Chapter 41 – Sydney
SYDNEY
“Well, this isn’t exactly what we were expecting to find,” Ash’s voice floats toward me.
I whip my head toward the door. Ashton and Sebastian stand framed in it, staring at us.
I have no idea how long they’ve been there, watching the two of us, and I can only imagine how I look right now, completely naked and covered in blood.
Sebastian’s jaw tightens as he drags his gaze over me, heating as he takes in every bare inch.
Whatever he saw before they interrupted, he clearly enjoyed.
But Ash looks ready to faint, his eyes a little too wide, showing too much white.
“Someone tell me how much of this blood is hers before I start to freak out,” Ash says, his voice an octave too high, the words too fast, said in a panic.
“None,” Alec grunts, pushing himself off me and settling back on his knees.
Heat floods my face, and I feel myself blush.
I cross my arms over my chest, hiding myself, but Alec doesn’t seem to care that his brothers just walked in on him while he was still inside me.
He takes his time putting his cock away, zipping his pants like this isn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“Doc, call the cleaners. We need this mess taken care of.” Alec glances at the body, then back to Sebastian. “Did you bring your med kit?”
Sebastian nods.
“Go get it.”
“Oh no,” Ash says, gesturing between the two of us. “We aren’t just brushing over whatever the fuck this is.”
“We’ll discuss it later,” Alec insists, standing. “Go get the fucking kit.”
Seb gives me one last lingering look, eyes tracing every patch of blood on me, like he’s committing it to memory.
Then he takes out his cell phone, putting it to his ear as he steps outside, shutting my broken door behind him.
It doesn’t close all the way, and after a second, it swings back open with a soft creak.
Alec grabs a fluffy white blanket from my couch—the one I love to curl up with when I read—and tosses it unceremoniously over the dead man, covering most of him.
“Hey,” I shout, indignant. Too late. Blood is already seeping through the fabric, staining it red. “That was my favorite blanket!”
“We can buy you a new one,” Alec informs me. “Get up, darling. We need to get you cleaned up.” He’s already heading toward the bathroom when he says it. The sound of the shower turning on follows seconds later.
“Here,” Ash murmurs, stepping forward. He grabs another blanket off the couch and offers me a hand. “Let’s get you all covered up, okay? You’re safe now, Babygirl. We’ve got you.”
His voice is soft, worried. I let him help me up, giving him a shaky smile as he wraps the fleece blanket over my shoulders. He places a gentle kiss on the top of my head, tactfully avoiding any blood.
“Doc’s going to look you over, after you get all cleaned up, okay?” Ash says, eyeing the bruise I can already feel forming at my temple. He looks like he wants to say more, but the door swings open again before he can.
“Cleaners are on their way,” Sebastian says, stepping inside, his bag in one hand. “Should be an hour or so before the full crew shows up.”
Ash frowns at the body. “Are we even sure he’s dead? Did anyone check?”
Seb tilts his head, studying the motionless shape under my once-favorite blanket (RIP reading blankie). Without a word, he steps forward and plants his foot lightly over where my attacker’s neck should be. He presses down in a single swift motion, leaning his whole weight into it.
Snap.
I flinch at the sound of his neck breaking, clutching the blanket tighter around myself.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Ash takes a step back, jaw gaping. “Doc, what the fuck?”
“Calm down,” Sebastian says, voice flat, expression cold. “It’s a better death than he deserved, if he was still alive.” He looks at me and nods toward the bathroom, his voice softening as he says, “Go ahead. We’ll be waiting.”
“Fucking sociopath,” Ash mutters, guiding me toward the bathroom, hand warm on my waist.
Maybe I should say something. Kick them out, insist on calling the police. But I feel safe with them. Secure.
No one else can hurt me, with the three of them here. No one would ever dare.
Alec is already in the shower when Ash opens the bathroom door for me, his bloodied clothes piled on the floor.
“I’ll give you two a few minutes to clean up,” Ash says pointedly. He takes the blanket from me and leads me into the shower, where Alec is waiting, hand outstretched to help me in. “No more funny business. We’ll be waiting.”
The door shuts behind him, and I’m alone with Alec once again. He’s already clean, I notice as I step into the shower, all the blood he spilled washed away, down the drain. He adjusts the spray from the shower head, moving aside to let me stand under it.
I let the water wash over me, squeezing my eyes shut. Alec grabs my body wash and wordlessly starts to lather me up.
“Are you okay?” he asks. His voice is soft, hesitant, like he’s not sure how I’ll react.
“I… I think so,” I manage to say.
Alec makes an appreciative noise in his throat as he works the soap over my skin, sliding his hands over me.
He’s gentle. Thorough. He takes his time, carefully washing the blood away, making sure to get all of it.
When I open my eyes, the water swirling around the drain is red, quickly easing to pink.
“It’s okay if you’re not. You were attacked, darling,” Alec says, kneading the lather into my skin. “You saw a man die.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve seen a dead body,” I admit. I can see my parents’ bodies right now, permanently seared into my mind. Those moments, right after the accident? I remember all of it. The blood. The sudden quiet. My mom’s vacant eyes, staring straight ahead.
The water feels too cold, suddenly, and I shiver.
This was different, though. Traumatic in a different way.
“He was going to hurt me,” I whisper, and saying it out loud makes it suddenly feel real.
Alec’s hands pause. He maneuvers me fully under the shower spray, rinsing the soap away. “He was.”
“Why?” I ask.
He’s quiet, for a while. Long enough I start to think he won’t answer.
“Because of me,” he finally admits.
I don’t know what to say to that. I look away from him, wrapping my arms around myself, squeezing myself tightly.
“This is what I wanted to protect you from,” he says quietly. “There are people who would hurt you just to get to me.”
I shake my head. “That’s not a good enough reason, you know. That’s not a good enough reason for you to keep things from me.”
“You’re right,” he admits. His fingers trace my jaw, and he tilts my chin up, forcing me to look at him. His dark eyes search mine.
“You’re still mad at me,” he surmises, studying me.
“Yes, Alec.” The words come out sharp. “I’m still mad at you. And a quick fuck isn’t enough to fix that.”
His hands drop away. “What is enough to fix it, then?”
I scoff, my hands tightening around me as I look away.
“Tell me.” He takes a step closer to me, ducking his head under the water to catch my gaze. “What do you need from me, Red? You want me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?”
“It would be a nice start,” I snap, glaring at him.
He stares back at me for a long beat. And then, eyes locked on mine, he slowly sinks to his knees.
“Alec, what are you—” I start.
“I’m sorry, Sydney.” His voice is low, deep. Water pours down his chest, cascading over his body. His hands come up to touch my legs, his eyes glued to mine. “I fucked up. I kept things from you. And I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I will beg for it.”
I swallow hard against the swell of emotion in my throat.
“I’m sick of it,” I tell him. “I’m sick of the lies. Being kept in the dark. You need to be honest with me.”
“No more lies,” he promises. He shifts forward, pressing a kiss just above my hipbone, then another on the other side. “I’m sorry I let this happen. I let you get hurt. And that will never happen again, I promise you that. You’re mine.”
“You’re mine, too, you know,” I whisper back. “But it has to be us. Together. You have to let me in.”
His gaze meets mine, fierce and unflinching.
A knock breaks through the sound of the water.
“Hey guys?” Ashton calls, muffled through the door. “You’re going to want to finish up and come see this.”