Page 25 of The Elusive Billionaire

The windows on the north side of the house are all blown in, but other than a little wind damage, it doesn’t seem too bad. Using a broom, I sweep up broken glass the best I can, then drop towels from his laundry room on the places rain has entered without the glass to stop it.

All things considered, especially after getting a short glimpse of the outside, the inside of his home really isn’t that bad.

“She’s here,” I hear him say.

Scooping up some wet towels, I stand just as he enters the great room.

His intense stare freezes me in place, then his focus shifts to the wet towels in my arms.

The muscles in his bare chest pull taut as he strides into the room. He takes the towels from my arms, then hands me a phone that appears to be straight from the early ’90s—far too big to be new.

My brow is furrowed as he stalks away from me toward the laundry room.

“Hello?” I say, hitting the speakerphone button.

“Savvy? Oh, thank God. We didn’t know where you were.” Madison’s voice quivers, and I imagine her chin trembling as she attempts to hold it together. “It’s bad, Sav. Happiness has never seen a storm like this.”

“I know. What about Clover?” Guilt weighs me down, and I sink to my knees.

Clover isn’t strong like Madi and me. She carries demons stronger than anything I could ever imagine.

“She’s fine. Chief was doing his patrol. He saw your car on the side of the road near Grey’s place but couldn’t get up the driveway, so he went to your house to check on you. He found Clover and then stayed with her because the storm hit so fast. Itsounds like there’s some damage to your side of the duplex, but she and Chief are okay. Brax said it’s not safe to do inventory yet, but as soon as the sun comes up, we’ll start gathering the troops and checking on everyone.”

“It’s going to be a few days before anyone can get to us,” Grey says from the doorway. He avoids eye contact, but I hold the phone out, and he repeats himself. “From what I can tell, the hurricane ran in a circle around my property. No one is getting in, and we’re not getting out until the water recedes and we get some chainsaws up here.”

Without looking at me, he leans down, places his hands under my armpits, and hauls me to my feet as if I’m a rag doll.

“At least you’re together.” Madi has always been a glass-half-full kind of friend.

“Has anyone heard from Moose?” Grey asks as though he didn’t just manhandle me to my feet.

“Yes, I was able to get to Cian and Elle’s house. Moose is there with them,” Braxton says.

“And they’re okay?” I ask.

“Everyone seems to be good. We’ll know more in the morning. Grey, you said something about water?”

“Yeah.” He sighs and steps closer to the phone I’m still holding. We’re shoulder to shoulder now, but the icy vibes ricochet off him. “The levy at the dam must have broken. The house is raised just enough that it didn’t flood. I’ve got maybe twenty feet of grass before it hits water, and judging by where it hits the tree line, it’s probably six to ten feet high.”

“Holy shit.” Braxton sounds as though he’s pacing. “You have supplies, right? Moose said he left the house in good shape for you.”

Grey looks down at me, and I swallow hard. Why must I stare at this man all the time?

“Yes,” he says, never breaking eye contact. “He was taking care of the place while I was in California. We’re fine for at least a week.”

“A week?” Madi and I squeak in unison.

“I didn’t say wewouldbe here for a week, I said wecouldbe here for a week and be fine.” Grey’s eyes cloud over as he glares at me.

“Let’s touch base in the morning then, yeah?” Braxton sounds as tired as I feel. “Just…”

“What, Brax?” At least I’m not the only one Greyson barks at.

“Don’t kill each other before we can get to you.”

A muscle in Grey’s jaw jumps, and I decide to push him—just a little.

“Oh, Brax,” I singsong. “Don’t worry about us. We’re reconnecting just fine. We’ll be BFFs before long.”