Page 128 of Dangerous Men

Tasting every terrible, dirty thing he said to me.

Tasting what started in the alley when Viper touched me. Tasting a truth I desperately want to escape.

Because he’s right.

I’d loved it. All of it.

What is wrong with me?

The sob shudders through me before I can stop it, and before I know what’s happening I’m crying, eyes screwed shut, curling in on myself. All these years, I pushed myself into this tiny box of what I thought I needed to be, and within weeks, these men completely unraveled all my work.

Sebastian snatches his hand away like I burned him, taking a quick step back. When he reaches for me again, his touch is soft. So gentle and soft.

“Sydney?” he asks, wiping the tears from my face. “You’re okay, love. I’ve got you. Talk to me. What’s wrong, what?—?”

“Go,” I tell him, through the sobs. “Please, just… justgo,Sebastian.”

He hesitates, not sure what to do. For once his face is an open book, all his emotions laid bare. And I hate him a little for it, for finally showing some vulnerability.

“Sydney, I…”

“Leave!”I sob.

“Okay,” he says gently, taking another step back and holding up his hands as if in surrender. He looks destroyed. “If… if that’s what you want me to do. I’ll… I’ll go.”

He waits, like he’s expecting an answer.

I don’t give him one.

For a long time after he leaves, I just lie there, curled on my side on the table, trying to understand what sort of monster they’ve unleashed into the world.

46

ASHTON

“We’re already hearingchatter that Anthony isn’t reachable,” Alec says, tapping the arm of his chair. “Which means either Viper already found him or he’s so hidden that?—”

The door to his office swings open with enough force it hits the wall, knocking a photo off its nail and to the ground. I sit up straight on the couch, and Alec’s hand instantly goes to his gun, as Sebastian rushes in.

He’s a mess. Hair mussed, clothes disheveled.

And… my nostrils flare. He smells like sex.

“I fucked up,” he tells us, voice high with panic.

I register the split second of shock on Alec’s face at seeing our brother like this before he locks it down, his jaw tightening. His face is all business when Sebastian finally looks at him.

“What happened?” Alec demands, voice cold.

Sebastian paces, hands moving constantly as he stalks around the room. This isn’t like him, this isn’t like our cold, collected brother. This is what he was like when we were kids. A nervous ball of energy, unable to keep himself still. This is the Sebastian I remember from before the orphanage.

“Viper found her,” he tells us. His fingers twitch, hands clenching and unclenching nervously.

A lead weight drops into my stomach at those words.No. No, no, no.

“Is she okay?” Alec asks, leaning forward over his desk.

Sebastian’s answering laugh is devoid of any humor. He shakes his head.