Page 89 of Not A Whisper

Jason flinches. But he’s not the only one to react. Trip grunts before shaking his head and looking away, his scowl growing darker.

“You can file all you want, but I won’t sign anything. You’remine,Briella.” A vein bulges in Grant’s forehead as he speaks, his voice pitched low and menacing. “I’m not letting a fake engagement, my father, or your issues with societal norms get in the way of claiming what belongs to me. Tous.”

I open my mouth to object, but he waves his hand dismissively.

“Nothing is going to change here, dollface. Learn to deal with it.”

Twenty-Two

Ithink I went numb at a certain altitude.

Contending with my headache, fatigue, and my anger seemed to be too much to handle at once so my body just shut off my emotions. The guys hardly speak but when they do, they keep their voices low. No one bothers to rope me into their conversation.

But when we land, my anger returns.

It’s dark by the time we trudge into my apartment, our luggage in tow. We don’t get far into the tiny space though. All over my apartment are cardboard boxes. They’re stacked against walls, piled in the kitchen, and stacked on my coffee table. Each box is labeledGrantorJason.

The sight of my apartment in shambles infuriates me even more. As does the thought that their friends now have the code to my apartment.

I leave them to deal with the mess—holing up in my bedroom with a bottle of wine. As I fume, I scroll on my phone. If only I could talk to Pianna, I’d probably feel better. Then again, maybe not. I can hear her berating me for being so reckless.I’m usually really good about reading the fine print of anything I sign. I’m not typically careless. Trip had caught me off guard and I suppose I trusted him. But trust shouldn’t have trumped the importance of reading everything that I sign.

Lesson learned.

She also would be furious at the guys. Of course Pianna wouldn’t blamemefor stealing her thunder, taking light off her own wedding. It would be the guys she directed her fury at. And as much as I would agree with her righteous anger, I couldn’t tell her the real reason why they did it. The things with Garry are complicated, and I want her as far away from it as possible. The less she knows about the trouble I may be facing with him, the safer she’ll be. Somehow, I’ll have to carefully tell her to watch out though—in case he does try to use her to get to me. That conversation is going to be difficult.

My anger wavers a little. The guys did this to protect me. Is it extreme? Sure. But almost everything about them is. Have they ever done anything half-assed? Go big or go home—it’s like the slogan was created just for them.

It doesn’t hurt that Jason loves me. Trip might too. Two out of the three isn’t bad right?

A little more anger trickles away.

Good lord… Am I listening to myself? I’m trying to justify an unjustifiable situation. What is wrong with me? Clearly, a lot. Considering how easy it would be to let go of my outrage and just accept the situation has me downing a quarter of the bottle in a single swig.

It’s late by the time the soft conversation dwindles down to nothing outside my bedroom door. Still, I angrily scroll through different websites. It’s mindless and without any direction. Whatever I can do to get my mind off the current situation.

It’s two o’clock in the morning when suddenly, my eyes land onthe best form of revenge I can find. I gasp, sitting straight up. The movement topples the wine bottle over. Thank goodness it’s empty. Ignoring it, my mind races. Could I do this…? I pull up a few videos to see how hard it would be. It looks messy. And maybe a little painful. I have to slap my hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter.

Perfect.

Once I’ve added a few extra items, I clickbuy now. I lean back in my seat, staring at the confirmation page. It should be here by tomorrow night. A wild grin spreads across my face. Oh, they’re going to be pissed if I can pull this off. Swallowing down the urge to laugh again, I plug my phone into its charger and lay down.

Revenge is going to be so much fun.

Monday morning rollsaround and I’m ready for the day. I thought I’d be tired, but as I get ready for work, I feel fine. Even my anger has waned significantly. I think about what’s in store for the guys tonight and grin.

As I step into the living room, I find that they've managed to compromise on the sleeping arrangements. Jason and Grant are on the pull out sofa, and with a quick glance in the office, I find Trip fast asleep on the couch cushions.

How have I beatenTripin waking up? He’s notorious for getting up early. They must really be beat after a weekend of manipulation and lying. After tonight, I’m hoping I can save them some trouble in the future.

I make it a point to slam the door shut as I leave.

In the parking lot, the sound of a child screaming catches my attention. I pause, my keys in my car, ready to unlock it. Looking up, I catch sight of Lance a few cars down.

“No! I don’t want to go! I want to stay with you, Daddy!” a little voice cries out, its owner just out of sight.

Lance’s face twists with regret. “I know, baby girl. But we’ll see each other again soon. Your mom is going to kill me if we’re late.”

“No, no, no!”

---