Page 59 of Filthy Rich Ex's Brothers

“This is like a zombie apocalypse,” Grayson breathes, his face turned to the fireplace like the press might come flooding down through the chimney. I see my own anxiety reflected in his expression.

“It’s going to be okay,” Georgia says, turning to me and taking charge, clapping her hands together like a coach. It snaps me out of my panic. “Serena, you need to text Travis. Or someone—one of those guys. See if there’s anything they can do to get these fuckers out of here.”

I nod, hands trembling as I pull out my phone.

Just a few hours ago, I was walking out of Travis’s office, telling them I wouldn’t be fleeing just because of Alex’s threat. Now, I feel like an idiot, crawling back and begging for help. They were right, and I should have listened.

There’s anotherthumpoutside, and I type faster, skin crawling with the idea of those people prowling around the house, trying to get a picture of me. Of my friends. Poking their cameras in through the windows.

Sid is right. It’s a huge violation of privacy. And my roommates shouldn’t have to face the consequences of my actions.

I manage to send out a panicked, shaky text. My phone chimes in the next second with an immediate response from Travis.

Travis:We’re coming to get you. Do not talk to the press. See if you can get out the back door.

There’s another thump at the back of the house, and without meaning to, I let out a little yelp of fear. Georgia must have been looking over my shoulder to read the text, because she nods once and turns to Lillie, “Okay. I have an idea. But you’re going to need to grab a hat.”

Ten minutes later, Lillie is wearing my high-waisted shorts and floral blouse—the same thing I was wearing in two of the pictures with Ryan and Graham. There’s a ball cap pulled down low over her face, and her hair is tucked into the hood of a jean jacket. It’s not the best-looking outfit, but the goal is to make them think I’m her.

“Okay,” Georgia says, crowding around me at the back door, peering through the tiniest crack in the blinds. “Wait for her to walk out—they should swarm her. Then you’ll go. Are they almost here?”

I glance at my phone, where I’m sharing locations with Ryan and Travis. “Less than a minute away.”

“Okay,” Georgia says again, nodding. She leans over and puts her arm around me, squeezing tight. Dropping her voice, she says, “I know you’re thinking this is your fault. Sid’s going to be fine. Just… ask Travis if there’s anything he can do about stopping that picture, okay?”

I glance at her quickly, thinking about Sid’s comment. Is there a more serious reason I don’t know about for him to need such privacy? But I don’t have time to ask, so I just nod, then I hear the roar of cameras shuttering outside the front door and Lillie yelling, “Get back! Oh my god, get back! Getoffof me, you creeps!”

Georgia puts a hand on my lower back, throws open the sliding door, and shoves me out, so I stumble into the grass. The blades are a little too long, wet with dew and ticklish against my ankles. I want to turn around, to look at the house, to see any of them one more time, but I can’t.

So, instead, I follow her instructions, running as fast as I can through the yard, until I hit the other side, skid into the road, and nearly get cut off by a sleek black SUV.

My heart thuds, hard, in my throat. Would Alex send someone to kidnap me? Is that the kind of thing they meant when they talked about Stephen being “ruthless?”

But the door to the SUV swings open, and it’s not a burly henchman looking at me, but Ryan, grinning and lowering a pair of sunglasses down to the tip of his nose, despite the fact that it’s nighttime.

Then, cheesing wildly, he says, “Come with me if you want to live.”

Chapter 32

Serena

“You are so tacky,” Graham grumbles to Ryan, as I take the man’s hand and let him haul me into the back of the SUV.

“She liked it,” Ryan says, then turns to me with his stupidly blue eyes, which are soft and earnest at once. “You liked it, didn’t you?”

“Is someone going to hurt me?” I ask, breathless, turning away from him because I can’t be sucked into his charm. Not right now. Not with all this information and fear buzzing around in my head. “Is Alex, like, going to send an enforcer or something?”

Ryan winces, and Graham shoots him a look that says,I told you so.

“Will the enforcer go after my roommates?” I ask, voice rising slightly in hysteria. When they were just talking about threats, that was one thing, but now, as we pull around the corner and I see the press, it feels more real.

Alex made a call, and it changed the course of my night. Of my life. He took action, and now my roommates are uncomfortable in their own home. It’s a type of power I’ve never faced before.

Grayson and Sid are helping Lillie through the dispersing crowd and back into the house—her hat and hood are off, revealing her face and her hair, which are clear indicators that she’s not me. As the SUV turns and peels off in the other direction, I look out the back window like a puppy that doesn’t understand it’s been adopted by a new family.

“They’ll be fine,” Travis says, and his voice actually manages to soothe some of the panic in my chest. I turn around and sit down, crossing my arms and staring at the men. The inside of the SUV has a U-shaped seating arrangement, so we’re all looking at one another. “As far as I know, Alex wouldn’t send… anyone like that.”

“Is that what your dad did?” I ask, the words tumbling out of my mouth. “Is that why everyone was so scared of him?”