by L. P. Dover
“How long have you known this?” my father demanded, glaring at us all.
I shook my head. “Not long. We didn’t want you to know because I knew you’d go after Daniel. We’re still waiting to see who ordered the hit on me.”
Ian grabbed my hand. “I think there’s a way to find out. But to get information, I’m going to need help.”
“What do you need?” my father asked.
“When I was at Daniel’s, Andrew had a laptop he used to research my background. If he did this with all their other clients, we can see who got involved with them in the past. It might be a way to bust everyone. We just need to get into his room, if he’s still at the hotel.”
My father gestured to me. “Getting access is easy. With Reed’s help, Grace can look through the hotel database to see if he’s still there and what room he’s in.”
“And with your help,” Ian added, “you can get Andrew out of the way. If Jared is actually missing, you have reason to question him, since they’re close friends. As long as you get him out of his room, we’ll be good. Reed can then get in and copy his hard drive.”
“How will Reed know to get out?” I asked.
Ian sighed. “I’m going to set up a meeting with Lauren Beckett to talk about my company party. It’ll give me a reason to be at the hotel and to subtly ask her questions about Jared. Plus, I can request to sit at the bar. I’ll be able to see the entrance clearly.”
My father nodded. “And what will Grace be doing during this time?”
“I’ll be fine,” I snapped. “I’m not a helpless little girl. Give me a gun and I’ll be okay.”
My father didn’t approve, but Ian squeezed my hand. “We won’t be gone long, she should be fine since all of the main players will be with us.” He focused on my father. “I have Daniel going after Connor McCabe. He’s a friend of mine, and a former member of the Irish mob. He knows how to handle himself. Daniel’s supposed to call me when it’s done.”
Blowing out a heavy sigh, my father ran a hand through his hair. “What’s their stipulation? Surely, they’re getting something out of it.”
Ian scoffed. “I don’t know what they’ve charged everyone else, but they’re getting fifty grand out of me. I already withdrew it from the bank and gave it to them.”
I gasped. “Holy shit. Are you trying to say someone was going to pay that much to kill me?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll find out when we hack into Andrew’s laptop.”
My father stood. “I hope you know what you’re doing. If Jared doesn’t turn up, we’re going to have a media nightmare. We need to find him.” He walked over to me and I stood, hugging him tight.
“What if Jared’s dead already?” The thought made my chest ache. We’d been friends for so many years. I wanted him alive, even if it was just so I could confront him myself. I had to know if he was part of the plan to kill me.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. Let’s hope not, for everyone’s sake.” He kissed my cheek. “Be safe. Call me if you need me.”
“I will. I love you.”
Ian and I walked him to his car, then walked around the side of the house to the back. It was strange to think I’d escaped from that barn and found myself on his back porch not too long ago. My wrists didn’t hurt anymore, but there were still red scars on them.
We sat down on the porch swing and Ian put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his body. “I wonder what it’ll feel like when this is all over?” I whispered.
A deep rumble echoed from Ian’s chest. “A hell of a lot better than what it is now. I wish you knew how hard it was for me to control myself today. When I walked into the barn,” he shook his head, “I thought I was going to lose it.”
I looked up at him and kissed him. “Hey, we need something to get our minds off all of this.” My stomach growled and I rubbed it. “Reed marinated some steaks, and it’s your job to grill them. He says you’re not as good a cook as he is.”
Grinning from ear to ear, he jumped to his feet. “We’ll see about that.”
Ian
“What’s Grace going to do for work after this?” Reed asked on our way to the hotel.
“I don’t know. I told her I’d give her a loan to manage her own hotel. She wouldn’t accept it.”
Reed chuckled. “Damn, brother. It must be love.”
“Of course it is. Why do you think I chased after her for so long? She’s not going to be happy working under someone for the rest of her life. She’s a leader.” One of these days, I was going to give Grace what she wanted—if she liked it or not.
We pulled up to the hotel and I nodded toward his watch. “I’ll send you the signal when you’re good to go.”
Walking inside, Lauren was at the front desk waiting for me, dressed in a low-cut purple top and short black skirt. Her smile brightened and she held out her hand. “Ian, hi. It’s good to see you again.”
“Likewise,” I said, shaking her hand.
“Shall we go to my office?”
I nodded toward the bar. “Actually, I could use a drink.”
Her smile widened. “Even better.” We walked over to the bar and sat down. There was a middle-aged couple having drinks, but other than that, we were the only ones. “How have you been?” she asked. “I haven’t seen you since the grocery store.”
I shrugged. “Been working.”
She scoffed. “I know how that goes. My brother took off and now I have to run this place.” That caught my attention.
Before I could say anything, the bartender came over. He was an older man, late fifties with graying dark hair. “Would you like something from the bar?”
Lauren nodded toward me. “Put his drinks on my tab, please. And I’ll have my usual.”
The bartender nodded, then took my order for a gin and tonic.
I focused on Lauren when he walked away. “Do you know where Jared went?”
“Nope,” she said. “Ever since Grace went missing and our father died, he’s been on edge. I think it was too much on him.”
“Have you called the police?”
The bartender set our drinks down and she took a sip. “My mom did. I think they’re going to start looking for him soon.” She shrugged. “I’m sure he just ran away from his problems, but I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
About that time, the police walked through the door of the hotel.
“Looks like they might be starting now.” I nodded toward Colton.
Lauren glanced over and waved. “He’s been here several times since Grace disappeared. I feel bad for the man. I can’t imagine what he must be going through.”
“I know the feeling. Grace was my friend.”
Lifting her glass, she stared at me over the rim. “Were you two close?”
“Not in that way. I asked her out a few times though, but she always told me no.”
“It’s probably because she had my brother wrapped around her finger. He and my father talked about her all the time.”
I gulped down the rest of my drink. “I can’t blame them. She was a good person.”
Lauren finished off her cocktail. “That she was.”
The elevators dinged and I looked over to see Andrew step off. He saw me at the bar and nodded. I waved and watched him take a seat in the lobby with Colton. Sliding my hand into my lap, I pressed the distress button on my watch to signal Reed. A few seconds later, he walked through the doors, straight to the elevators.
“For your party, have you thought about lighting?” Lauren asked. “We have several light kits we use for different events, especially after parties.”
“I trust your judgement. Add it to the list.”
She bit her lip and smiled. “Great. I think you’ll be pleased with the end result. Are there any concerns you needed to discuss, or was there another reason you wanted to meet me tonight?” Her hand grazed my thigh but then she pulled away when Andrew joined us.
“Good evening, you two,” he said. Colton glanced quic
kly at me before walking out the doors.
“Andrew,” she flourished her hand at me, “this is Ian.”
Andrew slapped my shoulder. “We’ve already met. Daniel introduced us. So, what are you doing here?”
I glanced over at Lauren and then back to him. “I’m planning a company party. Lauren’s setting it up for me.”
“Sweet, brother. This place has got all the hook ups,” he said. He ordered a drink and set down on the other side of Lauren. “Have you talked to your brother recently?”
She shook her head. “No. Is that what the chief of police wanted?”
“Yep. He wanted to see if I’ve talked to him.”
“Have you?” she asked.
“Not a word. Then again, he’s in pain. I left town for a few days after my mother died too. Having to deal with people constantly telling me they were sorry was too much.”
“I hear you, man. I lost my mother too,” I added.
He peered down at his watch and sighed. “All right, it’s getting late. I think I’m going to crash for the night.” Lauren hugged him and he shook my hand.
“Take it easy,” I said.
Discreetly, I pressed the button on my watch. I hoped like hell Reed was able to get what he needed. Once Andrew was out of sight, Lauren placed her hand on my arm. “Where were we?”
The elevators dinged and Reed stepped off, not even attempting to make eye contact with me. “Actually, you know what? I’m going to have to go as well,” I replied, slipping my arm away from her. “But I really like the idea about the lights. We’ll be in touch soon.”
I took off out the doors and hurried to my truck. “Did you get it?”
His smile grew wide. “I did. Might take me a while to find what we need, but I got it all.”
“Why are we going out to the barn?” Grace asked.
I pulled her inside and up the stairs to the loft. “Because we can be alone out here. And Reed’s trying to work inside. The sooner we get that information, the better.”
“I understand.” We climbed up into the loft and I set the lantern down on one of the wooden planks. It lit up the entire area.
Grace gazed around the room, her eyes lit with wonderment. “I can’t believe I haven’t been up here yet. This is awesome.” There were hay bales stacked around the room with a small table in the middle. She sat down on one of the hay bales and I sat across from her.
When we’d had the barn built, we wanted a secret room where we could hide all our guns. Little did she know, there was over a million dollars in guns all around her. I pushed the window open and the mountain breeze blew in. “I thought we could play a game. I need to unwind, especially before the next few days.”
She nodded and pointed at the cards. “What do you want to play?”
“Draw of Truth or Dare,” I said, causing her to giggle. Shuffling the cards, I dealt the first hand. She won, with an ace of spades.
Grinning, she slid her gaze down my body. I thought she’d want me to take off a piece of clothing, but that wasn’t the case. “Did you always want to be an FBI agent, or was there something else?”
There were so many things I wanted to be as a kid, but almost all of them revolved around shooting guns and protecting people. “Being a part of the FBI was my dream for as long as I can remember. Growing up, all we did was play cops and robbers. But, if I could’ve been something else, I’d have to say a cowboy.”
She burst out laughing. “You already are one.”
I winked. “Exactly. I have no regrets, buttercup. I’m happy with who I am.”
Holding the deck, I flipped over two more cards; I won. I reached over and pulled at the hem of her pink shirt. “I think it’s time you took this off.”
“You don’t get to choose what I take off,” she said with a smile. “But, if that’s what you want, I’ll let you win.” She took off her shirt and tossed it on the ground. My eyes raked over her breasts and my dick twitched, slowly growing harder by the second. Her breasts were smooth and bulging out of her bra. I wanted to taste her so fucking bad, I couldn’t stand it.
Another six sets of cards were put down, and I’d lost to the point where I was left with only my boxers. Grace stared triumphantly at me, even though she had lost a few times too. I held out my arms. “What do you want me to do?”
Biting her lip, she walked over to me and sat in my lap. But when she looked in my eyes, there was a sadness. “I have a question.”
I placed my hands on her hips. “What is it?” It was hard to focus when my arousal was nestled against her hot center.
She pierced me with those golden, hazel eyes of hers. “What are you most afraid of? You always look like you’re the most confident man in the world. I want to know your weakness.”
“Will you tell me yours?”
“Of course,” she whispered. “I’ll answer anything. You don’t have to win the card game to ask.”
Closing my eyes, I thought about everything that haunted me. There were so many things I was afraid of, but I’d never spoken them to anyone, not even my brothers. I opened my eyes and took her face in my hands, rubbing my thumbs gently across her cheeks. She leaned into my touch.
“I love the way you look at me,” I murmured. “No one’s ever been like that with me before.”
“I don’t see how. You’re an amazing man.”
I shrugged. “A lot of women see me the way you did, as a flirt, and a bad boy who’d cheat on them the first chance he got. After a while, I didn’t even bother trying to convince anyone otherwise. I’ve never been able to get close to anyone. But when we became friends, our relationship was different. There were times I’d come back from a fucked-up mission and your voice was the only thing that kept me grounded; it was like a drug. That’s why I had to find ways to be around you.”
I pulled her down to my lips and she moaned in my mouth. Pushing up, I rocked my hips, rubbing myself between her legs. “But to answer your question, I was afraid when you were taken. The thought of anything happening to you made me so goddamn sick. Finding you dead somewhere would’ve driven me over the edge.”
She grabbed my face. “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. I didn’t realize I meant so much to you before. If I’d have known the kind of demons you faced, I would’ve tried to help.”
I shook my head. “Guys like me and my brothers have to keep our lives hidden. When I signed up for it, I didn’t think about all the consequences. That’s what also scares me about my brothers. Wade is the only one of us who hasn’t had to hide who he is. He lives in Charlotte with my father, the son of the infamous Glenn Chandler. That’s what he wanted.”
“And you don’t regret not being a part of that?” she asked.
“Not at all. I like the small-town life and the mountains. However, I am afraid for Bryce and Reed. Reed kills without a second thought, and as of right now, he still has that spark of life in him. I’ve seen what happens to those of us who let the dark side take over. I don’t want him to turn out like that.”
“He won’t,” she murmured. “He’s got an amazing older brother to make sure that doesn’t happen. Don’t underestimate Reed. He may be younger than you, but I see a lot of you in him.”
Reed was smart and resourceful on the computer. Without him, we wouldn’t have been able to hack into Andrew’s computer. “Then there’s Bryce,” I added. “You already know how deep he’s in with the mob. I’m afraid that if it’s up to me to save him, I’ll fail.”
Grace lowered her lips to mine. “I have faith in you.” She kissed me again and rocked her hips against mine. “But right now, you need to take your mind off everything. And there’s something I can do to help with that.” Sliding down my body, she knelt between my legs and pulled my rock-hard cock out of my boxers. She looked at me over the tip and gave me a smirk, before sliding my entire length into her mouth.
I cursed under my breath and tried to hold my hips still. How did she always know exactly what I needed?
; Grace
“When you guys get done doing whatever you’re doing in the barn, you need to see this,” Reed shouted.
My eyes fluttered open and I groaned. I definitely wouldn’t recommend sleeping on bales of hay, and I had no plans to do it in the future.
Ian stood and stretched. “Looks like Reed must’ve found something.” He handed me my clothes, trying to hide the smile on his face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, running my hands through my hair. That was when I figured it out. My hair felt like I put my finger in a light socket; there was hay all in it. I smacked Ian’s arm and pushed him toward the ladder. “It’s your fault.”
He burst out laughing. “What? We rolled around in the hay, and I regret nothing.”
“Yeah, but now I have to face Reed. It’s embarrassing.”
Once we were down the ladder, we ran into the house. Reed was on the couch, staring at his laptop with narrowed eyes.
“What is it?” Ian asked, hurrying over to him.
Reed pointed to the screen. “It took most of the night to find the hidden files, but they’re there, even the one with you and Connor.”
Ian sat down and moved the laptop so I could see. There were eight files involving all the missing men, along with the men who killed them. We had the evidence we needed to convict everyone. The only problem was, there were eight files when there should’ve been nine. Mine wasn’t there. There was no documentation on who wanted me dead or how much they spent to hunt me down.
Huffing, I glared at the computer. “Why am I not in there?”
With a heavy sigh, Ian searched through the files. “I don’t know. Not unless your death was a favor.”
“Why is my case so different from everyone else’s?” It was a question we’d all been asking since the very beginning. I was starting to think I’d never find the answers. If Ian busted all the killers in the files, it still left the one person who wanted me dead unknown. How would I be able to live my life knowing that person was still out there?
“Maybe Andrew hadn’t been made aware that you were the next on the list. That’s probably why you’re not in his files.”