Page 17 of The Elusive Billionaire

Small fabric chairs embroidered with the names Finn and Rory line one wall. On the floor opposite are crates markedfood,water, andflashlights.

Greyson steps in behind me so his front is pressed against my back, and I scoot forward, then fall into a navy-blue chair made completely of fabric and foam.

The click of the door echoes in the small space, and I fight to control my fear.

Grey moves about the room, pulling blankets from one bin and bottles of water from another. I don’t say a word as I track his efficient movements.

Before long, he drops into the green chair next to me, his large frame taking up his space and mine.

“When Moose built this house, he made sure this was up to code for natural disasters.”

Moose is a seventy-year-old giant. He’s friends with Madi’s grandfather and a staple here in Happiness. He must have chosen these small chairs for his grandchildren.

“I still can’t believe he sold you this place.” Idle chatter is my go-to when stressed.

Moose built this place for his wife, but she passed away before it was finished. He never even moved in. He just visited the property whenever his kids were in town.

“It came at a cost,” Grey says with none of the anger he directs at me. “He’s puttering around in the workshop every morning at seven.”

“I heard he brings you breakfast.”

His large shoulder lifts and rises against mine. “I hate breakfast.”

The noise of the storm is suddenly so loud, I can’t focus. The house groans as though it’s being trampled by a giant, and the airhorn noise rages on.

“Are we going to be okay in here?”

“Yes.”

“What did you see outside?”

Hatred burns brightly in his eyes when they fall on me. “A fucking hurricane.”

No. I’ve lived in Happiness since college. We’ve never had an actual hurricane, especially not in July.

A loud bang shakes the interior walls, and a whimper escapes me. Another crash and howling winds unlike anything I’ve ever heard before set off the panic I’ve worked ten years to manage.

All my carefully crafted facades, the walls I’ve created, the thick skin I sewed for myself, they all crack and peel away, leaving me raw and exposed.

“Listen, I’m sorry, okay?” I babble. “I’m so, so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

Glass shatters somewhere, and I shriek.

Oh my God, we’re going to die.

“I know you think I lied about everything, but I didn’t.”

“A lie by omission is still a lie.” His voice is razor-sharp. “You didn’t tell me who you were on the surrogacy app. That’s a lie.” A loud crack makes us both jump. “Jesus,” he continues, as though I didn’t just shriek my throat raw. “When I was pouring my heart out to you about Ace’s death, you had every opportunity to be honest with me, to tell me about your relationship with him. For fuck’s sake, Savvy. I was sharing my pain, and you just sat there, hiding behind your screen, pretending not to even know him. As far as I’m concerned, that’s another lie. How many others have piled up while I was feeding into your bullshit?”

Words tumble from my lips as though I have no control of my mouth. “I didn’t lie about Ace. He helped me out in Vegas eight years ago, but he said it was my story to tell, and I didn’t have to tell anyone if I didn’t want to. And I never took advantage of his kindness, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I hadn’t meant to bring this up, but now that he knows I’m Firefly, he’s also put two and two together to realize that in the heavily edited story I told him, it was Ace who came to my rescue. He probably thinks I used Ace. At the very least, he’s pissed that I never mentioned just how much he meant to me.

Grey leaps to his feet while the rattling around us shakes so violently that it matches my internal storm. Knowing we’re about to die, my mouth takes on a mind of its own.

I couldn’t shut up now if I wanted to. “I made a really bad decision when I was sixteen, and it led to two years of bad decisions. One of them almost cost me my life, but it cost others so much more.” My lungs attempt to deflate, making proper breathing painful. “I tried to make up for my mistakes and got stuck in a shitty situation with the wrong people. But when Ace found out, he protected me. That’s all you need to know.”

“Why are you telling me this?” He growls.