Page 47 of Forbidden Pawn

Jack lets out a long sigh and runs a hand through his hair, while Tyler shifts in his seat but doesn’t meet my eyes. Something’s off, and it’s making my blood boil.

“Did something happen to her?” I ask, panic rising in my chest. She can’t be dead. She can’t.

“Look, it’s complicated,” Jack starts, his tone grim. “We were struggling to keep control. The Cortesis forced our hand. Weneeded to fulfill our obligations to you, but things were slipping, and we were desperate and—”

“Where is Grace?” I roar, loud enough for Tyler to startle in his seat.

“She’s alive,” Jack says. “At least I’m sure she is.”

“What does that mean?” I probe.

“Like I said, we were in a tough position and we—”

“You made a deal with them?” I spit, disbelief and anger churning in my gut. “You made a deal with them to betray me and get out of your debt?”

“It wasn’t our first choice, trust me,” Jack says. “We never trusted them a hundred percent, but we were out of options, and this seemed like a promising way out.”

Tyler sits up, rubbing his face with a weary hand. “But they played us.”

“Turns out they weren’t really interested in you.” Jack grits his teeth. “They said if we hand you over to them, they’d leave our territory alone and deal with you. Said they were having some trouble with your operation years ago and wanted you out.”

“I don’t even know them!” I exclaim.

“We know that now,” Jack says. “We thought you were just feigning ignorance when we mentioned their name, but yeah… they were the ones who were lying. They were after us and our operation. They’re trying to take over our operation by forcing us to hand it over.”

“By blackmail,” Tyler adds, throwing me a meaningful look.

I stare at them both, trying to piece together their pathetic excuse for a plan. But they still haven’t told me what happened to Grace.

“Where is Grace?” I press, the panic in my chest clawing at me.

“They took her,” Jack says, his tone flat, like it’s nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

“What?” I bark, pushing myself upright despite the pain. “They took her? Where?”

“They’re aiming for ransom, I think,” Jack says, shrugging like it’s no big deal.

“No,” Tyler cuts in, shaking his head. “This isn’t about money. They’re trying to force us to give up. They took the girl because they’re trying to blackmail us.”

“The girl?” I repeat, my confusion mounting. Something about the way he said it—so impersonal. Like she didn’t matter. “How can you talk about your sister like that?”

Jack and Tyler exchange a look, and I’m starting to see through the cracks in their story. My gut churns with suspicion, a suspicion that has been there from day one, but that I was so keen to push aside the entire time.

“What the hell is going on here?” I demand, my voice low and dangerous.

Jack sighs heavily. “Okay, listen. We weren’t quite honest with you.”

“Oh, you don’t say,” I snap, my patience running thin.

Jack hesitates, then glances at Tyler. “Grace… she’s not who you think she is.”

“She’s not our sister,” Tyler finally reveals—and the words hit me like a punch to the gut.

“What do you mean?” I snap, my mind spinning.

“Her name’s June… June something,” Jack says, sounding almost casual about it. “We made a deal with her.”

“A deal?” My voice is bitter, and I feel like someone has pushed all the air out of me. “What kind of deal?”

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