We both look up. Nisha is standing in the doorway, looking as though she is about to throw herself at Bryce like an alley cat protecting its kittens.

“Whoa,” Bryce says, raising his hands. “This wasn’t me, I would never hurt Louisa.”

“Lou?” she asks, turning to me.

“It wasn’t Bryce,” I say with a sigh. “A loan shark called Smithy came to collect the money Mum owed him. He did this when I told him to fuck off.”

“Shit, Lou. Are you okay?” She sits beside me, pulling me in for a hug. I wince when she brushes against the sore spot on my back.

“That fucking arsehole. If he comes back here I’m going to kill him.”

Bryce smiles, a look of admiration on his face. “You and me both,” he says. “I’m Bryce, by the way.”

Nisha looks from me to Bryce and back again. “Oh, I see. You’re that Bryce. Fuck, that explains a lot. I’m Nisha, Nish for short. Nice to meet you finally, I’ve heard quite a lot about you and your brothers.”

Bryce raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Nisha offers her hand to shake, Bryce takes it. “Good to finally meet you. Lou has been pining over you three for weeks now.” She shoots me a look, winking, and I feel my cheeks colour.

“Thanks, Nish,” I mumble.

Her hand drops away and she points at my now swollen lip. The ice pack doesn’t appear to be helping with the swelling, given the look on her face she surveys mine.

“We should call the cops. Make a report.”

I shake my head. “No, that’ll only make the situation worse. I’d rather pay them the money owed and get rid of them once and for all.”

“How much are we talking about, Lou?”

“Five grand.”

“Five grand?! Are you nuts? You haven’t got that kind of money.”

“I have,” Bryce says, folding his arms across his chest.

“No,” I say. “Absolutely not. You can’t do that for me.”

Nisha gives me a look. “Louisa, you’ve got no money. We’re barely surviving here. The gas and electric get cut on a regular basis. We eat bloody noodles most nights. How the hell are you supposed to come up with five grand?”

“Nish, this isn’t on Bryce. This is my mum’s mess. I need to deal with it.”

“No, you don’t. Stop doing that. Stop trying to take everything on. Your mum used you your whole life. Sending a little kid to get her booze, using her teenage daughter to be her fucking skivvy. Even now, after she’s bloody died she’s still using you. Damn it, Louisa, when will it end?”

She’s right. I know she is, but it doesn’t mean Bryce should have to pay for it. My mum might have used me, but she is still my mum. Over the years, whatever issues she had, I would always take them on. I held her hair back when she threw up the contents of her stomach night after night. I helped her into bed when she was so drunk she could barely walk. I spoon fed her food when her face was so swollen from a beating she could barely open her mouth. Even now, even after her death, I am willing to help her because, despite everything, I still love her. This is my responsibility, no one else’s.

“Nisha’s right, Louisa. You don’t have to take this on. We can help. That amount of money is short change to us. Let me pay it.”

“No,” I say stubbornly.

“For crying out loud, Louisa. You’re being an idiot. Think about it. If this guy can barge his way in here, slap you around over your mum’s debt, imagine what he’ll do to you when you can’t pay it? Have a bit of common sense.”

“He won’t be fucking touching Louisa again,” Bryce says vehemently. “Look, Louisa, if you won’t accept the money as a gift, then accept it as a loan. You can pay it back over time.”

I laugh hysterically. “That would be great, if I actually had a job.” Oh fuck, I really haven’t thought this through, but pride is stopping me from accepting his generous offer, even if that offer may just save me from getting beaten to a pulp.

Bryce opens his mouth to speak but Nisha cuts him off.

“Look, if Louisa doesn’t accept your offer, there’ll be nothing you can do to help when that animal comes back for the money. What are you going to do, stay here and be her bodyguard twenty-four seven?” she says, glaring at him. Poor Bryce, none of this is his fault. He’s only trying to help.

“No, Louisa is going to come stay with me and my brothers, so we can look out for her.”

“What?” Nisha looks agape at us both.

“I didn’t agree to anything,” I say quickly, before turning to Bryce. “Thank you for the offer, but I won’t leave Nisha on her own. If Smithy comes back, when Smithy comes back, he will hurt her to get to me. I’m not putting her in harm’s way, I won’t.”

Bryce clenches his jaw, clearly biting back some kind of comment. “Then you both come. There’s room enough.”

“But…” I start.

“Bloody hell,” Nisha says.

“Bryce, we can’t just…”

He holds his hands up. “This is what’s going to happen, Louisa. As you won’t take my offer of money as a gift I will employ you as a personal assistant at the Brothers Freed Corporation. We always need more assistants in the office. Between us we have one personal assistant and she is run ragged. We pay the debt, you work for us while earning a decent wage. Over time you can pay that loan back should you wish. That is the solution and you are going to accept it. Oh, and before you even mention it, you are both going to pack your bags and come with me back to the home I share with Max and Hudson, at least until this all blows over. I’m not convinced that prick won’t come back even when he’s got the money.”

I slump back into my chair in shock, completely lost for words. After a while, Nisha starts laughing.

“Well, hell. I’m not going to say no. I hope your place is posh, Bryce. I’m thinking it must be, given the Gucci suit you’re wearing. Which, by the way, is ruined now from the rain,” she says, pulling a face.

Bryce shrugs his shoulders. “I’ve got plenty more suits. Now, where do you keep your cases?” he asks, standing.

“In the airing cupboard.”

“Great, I’ll grab them. Nisha, I shall pack Louisa’s things if you’ll show me to her room.” I move to stand but he rests his hand gently on my shoulder. “Stay here, I’ll do it.”

“But what about my under…”

“Don’t worry, Louisa. I won’t go rummaging through your knicker drawer,” Bryce grins, striding from the room.

“Oh, my fucking god, Lou. Who would have thought it?” Nisha beams, her china white teeth startlingly bright against her mocha skin. “I’m pissed at what’s happened to you, but blimey, this is one hell of a silver-lining. I can’t wait to meet the other two hotties.” She practically skips out of the kitchen after Bryce.

I stare after her back. What the hell just happened?

* * *

Forty-five minutes later we are sitting in the back of Bryce’s top of the range Mercedes 4x4. It oozes money and style and I can’t help but feel slightly inferior. Nisha, on the other hand, is enjoying herself immensely. This is like something out of a fairy tale for her. She doesn’t know the brothers’ upbringing because I didn’t tell her that part. Nisha assumes they have all come from a privileged background which is as far from the truth as she can get.

“This is the latest model, isn’t it? I mean, this car alone has got to be at least fifty grand, right?” she says excitedly. “It’s even got under-seat heating. My arse is nice and toasty.”

Bryce laughs. “It’s a bit flashy. I prefer my old Range Rover, but it’s in the garage getting a service right now.”

“How many cars do you own exactly?”

“A few,” Bryce says offhandedly. I can tell he doesn’t like showing off. It’s not really in his nature. When we first met he was a bit of a bighead but underneath all that bravado is a nice guy. I smile at him from the seat in the back. He glances at me in the rearview mirror and winks. Inside, a warm feeling blooms.

Nisha chats away for the rest of the journey and Bryce answers all her questions. He’s sweet with her. He didn’t have to offer her a room at their place, but he did it for me. I will always be grateful for his kindness. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to her.

“So, where exactly do you guys live?” Nisha asks.

“Esher, Surrey.”

“Oh, very la-de-da,” she says, affecting a posh accent.

“It’s quiet. Near enough to London for business but far enough away not to feel caught up in the rat race. When we’re home, we want to forget about work. Trouble is, traffic sucks on a Friday evening. It’ll be a little while yet until we get there.”

“Ah, don’t sweat it. If you haven’t already noticed, I’m enjoying relaxing in this beauty.”

Bryce laughs. “I can tell.” He stops at a set of traffic lights and takes the opportunity to turn around and talk to me. “You okay? How’s the pain?”

“It’s better, thanks. Just a dull throb now. I could do with a bath or something, though.” My gaze catches his and a spark of desire lights in his eyes. I know he is reminded of our intense make out session in the shower back in Petite Cabane. He coughs, clearing his throat.

“That can be arranged,” he says softly, before putting the car into gear and pulling off.

I lean my head back against the seat and watch London whizz by, my thoughts returning to our time together in the mountains. It had been intense, erotic, wonderful. Despite what Bryce said, I’m afraid Max and Hudson won’t be happy to see me. Especially Hudson, given he has taken my leaving so badly, it would seem. Pushing those thoughts aside, I close my eyes and try not to think about it.