Page 15 of My Three Mountain Men

It was the same feeling I’d had with Simone just now in the room, leading me to regroup in the privacy of my room.

Did she know who we were, too?

Another shiver of apprehension rushed through me. Knox was rubbing off on me with his paranoia. Simone wasn’t some world-class journalist. This was a foolish influencer who had stumbled into some kind of catfight.

Then why did she have such a strong effect on me?

Closing the door, I waited for Brooks to knock on the door and give me a blast of shit for the way I’d spoken to his little pet, but when a minute passed and my cousin didn’t come, I allowed myself to relax and sit at the computer desk overlooking the window, steadying my hands in front of me. After a moment, my nerves calmed, and my hands stilled, but my mind continued to race.

She’s upsetting you because she’s messing up the flow of order around here,I told myself. Despite the sensible thought, I couldn’t help but let an image from the past creep in, one that I was sure I had burned along with so many other memories.

And then I had second thoughts about the way that I treated her.

I was really hard on her, but I’d given up on social niceties long ago. Simone was defiant, ungrateful, and entitled. But underneath the façade, for only a brief second, I saw a woman who was scared and putting on a front.

I pushed that thought aside. I didn’t want to pity her or feel bad for her. I just wanted her to leave as soon as possible.

The knock I’d been expecting minutes earlier shattered my reverie.

“What?” I barked.

The door opened, and Brooks stood awkwardly at the threshold, a bundle of clothing in his arms.

“Are you about to lecture me about how I spoke to the superstar?” I growled.

He shook his head. “No. I was going to commend you on getting her to eat,” he replied, surprising me.

I sniffed and spun around in the swivel chair, folding my arms over my barrel chest, cocking my head back to stare up at him. “Stop treating her like a newborn puppy. She’s a full-grown woman, Brooks, not a baby.”

He nodded, visibly swallowing. “I know.”

“Do you?”

His gaze darted down, and I softened, realizing I was being harsh with him unreasonably, but I was still pissed off with him for bringing her to our home.

“Do you think she needs any kind of medical attention?”

My arms dropped to my side, another stab of concern piercing through me. I’d been so consumed with covering our asses, I hadn’t examined her for signs of injury.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly, standing. “But we probably should find out.”

“I’ll ask her—”

“No,” I interjected. “I’ll do it. She’s not going to tell you anything.”

I strode out of my bedroom and headed into the hallway again, entering the guest bedroom without knocking. Simone gasped, dropping the remnants of her sandwich when she saw me. She’d made a good dent out of the cheese and ham since I’d last been in.

“Your appetite’s intact,” I commented, pulling the comforter back.

“What are you doing?” she gasped, tossing the plate back onto the bedside table and snatching the blanket toward her.

“I brought you a change of clothes,” Brooks said quickly from behind me, thrusting the pile forward. “They’re too big, but—”

“I told you, I’m fine—”

“Put them on,” I interrupted. “And check for any open wounds.”

Startled, Simone stared at me. “What?”

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