Page 22 of Duress
That’s it. I can’t take this disgusting conversation any longer. I shove Bryce’s hand away from my thigh and stand up from his lap, backing away, unable to keep the disdain off my face.
“Oh, my god. I can’t believe you would sit here and so casually discuss the death of a young woman like that. You sound like you’re making a fantasy football trade. Who even are you, Bryce?” I fling my arms out to the side, my voice rising to just this side of shrill. Bryce’s expression is furious, but I don’t give a fuck. I can’t sit and listen to him barter over getting a rapist off with a smack on the wrist.
“Everly, sit the fuck down. You’re making a scene.” He stands, looming over me in an instant. He reaches for my arm, but I back away, out of his reach.
“Keep your hands off me, or I’ll really cause a scene.”
He reaches for me again, “Ever?—”.
“No!Do not fuckingEverlyme. I am leaving. Do not follow me. I don’t want to look at you.” I imbue as muchvenom into my voice as I can before turning and storming away from my husband. Tears threaten to fall as the realization that I am married to a monster I don’t even know hits me.
I ignore the curious looks from the partygoers close enough to hear our argument and the chuckle Shane lets out at Bryce’s expense. Suddenly the air in his ballroom is beyond stifling, and my only thought isI need to get away.
Storming down the plush carpeted hallway, vision blurry with tears of frustration and disgust, I pull my phone from my clutch and call the only person I can think of who won’t tell me I’m overreacting and being silly. Ducking into the ladies’ room to hide from Bryce, I wait—heart pounding from adrenaline—for my call to be answered. Relief rushes through me when I hear a confused but concerned voice on the other end of the line.
“Everly? Is that you? What’s going on?”
“Dane—” My voice hitches as a sob escapes. “Can— Can you come get me?”
CHAPTER 19
DANE
When I pull my car into the circular driveway of The Magnolia, my muscles are tense from holding myself back, when all I want is to march into that ballroom and punch my asshole brother in the face. Everly sounded so distraught when I answered her call, my protective instincts for her took over, and I didn’t think twice about coming to pick her up. I don’t know what he’s done to upset her to the point where she feels the need to run from him, but once I find out, I will make sure he suffers the consequences.
I pull out my phone and text Everly to let her know I’m here. She asked me to not come inside. She doesn’t want anyone to see me and tell Bryce who she’s with. It’s taking all of my self-restraint to abide by her request, but I do it because I don’t want to make this worse for her, and I don’t want to be like my brother and ignore her boundaries.
A minute later, I see her rushing out the lobby doors toward my car. My breath catches when I see her. She’swearing a short black cocktail dress with a gauzy skirt that floats and shifts as her hips move, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her thighs. The top half is strapless, the sweetheart neckline accentuating her feminine curves, leaving her shoulders and neck on display. It’s sexy but classy. It isn’t until my gaze reaches her face that I see the tell-tale red blotches on her cheeks that reveal she’s been crying, and my heart clenches at the sight. Shit, what happened to her?
Everly slides into the passenger seat of my car and doesn’t look at me as she buckles her seatbelt. She just faces forward, a grim look of resignation on her face as she says, “Just go. I don’t care where.” Her voice is soft, buried under the weight of defeat, but lined with the sharp edge of bitterness.
Shifting the car into drive, I take her to the one place I’m sure Bryce won’t look for her. My apartment. As far as I know, he has no reason to suspect she would call me for help, and she should be able to hide out at my place while she gets her bearings.
We ride in silence as I navigate the dark streets. The rhythmic swiping of the windshield wipers and her quiet sniffles are the only sounds to be heard. I resign myself to wait and let her decide when she’s ready to talk.
I leadher into my modest apartment, and mentally cringe at how it probably meets the textbook definition of bachelor pad. It’s a small studio with a bedroom loft that fits my needs but probably feels like a shoeboxcompared to the house she shares with my brother. The walls are white and bare on one side and exposed brick on the other. The furniture basic and utilitarian. One brown leather couch that has seen better days, a small dinette set with a table and two chairs, an oversized TV complete with gaming system, and a small galley kitchen stocked mostly with convenience foods. At least my mattress is on an actual bedframe and not on the floor.
Everly stops and takes a look around, still looking a little dazed. I watch as her eyes sweep across the space, like she’s figuring out where she is and how she got here.
“Can I get you something to drink? Water? Coffee?”
“Got anything stronger?” Her voice is raspy and sexy from disuse. It goes straight to my cock, and I send a mental note to my dick reminding it now is not the time to get hard.
“Yeah, I got something stronger. Make yourself comfortable.” I wave a hand to the leather couch with cracks in it as I head to the fridge to pull out two bottles of double IPA. It’s not liquor, but it’s strong enough to take the edge off, and I don’t want to get her drunk. I make quick work of removing the caps before handing her a bottle and sitting next to her on the couch. She’s curled up, legs tucked under, skirt riding up, once again putting her tantalizing, creamy thighs on display. God, my brother is a fucking idiot. He has no idea what he has.
Everly accepts the bottle with a grateful smile and takes a long swallow of the beer. I focus on my own, trying not to let my eyes lock in on the mesmerizing way her neckmoves as she swallows, wishing it was my dick between her lips instead.
“So do you want to talk about it?” I shift my position so I’m facing Everly. She’s looking down, picking at the label on the bottle. It’s a long moment before she responds.
“I’m just coming to terms with the fact that I’m married to a soulless monster. I don’t even know who Bryce is now…other than someone who’s more concerned with using people to get ahead in his own life than doing the right thing. He wasn’t always like this…was he?”
When she looks up and our eyes meet, there is so much agony in hers, like she needs to know she wasn’t blind to his failings the entirety of their relationship. As much as I’d like to throw my dickhead of a brother under the bus, I can’t. I don’t want to hurt her more.
“No, I don’t think he was. At least not when it came to you.” It’s not a lie. Bryce was good to Everly, even if he was a dick to me. “He’s a man with goals and the determination to meet them, and he won’t let anything get in his way. It’s what makes him so good at his job. It’s also what makes him a selfish asshole.”
Everly nods and takes another sip of her beer. “Yeah, I’m beginning to see that now. I…I just don’t know if I can sit by and be with someone like him. You didn’t hear the disgusting things he was saying. How…dehumanizing he was toward the victim of his client. And the way he let Shane just leer at me like he was dangling a piece of meat in front of a starving animal.” She closes her eyes, face scrunching like she’s fighting the impulse to cry again.
“Hey, Ever, it’s okay. You’re safe here now. I’ve got you.”I reach out and cup her cheek, swiping a silent tear away with the pad of my thumb. I feel her body relax into my touch and take that as an invitation to scoot closer. I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side, and she rests her head on my chest.
