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CHAPTER16
Aurelia
Ican’t stop the tears as we drive back to London. Lying on the back seat of the car, I try to control my emotions, but I can’t. My entire life, my brothers have always been on my side—even against our parents. Seeing Kane so upset with me, Zeke too, made my gut feel empty. I didn’t realise having something good in my life would make my brothers so mad. The only one who hadn’t said much was Luke. I have no idea what he thinks about the situation.
“Lia…” I raise my eyes to look in the rear-view mirror, where Ryan is looking at me.
I swipe my tears, trying desperately to get myself under control. “I’m okay,” I lie.
“Your brothers just need time to digest what we told them. They will come around. They love you too much not to.”
“I’ve never seen Kane like that before. I thought he was going to kill you.”
“I’ve seen Kane at his worst. Believe me, that was not his worst.”
He pulls into the parking garage, taking our space. Then he cuts the engine. For a moment, he doesn’t move, as if he is collecting himself.
“Are you all right?” I ask him. My brother hit him, and I know Kane hadn’t pulled a single punch.
“I’m fine.”
I don’t believe him, but I don’t challenge him either. I wait as he gets out of the car and comes to my door. When he opens it, his eyes are everywhere, making sure it’s safe for me. He helps me out of the car, his hand slipping into mine. We make our way quickly to the lift. Ryan doesn’t relax until we’re inside the apartment, the door shut behind us. He leaves me by the door to go and check no one is in the apartment. I wait on tenterhooks for him to come back.
When he returns, I let out a sigh of relief and go straight to him. He wraps me in his arms, and I nuzzle against him, needing to be close to him.
“I’m sorry for what my brother did. You didn’t deserve it. They need to understand I’m a grown-up, not their little sister anymore.”
He pulls me back a little so he can brush my hair out of my face. “You will always be that to them. It’s not a bad thing that they love you. It makes me feel better knowing they will always protect you.”
“You do realise they only let us leave because of Bailey?”
Her words had been the thing that got through to both of my brothers. Kane and Zeke are both furious with Ryan for what he’s done. I’m not sure where Luke stands. He hadn’t been very vocal.
“They will come around. Your brothers love you. They’re not going to push themselves out of your life.”
I hope he’s right, but I’m not sure I share his view. He leads me into the living room and orders me to sit on the sofa. I do as he asks while he heads to the kitchen. I watch as he pours me a glass of wine and brings it over. He hands it to me before sitting down next to me.
“Why don’t they see how much I love you?” I grumble.
He trails his fingers over my cheek, and I lean into his touch, unable to stop myself. I love when his hands are on me. Ryan has a habit of touching me all the time, as if he can’t stand to be without me. I like that.
“They will, in time.”
I take a sip of my wine and then place it on the table. “You have blood on your neck.”
It’s a thin rivulet, starting from where Kane placed the knife under his chin. I fold my legs and get up from the sofa. In the kitchen, I grab a towel and rinse it under the tap, before wringing it out so it’s wet, but not soaked. I make my way back to him and drop next to him on the sofa.
“Lift your head,” I order.
He does as I ask, raising his head. Carefully, I wipe away the blood, cleaning it from his skin until no evidence remains of what my brother did to him. My heart starts to pound. A slip of Kane’s knife and Ryan could be dead. My brother could have ended the one good thing in my life. I stop wiping and close my eyes, trying to ground myself. Instantly, I feel Ryan’s hand on my neck.
“Don’t,” he says in a soft voice.
I open my eyes and meet his gaze. All I see is care and concern. “Don’t what?”
“Imagine the scenarios that could have happened. We both walked out of there in one piece, and that’s all that matters.”
“He could have slit your throat. Does that not bother you?”
