Chapter 90

Ollie’s POV

“Tomorrow, my brothers and I will also be going away on a trip,” Conrad says. “We’ll be gone for a week’s time.”

I pretend to act surprised. “Oh. Um, what do you need from me?”

“What I need is for you to be on your best behavior,” he says. “No acting out. No disobeying us behind our backs. You are not to return to that job, and if anyone even resembling Jake is spotted on the estate, they are to be arrested.”

He still didn’t believe I had nothing to do with Jake. Why would he? Sylvia told him I was guilty, so in their eyes, I am guilty. Even if Nancy had even offered to speak to them for me. Why would they listen to her or me over Sylvia?

“I have no intention of seeing Jake this week or anytime in the future,” I say.

“Your words mean nothing,” Conrad says. “You’ve been proven a liar in the past. You want to show that Jake is out of your life, then prove it.”

“Conrad…” I start to say, half-wanting to argue to defend myself. With this trip coming up, I’m feeling emboldened. Yet, the moment Conrad starts to narrow his eyes at me, I feel myself wilt slightly.

Maybe as his mate in disguise, he would give me more leniency to speak my mind, but as I am right now, just a lowly Omega mooching off the family, I have no rights.

I could argue until I’m blue in the face and it wouldn’t make any difference.

“Yes?” he snaps impatiently. “Do you have something to say to me?”

If I make a scene and he pushes into my room to see what I’m hiding, he’ll find my suitcase filled with my new beach clothes. For the sake of peace, and for the sake of this trip, I have to bite my tongue. Again.

Maybe someday in the future there will come a time when the brothers believe me. I doubt it though.

“Never mind,” I say.

“That’s what I thought,” he replies.

For a moment, he lingers. Towering over me, all masculine and attractive, some of my anger simmers into a different kind of heat.

I know what it’s like to kiss him now, and he is filled with a kind of wild passion that steals my breath away and makes my heart race so fiercely, it nearly leaps from my chest.

It’s all I can think about now, looking at him and his strong arms – the way he pinned me to that wall like I weighed nothing at all, holding me up while he kissed me.

What else could that strength be used for with us together…?

What kinds of passions might we feel…?

Now really isn’t the time to be thinking of this.

Conrad gives me a hard look. “Don’t forget what I said. If I hear about any misconduct from you, you will regret it.”

“I won’t do anything to embarrass the family,” I say. “I probably won’t do much at all.”

Mostly because I won’t be here, I’ll be on a beach vacation with the quadruplets, but I don’t say that part.

What I do say seems to satisfy Conrad, who nods and turns away. I wait for him to disappear up the stairwell before I close the door, locking it this time.

That was too close. One look from Conrad at this suitcase and I’d be in a world of trouble.

The next morning, I’m called up the living room to speak with all four brothers this time. Before obliging the summons, I take the time to hide my suitcase in the back of my closet. They won’t find it unless they really search for it.

The four brothers are standing in the living room when I enter. They seem impatient.

“The car is already loaded,” Hugh says, his arms crossed. “Let’s just go. I’m not going to miss her.”

“There’s an hour still before we are set to meet,” Declan says. “We know she rarely arrives on time, anyway.”

Hey. I’ve only been late the few times I have because I sometimes debate with myself whether or not to meet the brothers at all. It’s not that being late is a habit with me.

Although, yes, I probably will be late meeting them today, simply because I have to wait for them to leave before I can sneak out behind them. I can’t actually say that though.

“Oh, she’s here,” Wes says, spotting me.

Four sets of eyes turn to look at me. It’s similar to when I walked into the cabin the other night, and yet so, so different. Before, they looked at me with heat and kindness, with admiration and mutual respect. Now, they look at me like I am someone beneath them, someone to be bossed around.

“Don’t forget what I said, Ollie,” Conrad insists.

Is that why they called me up here? To double down on the threats?

“I haven’t forgotten,” I say.

“If you step out of line, we will hear about it,” Declan says.

“Do not bring anyone over to the house,” Wes says.

“If we hear about it, we will return early,” Declan continues. “Then there will be hell to pay.”

“I’m not returning early,” Hugh says.

Declan gives Hugh a look.

“What?” Hugh asks.

I have my own arrangements to make and have no time to waste on these pointless threats. “You won’t hear anything, because I’m not going to do anything.”

Their lack of trust in me continues to be upsetting, but I swallow down that pain, just like I anytime they hurt me intentionally or otherwise.

I should be used to the hurt now, but I’m not. Every time I think the old wounds are healed up, there’s a new scrape, and the old scabs start bleeding again.

Fortunately, this particular meeting doesn’t last long before I’m dismissed. The brothers seem eager to get on their way.

I’m feeling more nervous about it now than I was yesterday, now that they’ve threatened me, their soul mate, yet again.

Ella meets me at my room. The plan is for her to help me sneak out my suitcase in the trunk of her car. When she sees me, she stops in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“I just don’t know about this,” I tell her. “I’m worried… I don’t know. What if we get where we are going and it’s terrible? What if I want to come home? Or what if something else goes wrong?”

“What if you have a great time?” she says, turning my what if’s around on me. “What if you get there, and everything goes right? What if you never want to leave?”

I frown a little.

Ella clasps my shoulders. “You are going to have a great time, Ollie, just like you always do with your mates.”

I know she’s probably right. Still, I wish I didn’t have to pretend to be someone else to receive kindness from the quadruplets. For now, though, and likely forever, that seems to be the only way I can earn their affections.

I wish I had the strength to say I don’t need it. Don’t need them.

But I do.

For now, at least, I do.

So we load my suitcase in the back of Ella’s car and she drives me to the airport, where I will meet the brothers for this new adventure.