Chapter 42

Aurora

The silence is deafening.

Sitting in the back of the limousine with my drugged-out brother and the three hottest, strongest guys I’ve ever seen…it makes for quite a sight.

Anders doesn’t even compare to the Grayson brothers. Seeing him next to them only makes it more obvious how far gone my brother is. He’s not in good health. He may even be on the brink of death, I can’t tell.

But one thing’s for sure…the situation seems to be out of my hands. Thankfully, help has come.

I wanted to hide this part of my life from Declan, Finn, and Jasper. I never wanted them to see the truth, the reality behind the facade of my life. But they have seen it, they’ve seen me with all of my problems, and I have to say it’s not so bad.

The guys are pissed as all hell, though. I see that there’s no way out for Anders now—he’ll be going to rehab. He wouldn’t dare defy these guys.

They scare even me—in the best way, of course.

Finn is on the phone, making calls to his connections in the industry, trying to find out exactly which billionaire bought me. He seems so enraged by it all. And I’m quietly hoping that I can somehow get out of this arrangement.

Money or no money, I can’t sell my body to a man like that, that masked billionaire devil of a man.

Jasper is also on the phone, but he’s talking to private nurses. He’s arranging for someone to come out to the beach house that we’re headed to. He wants someone to help Anders detox until we can get him into a proper treatment facility.

It feels so good to have someone else worrying about Anders for once. At last, the weight of the world is starting to lift off my shoulders.

And Anders, coming down from his high back to reality, is starting to backtrack on his promise of going to treatment. He’s trying to plead with Declan.

“Come on, man, I’m telling you. I have this all under control. I can get her out of the deal, and we can go home and pretend like this day never happened,” Anders is saying.

Declan seems enraged when he says, “You’re not going anywhere. You’re going to detox, and then we’re not gonna see your face until you’ve successfully completed treatment, no matter how long that takes. Do you understand me?”

Anders seems to cower away from Declan’s power and authority. I would, too, if I were in his position. These guys are not people to mess with.

Frankly, I’m sitting back in a state of shock. I just can’t believe the prowess and the way that the Grayson brothers have come together to take charge of the situation. They operate as one smooth, flawless machine.

It’s hard to believe that these brothers hate each other. Because at the moment, they’re working together to find solutions for all of my problems.

“Are you okay?” Declan whispers to me.

I nod my head, but tears threaten to give away my true position.

So, I tell him the truth, “It’s all too much. Seeing Anders like this makes me sad.”

He nods his head in agreement with me and softly rubs my thigh, trying to provide some comfort.

“He’s going to get treatment, Aurora. And then he’ll be fine, I promise. People pull out of this all the time,” he says.

I look up into his green eyes and feel nothing but thanks and gratitude.

“I just want you guys to know that whatever happens, I’m grateful for you. You came at the perfect time. Things were starting to spiral out of control, and I don’t know what I would have done without you,” I tell the guys.

They look at me with heat and desire. I return the affection. I want them, badly, but how could it ever be?

The Grayson brothers are famous for their feuding. I’ll have to pick one or have none. I know that’s ultimately the direction we’re heading in.

And yet, hot embers of lust seek expression, an outlet. I’m wishing Anders wasn’t here. I wish it were just me and the guys. Maybe we could explore the situation…in a more intimate way.

Even though it should be hard to think about sex at a time like this, it’s basically all that’s on my mind when I’m around these guys. They’re so hot…and cool…and in control, it’s hard to think of anything but one of them in between my thighs. I’d like to be with all of them again, but that’s magical thinking at this point.

I wonder what will happen when we get to the beach house—and how they will share me. They must know that that I can’t make a decision between them. They must know that I’ve been dating all three of them simultaneously.

I’m hoping I haven’t started another war between the brothers. But looking at how well they’re working together to aid me right now makes me feel like things could be different. Maybe the Grayson brothers can get along after all?

I sit back and look out the window. I see the ocean, and it’s a calm, clear day.

They said they were taking us to their private beach house, and I can think of no better environment to start to heal and to put back the pieces of my life.

I let the guys take control and just rest in the moment. Trying to relax, I avoid eye contact with Anders.

He played with fire. The guys don’t seem too happy with him, and I’m not about to argue.

He needs treatment, yes, but I’m fucking pissed that he was going to sell me off like a slave. The moment of reckoning will come. When Anders is healed and he’s seeking forgiveness, whichever of the 12 Steps that is, I will unleash everything on him that I’ve been holding back.

I try to relax and not look at my brother’s wretched, horrible state. I try, for once, to think of myself and my own happiness before his.