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We wanted to know who else was involved.
O’Rourke was not on my bingo card.
A new screen opened, Lunchbox was on the mezzanine and that was a much better angle. Fuck.
Grace’s smile was still there, and the tilt of her head was almost playful. Yes, the mask still hid the upper part of her face but the stubborn lift of her chin was defiance.
Defiance and terror.
I’d seen that fear on her face the night we’d been run off the road…
Again when I made her leave the guys.
In the bank.
The same defiance had burned to life.
One word from her…
“I have a shot,” Voodoo said.
“Ready to move,” Lunchbox concurred.
“I have eyes,” Alphabet reminded them. “Exit mapped.”
The only one who mattered right now needed to make the call.
What was our play?
“Now,” Grace said in this slow, teasing tone that dared a man to test her. “Why would I ruin the surprise?”
Chapter
Fifteen
GRACE
The wall behind me was almost too cool. The chateau’s old-world style housed far more than blood-soaked secrets amidst the history built into the framework itself. From the moment I’d ascended the steps, my pulse had begun to race. Lunchbox and Voodoo were here, but I hadn’t seen them and I didn’t dare look at them. The fact I was burning up made the chill of the stone all the more desirable.
I’d never been good at gymnastics and yet here I was, navigating this balance beam to dangle myself out here like chum for the sharks swimming in this oversized tank. Though, calling the wealthy men and women who made their trade in traffickinghuman beings, sharks might really be unkind to the animals.
Bones’ calm, almost detached voice kept me grounded. Nothing seemed to ruffle him. I might want to give him shit about it, but I also really needed the steadiness so I wasn’t going to complain.
The man they called O’Rourke, studied me like I was a mystery he needed to decipher. He’d dismissed the other like he wasn’t remotely an issue and not only had the man retreated, he’d left the playing field entirely.
It was just me and O’Rourke. The man smelled like designer cologne, the musk rich and overpowering. It seemed to complement his expensive violence but it did nothing to disguise it. His hand on mine was warm, firm, and perfectly rehearsed. This man knew exactly who and what he was. No pretense existed for him and that made me far more uneasy than I’d been when I woke up shackled in hell’s waiting room.
When he let his gaze linger on my lips, I softened them to hint a smile. The seconds seemed to just go on for infinity. Surely one of us should have said something by now, but he’d barely responded to my tease.
“Come,” he murmured, pulling me from the wall. “Let’s talk somewhere quieter.”
“Stay in public,” Bones ordered. His clipped tones soothed my rabbiting heart. “Don’t let him isolate you anymore than you already are.”
I could have lived without the last part.
“Only if you promise not to bite.” I played coy, dropping my voice to something huskier. In the low-light of the mezzanine, O’Rourke’s eyes were shadowed. But his nostrils flared and that gave me the boost I didn’t realize I needed.
O’Rourke chuckled, bringing my hand back up to his lips and this time, he pressed a kiss to my palm. When his mouth lingered there, I braced for the feel of his teeth. He didn’t disappoint, scraping the kiss down to the heel of my hand then my wrist.