I stop in front of the Ritz.
It's been so long since I've seen Chloe and Briar. So much has happened since then. I know we'll have a lot to talk about, but I just want to see them and hug them.
"I just informed them that you're coming," Dante says. "They should be in the foyer any minute now."
"Oh," I say. "Thank you."
I don't even have to step inside the hotel. My sisters are running toward me. I can't get myself to move. A sob escapes me seconds before they crash into me. They crush me in their arms, holding me like they're afraid to lose me again.
"Grace, we’ve been so worried about you," Briar says, pressing kisses against my cheek.
"Oh my God, Gracie." Chloe, my eldest sister, clutches the back of my head. "I didn't know when I'd see you again."
Tears spill down my cheeks. I knew I would get emotional when I saw my sisters again, but the intensity of this moment almost feels too much.
"Grace, are you alright?" A male voice fills my ear.
Briar hears it too because she rears back.
"Who the hell was that?" she asks.
I sniff. "I'm fine."
Briar is about to rip the earbud off me, but I stop her.
"He won't like that," I say.
Briar immediately turns to the tall Russian man standing guard behind her.
"Dimitri, we need to get out of here," she says in an urgent whisper. "It looks like she managed to escape, but he's still controlling her."
"He's not controlling me," I say. "And I didn't escape."
"Dimitri,now," Briar hisses. "Someone please do something."
The Russian man leans down to whisper something in her ear. She doesn't like it because my sister takes my hand and tries to hail a taxi.
"Briar, can we talk?" I ask. "There are some things I need to tell you."
"I'll listen to themafterI get you out of here," she says, still trying to find a taxi.
"Bri, we got married," I say.
"You did what?" Chloe grabs my arm and turns me toward her.
"I'm going to kill that bastard," Briar mutters under her breath.
"I would prefer it if you didn't," I say. "I've...grown rather fond of him."
Both of my sisters stare at me like I've grown horns.
"Do you love him?" Briar blurts out.
Something blooms in the center of my chest.
The truth.
And it's so blinding that it's all I can see. It's all I can feel.
