CHAPTER b0030 /b

Meadow’s POV:

I frozei. /i

And bso /bdid ricb. /b

Neither of us dared to breathe.

The loud, unmistakable sound of ss breaking still echoed through the house.

Someone was in the house. And by the look on ric’s face, he wasn’t expecting anyone. Which meant that this was definitely a break–in.

I felt ric’s fingers twitch slightly on the back of my neck before he let go. His jaw tightened as his eyes shifted toward the open door. And then he moved, like something had snapped inside of him.

Or like he just realized he had an intruder.

He turned to me when he realized I was following him out the door. “Stay here,” he said, voice low and

unreadable.

My mouth parted. “ric, what if—b” /b

He shot me a look. Just one look, and it shut me up.

A silent “don’t test me.”

And then he turned and walked out. But there was no way I was going to stay back while something bad might happen. I had to call the police or something.

bBut /bmy phone was downstairs. Shit.

I walked back toward the bed, remembering how ric had tossed his on it. It was still there. I picked it bup/bb, /bband /bthen hurried bout /bof the room.

My heart beat hard against my ribs as I descended the stairs, careful not to let my footsteps echo. I’d typed the emergency number on ric’s phone already, in case anything went awry.

When I got bto /bthe bottom of the stairs, I paused, holding on to the banister. I could hear movement.

ric’s heavy footsteps…

And a low groan.

“Shit,” a voice slurred from the kitchen. It was a man’s voice, and it sounded angry.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” ric sounded even angrier than the other man did.

+15 bBONUS /b

He knew who it bwas/b. Of course, he did. This was a mansion with high securityb. /bbNo /bone would ever be able bto /bbreak in without him getting alerted.

Slowlyb, /bbI /bmade bmy /bway to the kitchen, stopping at the corner so I could listen in.

The deep voice rang out again.

“Jesus, Ric. Are you ever gonna answer your fucking phone? So fucking rude, man, I swear. I’m yourb…/bb” /bhe trailed off. I heard him gag.

ric cursed. “Throw up on my fucking floor, Nn, and I swear to fucking god, I will fucking kill byou/b.”

bOkay/bb… /b

First of all, I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard ric curse that much in one sentence before. And second…

Who bon /bearth was that?

The man let out azy chuckle. “Heard from Mom you got hitched. And you didn’t think to invite byour /bown familyb? /bOof, brother. My feelings are hurt.”

Brother?

I blinked, my brain stuttering.

ric… had a brother?

Mel had mentioned him having a family, but I never thought that they would be so near to us. Or that they’d be close enough to him that they had ess to his house.

“That’s none of your business. Get the hell off my floors.b” /b

“Can’tb. /bI’m piss drunk.”

bOkay/b, now I had to see for myself. Before I could talk myself out of it, I rounded the corner into the kitchen

And walked myself into a fucking mess. Literally.

A loud gasp tore from my throat as something sharp pierced into my foot and I slipped on the floor that I

had no bidea /bwas wet.

b“/bbMeadow/b–Fuckb!/b” ric cursed.

He was across the kitchen in seconds. Tooteb, /bthough.

I didn’t even register the pain at firstb, /bjust the sudden sting under my foot and the shock of hitting the ground, the bitter scent of bourbon flooding my nostrils. I’dnded mostly on my side, not directly on the ss, thank goodnessb. /bBut I could feel the sharp burn from where a shard of ss had caught my feet.

+15 bBONUS /b

ric was balready /bkneeling beside me, his arm sliding beneath my back, the other hooking around bmy /b

knees.

I registered his warmth as he lifted me like I weighed nothing and carefully ced me on the counter. His movements were clipped and when he pulled back to look at me, his jaw was tight.

b“/bbYou /bdidn’t hit byour /bhead?” he asked, voice low and full ofmand.

I shook my head, wincing. “bNo/b, I…just my foot. I slipped on the ss and-b” /b

“I know what happened,” he cut in. His voice was cold as ice, but not unkind. “Stay there.”

And then he turned and went to the sink. ric’s brother moaned sleepily somewhere on the ground, but I didn’t turn. I didn’t dare.

I’d already disobeyed ric bying down when he asked me to stay in the room, and now I was hurt. The least I could do was to just sit there, like he said.

I heard ric open the cabs under the sink like he was looking for something, and when he reappeared, it was with a ck box that I hadn’t really noticed before. First aid.

Not like I was in the kitchen much.

His entire demeanor was tense as he dropped it next to me on the counter, muscles shifting under his skin as he moved. He still seemed calm and controlled as always, but now, there was an edge to it.

Yeah, he was definitely pissed at me.

Or his… brother?

Or maybe both of us.

He crouched down in front of me, gently lifting my injured foot with one hand. His touch was firm but

careful.

bI /bcould feel the blood trickle down my heel.

ric exhaled through his nose. “You’re lucky byou /bdidn’t fall directly on the ss.”

He opened the kit, grabbing a few antiseptic wipes and a pair of tweezers. And maybe I was overthinking things, but… ric moved like he’d done this a thousand times before. bIt /bwas like he knew exactly what

bto /bbdo /bband /bhow to do it.

Using the tweezers, ric pulled a small shard from my skin. I let out a small wince in response.

b“/bI’m going to fucking kill him,” he muttered under his breath, voice dark and threatening.

He was angry, but somehow still managed not to snap at me. Something warm filled my chest. There had never been a time in my life when I wasn’t med for something that happened to me. Even with Tyler.

Until now.

I swallowed thickly, allowing the guilt to wash over me. “I’m sorryb,/b” I whispered. “I just… I thought it was

an intruder. And I wasn’t going to let you face him all alone.”

“Cute,” ric’s brother–Nn, I think–scoffed.

ric ignored him, looking up at me instead. “He’s not an intruder. He’s a damn pest.” And then his eyes

shifted to the nearby mess on the floor, his phone included.

Fuck, I probably broke it. He continued. “And you had nine–one–one on the dial already. Smart.”

Smart.

One praise word from ric’s mouth and I was already melting and-

“Ahh!” I hissed sharply as he applied antiseptic to the cut.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

Another drowsy scoff from Nn.

“Sorryb?/b” he echoed. “Oh, mother is going to fucking love this.”

ric tensed, looking away from me.

And then–as if something had snapped inside him, he sprang to his feet.

And then he charged toward his brother.

“ric-” I started, but he didn’t stop moving.

I turned on the counter just in time to see him pull his brother up from the floor andnd a punch on his

face so hard that I could hear bones crack.

Not ric’s bones.

Nn’sb. /b