Riot(22)

Ice stared deeply in her eyes. Grace imagined him reading the thoughts she kept hidden from everyone, including herself. His hand around her throat became almost caressing.

“Ice!” Fade called from the doorway.

“Jackal—” he began to order.

“I’ve got her. Go.” She took a deep breath when he released her.

Grace watched as Ice and Fade went to the door leading to solitary confinement and talked.

“How many are stuck in there?” she asked curiously.

“Just one,” Max answered.

“Are they going to be able to get him out?”

“Fade can break into anything. It’s his skill.”

“What’s your skill?” Despite herself, she wanted to get to know these men better.

“I can beat the shit out of anyone.” Max puffed up like it was an accomplishment to be proud of.

“That it?”

He was disappointed in her reaction. “Usually, women think that’s hot. I can do other stuff, too.”

Grace patted his arm. “I’m sure you can. You’re getting really good on the computer,” she praised.

“Don’t treat me like a kid. I’m not stupid.” She had hurt his feelings. The big bear of a man was sensitive to being perceived as stupid.

“I didn’t mean that at all, Max. I was complimenting you. You were my best student. You understood the lessons faster than anyone and made less mistakes. I would have given you an A.”

“No shit?”

“Really.”

“What were you going to give Jackal?” Grace turned to the man who sat, quietly listening.

“An F. He was terrible.” Grace rolled her eyes to the ceiling.#p#分页标题#e#

Max’s loud laughter brought a smile to her lips. How she could find something amusing in the situation, she didn’t know, but the men beside her made her feel safe. She prayed it wasn’t another deadly mistake she was making.

* * *

“How much longer?” Ice demanded.

“I don’t know,” Fade answered his president. “I’m doing the best I can. They changed the code before I could get in. Now I’m going through layers of steel. Give me time.”

“That money Grace’s family offered just took away our time. This has gone from a local curiosity to a fucking media circus. We have to finish before they come in or the other men take her for the reward.”

“Got you. I’ll hurry.”

Ice nodded, leaving the brother to finish the job, which was turning out to be a cluster-fuck of major proportions. He had known something was up when a beautiful woman like Grace had buried herself at a small university. What woman did that? None he knew of, and there wasn’t much he didn’t know about women.

He heard Max’s laughter and saw his friend and brother happier than he had been in months. He wasn’t the only one Grace made feel that way. The woman managed to surprise him, and that hadn’t happened in years.

After what happened to her when she was barely seventeen, it was amazing she wasn’t a fucked-up mess. Ice was certain her parents paid a pretty Penny to fix the damage Winston had done. The man hadn’t even seen a day in court; he had been placed in a mental hospital since he’d lawyered up. Men like that disgusted him, and he was watching another one move closer to Grace as she talked to Max. While Church thought he was going to pull some sneaky shit, it was just going to get his ass in hot water.

When Ice stepped forward, making his presence known, Church’s eyes widened at the silent challenge, backing over to a group of men and keeping her within their reach in case the tactical team stormed the room. Every one of them planned to use her as their shield and gain part of the reward. Right now, Ice wished he could have Dax Andrews for five minutes. His reward placed his sister in even more danger.

Ice was forced to listen to the replays of Grace’s family on the television all day. He could tell it was beginning to get to Grace, too.

“Come on.” When he held his hand out to her, she took it and rose to her feet. He dropped it as soon as she stood.

He took her to the commissary, letting her stretch her legs. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

Inside the small store, which had already been plundered until it was almost empty, he handed her two different cups of microwavable soup.

“Which one?”

“The vegetable. I hate tomato.”

Ice opened them both and heated them in the microwave.

“What are you going to do, Ice? This isn’t going to last another day the way they’re eating it.”

“I know. I tried to tell them to ration it out, but they wouldn’t listen.”