Page 16 of The Elusive Billionaire

Lightning lights up the sky, casting shadows through the windows and doors. But it’s the thunder that rivals a rickety old wooden roller coaster that causes me to gasp.

Freaking hell.

Before I can open my mouth, a deafening crash has me clutching the walls.

Greyson appears to fly down the stairs, his feet touching down on every third step, propelling him faster, until he lands at the bottom with a thud.

I follow at a more reasonable pace, but I know we’re in trouble when I see him running from window to window, cursing loudly and muttering what sounds like threats under his breath.

I’m still two steps from the bottom when he rushes me, takes me by the hand, and drags me deeper into his home.

He swings open a closet door under a staircase. “In,” he grunts.

“What?”

He doesn’t wait another moment, choosing instead to two-hand shove me inside, and then I’m surrounded in darkness when the door slams shut.

Sensory deprivation is my Achilles heel. My breathing turns ragged as I feel along the walls for a light switch.

Come on, Grey. Don’t do this to me. Not this.

Stars flash in the darkness of my mind, and I’m forced to crouch low, drop my head between my legs, and attempt to breathe.

He isn’t holding me captive in a confined space. He’s not Riley. Find the door, Savannah. Find the?—

The door opens, then closes just as quickly. The flash of light is enough to see Grey for a moment before we’re plunged into darkness again.

“We have to get under the stairs.”

A small lantern flickers to life.

“For fuck’s sake, Sav. What the hell?”

Greyson’s large fingers wrap around my biceps, lifting me to stand, and shaking me a little when my eyes take too long to focus.

The anger creasing his forehead softens the longer he stares at me.

“What caused it?”

He’s the only person to witness a flashback since Ace.

“Th…” My voice wobbles, and I suck in air through my teeth. I’m not weak. “The dark. Sensory deprivation.”

“Another secret you’re unwilling to share?”

I nod, just once, and the hard lines of betrayal reappear on his handsome face. He releases me, and my traitorous body follows as though it misses his comfort.

“I don’t owe you anything, Grey.”

A sheet of ice falls over him, an impenetrable wall, and he takes a step away from me, hinges at the waist, and opens a door that only reaches his shoulders.

“No, you just stole all my secrets while hoarding your own. In.”

“I’m not going in there.” Tight spaces. Sweat. Fear. The sounds of crunching metal, suffocation and pain.

“The hurricane took out half my backyard. We really don’t have time for this shit, Sav. Get in the fucking shelter. It’s the only safe space right now.”

A loud crack outside makes me jump, and I move on autopilot, through the mini door that opens to a tiny room under the stairs.