When we were seated, she leaned forwards, studying me with concern. “First of all, I want to say I’m sorry for not noticing that anything was wrong.” Reaching out, she placed a reassuring hand on my thigh. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I bit down on my lip. “Um. I don’t even know where to start. Ryker’s been missing since yesterday, and no one will tell me anything. Now Anton’s disappeared—not that I’m worried about him, and he told me he was going to have a word with the security guys, but Iamworried it’s all connected. And my mother keeps fucking texting me about wedding plans, as if nothing else important is happening. She’s completely ignoring my questions about my brother.”
“Oh, Nov. No one will say anything?”
A lump was forming in my throat, and all I could do was shake my head. Liana squeezed my thigh gently, and I swallowed. “Ryker is the most important person in the world to me. The only reason I haven’t made more of a big deal about this farce of a marriage, the only reason I haven’t tried to break this whole contract up, is because of him.”
“And your well-honed preservation skills.” She glanced at me, and I knew she was remembering the times I’d come to her in tears, confiding in her and Vesper after my brother had stood up for me to both our detriment.
“If anything happened to him…” Tears stung my eyelids, and I blinked rapidly. I couldn’t let myself fall apart, not in public. The Thorpes didn’t show weakness. Not like this.
Liana swore under her breath, and then she leaned in, speaking low in my ear. “Hold on for a minute longer, babe. I’m gonna get Arson, and I’ll find us somewhere private to go, okay?”
I nodded jerkily, and she stood, disappearing from the room.
When she returned a few minutes later, and my shallow breaths were coming hard and fast as I tried to hold back the tidal wave that was threatening to drag me under, Daniel was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, she’d brought Jay with her.
His dark eyes were full of concern, intent on me as he crossed the room, completely ignoring the friends who were trying to greet him.
Despite all my efforts to hold it back, a tear spilled from my lashes. I could hear him mutter a curse under his breath, but I couldn’t make out what he said.
When he reached me, he glanced over at Liana. Dipping his head to her ear, he murmured, “Stay with her. Keep behind me. I’ll clear the way.”
Liana threaded her fingers through mine, and I rose to my feet on shaky legs. We followed Jay through the house, up the stairs and along the landing. He came to a stop at the door at the end of the hallway and tapped in a code on the keypad above the handle. There was a click, and then he opened the door.
“You can stay here for as long as you need,” he told Liana. “No one will disturb you. You can lock it from the inside, and I’m the only one with the code to get in.”
“Thanks, Jay.” Releasing my hand, she hugged him quickly. He wrapped his arms around her, patting her back, before taking a step back.
“No problem. I’ll leave you to it.”
Another tear fell, and even though I knew it was selfish, even though I knew we needed to stay away from each other, I wanted that too. “Jay? C-can you stay? Please.”
My vision was blurring, but I caught the way Jay and Liana exchanged shocked glances.Shit.
“Is— Are you sure that’s what you want?” Liana said slowly, giving Jay a wary look.
Swiping away the tears that had spilled, I nodded jerkily. “Please. I need…”
Jay’s eyes widened even further as I implored him with my gaze. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. I can stay.” There was a rasp to his voice that sent a warm shiver through me, despite myself, and I took a trembling breath.
“Can you? Please.” I didn’t even need to articulate the words properly before he was wrapping his arms around me.
Safe.
For the first time today, I felt safe.
He steered me over to his bed, climbing on and arranging me in his lap when it became clear that I wasn’t going to let go of him. One of his hands stroked through the length of my hair in a gentle, repetitive movement, and as I curled into his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat against my ear, I exhaled properly.
“I think I’ve missed something here,” Liana said eventually. “I thought you two hated each other.”
I lifted my head to take in her expression—confusion, maybe even a little bit of hurt. I wanted to make it right, but I didn’t know what to say. “Lia. I-I?—”
“It’s okay, princess,” Jay murmured.
Princess. A tiny smile tugged at my mouth, and Liana gasped.“Someone had better start talking, right now.”
