Page 38 of Hot Chocolate & Hitmen

"How the fuck did you get out?" I growl, pressing my knee into his back.

He sputters, face pressed against the cold tile. "It- it was the other guy! The one you had tied up with me. He let me out!"

Ice floods my veins as his words sink in. Jason. That sniveling coward.

"Shit," Key mutters, but Teddy's already moving.

"Atlas, secure him. Key, with me. We need to get to Grace.Now."As they sprint from the room, I haul the hostage to his feet, mind racing. If Jason went after Grace...

I shove that thought aside. She's smart. She's resourceful. And she has three highly trained killers who would do anything to keep her safe.

Jason better pray we find Grace unharmed. Because if he's laid a finger on her, there won't be anything left of him to bury.

I quickly secure the hostage to a sturdy kitchen chair, making sure the zip ties are painfully tight, before knocking him clean out with a backhand to the temple with my gun.

My heart pounds, not from exertion, but from fear as I sprint after Teddy and Key, taking the stairs two at a time. Fear for our sweet, innocent Grace who's somehow wormed her way into the hearts of three hardened killers in a matter of days.

And I don’t fear anything.

I reach the bedroom door, finding it still locked with Teddy and Key hovering around it. A good sign, but it does nothing to quell the dread churning in my gut.

"Grace?" Teddy calls out, his usual commanding tone tinged with worry. "It's us. Open up, Little One."

Silence.

Key tries next, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "Sugar? You in there?"

Nothing.

I can't take it anymore. With a growl, I shoulder past my brothers and kick the door in, splintering the frame. Bursting into the room, weapons drawn, we search the room by firelight and the sliver of moonlight that’s creeping in, only to find it empty.

"Fuck!" I roar, panic clawing at my chest.

Teddy's already moving towards one closet while Key heads to the second, when the sound of glass shattering behind the bathroom door cuts through the air.

We freeze, exchanging tense glances.

Grace!

Chapter Seventeen

They can't save you now.

I freeze as I recognize Jason’s voice, instantly feeling a wave of fury wash over me.

“We're leaving, Grace,” he hisses in my ear, his breath hot against my neck. “We’re getting out of here while they’re distracted.”

Wait, what?

Without hesitation, I whirl around to face him, my hands balled into fists; forgetting I can’t see a thing. “What in the nutcracker nonsense are you talking about, Jason?”

“They’re dangerous, Grace! You really think they care about you?” He snorts. “We need to get out of here before they turn on us,” Jason’s voice rises, desperation lacing every word.

Adjusting to the lack of light, I can just about make out Jason straightening up as he rubs at his stomach where I hit him.

I narrow my eyes, my pulse pounding in my ears. "You’re unbelievable. This is all some game to you, isn’t it? You lie, you cheat, youbreak up with me, and threaten to leave me stranded in this cabin with those so-calleddangerous men. And now…what? You want to act like you’re some kind of hero?"

He steps closer, swaying slightly as his hand reaches out like he can somehow pull me back into his twisted web. Taking a step back out of his reach, his arm drops limply through the air.

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