Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 68247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Grey!” Avery met his gaze, clearly startled to see him in her apartment.
“Fuck. Haven’t you done enough?” Scott asked. He stood beside Tyler, both similar in looks with their dark hair and Dare-sibling violet eye color.
Grey met the man’s angry stare head on. Grey counted himself lucky that he was spared Ian’s presence, because of all the brothers, he was the most volatile. Not that Grey couldn’t handle him, and would for Avery, but these two were enough for now.
“I’d say you’re the one who’s done enough.” Grey slammed the door shut behind him. “Don’t you think your sister can make her own decisions? She wants to be with me, and I sure as hell intend to be with her. So how about we agree to keep her safe and stop trying to cut me out of the picture? Because I won’t tolerate it.”
Both brothers eyed him warily.
“And just how do you propose to keep her safe when you’re the one bringing the crazies to her door?” Scott asked.
Avery stepped up beside him, but she didn’t get close or give him any real indication of her feelings. He couldn’t imagine the fear and panic she must be holding inside. He wanted to pull her tight against him and promise her everything would be all right, but she didn’t seem to want the intimacy they’d already established. He wasn’t sure if she was keeping her physical and emotional distance because of her brothers or if she was pulling away all on her own.
“Can we all just calm down?” she asked.
Scott shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Fine. Any idea what we’re dealing with?” Scott asked, obviously focusing on something he could control.
Grey met Tyler’s gaze. The other man already knew about the Emerald threat, and now they’d have to tell Avery. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated at how something seemed to thwart him every time he got close to her.
Avery caught the knowing look between Grey and her brother. “What’s going on?” she asked, realizing at once they were hiding something from her.
“I got a letter from an obsessed fan. She made some noises about me belonging to her and making sure you knew that, but since you’d just dealt with the paparazzi and you had a bodyguard anyway, I didn’t want to add to your stress.” He winced as he spoke, obviously realizing his mistake.
“I’m assuming you knew?” She glared at Tyler. “And you both decided to keep it from me?” she asked, her anger and hurt building. “What? You didn’t think I could handle the truth?”
Grey reached for her, but she stepped away. He flinched at her withdrawal, but she couldn’t let herself care.
“More like he knew you’d come to your senses and run the other way,” Scott muttered.
“Shut up!” she and Grey said at the same time.
Avery blew out a frustrated breath. More than her overbearing brothers, Grey needed to understand that while she might have an anxiety disorder, she was fully capable of handling any news that came her way. She might not like it, and he might not appreciate how she chose to deal with things, but it was her choice to make.
“I need to make sure your landlord puts a security system on the front door to the building,” Tyler said.
Avery knew that was his way of diffusing the tense situation. “Fine.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that you can’t stay here now,” her brother went on. “Even with security, anyone can walk in right behind someone with a key card. It’s not a fail-safe.”
“A public breakup would be a good fail-safe,” Scott muttered.
Grey stepped forward, and Avery braced a hand on his chest, stopping him from going after her brother.
“Go home,” she said over her shoulder to her siblings. “Grey and I need to talk.”
“But—”
“I have Rick sitting in his car,” she reminded them. “He was with me when I saw the door, so I was never in any danger. And the police were already here, a report’s been filed, and they dusted for prints. There’s nothing more you two can do.”
It took more arguing and also longer than she would have liked, but she finally herded her brothers out the door, locking up behind them.
She pulled on her reserve strength and turned to Grey. Concern flashed in his green eyes, and though she couldn’t read his mind, she knew for sure he was guilt-ridden that she was a virtual prisoner thanks to his life, confused at why she’d bailed on him this morning, and worried about what this new turn of events meant for them.
She wished she had answers for him, but she was just as confused, just as uncertain.
“Come here.” He held out his arms.
Unable to resist, she stepped forward and walked straight into his embrace, burying her face in his soft T-shirt and inhaling his familiar scent. He wrapped his arms around her tight and held on. She wished it were just the two of them, that the outside world and all her worries would disappear. But that wasn’t reality. It never had been. In her life, the outside world always intruded; something new always popped up to ruin the status quo in which she’d found a safe haven.