Page 63 of Captive Lies

“A sizable one-time purchase will raise red flags in the system, not to mention we need paperwork for some ofthose.”

“That stash that we got from Blaire’s cabin,” Tyler said. “That’s a veritable arsenal and I couldn’t trace any ofthose.”

“Use it,” Grant decided. “Have our pilot fuel up the Gulfstream. Jake, do you have contacts near Florida that we can hire for extra muscle?” He didn’t need to saymercenaries.

“I’ve already made a shortlist of men we could use,” Jakesaid.

“Excellent.”

* * *

Two hours later,Liamcalled.

And Liam was furious. “What the fuckhappened?”

In clipped, succinct statements, Grant told Blaire’s friendeverything.

“That’s a serious breach of security, Thorne,” Liamsaid.

Grant swallowed hard. He wanted to ask Liam about the chances of them finding Blaire alive and unhurt, but the words wouldn’t come. He didn’t want to know. Didn’t want to think that at that moment, his angel was being hurt and brutalized. It had taken all his energy to keep the images in the back of his mind, but here was the one person who knew Orlovbest.

He released a shaky breath as their line crackled with chargedsilence.

“Don’t go there,” Liam ordered. “Don’t ask me either, because at this moment I want to punch through this phone and shootyou.”

“Fuck. I’msorry—”

“Don’t fucking apologize!” the other man roared. “Not even a week, Thorne, and you lost her. I should have known better than to trust a pansy-assed businessman to take care of Blaire. I should have listened to her. She said she was a bad bet for you, but I think you’re the badbet.”

“I know,” Grant agreed. Every word out of Liam’s mouth was like a nail crucifying his guilt against his heart. Self-recrimination was bleeding from him, but he refused to wallow in regret. Not when his woman needed saving. “Can we cut the shit for now because, from where I’m standing, it’s not helping get my womanback.”

Liam barked a short scornful laugh. “Your woman? Gotta hand it to you, Thorne, for having the balls to say that. We get Blaire back, she’s mine. Not trusting you afterthis.”

Grant bristled but didn’t say anything. The more they argued on the phone, the longer it would take to get toBlaire.

“My men and I are ready to get where you are,” he told the olderman.

“You and your men need to standdown.”

“The fuck!” Grant swore. “I’m not sitting on my ass and waiting fornews.”

“Stay outit.”

“If you think we can’t help, then we’ll stand down. We’ll be where you are and not interfere.” Unless they had to. “Need your own men to back you up? Fine. Get the best for the job. I don’t care how much itcosts.”

“Well, shit, at least you’re good for something,” the other man muttered. “Two million dollars. Cash. Think you can swingthat?”

“No problem,” he said. “Where do we meet you? I can get the money within the hour and have my planeready.”

“Miami. Call me when youland.”

Liam hungup.

It wasfour hours later when they were wheels up. Grant visited his mother first, but he didn’t give any indication that he was leaving town. He didn’t say anything to his dad either—just that they were following up on leads. Someone was trying to undermine his relationship with Blaire, and it looked like that someone was working with the Russian mafia. He couldn’t help but get suspicious of Gus. It had been obvious that he was against Blaire since the beginning and Grant recalled how he was told of his mother’saccident.

It was Gus who called him.“There’s been an accident, Grant. Blaire escaped without a scratch, but Amelia iscritical.”

Those two statements set the stage for how he reacted to the entire scene at the ER. Gus set him up, planted the seed that it was Blaire’s fault, and his mother was paying the price. And he fell forit.

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