Chapter 5
I ndie stared out at the mansion in front of her.
She remembered the first day she’d arrived here.
She’d been in complete awe of the place.
A sigh left her lips as she saw a Rolls Royce Phantom sitting in the driveway.
Slade was here then.
Her nerves bounced in her tummy. She hadn’t seen any of them in months. Not since soon after she’d moved in with Billy and she’d seen Slade with that gorgeous brunette at the club.
And then Billy had moved them to Birmingham. Placing an even bigger distance between them.
Should she have come today? Edward never asked her for much, though.
He’d even helped her pay for university. So if he wanted her to turn up for Sunday lunch every so often, well, it wasn’t too much to ask, right?
Being around Slade was going to be hard, though. She missed him and the other guys so much.
What if Slade had brought his latest girlfriend? Indie placed her hand over her stomach. Did she actually feel ill at the idea of Slade with someone else?
What was wrong with her?
But she’d been getting nauseous a lot lately. It was hard for her to keep anything down. She didn’t know what was going on and she was too scared to go to the doctor.
Especially with the bruises on her arms.
Billy’s behavior was deteriorating. To the point that she was starting to worry that he might really harm her.
She needed an exit plan. It couldn’t be Maggie. She was scared that Billy might do something to her. And then there were the guys. Would Billy try to hurt them too?
The Uber came to a stop, but before she could open the door, a large man stepped up and did it for her.
She stared up into Rock’s face, drinking him in. God. It had been too long since she’d seen him.
He held out his hand to her and she slipped her smaller one into his.
A sense of safety and calm washed through her.
That was what Rock always did for her.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here,” she murmured to him.
She spotted his beat-up old truck sitting further away behind a big tree. Her mum hated that truck being seen in the driveway, but Rock had been driving it for years.
She knew they were doing well with their businesses. But it seemed that Rock preferred to drive his old truck than buy anything new.
Indie longed to lean into Rock’s wide chest. To let him take away all of her fear and pain.
He grunted.
He never spoke much. One time, she’d worked up the courage to ask Slade if there was something wrong with his voice.
Slade had told her to never ask him about it. That he had a slight speech impediment .
It didn’t matter to her, anyway.
No matter what, Rock was her friend.
When she hesitated to move, he shot her a look. Indie shrugged. “I don’t want to go in. I have a bad feeling.”
Rock nodded.
She guessed he had that feeling too.
He kept hold of her hand as he led her up the driveway and into the house.
It still looked the same as when she’d lived here. Like the place was caught in a time capsule.
Rock led her to her favorite reception room. It had large windows that led out to the gorgeous garden.
The others were already there. Slade was lounging back in an armchair with a glass of Scotch in his hand. Spencer was lying on the sofa with his arm over his eyes. She snorted quietly. Looked like he might have had a hard night.
But it was Quaid who saw her first. His gaze ran over her. It felt like he could see all of her.
Inside and out.
He can’t see the bruises on your arms.
Billy had apologized for grabbing her too hard after she’d told him about this invite to Sunday lunch.
“You found her,” Quaid said in a soft drawl.
He was always serious. But right now, he also seemed a bit angry. Had she done something?
Her hand twitched and Rock tightened his hold on her, leading her to an armchair.
She sat gratefully, her legs felt like noodles. But then her gaze met Slade’s.
And he didn’t seem happy either.
“Why are you so pale and thin?” Slade snapped.
Spencer sat up suddenly, running his gaze over her. “Fuck, does that dipshit not feed you or something?”
Indie sat up straight. She didn’t come here to be poked and prodded at .
And obviously she needed to apply her makeup better. She’d done her best to hide her pale skin and the dark marks under her eyes.
Sleep seemed to be eluding her lately. Which might also be the reason she felt nauseous all the time.
“I can feed myself,” she said haughtily. “I don’t need Billy to do anything.”
The guys all shared a look. Something she didn’t like. She knew coming here had been a stupid idea.
But she missed them.
It felt like she was losing her family and she couldn’t figure out how to stop them growing further apart.
Well, there was one way.
She had to find the courage to leave Billy.
Tell them.
Tell Slade.
But would Billy retaliate? Or would Slade kill him?
Quaid definitely would.
And she didn’t want these guys to get into trouble.
A part of her was also scared to leave Billy. Where would she go? As he liked to point out, she had no job. No savings.
Would the guys even care? It wasn’t like they even contacted her anymore.
They all lived together in the same building in Knightsbridge. She’d been there a lot before moving in with Billy.
Could she stay there? But what if they all had girlfriends now?
Perhaps she could move back in here. The idea made her shudder, but her mum wouldn’t turn her away, right?
“If he’s not taking good enough care of you, we will step in,” Slade told her.
She narrowed her gaze at him. “I can take care of myself. You guys aren’t my keepers.”
“Of course we are,” Quaid drawled. “We have been since you dropped into our lives nine years ago.”
“You were ours before you were his,” Spencer said .
Slade studied her quietly. “Why haven’t we seen you lately? Why haven’t you answered our messages?”
What was he talking about?
“What messages? And I live several hours away from you guys now.”
It had taken her close to two hours to get here today. She’d had to take a train then Uber from the station to here.
Fatigue filled her at the idea of the return trip.
Yeah, she sometimes wondered if Billy had moved them to Birmingham to get her further away from the guys. But that was probably silly.
Right?
“You shouldn’t be living so far from us,” Slade said. “And we’ve sent you lots of messages.”
They had? How odd. Maybe something was wrong with her phone. Had they received her messages?
“You know you’re always welcome to stay with us in London when you want to visit,” Spencer added earnestly. “Come next weekend. Stay. I’ll cook.”
She loved Spencer’s cooking. He liked to make comfort food like pasta and roasts.
“All right,” she said before she could stop herself.
It was a really stupid idea. But this could be just what she needed.
Some time away from Billy.
She’d pack a bag and sneak off while he was at work.
And maybe she just wouldn’t go back.
“Can I come Thursday?” she asked. They’d said next weekend, but Thursday was close enough, right?
“Of course,” Slade replied smoothly. “You know that our home is your home.”
“But you’ll follow the rules while you’re there,” Quaid added coldly.
Indie huffed out a breath. “I’m not one of your subs. I don’t have rules. ”
Quaid raised an eyebrow. “You know there are always rules.”
“Quaid,” Spencer protested. “Don’t scare her off before she gets there.”
“The rules are simple,” Quaid said, ignoring Spencer. “Don’t lie to us. Tell us where you are going and when you’ll return if you leave. And you will eat and sleep properly.”
The rules weren’t anything that she wouldn’t normally do.
Well, the sleeping and eating part were going to be an issue. Maybe her tummy would have settled down by then. She couldn’t go if she was still vomiting.
Unlike Billy, they would notice that.
“Fine. But you’re all being very bossy.”
Rock placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze and she glanced up at him. “Well, other than Rock. Right now, he’s my favorite. You all need to try harder.”
Slade just snorted.
Spencer gave her a mock-hurt look. “I thought I was your favorite. I make you laugh. Rock just stands there and never says anything.”
“Exactly,” she replied. “He never tries to tell me what to do.”
“Just wait until he thinks you’re in danger. Then you’ll learn exactly how bossy he can be,” Quaid warned.
Like she would believe that.
“Lunch is ready,” a voice called out from the doorway.
Turning her head, she saw a butler standing there that she’d never met before.
Huh. She wondered what had happened to Arnold, the old one?
Rock helped her up and kept hold of her hand again. She tried not to flush with pleasure.
Keep it together, Indie.
“Where’s Arnold?” she asked Slade as he walked on her other side.
Quaid was in front of her and she turned her head to see Spencer behind her .
This was how they always treated her. They’d surround her in their protection and she’d always felt safe.
God, she needed this. Needed them.
Would it be so bad to let them take care of her for a while?
She’d spent her life trying to become independent.
And look where that got you . . . completely reliant on a man that you cannot trust.
That you do not love.
“Arnold was let go,” Slade replied in a tight voice. “About four months ago, your mum got into an argument with him over something and fired him.”
“Which is good,” Spencer said from behind her.
“Why is that good?” she asked, shocked at the glee in his voice.
“Because now he works for my cousin, Margo,” Slade said as they reached the dining room.
Oh good. She’d hate to think of Arnold out there without a job.
When they entered the dining room only Edward was there, sitting at the head of the table.
He glanced over all of them with a sigh. “Should have known you’d all turn up.”
Slade shot him a look that probably would have made her run away and hide. Edward didn’t seem to notice.
“This is a family dinner,” Edward added huffily.