Page 106 of Hold Me Before You Go

She covered my mouth with her hand and leaned down, holding my eyes. “You are a good man, Grayson. Do you know why? Because instead of killing Robert’s parents, you gave me the choice. You said it all earlier. A good man wouldn’t have done that. You. Are. A. Good. Man.”

I felt my eyes burn as I stared up at her.

Her face softened then. “I love you,” she whispered, pulling her hand from me. “You’re worthy, Grayson.”

I put my hands back on her hips and swallowed. She calmed me down. She brought me back to the present. She told me the truth. She didn’t blame me.

You’re worthy, Grayson.

Her voice pulled me from my thoughts once more as she said, “Now, say it back so we can get some sleep.”

I did as I was told, leaving the past in the past.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Grayson

Four Days Later. Red Snake Investigations. Denver, CO.

“We’ll be able to call them soon,” I said to Carrie as Jake walked out of the office.

Humbly was being persistent, to say the least. For the last three days, he had reached out, demanding an update. Each time, the weight of the lie grew heavier and heavier on our collective shoulders. I may not like Humbly, but Carrie’s friends in Astoria were good people who cared about her—so much.It gave me a small sliver of hope, knowing she wouldn’t be completely alone when we came forward with our knowledge of Robert Hale.

However, with each passing day, I knew our sentences grew. We were holding the Hale couple captive after all, and as Dominic stated before, they were going to get away with this, but we wouldn’t. Hayes was still on the hunt for Brandon, and we were all on edge, waiting for his daily updates. During our last call, Dominic offered to come out and help, but Hayes refused. We all knew the reason why. He preferred working alone. We didn’t argue. However, we were growing restless.

“I hate this,” Carrie noted from the couch, Tic-Tac resting in her lap, purring loudly.

“I know you do,” I sighed, leaning back in my chair, my body aching. When I wasn’t here or with Carrie, I’d been in the gym, putting my body through hell so I would stay out of my own fucking head. I couldn’t go back there, not when my time with Carrie was limited. She didn’t need to be spending it fixing my shit.

The sound of my cell ringing cut through the air, and the orange puffball raised his head, glaring at me.

“Little shit,” I mumbled, reaching for my phone and answering it. “Grayson.”

“Brandon is underground,” Hayes informed me sharply, sounding frustrated.

My eyes shot to Carrie’s as I sat up. “Details. Now,” I ordered.

“Remember the trouble Brandon got into? The reason why Robert helped him fake his death?”

“Yes,” I clipped, rising from my seat and pressing the all-call button on the office phone. We needed the team in here for this conversation. I jerked my chin to Carrie. “It’s Hayes.”

She scooped Tic-Tac up and set him on the couch. He gave a loud meow of protest as she stood, coming to the front of my desk. A second later, the boys filed in.

“Everyone is here,” I told Hayes, putting the call on speaker and placing the device on my desk. “Go.”

“Brandon got into some gambling trouble three years ago—not just with a casino, but with the Black Mist,” Hayes informed us.

“Jesus,” Ash groaned beside Carrie, running his fingers through his hair.

Dominic shot a look at me while Jake muttered something under his breath, coming around the desk aned taking over my computer.

“What’s the Black Mist?” Carrie whispered to Ash.

“A fucking nightmare,” he answered.

“It’s a gang. They basically run Vegas. Even the Mafia stays away from them,” Jake answered.

Carrie’s eyes widened as she looked at me for confirmation. “Collin and Jeremy wouldn’t touch that fucking city with a hundred-foot pole, Sunshine. If they did, it would be an all-out war.”

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