Page 133 of Love Without Control

Well, here the fuck we go.

I heaved out a long breath and spit it out. “I was kidnapped.”

My brother’s expression transformed into one of rage, of the protective big brother, even though he was a year younger than me. “By whom?” he gritted out.

I glanced over my shoulder at the man standing nervously near a tree about twenty yards away, his face a mask of apprehension as our eyes met. He gave me a nod of encouragement, and I turned back to my brother.

“Human traffickers.”

Monty’s knees buckled, but he remained standing upright. “No,” he whispered, his face the picture of grief.

“I’m okay, Mon. I was rescued not long after I was taken, and I am okay.” I said those last three words slowly to emphasize them.

“But…” He shook his head back and forth, as if to clear it. “But where have you been? Why didn’t you come home or call us or… something?”

“I went into a do-it-yourself witness protection program.”

He pulled his head back, brow furrowing. “A what?”

“I’ll explain it all to you, but I’d rather not do it a million times. Can I talk to the whole family at once?”

“Fuck. Yeah,” he said, bobbing his head up and down. “We have to get to Dad and Auburn.” His eyes turned to the right where his gorgeous, pregnant wife was being comforted by Cruz Estrada, Auburn’s former driver and security guard.

I touched Monty’s arm as his face took on the consistency of a marshmallow at the sight of Kassie. “I’m so happy you and Kass are back together,” I told him, my throat feeling tight. They’d been apart for so long, but they’d finally found their way back to each other.

“You know about us?” Monty asked, giving me the side eye.

“I’ve been keeping up through social media and my friend Google.”

“Right, the Instagram account,” he said, shifting his gaze to the left this time. “So you’re reallyThe Adventures of Garfield and Snoopy?” A smile crossed his face when he spotted my fur babies.

I motioned for Dane, and he nodded, making his way toward us. “That’s me.” I’d sent Monty a private message from my account and told him I’d be bringing the furry duo to New York and asked if he wanted to meet up in Central Park. “Here you thought you’d be meeting the stars of the account, and you ended up with your sister.”

A laugh burst from Monty as he swiped the remnants of tears from his face. Then he looped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “Best goddamn surprise of my life. Who’s that guy? Some kind of handler or pet sitter?”

“Actually,” I said, reaching for Dane’s hand as he approached. “This is my husband, Dane Osbourne.”

My brother’s mouth dropped open so wide, I was surprised it didn’t hit his loafers. “Your husband? You’re married?”

“As are you,” I pointed out, and he shook his head in wonder.

“I’m just… I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that you’re here, but now you tell me you’re married? I guess I still think of you as an almost-nineteen-year-old.”

“I’ll always be a year older than you, no matter how long I’ve been gone.”

Monty gave me a light punch on the arm before turning to shake Dane’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Monty Bouvier.”

“I know. I’ve kept up with you through Ed—uh, Evie.”

“Wish I could say the same,” my brother said wryly before turning toward the approaching footsteps.

For an extremely pregnant woman, Kassie Bouvier could trot. She barreled into me, hugging me in a wild tangle of arms and tears. “Evie! Oh my god, Evie!”

I returned her embrace. Kassie and I had been instant friends as soon as Monty introduced us as teens. I’d been heartbroken when she and Monty split up shortly before I got kidnapped.

“You look so beautiful,” I told her, pulling back and patting her belly. “I’m so happy you two are back together.”

Her brown eyes were wide and wet. “What happened to you, Evie?”

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