The massive, solid oak doors are polished until they shine like gold. The huge vase in the nook between the foyer and living room holds a bouquet of fresh lilies from the garden. Not a speck of dust lies anywhere. The air holds a faint scent of cleaning solutions, and hidden speakers play Bach softly.
Only some furtive glances from the staff betray the undercurrent of nerves. They’re wondering how long they’ll still have a job. I wish I could reassure them, but I have nothing to share.
“Hey.”
I turn around at Aaron’s voice, eyebrows pinching at the exuberance in his tone.What’s he so happy about?He’s the one who got the entire family into trouble by messing with the wrong kind of people. Sherry and I don’t deserve this.
“Where you been?” he demands impatiently. “If you’d stayed home like I told you to, things could’ve been wrapped up faster.”
“I went to Huxley & Webber.” My words are flat. His brash optimism doesn’t inspireme much.
He scoffs. “Lawyers can’t fix this problem.”
“I wasn’t planning to sue.” The kind of people Aaron got entangled with aren’t the type who can be controlled by the law. It’s always faster to break bones, and sex trafficking is profitable. From the gestures and comments the men made, they’re probably familiar with both. Hope Aaron doesn’t think he’s safe because he’s got a penis. Not all sex-trafficking victims are female.
“Good. Because I’ve got the solution.” He rubs his hands and looks like he expects me to jump around with excitement.
“What is it?” I try to hide my weariness and impatience. I just want to go upstairs and soak in hot water until my knees quit hurting. My pride will take longer to recover, but there’s nothing I can do about that. Looking at Aaron’s face only intensifies my resentment and anger. If he hadn’t messed up so badly, I wouldn’t have had to go to Bryce, the one man I never wanted to see again.
“Me.” A familiar man steps out from the kitchen with a smirk tugging at his lips, setting them into a cruel line. He’s in a blue V-neck shirt and slacks, looking as preppy as he did in college.
My mouth dries. Adrenaline spikes, but my feet stay rooted to the spot. Jude Morven isn’t the kind of man you can simply run from.
“You.” I manage to croak that one word.
“Hello, Finn,” he purrs, smiling. It’s so genuine, it’s terrifying. Whatever he’s happy about can’t be good for me. “Long time no see.”
He reaches for my hand. I pull my arm back like I’m evading a snake. A shriek wells in my throat, but I somehow push it down. If Sherry hears me scream, she’ll panic—and the family can’t afford another hospital visit.
His reptilian eyes narrow. “You’ve changed. You used to love holding hands with me.”
“No,” I rasp. “This is just how I am.”
Scowling, Aaron jabs his finger at me. “What the fuck kind of attitude is that? He’s here to help.”
“How?” My eyes slide to Jude.
But it’s Aaron who answers. “He’s going to make those guys go away. After all, two million’s nothing to my man Jude.” He clasps Jude’s shoulder with anaren’t we best buddies?smile.
Every time he smiled like that in front of Jude, I got pushed into a deeper level of hell. Jude is the main reason I left SoCal, but Aaron is a close second.
“Do you still sing well?”
Jude’s soft question sends nausea roiling through me. The world sways, but I blink to maintain my vision. I can’t drop like I did earlier. Any sign of weakness is a surrender, and I’ll suffer more for it.
“I don’t sing.” I manage to push the reply out despite the tremor racking my body. I clench my hands, but I can’t hide my shakiness. “I never liked it.”
“You’re just out of practice.” He smiles again. “Once you start, you’ll remember how much you love it.”
Chapter Six
Bryce
I leave the office early to get my place ready for poker night with my brothers. It’s a tradition we’ve kept since the kidnapping—one of our therapists said we needed a way to bond and get over what happened.
And for me in particular, I think he wanted me to overcome the guilt. After all, it’s my fault Mom was able to grab Ares. Being alone with her totally fucked him up, made him not only emotionally closed off with the opposite sex, but obsessed with some girl he calls “Queen.” He’s had, like…what? Five or six girlfriends in his life, and he’s thirty-two. Actually, it’s amazing that he had even one girlfriend, because he doesn’t like being touched. Hard to be in a relationship without physical contact.
He’s only married because he wants a promotion to junior partner. Otherwise, he’d be dating Rosy Palm.
