Page 17 of Not A Whisper

I smile in the darkness. “We can do that afterward. The quicker you tell me, the faster we can get to that.”

Grant’s hands tighten on my hips. Beneath me, I can feel him catch and hold his breath. His body tenses further. The silence that stretches between us cools the warmth in my veins. Something’s really wrong. Turning my head, I kiss the middle of his chest.

“Hey, you can tell me anything, Grant. You know it’ll stay right here between us.”

I’m not Jason or Trip, the two boys he grew up with and that know everything about him. But we’ve gone through so much. Certainly he knows that with me all his secrets are safe, right?

His grip on my hips becomes almost painful. I wince, the expression hidden in the darkness. Rather than complain, I press my lips to his chest once more, right over his heart. Grant lets go of the breath he’s holding and as his chest lowers, so do I.

“Garry’s digging his claws into me,” Grant admits, his voice soft but tense. “I thought I could handle this for a few moreyears, at least until our business was nearly up and running but he’s… He’s growing irritable and restless. Worse, he’s grown paranoid.”

I frown against his chest. “What’s he paranoid about?”

“He’s suspicious of who bought that property we plan to build on. Apparently, he’s been eyeing it for a while, hoping to get it at a cheap price. He wasn’t too pleased when he found out it was sold.”

If I’m supposed to be following, Grant’s about to be sorely mistaken. “So, he automatically assumes it’s you?”

“No, but the fact that I don’t give a damn about one of his potential dealings falling through must’ve tipped him off that something’s up. So now he’s trying to figure out why I don’t care and where my loyalties actually lie,” he mutters. “I’ve been trying to make up for my mistake but it’s too late. The damage is done. He’s… He’s hurting people, Bri, because I slipped up.”

Again he takes another steady breath.

“He’s cornered Jay and Trip, trying to get them to talk. That didn’t work, so he’s now going after their families. The Nani’s and Carlos don’t know anything about our future plans, the money we have, none of it. They don’t deserve what’s happening.”

It takes everything in me not to stiffen. Garry’s gone after Jason and Trip? Why didn’t they tell me last night? I push my annoyance with them away. Next time I see them, I’ll be sure to bring this up. Right now, I focus on Grant. My jaw clenches.

“No, it sounds like they don’t,” I agree softly.

Grant’s hands slide off my hips to move up my back to hold me closer. “He hasn’t brought you up recently, but I’m not stupid enough to believe he’s stopped keeping tabs on you. You’d tell me if he tried anything, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes.”

I won’t lie to him. As much as I would want to spare Grantthe worry, he’d know how to deal with his father better than I would. I don’t think striking Garry Gipson in the head with a baseball bat, hitting him with my car, or shooting him will go the same way it had with the previous troublesome men in my life.

“Good. God, I can’t let him get to you, dollface.” The strain in Grant’s voice causes my heart to twist. “I can’t fuck up again where your life is concerned. I’ll never forgive myself for what happened with D?—”

“Stop,” I cut him off sharply. “No need to use that name here. And you know I’veforgiven you for that.”

Grant takes a deep shaky breath. As tightly pressed against him as I am, I feel every vibration. I kiss his chest again. Seconds tick by. I don’t hurry Grant. If he needs time to gather his thoughts, he can have it all.

“I have to get out from under him, Bri, but Ican’t. I’m fucking stuck. Leaving the Nani’s to fend for themselves on my father’s property is out of the question. We have to move them first. But where? None of us have gone back to the apartment since December. I wouldn’t be able to explain to my dad how we acquired it so we’ve practically abandoned it. I guess we could set the Nani’s up there. But they’d be easy to find if, no—” Grant shakes his head vigorously, “—whenmy father goes searching to bring them back. Then there’s Carlos.” Grant groans.

“What about Carlos, Grant?” I urge when he doesn’t continue right away.

Grant lets out a heavy sigh. “Carlos isn’t as strong as he once was. He needs to retire, he just doesn’t have it in him to keep going. Hedeservesto sit back and relax. But Carlos won’t hand over the business to Trip—he doesn’t want his son beholden to my dad like he is. If only we can tell, or show him, that we can take care of ourselves, maybe then he would feelbetter about handing over the reins. Then there’s the fact that the house he and Trip stay in is old and barely standing and neither has the time to fix it up. I think Carlos would be happy selling the place as long as he was with the Nani’s, they’re best friends and all. But then I’m back at square one: where do I hide them to keep them out of my father’s reach?”

Grant’s heart rate spikes. I can feel it against my cheek as I rest it on his chest. His arms wrap around me tighter.

“We need to act, Bri, but we’re not ready. Once the ranch is up, things will be different for us, our families… But, until then, what can I do?”

Against my back, Grant’s hands curl into fists. He sucks in several hard breaths while his body trembles harder than ever. Rather than speak, I breathe. I suck in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. Then I do it again. And again. It takes several minutes but Grant’s breathing begins to mimic mine.

Inch by inch, the tension in his frame leaks away. The trembling stops and his hands unfurl until his palms are lying flat on my back once more. As he relaxes, my mind flickers to my guestroom and what lies there. The plans aren’t ready. There’s plenty more I could add but the bones are there. And the issue Grant has with both of his friend’s parents? I have a solution to that as well. As long as they’d be game to spending just a little bit of whatever money they have to get it off the ground…

What if he doesn’t like it? Or he gets mad that I encroached on their dream?

I’ll show him in a minute, I decide. In the meantime… I kiss his chest then lift my head to stare down into his face, cloaked in heavy shadow.

“I’m sorry your father is an asshole. You’re doing your best to walk a fine line, but I know that has to be hard.” I reach up and cup his face with a single hand. “You know you’re notalone. I’m always going to be here for you. We’ll fight him together, somehow.”

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