came up here to talk, and it was like this when she opened the door. She's shook, guys."

"Of course she is," Kate snapped, storming toward the bedroom with her phone to her ear. "Yeah, this is Ms. Gaskill. I need the ninth floor security footage backed up, copied, and sent to headquarters. No, all of it!" She reached the doorway and paused. Rhaven was still sitting on the floor, not sure she could get up, so Kate hurried over, still talking. "And send the logs to every access card that was used on the reader for room 921. Yes, the VP suite. Yes, today! If anything's tampered with, someone's losing their job, and I don't care who."

Then she ended the call and dropped down beside Rhaven to wrap her in a hug. "We'll handle it," she promised.

"I can't afford this," Rhaven breathed, hugging back a little too hard.

Kate just pressed Rhaven's face into her shoulder, rocking her gently. "The hotels have insurance. This isn't your fault."

"But my clothes," Rhaven whimpered, losing the battle with her emotions.

"I'll buy you new ones," Kate swore. "I'm not going to let anyone take this from