Tempted By My Ex’s Brother-In-Law - Chapter 50: Chapter 50
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Aria’s POV
I froze outside the door.
Zane’s voice still sounded casual. “You’re overreacting, Carlos.”
“Am I?” Carlos snapped. “That girl’s face is all over the port checkpoints. The news is running 24/7 coverage of her disappearance. Anyone friendly with Red Stone Pack is out there looking for her. Tell me again I’m overreacting!”
What the hell?
I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from gasping.
Zane’s tone became cold. “That’s just Grayson Hart being his usual asshole self. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of him.”
“That’s Grayson fucking Hart. Of course I’m afraid of him! You should be too!” Carlos growled. I could hear him pacing. “And now the two of you are on my ship. That puts this mess on me. So tell me—who the hell is that girl?”
There was a pause of silence.
“She’s someone Grayson treated unfairly,” Zane finally said.
“And what is she to you? Your girlfriend? Fiancée?”
“She’s not any of those. She hasn’t said yes—yet.”
“Oh my god, Zane!” Carlos exploded. “We’re risking our fucking lives to protect some girl who’s not even yours? What the hell are we doing? I say we drop her off at the next port and hand her back to Grayson!”
“I can’t!” Zane’s voice was sharp now. “Aria wasn’t happy with him. I’m giving her the space to choose. Stay or come with me.”
“Damn it, Zane! So your girl hasn’t even made up her mind, and you’re willing to risk everything for her?!”
I couldn’t listen anymore.
I shoved the door open and marched inside.
Both men spun around to look at me.
“Carlos, can I talk to Zane alone?” I said, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Umm… sure.”
Carlos gave Zane a warning look before leaving the room, and it was just us now.
I didn’t waste time. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Zane shrugged, looking just as laid-back as always. “Don’t listen to Carlos. He’s being dramatic. Things are not that serious.”
“I’m not a fucking snowflake, Zane!” I snapped. “I need the truth so I can make real decisions. Tell me what’s going on.”
His cool mask cracked just a bit. He muttered a curse under his breath, then sighed.
“OK fine…The night we left, Grayson locked down every checkpoint. He’s been looking for you nonstop. Basically, he made it clear: anyone hiding you is his enemy.”
I stumbled back a step, my hand over my mouth.
“I don’t believe this,” I whispered.
I thought Grayson wouldn’t care that I left.
Sure, maybe he was pissed about me and Zane, but I figured it was more about his ego than me. Hell he didn’t even bother to fight for me when it came to the project and I told him how important that was to me.
But now? Now he’s practically declared to the world that he wants me back.
What’s he even thinking?
“Aria, listen to me.”
Zane stepped closer. He gripped my shoulders and stared straight into my eyes. “Don’t let this mess with your head. I asked you before if you’d leave him. I’m asking again. Do you want to?”
“I can’t drag you into this. You heard Carlos—this is serious—”
“I can handle it.” Zane cut me off. “We stick to this course for one more day and we’re out of Grayson’s reach. Then I can get you to Europe. You’ll be safe there. Your grandma, your friend—I'll figure it out. Just tell me your decision.”
My decision?
How was I supposed to think clearly right now?
“No, Zane, this is all too much! I thought we were just blowing off steam for a few days. I—I have to go back. You don’t know the full story. Me and Grayson… we have a contract. Between the two of us, I need him more…”
Zane swore. “I know! It always starts that way—he’s powerful, charming. But then the darkness creeps in. His mood swings, his control issues—until you’re so deep in it you can’t even leave. It’s already happening, Aria. Can’t you see it?!”
I stared at him, lost.
He was right. Grayson’s volatility, his possessiveness, his moments of rage—they were already starting to weigh me down.
But give up everything I’d built in Red Stone Pack because of that? It was too much.
“Listen to me,” Zane said urgently, tightening his grip on my shoulders. “I’ve known Grayson for a long time. Longer than you know. I know what he’s like in relationships. Did you know he had a wife?”
My heart skipped. “Isla?” I blurted.
“Yeah. We all used to be friends. And those two were madly in love, but it still ended—Very badly. You really think things will end differently with you?”
Hearing that Grayson was once madly in love with someone else felt like a knife in the chest.
I couldn’t even imagine it. Maybe because he never loved me like that.
“What happened between them?” I asked, breath catching.
“That’s not the point here! The point is—you have one chance to leave him. Take it.”
I swallowed hard, trying to respond.
But before I could say anything, the floor suddenly lurched beneath my feet! I nearly fell.
“What was that?” I gasped.
That wasn’t waves. The chandelier above us was swinging violently. Zane grabbed me just in time to steady me.
Then we heard it—an explosion, followed by screams from above.
“Fuck,” Zane cursed. “We have to go!”
He yanked me out the door.
The hallway was chaos. Guests ran in every direction, panicked and shouting. Zane pulled me through the crowd, into the lobby, and up onto the deck.
I screamed.
Our ship was surrounded. Over a dozen boats had pulled up on all sides. The blasts we heard were from cannons. And now overhead I could hear the chop of helicopter blades closing in.
“Zane—is that him?—AH!”
The ship tilted hard again. I slammed into a wall, but Zane caught me before I hit the ground. Then he hoisted me up onto his back and ran.
At the edge of the deck were inflatable lifeboats, strapped to the rails. That’s where we were headed.
More explosions, more screaming. Zane dropped me down and started unhooking a raft.
I grabbed his hand. “We can’t get away! Look—they’re everywhere!”
“We will. Trust me!”
“No, Zane—I can’t let you get hurt. Or your friends. Or all the people on this boat—”
Zane didn’t answer. He finished unstrapping the raft, grabbed my arm, and yelled over the chaos, “On the count of three, you jump. One—two—”
BANG!
The gunshot rang out before he could say three.
The bullet hit the lifeboat. It deflated instantly.
We both whipped our heads around.
The helicopter had reached us. From the open side door, someone leapt down and landed cleanly on the deck.
Grayson stood up slowly.
His gray eyes were icy, locked on us like a predator sizing up his prey. A storm raged in them.
Fear shot down my spine like electricity.
“Give her to me, Zane,” he said.
I froze outside the door.
Zane’s voice still sounded casual. “You’re overreacting, Carlos.”
“Am I?” Carlos snapped. “That girl’s face is all over the port checkpoints. The news is running 24/7 coverage of her disappearance. Anyone friendly with Red Stone Pack is out there looking for her. Tell me again I’m overreacting!”
What the hell?
I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from gasping.
Zane’s tone became cold. “That’s just Grayson Hart being his usual asshole self. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of him.”
“That’s Grayson fucking Hart. Of course I’m afraid of him! You should be too!” Carlos growled. I could hear him pacing. “And now the two of you are on my ship. That puts this mess on me. So tell me—who the hell is that girl?”
There was a pause of silence.
“She’s someone Grayson treated unfairly,” Zane finally said.
“And what is she to you? Your girlfriend? Fiancée?”
“She’s not any of those. She hasn’t said yes—yet.”
“Oh my god, Zane!” Carlos exploded. “We’re risking our fucking lives to protect some girl who’s not even yours? What the hell are we doing? I say we drop her off at the next port and hand her back to Grayson!”
“I can’t!” Zane’s voice was sharp now. “Aria wasn’t happy with him. I’m giving her the space to choose. Stay or come with me.”
“Damn it, Zane! So your girl hasn’t even made up her mind, and you’re willing to risk everything for her?!”
I couldn’t listen anymore.
I shoved the door open and marched inside.
Both men spun around to look at me.
“Carlos, can I talk to Zane alone?” I said, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Umm… sure.”
Carlos gave Zane a warning look before leaving the room, and it was just us now.
I didn’t waste time. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Zane shrugged, looking just as laid-back as always. “Don’t listen to Carlos. He’s being dramatic. Things are not that serious.”
“I’m not a fucking snowflake, Zane!” I snapped. “I need the truth so I can make real decisions. Tell me what’s going on.”
His cool mask cracked just a bit. He muttered a curse under his breath, then sighed.
“OK fine…The night we left, Grayson locked down every checkpoint. He’s been looking for you nonstop. Basically, he made it clear: anyone hiding you is his enemy.”
I stumbled back a step, my hand over my mouth.
“I don’t believe this,” I whispered.
I thought Grayson wouldn’t care that I left.
Sure, maybe he was pissed about me and Zane, but I figured it was more about his ego than me. Hell he didn’t even bother to fight for me when it came to the project and I told him how important that was to me.
But now? Now he’s practically declared to the world that he wants me back.
What’s he even thinking?
“Aria, listen to me.”
Zane stepped closer. He gripped my shoulders and stared straight into my eyes. “Don’t let this mess with your head. I asked you before if you’d leave him. I’m asking again. Do you want to?”
“I can’t drag you into this. You heard Carlos—this is serious—”
“I can handle it.” Zane cut me off. “We stick to this course for one more day and we’re out of Grayson’s reach. Then I can get you to Europe. You’ll be safe there. Your grandma, your friend—I'll figure it out. Just tell me your decision.”
My decision?
How was I supposed to think clearly right now?
“No, Zane, this is all too much! I thought we were just blowing off steam for a few days. I—I have to go back. You don’t know the full story. Me and Grayson… we have a contract. Between the two of us, I need him more…”
Zane swore. “I know! It always starts that way—he’s powerful, charming. But then the darkness creeps in. His mood swings, his control issues—until you’re so deep in it you can’t even leave. It’s already happening, Aria. Can’t you see it?!”
I stared at him, lost.
He was right. Grayson’s volatility, his possessiveness, his moments of rage—they were already starting to weigh me down.
But give up everything I’d built in Red Stone Pack because of that? It was too much.
“Listen to me,” Zane said urgently, tightening his grip on my shoulders. “I’ve known Grayson for a long time. Longer than you know. I know what he’s like in relationships. Did you know he had a wife?”
My heart skipped. “Isla?” I blurted.
“Yeah. We all used to be friends. And those two were madly in love, but it still ended—Very badly. You really think things will end differently with you?”
Hearing that Grayson was once madly in love with someone else felt like a knife in the chest.
I couldn’t even imagine it. Maybe because he never loved me like that.
“What happened between them?” I asked, breath catching.
“That’s not the point here! The point is—you have one chance to leave him. Take it.”
I swallowed hard, trying to respond.
But before I could say anything, the floor suddenly lurched beneath my feet! I nearly fell.
“What was that?” I gasped.
That wasn’t waves. The chandelier above us was swinging violently. Zane grabbed me just in time to steady me.
Then we heard it—an explosion, followed by screams from above.
“Fuck,” Zane cursed. “We have to go!”
He yanked me out the door.
The hallway was chaos. Guests ran in every direction, panicked and shouting. Zane pulled me through the crowd, into the lobby, and up onto the deck.
I screamed.
Our ship was surrounded. Over a dozen boats had pulled up on all sides. The blasts we heard were from cannons. And now overhead I could hear the chop of helicopter blades closing in.
“Zane—is that him?—AH!”
The ship tilted hard again. I slammed into a wall, but Zane caught me before I hit the ground. Then he hoisted me up onto his back and ran.
At the edge of the deck were inflatable lifeboats, strapped to the rails. That’s where we were headed.
More explosions, more screaming. Zane dropped me down and started unhooking a raft.
I grabbed his hand. “We can’t get away! Look—they’re everywhere!”
“We will. Trust me!”
“No, Zane—I can’t let you get hurt. Or your friends. Or all the people on this boat—”
Zane didn’t answer. He finished unstrapping the raft, grabbed my arm, and yelled over the chaos, “On the count of three, you jump. One—two—”
BANG!
The gunshot rang out before he could say three.
The bullet hit the lifeboat. It deflated instantly.
We both whipped our heads around.
The helicopter had reached us. From the open side door, someone leapt down and landed cleanly on the deck.
Grayson stood up slowly.
His gray eyes were icy, locked on us like a predator sizing up his prey. A storm raged in them.
Fear shot down my spine like electricity.
“Give her to me, Zane,” he said.
End of Tempted By My Ex’s Brother-In-Law Chapter 50. Continue reading Chapter 51 or return to Tempted By My Ex’s Brother-In-Law book page.