Page 117 of Captive Lies

They both fell silent for a few seconds in silentagreement.

Grant exhaled a weary sigh. “What will happennow?”

“Well, the senator and Viktor are in a meeting with the FBI and DOJ. We’re finding ourselves in a gray area. Legally, Viktor can’t hold Spencer and his crew, so they’re going to charge them with grand larceny, kidnapping, and conspiracy to murder AmeliaThorne.”

“And thepaintings?”

The other man eyed him warily. “We’ll need Blaire to recover the accountnumbers.”

“What will happen to the money?” Grant demanded. “I want it out of our lives as soon aspossible.”

“Our analyst will work on securing the accounts. That money is a culmination of thirty years of organized crime. Drugs, prostitution, arms trafficking—you name it. The agency will freeze the money or put it to betteruse.”

“And Yashkin?” The mastermind of itall.

The other man smiled enigmatically. “Don’t worry abouthim.”

They walked out of his office and saw the joviality in the living room. Val was snuggled up against their mother. Blaire was talking to Jake and Tyler, while Colette was busy fluttering about in thekitchen.

“I’m sure you can’t wait to get back to your family,” Sully said, extending his hand. “It was a pleasure, Mr. Thorne. We’ll be in touch regarding the paintings and if we have any morequestions.”

He gripped the Guardian’s hand firmly. “Thanks, Sullivan. Foreverything.”

* * *

“Alone at last,”Grant murmured into Blaire’s ear as the last of their bodyguards entered the elevators. His parents and Val left ten minutes before midnight. It had been a stressful, emotional, long-ass twenty-four hours, and he was ready to put the day behindhim.

“Hmm,” Blaire hummed, leaning back against him and resting her hands on his arms that were wrapped aroundher.

“Although I’d say,” Grant said. “I’m a bithurt.”

Blaire’s suppressed laugh made him grin like an idiot. She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “What has offended you thistime?”

“I’m no longer Val’s favorite person,” he teased. “She couldn’t stop gushing about ‘Blaire this’ and ‘Blaire that’ as if you were the second coming ofChrist.”

“The novelty will pass,” she patted his arm as if reassuring a child. “You’ll be her favorite person again, but I hope we’ve bonded over our shared ordeal for it to belasting.”

Grant snorted. “Well, I hope you won’t need something this intense for future bonding.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “My heart couldn’t take it.” His mouth found her lips and they shared slow drugging kisses. After the adrenaline and intensity of the day, he wanted to make slow love to her. They rocked back and forth like lovers in a slow dance with him expertly moving them closer to the bedroom. He lifted his lips a fraction. “Thanks for saving mysister.”

“She drove the getaway car. In that moment, we worked as a team. We saved eachother.”

The events of the day suddenly overwhelmed him with need, and, with a growl, he pressed her against the wall, snaked his hand under her skirt and found her wet behind her panties. Groaning his approval, his button and zipper were opened in a flash. “I can’t wait to have you. I wanted to go slow, but, fuck, I need to be inside you now.” He freed his cock, lifted her up, pushed the scrap of lace aside and surged insideher.

“Grant, the bedroom is right there,” Blaire gasped as her legs struggled to find purchase aroundhim.

“Don’t care,” he buried his face in the glorious skein of her hair as he thrust in deliberate measured strokes, savoring the tight, wet pussy and fighting against the urge to take her hard. She’d experienced too much violence that day, she needed a calmer pace, so he loved her with a gentleness he hadn’t usedbefore.

“Grant,” she whimpered. “I needmore.”

“No, Angel, let me give you this,” he raised his head to gaze at her. Their breaths mingled as he teased her with the smooth glide of his cock as he rocked her against the wall. He moved inside her for long minutes, the build to their climax slow, until they came together in a sigh of emotions. Faith overcoming uncertainty, courage overcoming fear, and love overcomingall.

46

Blaire

It wasearly November and the leaves turned bright yellow and burnt orange. The grass had lost its vibrant green and had begun to fade to brown. Fall’s sunlight dappled the marble gravestone with specks of gold. I wasn’t sure why I was there. It had only been a few weeks since Liam’s funeral, but the doubt Agent Wilkes planted in my head compelled me to visitAtlanta.

The stark letters on the headstone slashed my heart, but it held together because I was stronger. I sat beside the plot and stretched out my legs, picking at the twigs and leaves that had littered acrossit.

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