Page 17 of Grayson's Angel

An evil laugh erupted from Rovshan’s mouth. “How would I know where your father is? Rumors around town say he was a lowlife. Maybe someone did you a favor and killed him.” Rovshan raised his hand and stretched out his fingers, showing Kara his bloody knuckles. “You would then be in debt to that person for taking the lowlife off your hands.” He shrugged.

Kara lunged from her seat, trying to get to Rovshan with her knife. Grayson grabbed her around the waist and dragged her to the other side of the bench.

“I will kill you,” she threatened.

Everyone in the diner became quiet at Kara’s declaration. All eyes were focused on Rovshan and Kara.

Grayson exited the bench to give Rovshan his full attention.“I think it’s time you leave and go back to Vegas.”

Rovshan glared at Grayson. “I think I like the view in Eagle Ridge.” He deliberately looked around Grayson and gave Kara a once-over.

Hank stood next to Grayson to block Rovshan’s view of Kara. “I agree with Grayson. It's time you leave town.”

Kara touched the back of Grayson’s shoulder and whispered into his ear, “Let’s finish our meal and ignore these lowlifes. He’s trying to get a rise out of us, and it’s working.”

Grayson and Hank stood a second longer, staring Rovshan down, before they sat with Kara in the booth.

“Can’t wait to s—” Rovshan didn’t get the words out before Grayson leveled a punch into the man’s stomach.

Grayson didn’t even use his full force since he was sitting in the booth. He couldn’t wait for the man to threaten Kara again. He was normally so calm in high-pressure situations. Something about Kara brought out a different side of him that he wasn’t used to.

Grayson’s punch dropped Rovshan to the ground. His thugs dropped next to him and helped him up.

“I think it’s time you leave before we call the sheriff,” Grayson stated. He picked up his fork and started to eat his food, not paying any attention to the man wheezing on the floor.

“You hit him,” one of the velour-clad thugs said.

Grayson looked around the diner. He knew the locals would side with them. “I have a feeling the people in the diner will have a different story.”

Before he turned and left the table, he said to Kara, “You will be my wife by the end of the week.”

When Rovshan was out the door, Kara turned and glared at Grayson. “Why the hell were you allowed to punch the fucker and I wasn’t?”

Hank and Grayson both laughed at her statement. Just like that, the tension was gone. All the customers went back to enjoying their meals, and no one paid them any more attention.

“Your hands are too delicate to get hurt.” Grayson heard her mumble about it not being fair. “You can be mad at me later. We need to head out of town. It’s going to take us a few hours to get to the cabin. I have a feeling they’ll follow us, and we’ll need to shake the tail before heading there.”

“Why don’t we take a gun and kill him? Everything would be over then.”

Grayson shook his head. “We can’t go around killing people. There are laws we need to follow to make sure we don’t end up in jail and Rovshan goes to jail instead.”

Hank put on his cowboy hat before exiting the booth. “I couldn’t agree with you more. Once I head to the ranch, I will give the team a heads up on your situation. Send me a copy of the intel your brother gets. Tell him hi.”

Grayson took care of the tab, and they left the diner. He pulled Kara into his side and had his eyes peeled down the street, looking for anything out of the normal. When the streets looked clear, they headed toward the car.

They had parked a few blocks away, hoping to hide the vehicle. A cold April wind blew a few flurries of snow through the air. Grayson could feel Kara shivering next to him. When they rounded the corner, Grayson pressed a button on his key fob the start engine, wanting to get the car warm ahead of time.

Two seconds after pressing the button, the truck in front of them exploded. A bright light flashed before they heard the loud bang of the truck exploding. The force of the explosion sent them flying backward.

Time seemed to slow down. The only thing going through Grayson’s mind was how he could save Kara. He could faintly hear Kara calling his name. It sounded like a whisper. He was sure it was due to the explosion damaging his eardrums. Grayson reached out and grabbed Kara’s hand so he could pull her into his chest. If she were molded to his chest, she wouldn’t hit the pavement with the force they were traveling.

His butt hit the pavement first. Grayson prayed Kara was okay. With his arms wrapped around Kara, he couldn’t use his hands to break the fall. His head hit the pavement with a thud, and everything went black.

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