Page 3 of Forbidden Pawn

The girl lifts her head to look at me, a small, almost imperceptible movement. I can see her lips part for a split second, as if she was about to speak, but she closes them and lowers her face again.

Fuck, this will be a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Then again, I only said I won’t hurt her. I said nothing about not touching her.

Chapter 2

June

It takes every ounce of power within me not to jump at him and close my hands around his throat until he stops breathing. I want to end him so badly, and hopefully, what I will do to him will be worse than death.

But for now, I will play the scared little lamb, who is handed to him as a human deposit. I try my best to appear weak and terrified, even though I am neither.

Well, okay, that’s not true. Of course, I’m anxious, maybe even a little worried about what is coming. I havedone my research on this man, but he remains an enigma. He doesn’t reveal much about himself anywhere, which is no surprise, given his line of work. Until today, I didn’t even know what he looked like. He has no online presence, doesn’t use social media, and he was obviously very careful to never have his picture posted anywhere.

And now, as I’m finally standing in the same room with the monster who killed my father, I can’t deny the fact that he’s incredibly handsome. His black hair is cut in a textured quiff, longer on the top and shaved at the sides, and his dark brown eyes complement his tan skin. I can see tattoos peeking out from underneath his shirt sleeves, suggesting that both of his arms are full of ink, and there’s a darkness in his gaze that has an undeniable pull on me every time our eyes meet. That’s why I keep my eyes on the ground as much as possible, feigning the scared little girl that everyone in this room expects to see.

The Reid brothers would never hand over their actual sister to this bastard, but that’s the only positive thing I can say about them, because they are just as bad as him in every other aspect.

I was scared to death when I first dove into the murky world of crime that took my father from me, and I was especially scared of Jack Reid when I shared my idea with him. I had to reveal my knowledge about their activities, and I did not know how he would react. It could have been the end of me right then and there.

“I won’t hurt her,” Ryker says, but when I make the mistake of looking up this time and our eyes meet for just a split second, I feel like he’s the one closing his hand around my throat—and I quickly look away.

He’s a dangerous man. I knew that. I knew what I was getting myself into, or I thought I did. And I can’t go back now, no matter how much meeting his dark gaze unravels me.

I just have to stop being intimidated, I tell myself, as if it was that easy.

“You better not,” Tyler, the youngest of the brothers, adds. I think he’s the most protective of their precious little Grace, maybe because he’s closest to her in age. Even with me in her place, he seems to ache at the thought of anyone touching her.

I have never met Grace Reid, the girl whose place I’m taking. From what I hear, she’s locked away in a psychiatric ward, because she’s a danger to herself. Considering her family background, it’s no surprise that the poor girl is struggling.

“Come here,” Ryker says, and I know he’s talking to me without having to look up.

“Not this fast,” Jack interrupts, just as I’m about to step forward. “We still have to discuss some ground rules.”

“I agree,” Ryker says. “But we can do that while the girl is with me. I don’t trust you guys. And from this moment on, she’s mine. We can talk, but she will be with me.”

I’m holding my breath, my eyes still locked on my feet, as I wait for Jack—or any of the brothers—to respond. Will they yield to this ridiculous power move?

It turns out they will.

“Fine,” Jack says, and I can sense his eyes on me. “Grace, go over to him.”

I swallow dryly, before I slowly cross the room, approaching the man I hate more than anyone in the entire world. He’s looking at me, I can feel it, but I don’t give him the pleasure of returning his gaze. Instead, I keep my head low, averting my eyes as I come to a halt about two feet next to him.

“Good girl,” he says in a low voice—and I’m shocked at the pleasant rush of emotions that soars through my core at the sound of it. There’s an energy radiating off of him that rattles me, a magnetic heat that causes me to lean closer to him, before I snap out of it and distance myself.

He throws me a quick look, an unreadable expression on his handsome face. “A week,” he says, now speaking to Jack. “That’s how much time you bought yourself with this.”

I hear the Reid brothers shifting in their seats, and I know that they’re not happy about this. They need more than a week, but it might be enough for me.

“That’s not what we agreed upon,” Carter says. “You said you want a collateral until the payment is met.”

“Exactly.”

Sighing, Ryker turns to look at me, and I can feel the heat rush to my cheeks, despite myself. My heart races when he lifts his hand and beckons me to come closer.

I don’t react to his request right away, but hesitate for a second, casting anxious looks around the room before my feet move. A smile plays at the corner of his mouth when I approach him until I’m standing right next to him.

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