Page 67 of Bound By Her

“Four months we’ve been here. What has she really done?” Kaydon asked.

“She’s—”

“Besides not letting you come, which does suck,” Kaydon interrupted.

Bryson didn’t understand how Kaydon could be so casual about this. They were being forced into therapy. If his brothers wanted to spill their guts to a stranger hired by the devil herself, that was on them.

“That’s what I thought,” Kaydon said when Bryson didn’t answer.

“Whatever,” Bryson said.

“You know there is a silver lining here.”

“And what, pray tell, is that, Dr. Phil?”

Kaydon started another game. “We have a little over a year to figure out what we are going to do about your dad.”

Kaydon hissed as his opponent scored a goal.

Bryson bristled. Kaydon was right, and for some reason that irritated him further. “Stop worrying about my dad and start worrying about what’s happening now.”

Kaydon looked at him, concern written all over his face. He set the controller down, his player going limp on the screen.

“Bryce, I don’t have to remind you about this, but you’re the heir to the Winters family. Your father doesn’t think you’re fit to lead. The families don’t think that you’re fit to lead. That’s not a safe position to be in.”

Bryson’s cheeks flamed as months of anger simmered inside him.

“Is that what she is telling you to say?”

Adria had been one step in front of him since they had gotten here. It was an obvious play to try to turn his brothers against him, but Bryson didn’t think she would do it so easily.

Kaydon sighed. “No, I was talking with Eric. He thinksmaybe while you’re here, you could learn a little about running a family. He’d be willing to show?—”

“WHAT THE HELL WOULD HE KNOW,” Bryson exploded, hands flying in the air. “He’s an outsider. She picked him up in an alley. And you—” he poked his finger into Kaydon’s shoulder, “want me to learn about the business from some G.I. Joe who thinks he knows something I don’t.”

Everything was wrong.

Kaydon picked up his controller. “Nah, man, I’m just looking out for us, for you.”

Adria certainly had played the game better than he anticipated. Bryson thought it would be all whips and pussy worship; he hadn’t considered the mind fuckery.

He stormed out of the room without another word.

Bryson stalked the halls, searching for Seth.

He needed a distraction.

A good verbal tongue-lashing with Seth would do the trick. He could always count on him for that.

Trust wasn’t something Seth handed out easily—if he didn’t trust you, he hated you.

It was dysfunctional, sure. But today, that little hang-up worked in Bryson’s favor.

Then he heard it.

A small, broken sound—like a wounded animal.

Bryson’s feet carried him down the upper hallway, toward Adria’s quarters.

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