Page 105 of Captive Lies

“Yeah. Nothappening.”

He shrugged off my hold and continued stalking down the hallway. I ran past him and confronted him in the kitchen. Jake, Tyler, and two new security guys I didn’t recognize werethere.

Grant tried to side step me, but I mimicked hismovements.

“I don’t have time for this, Blaire!” hegrowled.

“Bull!” I retorted. “Why am I not included in the efforts to get Val back? I’m the one theywant.”

His face darkened, jaw tightening. “I’m not making the samemistake.”

“What are you talkingabout?”

“I chose my family before and I nearly lostyou.”

“It’s not about choosing. You put a tracker on me—you’ll always know where Iam.”

“No.” Tired of trying to side step me, Grant gripped my shoulders and handed me toJake.

“You know that’s the right choice!” I yelled at his retreating back as I fought Jake’s hold. “If something happens to Val, you’ll resent me. Is that what youwant?”

Grant paused, spun on his heel, and prowled back to me. “No. That’s not what I want, but if I trade you for Val and I never get you back, I’ll hate her forever. I can live with resenting you. I’ll even live with Mom and Dad hating me, but don’t ever ask me to live without you,Blaire.”

“You’re not thinking this through.” I tried another tact. “I can defend myself. Val can’t. I can delay giving them what they want until you all come up with a plan to extractme.”

He shook his head, face torn inanguish.

“Grant …”

“No.”

“I don’tunderstand—”

“I won’t risk you!” he roared as his breath sawed through his lungs. “My decision is final. Jake is staying with you. I’m taking Tyler with me.” It went without saying that Grant didn’t trust Tyler not to get compelled by me to go against his wishes. I watched helplessly as Grant got into the elevators with his men and disappeared from ourpenthouse.

Jake releasedme.

I lowered my head, shoulders slumping. “You know I’m right,Jake.”

“Mr. Thorne is scared of losing you. He thinks he can throw enough money at Val’s abductors to render the value of the paintingsnil.”

“This wasn’t his decision tomake.”

“No, itwasn’t.”

I raised my tear-filled eyes to Jake. “If we don’t get Val back, it’ll destroyhim.”

He nodded. “It will change him, but he’ll survive. Losing you, Blaire, will killhim.”

40

Blaire

Ihad never felt as isolatedas I did now. Jake wasn’t telling me anything and I was ready to climb the walls. I heard Amelia had been transferred to a secure location, and I was feeling guilty enough to leave her alone. Even Andy wasn’t answering my calls or texts. He could blame me all he wanted, but, dammit, he’d always been logical about this. Then I remembered Grant, and how I couldn’t reason with him. I was fighting for us—why couldn’t he see that? An eternity of resentment wasn’t how I envisioned our lives together. That wasn’t a life … that was going to behell.

My phonebuzzed.

Andycalling.

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