Page 47 of Toxic
“CanI—”
“No.”
“You didn’t even let me finish mysentence.”
“That’s because chaos follows you around like a shadow. You’ll keep quiet, stay behind me, and do exactly what I say,remember?”
I grumble, but I don’t argue. The possibility of finding Danny shuts merightup.
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were almost excited,”hesays.
I ignore the teasing tone in his voice and say, “I assumed you killed them. I mean beforeweleft.”
“Unfortunately, no.” He spares me a short look. “I was more worried about gettingyouout.”
Color me shocked. Gracin just admitted to being worried about me. I tuck that knowledge away and walk next to him in silence. The short hallway from the security room to the outside spills out into a six-car garage, which is not the same garage I found last week. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jaw-droppingly surprised. Even though I’ve been living in his house with his servants, cooks, assistants, and bodyguards, the reminder of his wealth is staggering. Each of the garage bays has a vehicle parked in it. The first has a truck, black, utilitarian and very capable looking. Next to it is an SUV of some kind, same color and very sleek—almost like it’s one of the government-issue kind I’d imagine the Secret Service uses. I don’t dare ask him how he got his hands on it. The next three spots are high-end sports cars in varying colors andmakes.
“Jesus,” I whisper under mybreath.
The keys jingle behind me, and I turn to find Gracin watching me. He indicates the SUV. “We’re takingthisone.”
I have to swallow to wet my drythroat. “Okay.”
He chuckles. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so speechless. Cat got yourtongue?”
Forcing my legs to move, I climb into the passenger seat as Gracin swings upbesideme.
“I’m not speechless . . . I’m just curious. How is it that you can afford all of this? Or is that an off-limitstopic?”
The car rumbles to life, and he maneuvers it out of the garage. I wait as he backs out and then shifts the SUV into drive. “There isn’t a lot that’s off-limits to you, Tessa. You just havetoask.”
“Then tell me, how is it that you have a mansion and a shit ton of cars? You worked for...someone to kill Salvatore, but in what capacity? Why?” I’ve been wondering about him since I first met him, and now that he’s in a talkative mood and we have time, I want toknowmore.
As he gathers his thoughts, I drink in the view and roll down my window to lift my face to the fresh afternoon breeze. I’d been allowed to go to the gardens, but there’s something about being cooped up that takes away itsbeauty.
“I take contracts for several ghost organizations,” he says, and I jerk my attention back to him, swallowingthickly.
“Contracts?” The word is barely awhisper.
He nods, a quick jerk of his head. He’d put on sunglasses so I can’t read his expression behind the tinted lenses. “Yeah, Tessa, as I saidbefore.”
His admission steals my breath straight from my lungs, but I gesture for him to continue, not wanting to make himclamup.
He pulls out onto a highway, and I realize I don’t even know what state we’re in anymore. I’d been so out of it after the warehouse that I hadn’t thought to ask. The terrain reminds me of California desert, but we’re out in the middle of nowhere. We could be in Nevada or Arizona for allIknow.
“I got hooked up with a crowd of bad people when I was younger, and I got a bit of a reputation for being a problemsolver.”
“Should you be tellingmethis?”
“I can tell you whatever the fuck I want. The people I work for pay me because I’m the best at whatIdo.”
I lick my lips before I respond. “That doesn’tsoundgood.”
He shrugs as he merges into the far left lane of traffic. “It isn’t so bad. I had a shit home life and nothing else better to do. I had the skills they needed, and they trained me for a long time to make those skills even moredeadly.”
I try to imagine Gracin as a honed killing machine and am staggered when the image isn’t as much of a stretch as I think. After all, he managed to fit into prison as a thug so convincingly that he had everyone fooled. I had no idea this man was lurking just underneath the surface. Sure, I had an idea he was hiding something, but never in a million years would I haveguessedthis.
“Too much?” he asks when he notes myexpression.