Page 39 of Forbidden Pawn

“Besides, I can’t force him to sign,” I say. “That would only raise more red flags.”

“Agreed,” Jack replies quickly, nodding as if we’re finally making progress. “That’s why we’ll be there too, posing as an interested party to increase the pressure. We have a contact who works for him. He can make it happen.”

My brows shoot up in surprise.

“Oh, you do?” I ask. That sounds almost too good to be true.

Jack and Carter nod in unison. “We just wanted to talk to you first.”

“We need to make him believe he’d lose out on the most lucrative deal he’s ever faced,” Carter adds.

“Which isn’t even a lie,” I add, meeting Jack’s gaze. “He’d be making a hell of a lot more cash with me. He just can’t know the money is dirty.”

“Exactly,” Jack says, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. “So, you in?”

I take a breath, casting a quick glance at Grace, who’s still silent, still watching her brothers like they’re strangers. Why is she not talking to them? And why does she look like she’s seen a ghost, so pale and confused? None of this sits right. They show up unannounced, throw an agreeable solution into my lap, all the while looking like they’re hiding something themselves.

And not once did they ask Grace if she was doing okay or even said hello to her?

“Aren’t you happy to see your brothers?” I ask her, and she looks up at me, startled.

“Of course I am,” she says, now smiling at Jack and Carter.

“It’s good to see you,” Carter says, peculiar in his formality. “And you seem well?”

“I am,” she responds, nodding. “He’s not hurting me.”

My chest tightens at her words. Of course, I’m not hurting her.

“No one is ever going to hurt her,” I blurt out. I regret my words in an instant, when I’m met with the puzzled looks of Jack and Carter—and Grace. Fuck, I sound like an idiot.

“Well, that’s good then,” Carter says, and he actually looks relieved.

“So,” Jack interjects, looking at me. “You in or what? Regarding the meeting.”

As much as I don’t trust the Reids, this meeting could put me one step closer to closing the deal. Dominic and I have been talking about pushing things forward, despite the issue of the mole we still have to figure out, and an on-site meeting was always part of the plan.

“Let me talk to my lawyer first,” I tell him. “I’ll let you know. But I think this might be the way to go.”

Jack gives me a curt nod. “We’ll await your call.”

He throws a quick look at Grace, who’s still standing silently behind me, before he and Carter turn on their heels and march back to their car. No hug, not even an actual conversation.

I watch them drive away before I turn back to Grace. “Are you okay?”

She looks up at me, tilting her head to the side. “Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

“That wasn’t exactly a warm-hearted reunion,” I say. “Your brothers really seem to be rather indifferent when it comes to you.”

She scoffs. “Like I said, you shouldn’t judge us like other families. We’re different.”

But something tells me that’s not it. She looks distraught and tense, maybe even a little sad. It tugs at my heart to see her like this, and I have the feeling that right now, I’m all she’s got. It’sobvious that her brothers are not here to protect her from the dangers lurking out there.

And I can’t shake the feeling that she really is in danger. Maybe both of us are.

I place my hand at the small of her back and lead her back into the house, carrying a sense of dread with me—and a powerful urge to keep Grace safe.

Chapter 31

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