Chapter Twenty-Four
Aubrey
Noah’s voice drifted into Bree’s room from the living area, and she groaned slightly, her mouth feeling dry and her head stuffed full of cotton. She quietly cried herself to sleep earlier and was paying for it now. The overwhelm had dissipated just a little bit, but a heavy sense of foreboding lingered. What on earth was she going to do?
Grief threatened to overwhelm her when she thought of Jess. Her parents weren’t going to give up and put Jess out of her misery, which meant this was another task that should’ve been her parents’ responsibility but rested on Bree’s shoulders instead. She didn’t know how much more weight her shoulders could take before she broke.
She got up and fixed her ponytail before going into the bathroom to make sure she looked semi-presentable. Bree glanced in the mirror and washed off her face, eager to scrub the heavy emotions from the day off her body. Bree walked back into the bedroom and sat on the side of the bed, memories of Jess and her parents playing through her head. Where had they gone wrong? What could she have done differently? She was so tired. Soul deep tired.
Bree took a deep breath, a well of emotion threatening to overwhelm her. It was dumb. It’s not like she was in danger at this moment. She needed to pull herself together. There was a soft knock before the door opened and Theo walked in, cozy blanket in hand. He handed her the blanket, and she immediately began rubbing her thumb along it to soothe her anxiety.
“Noah sent me with the blanket and to see if you were up. He said you’d probably like it.” Theo mentioned, leaning against the door frame and watching her steadily. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” Bree told him.
He laughed. “I hope you sounded more convincing to Noah if you tried that line. You’re not ‘fine’ Aubrey, and that’s okay. You’ve been through a lot the last several weeks. I mean just the break-in…” Theo paused. “It was scary—hell, I wasn’t even there, and I was scared for you.”
“But I’m not injured or anything. I was just…startled. And it’s been weeks, Theo. I should be over it by now.”
“Physically, you aren’t injured,” Theo agreed. “But emotionally, your home—a place you felt safe—was violated with violence. That isn’t something that just ‘goes away’ because you’re physically fine.”
Bree paused and thought about what Theo was saying. He was right. Her sense of safety did feel like it had been shattered. She couldn’t imagine going back to her home and living her life like nothing had ever happened. Any time there was movement she would just be wondering if it was the guy. If he was back to finish the job—whatever the job was.
“When did you get so smart?” She asked Theo, trying to lighten the heavy mood.
“When my home was burglarized growing up.” He said seriously, all traces of the light-hearted jokester erased from his face. “I came home from school and found my mother and brother unconscious, the house cleaned out. We got them to the hospital in time—they’re fine—but we never felt safe in that house again. We moved pretty soon after. My mom just couldn’t rest there.”
Bree’s heart ached for little Theo. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“It was a long time ago. But I did learn from it, and now it can help you. So maybe there is a purpose to the pain we experience even when we’re not sure there is at the time. And Bree?”
“Yeah?”
“You know, even though you’re not officially a client, you’re still under our protection. Nothing is going to happen to you. You’re family.”
Emotion clogged her throat, and Bree nodded gratefully at him, tears blurring her vision.
“I’m going to head back out with the guys. Come join us when you’re ready.”
Bree nodded and waited for Theo to close the door softly behind him. She hastily swiped at the tears, hating that she was a crier now. It felt like that’s all she did. Once she was presentable enough and was sure she had her emotions under control, she headed down the hallway, following the voices into the main living room.
“Aubrey!” The group chorused when she appeared around the end of the hallway.
Noah got up from the couch and gave her a quick kiss before walking her over to the couch. He helped her get settled and tossed his arm over her shoulder, drawing her into his side.
“Thanks, babe,” Bree told him quietly. He grinned roguishly.
“I like that.”
“Me saying thank you?” She joked.
“You calling me babe.” He countered.
Bree could feel the blush that stole her cheeks and she took the time while he got settled down next to her to cool her jets. Goodness that man was lethal.
Theo whooped from the corner. “You finally made a move? I thought I was going to have to ask her out just to get you worked up enough to ask her out yourself.” The group laughed.
“Try it and die,” Noah said good-naturedly.
“Noted,” Theo replied, a smile still on his face.
“Happy for you, man,” Zach said, clapping Noah on the shoulder from his spot next to him.
“Thanks, we’re happy too,” Noah said, looking down at her and giving her a smile.
“So, not to burst the happiness bubble…” Peter began.
Theo groaned, “You just know how to ruin a moment, don’t you?”
“No, he’s right. We should talk about this. Bree? You want to share?”
Bree shook her head. Living it once in person was more than enough. She zoned out while Noah updated the group on what had happened at the hospital. From the doctor’s prognosis to the issue with the billing department and their subsequent call to the bank to get the debt settled.
There was a collective outraged grumble on Bree’s behalf, which gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling inside—a pleasant contrast to the angry bitterness that threatened to overwhelm her when she thought of the missing money. What had he used it for? Why hadn’t he used it for Jess’s care like he was supposed to? Why was any of this Bree’s responsibility? Why didn’t her parents care about her?
These men, people she’d known for a relatively short time, seemed to deeply care about her. Having people who were one hundred percent in your corner was a strange experience. There was nothing she could do for them—they just wanted to hang out with her because of her. So strange.
“Theo,” Noah began, pulling her from her musings. “Any luck on the financials?”
Theo grimaced before looking at Bree apologetically. She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it fell short—more likely matching his grimace than actually reassuring him.
“I did. It looks like your parents keep separate bank accounts.” Theo began.
“They always have,” She chimed in. “I never understood why, though. They both contributed to the household financially, so it was a bit odd.”
“Well, your mother’s statements haven’t changed in several years. No new or unusual deposits, no unusual activity, nothing.”
“Okay…”
“Your dad’s account, on the other hand, shows a slew of unusual activity though one of his accounts we’re still trying to get information for. But it looks like all of the money you sent him was put in the account we were able to access, and most of it is gone.” Theo said.
“Gone?” Bree asked, her stomach dropping. “It was nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Where did it go?”
“It looks like he might’ve gotten in over his head with gambling.”
“Gambling?” She replied hollowly, her body stiffening as shock settled into her soul. “He spent the money for my sister’s care on gambling.” There was a violent churning in her chest as her feelings teetered between hollowness and anger.
“Bree?” Noah asked, squeezing her shoulder gently.
The anger won. “He asked me for MORE money a few months ago. He told me the payment hadn’t gone through—which I found suspicious—but didn’t have time to really look into it. I gave him ANOTHER thirty-five THOUSAND dollars for Jessica’s care. Like an idiot.” Bree finished in a whisper, her hands fisted in her lap. Betrayal rushed through her, violent and angry and bitter, and a whole host of negative emotions balled up into one overwhelmingly awful feeling.
Theo came over and knelt by her, resting his hand gently on her arm. “You trusted him. That doesn’t make you an idiot. It makes him one for abusing your trust.”
“I stayed in this career to be helpful. To help support my sister. Instead, I was unknowingly enabling his gambling habit.” Bree ground out, devastation washing through her.
“Aubrey. Nearly ten million people in the U.S. alone struggle with gambling. And most of them are good at not letting their loved ones know they have a problem.” Peter said sternly, drawing her out of her little pity party. “You. Didn’t. Know. You didn’t know. It’s not your responsibility. He is a grown adult. He is responsible for himself. The only thing you can do is change how you move forward.”
“And we’re here to help.” Theo chimed in from in front of her.
“Thanks, guys.” She said mechanically, shock, anger, and bitterness still raging through her and making a home inside her chest. The straight audacity of her father. She couldn’t fathom doing that to someone. Bree hated borrowing money at all.
“I…I think I just need to step away and take some time. I need to call my lawyer.” She paused and looked around at the men gathered around her. “Do I need a different lawyer for contract law than gaining medical power of attorney for my sister?”
“I would think so. But if your lawyer doesn’t do it, we can find someone for you.” Theo offered.
Bree tried to smile at him though it felt like more of a grimace, “Thank you, Theo. That would be really helpful.”
“There’s more,” Theo said, a serious expression on his face.
“More?” She whispered.
“One of his accounts was an off-shore account in the Cayman Islands. There was a deposit from earlier this year—from National News Daily.”
“The newspaper?” Noah asked, an icy rage evident in his low tone.
Theo nodded. “It looks like he got a handsome payout twice. One a little more than the other.”
“He is the one who sold the picture and my location?” Bree asked, dumbfounded.
“I’m not one hundred percent certain yet, but I’ll know shortly.”
“Did he gamble that money away, too?”
Theo hesitated, “Yes. And, Bree…some of it was sent to a private checking account. For Kyle Rhodes.”
Bree had no words. None. Noah, however, didn”t seem to have that problem. ”He paid that jerk to bug Bree?” Noah asked, outraged. ”What role did Kyle play in all this?”
”I don”t know. I”m collecting intel and will let you know when I do.”
Noah nodded and reached over to pull Bree closer, his support unwavering.
“Anyone else hungry?” Zach suddenly chimed in from the other side of the room after a few moments of silence.
Bree’s stomach growled at once, and her eyes widened. “Apparently, I am.”
“Great, we all brought a dish. Let’s grab some dinner and take a break from talking about depressing things.”
“Avoiding the topic and using food to cope. I like your style.” Bree joked, though that felt a little too close to the truth.
Maybe she should see if her old therapist had a spot open. She was super helpful last time Bree needed someone to talk to. A lot of therapists have sliding fee scales, which was super helpful the first time Bree needed help. She didn’t have a lot of money at the time, so she didn’t think she’d be able to see anyone. The therapist had been a life saver even on Bree’s small pre-fame budget.
They went into the kitchen and filled their plates with food—well, Noah filled her plate, asking what she wanted and how much—before going and sitting at the dining room table. Their family meals were the highlights of her week. Just sitting around the table and getting to chat with everyone, laugh, and learn what was going on in their lives made each get together special. They never ran out of things to talk about. Theo was always positively entertaining and watching Zach, who had a very serious countenance, tolerate him and even laugh along was always worth the watch.
After everyone left, she shrunk back into the couch and just sat in the silence for a few minutes while Noah worked on tidying up the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with a bottle of water and some Dove chocolates in hand. Her favorite. “You’re the best.” She said dreamily.
“Only for you,” Noah replied. “Only for you.”