Page 45 of Forbidden Pawn

Ryker

The lake glistens under the late afternoon sun, the calm water reflecting the thick trees surrounding the shoreline. The waterfront properties lining the lake are quite picturesque, classic New England-style homes with shingled roofs and white picket fences.

It’s a place that looks like a perfect getaway, but I feel anything but peaceful right now. And I can sense the tension radiating off of Grace on the passenger seat next to me. She hasn’t said a word since we got into the car, and her shoulders rise to her ears when I slow down the car.

We pull up to one of the buildings where Jack and Tyler are waiting for us. Both of them look tense, which doesn’t help with my own nerves. I step out of the car with Grace, and her presence at my side seems to set them even more on edge.

“Everything alright?” I ask as we approach the door, glancing at Grace to see how she greets her brothers. The moment she notices me watching her, she forces a smile on her face, but neither of her brothers returns it. Their eyes are fixated on me, not her.

“Sure, everything’s fine,” Jack says, but there’s no confidence behind his words. It feels rehearsed, like he’s trying too hard to brush something off. My eyes shift to Tyler, who’s avoiding looking directly at me. Not a good sign.

“Why did you bring her?” Tyler asks, nodding toward Grace. “She doesn’t need to be here.”

I tilt my head, studying both of them. “Aren’t you glad to see your sister?”

Grace shifts beside me, clearly uncomfortable. I thought she’d feel safe next to them, but if anything, she looks more nervous than before.

“Of course, we are glad to see her,” Tyler mumbles, casting a side-eye to his brother Jack, who forces a nod.

“We’re glad to see she’s doing fine,” Jack adds, his tone flat. “But why would you bring her to this meeting? We never said you should.”

“I want to keep an eye on her,” I say, not breaking my gaze from either of them. “She’s been getting herself into trouble at my house. I need to make sure she doesn’t get into more.”

The brothers exchange a quick look, and it’s not the kind of glance I expected—there’s confusion rather than worry.

“What kind of trouble?” Jack asks then, now finally looking at his younger sister.

Grace inhales audibly and takes a step back, as if she was afraid of him.

“Nothing to worry about,” I jump in. I don’t want the Reids to know too much about what’s been going on inside my house, and I definitely don’t want them to know that I suspect a mole among my people—a mole that might work for them. The less they know about what I know, the better.

“It’s nothing,” Grace says to Jack. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

She looks tense and unsure when talking to her brother, which only deepens my suspicion. If she’s supposed to be relaxed around her own family, why is she acting like a cornered animal?

“Where’s Mr. Stern?” I ask, cutting through the tension.

“He’s waiting for us inside,” Jack says, nodding toward the house we’re standing in front of. “Shall we?”

He gestures for us to go in, but I don’t move.

“After you,” I say, locking eyes with him. I’m not about to turn my back on any of them. Something doesn’t feel right, and I’m not about to walk blindly into whatever trap this might be. I can barely stop myself from reaching for the gun that’s lodged on my belt at my back, hidden beneath my jacket.

Jack’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t argue. Grace and I follow behind them as they lead the way into the house. The moment we step into the entrance hall, I can feel my gut clenching. The place is eerily quiet and the hall we step into is bare—no furniture, no sign of Mr. Stern.

We walk through an archway to the right and into what looks like an empty office. There’s no desk, no chairs—just four men standing in the middle of the room. They don’t look like business associates. Torn jeans, greasy hair, and the stench of trouble radiating from them. One of them reveals a row of ugly gold-crowned teeth, when his thin lips spread into a wide grin.

Fuck.

I stop dead in my tracks, tension tightening every muscle. Everything inside me instantly screams that this is, in fact, a trap. The four men in front of me aren’t business associates—they’re trouble.

“Who are you?” I ask, my voice cold, while my hand moves to my back on instinct.

His grin widens. “Matteo Cortesi, nice to meet you.”

Cortesi? What are they doing here? I thought they were the Reids’ enemies? I glance at Jack and Tyler, who are now blocking the door. Every instinct tells me to reach for the gun tucked in my waistband. My fingers brush the grip as I pull it closer, my body tensing for the worst.

“What is going on here?” I demand, my eyes flitting back and forth between Jack, Tyler, and the stranger in front of me.

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