Page 3 of My Ex’s Billionaire Brothers (Forbidden Hearts #5)

HUNTER

Not everyone can handle Sins. Some people come in, realize their mistake, and dart out. Others stick around, not knowing their limits until it’s too late. But for those of us weirdos who like their power games and pain play, Sins is home.

It gives me something to be proud of and a sense of independence from the rest of the Carver family madness. I need that more often than not.

Just as I’m about to head to the bar for a quick chat with the bartender, I see Gage move like a heat-seeking missile toward the entrance. There’s something in his stride that sets alarms jangling in my head.

Usually, the only thing that gets him moving like that is lack of consent in a scene.

I glance around to see who—or what—he’s after, and my heart about jumps into my throat when I spot a familiar curvy brunette in a tight black dress, looking like a lost lamb in a den of wolves.

What the hell is Calvin’s fiancée doing here?

A second later, I see Derek, one of our more forward doms, corner her with the sly grin he saves for when he’s sniffing out fresh blood. She’s obviously uncomfortable, but he doesn’t back off.

My gut twists. I’ve only met Anya a few times, but those times were enough to know she’s sweet and a bit shy. She has no business getting cornered by an overzealous dom on her first trip to Sins.

Gage intervenes, stepping between Derek and Anya, and I can breathe again. Derek might be an okay guy, but sometimes he forgets to gauge the vibe before going all in. I take the private elevator up, beating Gage to the office.

Theo glances up from the paperwork he brought from his office. “We need to talk about the Manhattan project.”

“Not now,” I tell him, nodding my head toward the door.

Gage opens it, ushering Anya inside. She looks…well, she’s beautiful, but right now, her face is red, and she’s obviously been crying. He gestures for her to take a seat on the couch, but she’s clearly not all here. So he adds, “Sit.”

Of course he talks to her like a pet. Gage has a big heart, but he’s not one for finesse.

I try my hand at it. “Hey, Anya,” I say softly, trying not to spook her as I collect her attention. “Have a seat. I’ll get you a drink.” I turn for the small water bottle fridge, catching Gage’s eye and the message in it.

Something’s really wrong here.

She doesn’t move after I pass her a bottle. A tear drops off her chin, splattering on the plush carpet. She sinks into the couch, face paler than usual. I’m not sure she knew the couch was there.

I grab a tissue box from the bookshelf in the corner and place it in her lap. “Here,” I say, keeping my voice low. “Take your time.”

She sniffles and dabs her nose, but can’t seem to form words. Finally, Gage squats down in front of her, forearms resting on his thighs. “Anya,” he says gently, or as gently as Gage ever does anything. His deep voice always sounds like he’s mad about something. “What happened? Is Calvin okay?”

There’s raw pain in her blue eyes—pain so deep it knocks the wind right out of me. She mutters, “Calvin’s political consultant told him, ‘You don’t marry the fatty if you want the White House.’ So, he dumped me.”

I step toward the wall and run a hand over my buzzed hair, trying to calm the rage that flares inside me.

I’ve known for years that Calvin is an image-obsessed jerk, but I never thought he’d go this low.

He always hid behind polite smiles and political ambition, but this…

this is disgusting. I want to rage, but I swallow it down to let her speak.

Strangely, sitting here and keeping my feelings bottled up feels a lot like performing aftercare for a submissive after a hard session.

Anya sniffles. “I…I quit my job months ago. I used my savings for wedding deposits. I don’t know what to do.

My family is expecting me to bring Calvin to Castle Beach for the Fourth of July.

It was supposed to be the big introduction.

He…” She shakes her head miserably. “He never really loved me, did he?”

She looks up, eyes searching, as if one of us can hand her the missing piece.

But the truth is, I suspected from the start that Calvin was using her for optics.

She’s the perfect combination of sweet and refined, with a dash of innocence that the media would eat up.

A pretty Southern belle without a mean bone in her body.

And now he’s discarding her like she’s worthless. Anger seeps through my every nerve.

She’s right about him. He never loved her. Calvin probably cared about her insofar as she could further his ambitions. But love? Absolutely not. I don’t know that he’s capable of such a thing. There is no answer to her question that will make her feel better about this.

So, I don’t answer her. I sink onto the arm of the leather couch, arms folded over my chest. “He’s always been a prick, and you deserve better.”

She presses her lips together, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I gave up everything because I trusted him. I thought he was going to be my forever. Now I have nothing.”

“Hey,” I say, my tone sharper than intended. “Stop that.” Her eyes widen. I soften my voice. “You trusted someone who should have been trustworthy. That’s not on you—it’s on him .”

Theo finally speaks. “What’s your plan now? You…mentioned going to Castle Beach for the holiday?”

She shrugs, fiddling with the tissue in her hands. “I guess. If I can even get there. I don’t have a car. I mean, we were supposed to drive one of his. And my parents aren’t exactly well-off enough to drop everything and come rescue me. I…I don’t really want them to see me like this.”

Theo’s lips thin. He’s always had a soft spot for the helpless, even if he denies it. “There’s no shame in needing help, Anya.”

She gives a hollow laugh, but doesn’t speak.

Gage stands, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “We can figure something out. Are you still living in Calvin’s townhouse?”

“For now…this just happened a few hours ago,” she whispers. “But I…I can’t stay there. He said I have until the end of the month, but I can’t stand the idea of seeing him every day. It hurts.” Fresh tears threaten.

An ache wells in my chest, but there’s more to this than the innocent lamb is saying.

Why would she come here? She has to have friends she could cry to.

But coming here? To the place Calvin hates more than anywhere in the world?

There’s anger behind her pretty blue eyes, and a suspicion forms. “You came here for revenge, didn’t you? ”

“Yes. But…” She shrugs and sniffles. “I don’t know what I’m doing. Not really. Now, I just feel…lost.”

I crouch beside her, gently taking her hand. She doesn’t pull away. “Listen, if you need anything— anything —we’ll help. Right, guys?”

Theo looks at me, at Gage, then back at Anya. He sighs. “Yes. Of course.”

I see tears slip down her cheeks again, and my heart squeezes.

She’s so vulnerable, yet even in this moment, there’s a quiet strength about her.

And I’d have to be dead not to notice how that dress clings to her curves.

It’s not exactly the time or place for that thought, but it flits through my mind regardless.

I do my best to focus on logistics instead. My gaze cuts to Theo. I mouth the word “balcony” before turning to her. “We’ll be right back.” I set out to the balcony with Theo close behind. “We need to talk.”

“Fucking Calvin,” he growls.

I nod. “Exactly. He’s made a mess of her life, and we’re here to clean it up.”

“We are?”

“I’m not letting her deal with this alone. Are you?”

“Well, no, but?—”

“Good. What do you think of hooking her up with a job?”

“Here? Are you out of your mind?”

I shake my head. “At one of our offices? She was an office manager before, right?”

Theo’s mouth tightens. “Let’s not complicate the situation. We can help her with a temporary place to stay. That’s enough for now.”

I get it—he’s worried about crossing lines, about mixing personal relationships with business. Theo always worries. Normally, I’d agree. But this feels different.

“Theo, she needs help. We’re billionaires with more than enough money and resources to help her. She’s practically family?—”

“She is most certainly not family.”

I blink at him. “Until a few hours ago, she was.”

He closes his eyes and lets out an audible exhale of frustration. I hear it even over the industrial beat thumping through the club. “For the sake of my own sanity, please stop calling her family.”

“Why are you getting hung up on this?”

He whips a glare at me. “Because you shouldn’t have even a tiny crush on family.”

I grin. Can’t help it. It’s nice to know Theo is just as human as the rest of us.

“Don’t give me that look.”

I laugh hard and stare out over the crowd. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep that to myself.”

“Thank you.”

“Still. We need to help her.”

He sighs. “I’ll think about it.”

“While you’re thinking about her naked?”

The slug to my shoulder is well-deserved. “I told you in confidence.”

“And I haven’t told anyone else. Doesn’t mean I don’t get to tease you for it.”

“I knew telling you was a mistake,” he says with a wry smile.