Page 65 of Wicked Heiress

Even Cole had suspected my grandfather had some master plan for my life. He assumed that was why none of The Knights were allowed to touch me. Had he planned to marry me to Rhys all along? It made no sense why Rhys was rewarded for doing the same thing as Cole.

Would Cole have gotten to marry me if he had sent a sex tape to my grandfather?

“Don’t think for one second I’m giving you a free pass,” he said, breathing scotch in my face. “Marrying Rhys is your punishment for being a whore. Remington has assured me you will suffer at their hands. You will pay for all of your dirty deeds. This marriage is nothing more than a business arrangement. I have no reason to keep you alive the second you serve your true purpose. After that, your husband can do whatever he wants with you.”

What is my purpose?

I considered asking him for the truth, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me his plans. Besides, my face hurt from getting the wind smacked out of me. Another slap would probably knock me senseless. So I clamped my mouth shut and let him speak.

He released his grip on my neck, and I choked, struggling to catch my breath. I coughed a few times and bent over to take in a few mouthfuls of air. Something wet dripped from my lip and down my chin. When I dabbed at it, I gasped at the sight of blood.

“You will stay at Fort Marshall until the wedding,” Grandfather said, running a hand across his jaw. “So will Rhys. And if I hear another bad word about you, I will lock you in my basement until your wedding day.” He removed the handkerchief from his pocket and threw it at me. “Clean yourself up. You make me sick.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

GRACE

After my grandfather left Fort Marshall, I ran upstairs and cried until my tears stained the sheets. My door opened and closed, footsteps moving toward the bed.

“Go away,” I shouted into the pillow.

“It’s me,” Cole whispered as he got in bed with me.

I lifted my head, and mascara ran down my cheeks as I cried. “I’m sorry, Cole. I made you do this. I talked you into breaking his rules. And now, he will hurt you and your family if I don’t do what he wants.”

He swiped at my tears, his touch soft and loving. “I chose to break them. Me. You didn’t make me do anything I didn’t already want to do, Grace.”

“I wish we had run away the night you suggested it.” I buried my face in the pillow and sobbed. “This is all my fault. I should have listened to you about Rhys.”

Cole stroked my back with his fingers. “I don’t know how to fix this, but I will try. I can’t let you marry Rhys. You don’t deserve a life of misery.” He leaned closer, his lips inches from mine. “But you deserve so much more than I can give you.”

“What are you going to do?” I muttered, sniffing back the tears.

“I don’t know yet.” He traced circles on my back and sighed. “The wedding isn’t for a few weeks. That should give me enough time to figure something out.”

“How will we do anything without Rhys reporting back to my grandfather?”

“I have some good news. Your father made contact,” he said in a hushed tone, checking over his shoulder to ensure the door was closed.

“The Colonel?”

He shook his head. “No, Viktor. He used a hacker named Maverick to send a video of your grandfather to Drake.”

“What was on it?”

“Your grandfather talking to a man. His head was turned away from the camera. But Drake is doing his best to get a match using his artificial intelligence software.”

“Well, what did the man say?”

“He was blackmailing Fitzy, forcing him to sign papers that made you the beneficiary of his estate.”

“But why?”

Cole released a deep breath. “We don’t know yet. But I think Viktor is giving us breadcrumbs that lead back to Fitzy because he wants us to know why the old man has kept you around.”

Laying across the bed on my stomach beside him, I put my hand over his. “I can’t do this anymore.” I curled my fingers around his wrist, shaking so hard that I needed to hold onto him for support. “If this summer has taught me anything, I want to live. I’m sick of hiding. Maybe I should come out to the world as Katarina, so my father will stop chasing me. Maybe he can save me from this marriage.”

“No.” Cole was in my face, his mouth so close we could have kissed. “You don’t have to sacrifice yourself. Let me figure this out.”

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