Page 61 of The Billionaire's Bride

"Except for Sinclair, that is, whose parents didn’t have much money to begin with," Edward adds.

"They took him by mistake," Baron clarifies, "but that’s beside the point. They abducted us. Our parents paid the ransom, and the cops found us—"

"Though by then, the damage had been done." Edward’s lips twist. "Since then, the Seven of us have tried to track down the perpetrators."

"And apparently, we are getting close, because they are trying to get to you." Baron adds.

"Why would they do that?" I place my elbows on the table. "Why do they want to hurt me?"

"As a means of using you to get to us," Baron points between himself and Edward. "We think they are trying to send us a signal to back off."

"Which only reinforces our suspicion that we are getting close to finding out the real identity of who the kidnapper was," Edward adds.

"How do you know it’s the Mafia who attempted to hurt me?" I frown.

"The man Edward shot; he had tattoos that identified him as one of them," Baron replies, "and the man he tried to kill earlier—"

"Hold on, he tried to kill someone?" I stare at Edward, "You tried to kill someone?"

Edward’s jaw hardens. "He was responsible for getting us kidnapped. When I found that out," he tightens his fingers round the handle of his mug, "I couldn’t hold back. He is responsible for everything that happened to the Seven of us. Do you understand?"

"Still," I swallow, "you tried to kill him, Ed."

"He didn’t die," Baron reasons.

"That’s not the point." I take in Edward’s features, his amber eyes currently filled with an emotion that I can’t quite place, those high cheekbones, the pouty lower lip… So familiar, and yet, not. He’s changed so much since I met him. He’s the same, and yet... He’s not. I am not sure what to make of him. A dull pounding starts at my temples. My face feels numb. Maybe I’m not over last night’s attack either. I mean, a girl can only take so much.

"So basically, you guys brought me here to ensure that you could watch over me, keep me safe until you know the danger has been averted?"

Baron and Edward stare at each other, then at me.

"Yes," Edward says, "We thought it best to get you here right away. We didn’t want to risk going to your place, in case it tipped off anyone."

"My classes—?"

"I’ve arranged to email the students that you are taking a temporary leave of absence." Baron explains.

And when I get back, I’ll have to likely start from square one, because, well, students of dance are not necessarily the most loyal. My shoulders slump. "And my clothes—?"

"I’ve asked Archer to arrange for a few changes of clothing to be delivered here." Edward replies.

"A few changes?" I tip up my chin, "Exactly how long do you expect us to stay here?"

"Until the danger blows over." Edward tilts his head.

"And both of you will stay here with me?"

They both nod.

"Also," Edward folds his arms across his chest, "you can fuck either one of us, at any time."

I choke on my sip of coffee. "Wha—" I gape at him. "Excuse me?" I sputter, "Wha...what do you mean by that?"

"Exactly that," Baron murmurs. "We realized it's not right to put you under any more constraints, especially after everything that you have been through."

"We thought it best to keep things simple, so if you want shag either one of us, you can do so," Edward adds.

"So, let me get this right." I narrow my gaze on Ed. "If I sleep with Baron, you'll be fine?'