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“I got it,” I told her, trying to keep my voice level. “You’re hurt. I’m sorry. But can we not rehash how I lost the love of my life for a fourth fucking time?” My hand tightened around her wrist before she blanched, realizing what she’d been making me endure.
“Oh, God. Jonah.” Her face crumpled.
She was going to lose it. Again. In a different way.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine.” I let her go, taking her wine glass with me and setting it clear across the room. My head down, I braced myself against the counter. I needed a moment, just one moment. I took a breath, rolled my shoulders up and back, and I turned to face her.
Right. Let’s keep moving forward. I cleared my throat. “Who’d you come with?”
“Tanner.” She was eyeing me, worried and biting her lip. “Are you…” She started toward me, but I held a hand up. She paused, holding in place as she bunched the end of her sleeve. “I wanted to be there for you, and you took that away from me.”
“I know.” I sighed. “But please be here for me now, and please stop talking about Melissa.”
I didn’t want Brooke to talk about her—or Tanner or Kai. I didn’t want anyone to mention her name.
Except Carson. She can.
A little voice whispered that in my head. I didn’t mind when Carson talked about her.
I didn’t know why that was.
“Where is Tanner?” I asked. “I need to ask him something.”
She glanced around and shrugged. “Who knows. I made him wait until my jet landed before we drove here. I’m sure he’s pissed, though who knows why. I think he was with someone before he had to pick me up. He seemed testier than normal.”
I smiled and shook my head. No matter the crisis, Brooke was Brooke.
She and Tanner were always either bickering with each other or he was making her laugh hysterically. With Brooke, you never knew the reception you’d get. Well, except for me. What Brooke had said was true. I was the one she loved the most, but I hadn’t known the reason until now.
I eyed her. “You feel different because you’re the only girl?”
Her face shuttered closed, and she shrugged. “It is whatever. I guess we all have our things.”
Yeah. Maybe.
But something was nagging at me. I couldn’t get rid of it, and I looked around again. “You’d think Tanner would’ve come in here by now.”
She shrugged, moving across the kitchen to claim her wine glass again. “Yeah, but it’s Tanner. He’s either getting orders from Kai or—I don’t know. Got anyone in the lock room? He likes to check that stuff out right away.”
Dread hit my gut hard.
The lock room.
Carson.
She’d watched me put the code in. I hadn’t cared because she wasn’t a captive anymore, but this was a big house, and if Tanner wasn’t in here… Fuck.
I took off.
Brooke yelped. “Where are you going?”
“The security room!” I yelled back, tearing through the south end of the house. There was a shortcut this way, past the pool and into the back hallways, but then I saw them.
He had her in the gym, and he was barring the door.
I loved my brother. Loved him.
I loved all of my siblings, almost idolized them, but right now, watching Tanner keep Carson in a room it was obvious she did not want to be in, I saw red with someone I never thought I’d see red with.
I was there in two steps, hauling the door open.
Tanner jerked, starting to turn around, but I shoved him aside as I met Carson’s gaze.
Relief flooded her face, right before the tears came, and she bit her lip.
“Come here.”
If there’d been an argument, there wasn’t anymore. I heard even Brooke’s startled gasp behind me at my tone. It wasn’t hard or angry. It was gentle, almost tender, and Carson blinked more tears away before she met me. Her hand took the one I held out. I gave Tanner a warning look before I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to my chest, as we left the room.
“Jonah,” he called after me.
I raised my voice, holding her firmly next to me. “Do not follow me, Tanner.”
“Jonah—”
“Don’t!”
I was taking her to the garage. If I couldn’t trust my family to wait and get my input before handling Carson, I was taking matters into my own hands. I glanced down, cursing because she only had socks on. Fine. I veered down a different hallway, going to the wing Kai liked to use when he and Riley were here.
Riley would have clothes and shoes that Carson could use. Riley wouldn’t care.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Lacing our fingers, I pulled her inside their bedroom. “We’re getting out of here.”
Kai’s room was the grand room. Brooke always went on about how Kai kept all the biggest rooms/suites/wings/floors/houses for himself, so I wasn’t surprised when Carson took two steps inside and gaped.
