Give Me Grace(151)

He saw us? I closed my eyes, hating that I flushed.

He grabbed my bicep and my eyes flew open. He yanked me to my feet. I faltered and he held on, steadying me, before putting his face in mine. “This is how it’s gonna be. I’m gonna take off the tape covering those pretty lips of yours and you’re gonna keep your mouth shut. You know why?”

He waited and I glared, my eyes saying, no, asshole, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me. “Because if you scream or call out, I’m gonna shoot the first person who comes to your aid.” He waited. “Give me a nod that you understand.”

Silently fuming, I nodded.

“Good girl.”

He ripped the tape off.

“Arrgghhh!” I cried, my face stinging.

I was spun around and he removed the tape from around my wrists. Then my shoes where handed to me. “Put ‘em on.”

I took my shoes, hopping about as I slid one on and almost toppled over. He grabbed my hand and put it on his shoulder, making me use his body to steady myself as I put on the other one.

He threaded our hands together and we walked out of the passageway, taking the opposite direction that I came in. He was making it look like we were simply a couple leaving the airport. I was pulled in close behind him, practically rubbing against his body as we walked and I realised he was hiding my bloodied dress.

We reached his car without incident. The fact that it was a hot car with motherfucker tyres just like Casey’s didn’t surprise me. After doing a quick scan of the car park, he opened the passenger door wide and growled, “Get in.”

I lifted my chin. “Where are you taking me?”

“To Luna fuckin’ Park,” he declared sarcastically as he went to shove me in the car. “As if I’m gonna tell you, babe.”

“No one’s going to believe Casey killed me. No one,” I hissed. “But mark my words, he’s going to kill you for this.”

He paused, staring down at me, the cocky glint in his eyes so familiar it made my heart pound. “You really think he’d kill his own brother, babe?”

“Kelly,” I breathed, struck all over again at how much he looked like Casey. They could’ve been twins. “I honestly don’t know what he’s going to do. What I do know is that you’re going to hurt a man who’s already hurting enough.”

Kelly’s eyes flattened, but not fast enough for me to miss the pain flashing through them. “I don’t give a fuck. He left me with that asshole. Compared to what I went through, he doesn’t know the meaning of hurting,” he sneered. “Now get in the fuckin’ car.”

“Is that why you’re doing this?” I asked, my chest aching with grief for what these two boys had gone through. I put a hand on his arm. He glanced down at my hand before meeting my eyes. “Because he left you?”

“No, but that’s all I’m givin’ you, babe. The rest is between him and me.”





Present time…

She’s not dead, I repeated to myself for the thousandth time. I would know it, right? I would feel it.

Gabriella returned to the interview room, interrupting my pacing. I spun around, searching her face as she strode towards the table. She gave nothing away as she slapped her folder down. My eyes fell on it and I had to clench my hands to fight reaching for it. Sitting back while someone else ran this investigation was bullshit.

“Goddammit, Gabriella,” Mitch growled from beside me, echoing my sentiments. “You’ve been gone two hours!”

She jabbed a finger his way. “Don’t start with me, Mitchell!” she snapped in that husky rolling Spanish of hers. Gabriella was not only intelligent, she appeared to have balls bigger than most guys I knew. Mitch must have a hell of time working with her. “I’ve had to drag forensics to the lab on a Sunday. Do you know how hard it is to do that when you’ve been working in this department for two days?”

“Two days?” I nailed Mitch with a savage glare, wanting to punch something, namely him. “You said we could trust her and you’ve known her two fucking days?”

“Suficiente!” Gabriella snapped again, sweeping a lock of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. “This is not a pissing contest over who knows who and for how long!” She turned her livid, gold-flecked eyes to mine and jabbed that finger in my direction. If she wasn’t a girl I would’ve snapped it in half by now I was so pissed off. “I work for the good guys, comprende? But most importantly, I work for Grace.”

“You work for Grace? I fucking live for Grace!” I shouted, unable to keep my raging emotions in check. Grace was mine to protect and I was stuck in this shithole interview room, unable to do a damn thing. “She’s out there right now and she needs me. Not you, not Mitch, not your team, or the goddamn Tooth Fairy. Me! So hurry up and get me the hell out of here before I fucking lose it.”