Page 126 of Bound By Her

Bryson went on, “We may be safe here, but we should be thinking about what happens next. If there’s a chance she’s not being truthful about keeping us together, we need a backup plan. Kay, you wanted me to take the lead, and I’m ready to do that. But I need both of you to support me in this. We have an opportunity, and we should take it.”

Kaydon nodded. “Equal ground would be nice.”

“Exactly,” Bryson said, excitedly. “Equal ground means we can workwithher. We would have a card to play.”

Seth was picking at a popped stitch on the worn-out blue couch cushion.

A frayed little detail.

Coming undone.

Bryson watched as the stitch gave, and Seth pulled at the loose thread, something dark flickering behind his eyes.

“We’ll just use the Triune’s attention as leverage,” Seth murmured, still focused on the thread.

“I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“Neither do I,” Kaydon added.

Bryson exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “No one does,” he said dismissively. “Once the Triune sees she isn’t performing, they’ll put her on watch. That’s when we step in with a deal.”

Seth shifted, his gaze darting anywhere but Bryson.

“Question,” Kaydon chimed in. “Who do we want to be sold to?”

Bryson didn’t take his eyes off Seth when he answered.

“I was thinking about El.”

Seth looked up. “Elena?”

Kaydon gave a low whistle. “That is a decision. You sure she is up for that?”

Bryson appreciated his brother’s concern, and after what happened to her, he could understand. But he knew his sister, and she was a Winters, she could handle it.

“She’s the only one outside of this room that I trust. It has to be her.”

His attention flickered back to Seth, who still wasn’t looking at him.

Bryson pulled Seth into him. “I didn’t realize the two of you were so close,” he murmured.

Seth’s scowl was immediate. “We aren’t.”

Kaydon grinned and, with no warning, smashed his warm body on top of both of them.

Bryson grunted, but Seth made a sound somewhere between protest and annoyance.

“When we’re on equal ground,” Kaydon teased, “you could make your move, though.”

Bryson chose to ignore the flush creeping up Seth’s neck.

That was a problem for later.

Right now, they had a job to do.

He nudged Seth, voice dropping into something softer.

“Come on, Killer.”

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