Page 58 of Toxic
When I’m reasonably sure she won’t follow, I increase my speed as I try to retrace my steps to the control room Gracin showed me. If I can just get to one of the vehicles and get away from his house, I’ll figure out a way to track him. There has to be GPS of some sort, if not tied to his cell phone, then certainly in the car itself. Not that I have any earthly idea how to do something like that, but I’m not helpless. I can figureitout.
When I reach the security room, the same two bodyguards who were there the day before look up at mesimultaneously.
“Where is he keeping Desmond?” I ask without preamble. “And don’t fuck with merightnow.”
They share a glance. “Mr. Kingsleyinformedus—”
“I don’t give a damn about what Mr. Kingsley said. Either you tell me where he went or I will find a way to get to him myself.” I pull the gun from my waistband, and point it at the guy on the left. “Now, either one of you starts talking or I start shootingthings.”
Ten minutes later, I pull the truck out of its parking space. There should be some remorse for threatening them, but there isn’t. I punch in the address the guards provided and consider Gracin’s words from the night before. I’m not powerless. I can take care of myself. I’ve killed a man, wounded others, and evaded the police. I’m sure according to the United States government, I’m a criminal and a fugitive. No better than what I considered Gracin when we first met. Then it makes me wonder if I was ever the good person in this story. Maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m the goddamnedvillain.
Sal, it turns out, isn’t far away. He keeps a house on the California-Mexico border for when he deals with his Mexican contacts and the cartel for drug shipments. According to Gracin, they hadn’t had business dealings for a long time, so that’s why it took him a long time to track him down. I don’t care as long as I make him pay for what he tookfromme.
The house, which only takes about forty-five minutes to get to, is a sprawling contemporary monstrosity. The type of place that screams wealth and privilege. Well, it would, if the front lawn didn’t look like a gangland massacre. There are dead bodies everywhere. The guardhouse blocking the driveway is smoking, and the front gate has beenmoweddown.
Call me crazy, but the sight makes my heart go pitter-pat, and my girly parts light up like the Fourth of July. Being the person on the other side of Gracin’s homicidal rage may be scary, but being the reason why he’s seeking revenge makes my twisted little insides melt just a little bit. I pull up the drive, taking care not to run over any of the bodies before pulling to a stop besideGracin’sSUV.
With my gun gripped between my hands, I crouch down and survey the front of the house for movement. Finding none, I slink along the cars toward the front door. I don’t hear anything inside, and for a moment, I think I got here too late, but then the shoutingbegins.
I hear Gracin’s voice and one that sounds like Sal’s. Fury burns hot in my belly and cancels out any of the fear I may have had. The front door is wide open, and I peer through, allowing my eyes to adjust to the diminterior.
A gun to my temple stops me from taking even a single stepinside.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Gracin says as his body comes upbehindme.
“What the hell do you think?” I hiss back, completely aware of the gun he’s pressing into my kidney. “You can drop the gun,youknow.”
“Didn’t I tell you to stay at thehouse?”
“Since when do I fucking listen to you?” I return hotly. “You knew I didn’t want to be left behindagain!”
The gun drops, and he forces me around a corner into an alcove off the main hallway. “I thought after last night you’d understand why I can’t haveyouhere.”
“I don’t give a damn about what you want, Gracin,” I say. “Did you really think sex wouldchangethat?”
There’s a scuffling sound down the hall, and we both turn at thesametime.
“We’ll talk about this later,” he says against my hair. “Do you have your gun?” I hold it up and give a scathing look, which causes him to chuckle. Guess I hadn’t hidden it after all. “Goodgirl.”
Despite my irritation, I smile backathim.
“Stay behind me,” he says, “and for god’s sake, don’t do anything stupid. I didn’t work this whole time to keep you safe just for you to get yourselfkilled.”
We’re edging around the corner and back into the empty hallway when Sal’s voice calls out. “Might as well get this over with now, King. It isn’t like you to dragitout.”
Gracin stills in front of me before resuming our trek down the hall. When he doesn’t answer, Sal continues, “Fine, have it your way. I was going to negotiate with you, but if you’re going to be unreasonable, we’ll have to settle matters someotherway.”
I highly doubt what Sal has in mind for us has anything to do with negotiations. If he had the balls to torture one woman just to get to Gracin so he could mete out retribution for his son, there wouldn't be anything stopping him from killing us both the moment he lays eyes on us. Our only chance is to get to him first. Then no one will be after Gracin, and I can finally move on from everything. From Vic, from what they did to me. I don’t know if that means moving on with Gracin or without him, but I guess that’s something we’ll both have to figure out when our lives aren’t also ontheline.
We turn a corner that leads to an open living area. Sal waits there with two other men—the same two nameless ones who were there that night with Danny. The devil himself is also there, and based on the vicious expression on his face, I’m surprised he doesn’t growl the moment he sets eyesonus.
My finger twitches on the side of the trigger, but I force myself to stay calm when I meet Danny’smurderousgaze.
“Sal,” Gracin says as he steps down. His casual, loose limb stride belies the concentration he levelsonSal.
“King. I’m sorry we had to meet again under suchcircumstances.”
“No you’re not,”Gracinsays.