For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,125

you, sweetie. They're just trying to scare you because you are too much of a badass, ok? We won't let them win."

"Who, though?" Rhaven leaned back to wipe at her eyes, knowing she was destroying her face. "Who would do this?"

The answer came from the door to her room. "KoG," Braden said. "Those card readers aren't hard to hack. Shit, I could do it."

"Which is why we have the cameras," Adam pointed out.

"If they're still working," Psyc grumbled. "Little shaving cream makes them useless."

"Not all of them," Adam promised, pulling out his own phone. "And I'm pretty sure this is a lot bigger than a little hotel vandalism."

"You calling Jason?" Braden asked.

"Fuck yeah, I am," Adam growled, sounding furious. "No one comes after my friends like this."

His friends. Not his hotel. Not his reputation. He was pissed because this was her room. Rhaven looked back to Kate, seeing the same intensity in her best friend's eyes. Braden and Psyc looked like they were ready to break something - or someone. All of this was for her, not at her, and it made her tears stop flowing.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked.

"Wash your face," Kate said. "That's where you start. Then we put it back on, and darker than before. If KoG wants to scare you off, then let's show them what kind of evil my best friend can be."

But Rhaven didn't get up. Instead, she leaned forward to hug Kate again, embracing her as hard as she could. "Thank you. I will never be able to repay you for all of this."

Adam scoffed. "It's just money they're wasting, Rhaven. I have a bit of it."

"Me too," Psyc said. "Ice, can you get one of your little shoppers to replace all of this?"

Kate sucked in a breath. "I have receipts!"

"Then I sure can," Adam said.

Braden just growled, the sound his way of venting his rage. "She's staying in my room tonight."

"Or mine," Psyc said.

Slowly, Braden's head swiveled to look at him. "Yeah? You have more than one room?"

"No," Psyc said, lifting his hands and backing off. "I just... Sorry. My bad."

"Because I'm not leaving her alone. She needs a bodyguard. So unless you're ready to have a big fuck-off party, you'd better reconsider that offer, bud."

Adam ducked his head and chuckled. "Braden's in the bigger room. California King bed with a sofa pull-out. Psyc's is a single suit. King and a couch."

"Guess you're crashing at my pad," Braden said.

Psyc's head twitched. "Huh?"

"Clearly, neither of us want to leave her alone." He shrugged. "You can decide the rest. Offer's there, because right now, the only thing I care about is that no one fucks with my girl again."

"Fucking KoG," Psyc agreed. "You know one of those reporters asked her if she had a penis? Arturo something."

"What?!" Braden demanded.

Psyc nodded. "Yeah, he - " A light knock made him pause, but when Adam motioned that he'd get it, Psyc kept going. "Asshole just blurted it out, with all the others recording her answer. I was going to break his face, but QQ took care of it. That woman's scary shit, but she's definitely on point with her hits."

"Arturo Ganza?" Braden asked.

"Maybe?" Psyc said.

"Cyber Magazine?"

This time, Psyc nodded. "That's the one."

"He's the fucker who drugged Dez five years ago!" And, with a roar of rage, Braden lashed out, shoving his fist through the drywall beside the door.

Rhaven yelped. Kate flinched. Psyc pushed at his shoulder, forcing him a step back, but from the doorway someone chuckled softly. The entire room turned to see Cynister standing there, his dog at his side and a laptop in his hands.

"Ice the hand," he told Braden. "Blame the damage to the wall on the vandals," he said to Adam. Then he bent and unclipped the leash from his dog's collar. "Do your thing, Crysis."

"Come here, boy!" Kate called.

The white-and-brindle dog rushed toward them, slowing at the doorway to the bedroom as his tail started wagging. Crysis looked from Kate to Rhaven, then clearly made his decision. Panting in excitement, he sidled up to Rhaven and began to lick her face incessantly, all but forcing her to pet him.

"I'm ok," she promised the dog, knowing he was Cyn's service animal. "You're a good boy, but I'm going to be ok. My friends are taking care of me."

And while she petted the animal, feeling the knot of emotions begin to release, the guys were making plans. Braden ignored the order to ice his hand, clasping Psyc's shoulder