Chapter 37
CHAPTER 37
NORTH CAROLINA
T he afternoon light blared into Adria’s bedroom, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the flashes of images invading her mind.
Images like her being cradled in Kaydon’s arms. The doctor’s disembodied voice confirming what she already knew.
She would live.
He had said it to be reassuring, but it was anything but. Like a virus, Jonathan was keeping her alive as long as possible, but eventually, he would kill her.
So, what the doctor was really saying was, she wasn’t dead yet.
Adria winced as she rolled away from the light, her broken ribs still healing.
Closing her eyes, she reached her hand onto her nightstand, fingers feeling around for the pill bottle that would help her drift into sleep.
“I had Eric take it away.”
Her hand froze mid-grope. It was Bryson. Kaydon had visited her, and he hadn’t said a word. Just sat there with her until her fake sleeping bored him enough to leave .
Seth had been harder to ignore, but she hadn’t been aware of any visits from Bryson.
She barely tolerated Eric, but she needed him to refill her pills and bring the occasional food.
Adria brought her hand to the edge of the comforter, pulling it over her face. Like Kaydon, if she just closed her eyes for long enough, Bryson would go away.
“It’s been three weeks. The doctor recommended you take them for one,” Bryson said.
What the fuck did he know about what she needed? Anger simmered for a moment before it collapsed in on itself. Her body was so tired, she’d just sleep for a while.
“I’m going to be taking care of you.”
She thought about shouting for Eric, to get his ass in here and speak for himself. But instead, she pulled her knees into her chest, willing oblivion to swallow her into darkness.
Bright light burned all around her as cold air filled her safe space. Bryson had ripped the covers back and was standing at the end of the bed. His stance defensive, his eyebrows pinched, like he expected her to launch herself at him at any moment.
“Go get Eric, now!” She put more strength than she felt into the order.
“You could barely get me to do what you asked when you were in full health. What makes you think I’m going to listen to you now?”
His voice was so irritating.
She rubbed her face, trying to get her bearings. Without Eric to back her play, she was in no position to force Bryson to do anything. Mentally, she could barely muster the strength to talk.
Her eyes flew open, vulnerability dawning on her.
Bryson was at the end of the bed, between her and the door, his eyes assessing.
“Easy there, princess,” he said, putting his hands in the air. “If I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it already. In fact, if my brothers and I wanted to up and leave, I think we had our chance.”
She looked around the room. How close was she to her nightstand?
“If you’re looking for this—” He flashed the switch blade that she kept in the upper drawer next to her bed.
She flinched, but he tossed it next to her. She put her fingers around it, the familiar object easing the tension in her chest. She held it close, but didn’t lift it.
He exhaled. “Now we are getting somewhere.”
Bryson sat in a chair near the corner of the room, maintaining eye contact. She didn’t like how he analyzed her. Treating each breath, every eye movement, like it had meaning.
“This deal has been sanctioned by the council. You would be putting your brothers in danger if you left prematurely. So don’t come in here and preach altruism to me,” she said, hand resting on her forehead, trying to shield the light.
He leaned forward, his hands steepled. “You stepped in and protected Kaydon.”
Whatever she was going to say died in her throat. She had stepped in. At the time, she hadn’t given it a second thought. It was instinct to protect him.
“And with me, the play was different.” He shifted in his seat.
She nodded.
“Why?”
Because I saw you.
Because I needed it.
You needed it.
We needed it.
“I thought he would be less likely to meddle in your sale,” she lied.
He shook his head. “Explain. ”
“We have interested parties in Mexico. Jonathan wanted to block them from attending the auction. I thought if he was threatened by you, Mexico might seem like a viable option.”
Bryson looked out the window. “In other words, you have someone who will owe you a favor if they get a seat at the auction.”
She swallowed, mouth dry. “Yes. “
He looked at her. “Something to do with the Brazil property my father brokered?”
She looked away. What did he expect her to say?
“It’s just business,” she replied.
He rubbed his chin. “What happened with Jonathan?”
“At the end of the day, I decide where you go.”
He was confused at first, but when the blood drained from his face, she knew he got the hint.
“He tried to buy us?”
She looked away, suddenly feeling a swell of emotion. “Don’t act like I did you some favor. If I cave into him this time, I’ll have to cave next time. He needed to understand that I don’t bend to him or any man.”
But she had bent; she had bent so far she had broke.
He didn’t have a hand in her business, but she also wasn’t going to be able to run her business.
Adria might not have given Jonathan what he wanted, but he sure as hell took what he needed and left her with nothing.
The bed shifted, and she could feel the warmth of Bryson’s body beside her. He carried the sweet scent of vanilla and pine.
“Whatever happened in that room, you are stronger than it,” Bryson said.
She shook her head. “Don’t?—”
“Adria, shut up. It’s not a compliment, it’s the truth. Jonathan is a coward in every way the word can be used. You are better than him, even on your very worst day. You could murder Eric, myself, and my brothers in our sleep, rape our dead bodies and still be better than him.”
She laughed. It was short, a blunt sound, and when she looked at him, she was shocked at how serious he was.
“Don’t you even think of letting him win. Whatever you have going on, you keep doing it. My brothers and I are in.”
She shook her head. “I can’t; I don’t have the energy. I don’t care anymore.”
“Fuck that. You took responsibility for us. If we aren’t,” he struggled on the next word, “trained , who knows what life will be like for us? Or who will bid on us.” He sat quietly, hands rubbing the outside of his jeans. His traditional cocky demeanor cracking.
“We cannot go to one of my father’s men. I need to ensure more serious players bid on us. Your serious players bid on us.”
She took in a breath. “What if my buyers are worse than your father’s men?”
“I trust you.”
She laughed. It was hollow. Trust was not something that the Winters family traded in. Even if she had saved his ass, he still had his own agenda. They always did.
And truthfully, they shouldn’t trust her. X had assured her about his buyer’s authenticity in holding up his end of the deal. But frankly, he was a new player. Adria didn’t know anything about him.
“Adria, we need you to get on board with this.”
Was he asking for help?
She could understand where the desperation came from, but she didn’t have the energy anymore. X’s man had made it clear he would bid on them, trained or not, but her mother was counting on her to appease the Triune. If they didn’t deem their performance satisfactory, her safety could be in jeopardy.
Jonathan had taken away the shred that was her life.
Bryson started to undress, taking off his pants. Adria froze in surprise.
“What the hell are?—”
His knees hit the floor, and he prostrated himself in front of her, naked.
She rubbed her face in her hands. He was as stubborn as he was stupid.