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CHAPTER18
Aurelia
Ican’t stop shaking. Ryan doesn’t let go of me the entire time we wait for my brothers to arrive. Sariah sits on the other side of me, her hand in mine. I can barely focus on anything.
The only thought I have is Ryan saved me.
He’s kept his eyes closed since Luke announced Zeke and Kane are on their way. He’s hurt, because of me.
“Open your eyes, babe,” I tell him.
His does, his glassy gaze coming to me. “I’m okay,” he says.
“I’m worried about you,” I admit. “You’re out of it.”
“I got my bell rung.” He gives me a wry smile. “I just need a minute to recalibrate.”
“Gemma’s coming over,” Luke says, pulling my attention to him.
Gemma is our cousin and a doctor. I feel a little relieved knowing she’s en route too.
“Charlotte’s never going to stop, is she?” I say quietly.
Luke comes to me and drops down in front of me. “We’ve got things in motion, Aurelia, to stop our parents. It’s just taking time for us to get everything ready.”
I want to believe I can be free, but until it happens, I can’t. My parents will always come for me because I can be used to further their power. And that is all my mother cares about — my father too. They enjoy this life. Covet it even.
Ryan squeezes my hand. Sariah too. I know I’m surrounded by people who love me and care for my well-being, but in this moment, I feel more alone than I’ve ever felt. This is my fight, not my brothers, not Ryan’s, not my sister-in-law’s, and yet everyone is being dragged into my troubles. I hate my parents for putting me in this position, for pushing my brothers down a road that can only lead to death and chaos.
I stare at my brother, words sitting on the tip of my tongue. I want to spill everything, and although Luke is the most sensitive of my three brothers, he isn’t going to enjoy a breakdown from me. I take a steadying breath, then I say, “I don’t want anyone to die for me.”
“Don’t write us off before we’ve even started.” Luke smirks, and I don’t know how he can find any humour in the situation. I feel sick to my stomach.
“How can you fight against them? The power they have, the foothold in the city... You can’t defeat them.”
“You’d be surprised how much support we have,” he says.
“Enough to take them out?”
Luke’s smile is a little scary. “Charlotte hasn’t endeared herself to many people over the years. There are plenty of people who will stand happily against her. Our father too. They see him as weak, a puppet of our mother.” He stands at the sound of the elevator doors sliding open. “I don’t want you worrying about this, Aurelia.”
We all turn as Zeke steps into the room. His eyes come to me before shifting to Ryan. Just looking at him, it’s clear to see he took some hits trying to get me to safety.
“You both look like hell,” Zeke says.
“Ryan kept me safe,” I reply. “He’s the only reason I’m sitting here and not in the back of the car being taken to Charlotte.”
Zeke stares at his former bodyguard, his eyes tight. There is a lot of ground for them to fix, but I hope they can. They were friends for a long time.
“You need to be in the hospital,” he says to Ryan.
“He keeps saying he’s fine,” I interject before Ryan can say anything, “but he’s struggling.”
“I took a hit to the head,” Ryan admits.
Zeke’s eyes focus on Ryan’s hand in mine, and I can tell he doesn’t like it. He also takes in the fact I’m half undressed. The T-shirt I’m wearing barely covers me. He doesn’t comment on it, even though I can tell he wants to.
“You can stop looking at him like he’s the enemy,” I snap. “Ryan saved my life, even though he was hurt himself. He dragged me out of that apartment without a thought for his own safety.”
