Page 63 of Vengeful Secret

I try wrenching away from him, but then I feel the cold metal of a gun against my bare back.

My breath starts to come shorter and shorter as he drags me out into the alley.

“None of your fucking business,” he snarls.

I do the hair signal again. But I don’t think anyone is coming to save me. Panic rises in my throat.

“I know whoyouare, though, Sutton McIntyre.”

“How do you know my name?” I gasp.

“You’re Gray Burke’s girl. And you’ve got a little daughter. Ciara, isn’t that her name?” He sneers. “You don’t even know the target you have on your back.”

Fuck.

This is exactly what I was worried about when I hid Ciara from Gray. I was worried that we’d become targets for his many enemies, and here I am, at the mercy of one of them.

I look around the back of the building, wondering if anyone would hear me scream, but there’s no one around. Everyone’s in the club or in the smoking area, which is a few hundred feet away. Maybe if I could sprint over there?—

As soon as I start to run, my captor grabs me around the waist, picking me up.

“Scream, and I’ll shoot you in the back,” he growls, and I slowly go limp.

He sits me down on the ground. “Now, I want you to tell me everything you know about the Burkes.”

“I don’t know anything.” I hope that he hears the sincerity in my voice. I really don’t know anything, not that I would tell even if I did.

“Don’t fucking start with me.” He picks up the pistol, swinging it at my head.

I duck, and he punches me in the stomach.

All the air goes out of my lungs, and I double over, heaving.

“You’re coming with me,” he says, and my vision starts to go black.

I’m going to fight as soon as I can breathe again, but I can’tbreathe.

18

GRAY

I head directlyto the bar for a drink, wanting to blend in the crowd as much as possible. I scan the crowd for any familiar faces, and I see a few.

Brady Connor, one of Murphy’s cousins, stands over by the VIP section that Sutton is on her way to. He’s a low-level idiot, really probably a good target for her, but he’s not who I’m looking for.

I’m looking for the man who shot my father. I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s the same one after Sutton, and if he’s here...

But I don’t see him after looking over everyone I can find in the crowd. It’s too crowded, there’s too many people, and I lose track of Sutton almost immediately after she enters the crowd.

Panic rises in my throat, but I remember that she’ll be close to the VIP section.

I catch sight of her, and she’s sidled up next to Brady, not making any signals at all.

Relief rushes through me.

“Sir? Your whiskey.” I turn my head to face the bartender, taking the drink although I don’t intend to taste it.

“Gray?” a deep voice sounds behind me, loud even over the music.

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