Page 156 of Bound By Her

Eric moved to the kitchen, his gait stiff, thirty-two stitches etched into his side.

The doc said he was lucky to be alive.

Crest had been three times his size, but Seth knew better than anyone that size didn’t mean shit.

When he had first arrived, Seth had written Eric off as too old for the job. But after the incident, after watching him hold his own, Seth had stopped questioning his age and started paying attention.

Eric wasn’t just some ex-military hardass—he actually knew his shit.

“She can get past this,” Kaydon said.

Bryson nodded, his voice uncharacteristically serious. “We just need to help her a bit.”

Seth’s head snapped up.

Since when did Bryson want to help Adria?

“What?” Bryson asked, noticing Seth’s eyebrow twitch.

“Nothing, just didn’t think you were in the business of helping the…” Seth glanced at Eric and tried to think of one of the tamer nicknames Bryson had called her, “Ice Queen.”

“I…” Bryson hesitated, taking in Seth’s face.

The two of them were not on warm terms, as currently, Seth was still pissed at him.

“You’d like her to come out, right?” Bryson asked, his voice hopeful.

Seth hated being mad at him.

Adria had said Bryson wasn’t his father, but Bryson hurt Kaydon, and he had almost killed Adria.

Seth was having a hard time getting past it.

“I don’t want you to help her because you think I want it,” Seth replied. Glancing out the window, hewatched three new patrols walk by. Eric had tripled security, and now the entire estate was crawling with minions.

“I’ll talk to her,” Eric said, sitting down at the table, wincing.

“Maybe she needs someone that isn’t on her payroll?” Bryson said, his eyebrows raised.

“Meaning?” Eric asked.

“Meaning I can say things that you won’t,” Bryson replied.

What the hell did Bryson want to say to her?

“I’ve been helping with things, right?” Bryson said, “Let me try with this, too.”

That was another change. Since the attack, Bryson had been helping Eric with Adria’s family business. Filling in the gaps, while she was out of commission.

According to Kaydon, Eric was impressed with his initiative.

Eric took a long look at Bryson. Probably wanting to know the same thing as Seth. Why the sudden interest?

“I fucked up, okay. I was wrong about her. Give me the chance to tell her.” Bryson’s voice cracked, and the table fell into a stunned silence.

Eric was in a full glitch, fork midair halfway from his plate.

Finally, he shook his head, laughing.

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