Page 57 of Forged in Secrets

Unfortunately, her right flip-flop had already given her a blister.

Just as she decided to sit down on a bench and give her sore foot a rest, however, she realized that she wasn’t alone after all.

Ben was leaning against a nearby lamppost, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

“I don’t want to miss Asher’s flight, but I will if I have to,” he called out loudly, ignoring the stares of two older men walking their dogs.

“Fine. You win.”

“Thank you,” he said, jogging in her direction. “Just let me get you to the hotel and I’ll leave you alone until you’re ready to forgive me. I promise.”

She got to her feet, removing the offending shoe. On any other day, she would have asked him to carry her to the car. As it was, she was still mad.

She’d let him drive her back to the Mistflower, but that was it.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

GRACE

True to his word, Ben had been silent in the car, and had led Grace up to her hotel room without any attempts to grovel.

When he’d finally left for the airport–after making her promise not to leave her room even for five minutes until he got back–she’d collapsed onto the bed, surprised by how suddenly exhaustion had hit.

The flame of anger that had burned so strongly was already beginning to lose its heat, and despite her earlier promises to herself, she knew she had to hear Ben out. Even if it meant that he might disappoint her again.

After staring at the ceiling, debating whether or not she should take a nap, Grace decided that a shower was just what she needed. There were few situations in life that a long, hot shower in a luxurious resort couldn’t improve.

When she opened the door to the dark, cavernous bathroom, however, she was struck by a sudden feeling of unease.

Ignoring the shiver that rolled across her shoulders, she stepped across the tile toward the vanity. Her makeup was just as she’d left it, a jumbled mess of lip glosses, powder compacts, and at least four different palettes of eyeshadow in both shimmering and matte finishes.

Chill. There’s nothing to worry about.

Just as she reached for the switch that would bathe the room in comforting light, she felt a hand grabbing around her neck from behind, and then another.

She tried to yell as the pressure intensified, but only a gasp escaped her lips.

Her heart was pounding now as panic began to take hold. She tried to steady herself on both feet, but whoever was holding her yanked her body to the side, almost making her fall over on the sleek floor.

She tried to turn to see who was grabbing her, but the man’s grip was rock solid, and in any case, he had been well hidden in the shadows. He wasn’t quite strangling her. She could still breathe. But she wasn’t about to wait around for him to take things up a notch.

She drew as much of a deep breath as she could and lashed out, managing to strike backward with her elbow. She heard the man groan as she felt her bone connecting with his gut, and his grip loosened just slightly.

“Help!” she shouted, the attempt at a scream coming out as little more than a rasp. “Help!”

The man’s hands tightened again, cutting off her pleas.

She could feel warm air as his lips pressed against her ear. “If you scream again, I’ll have no choice but to do this the hard way,” he said in a whisper. “And if I do that, the boss will be furious. So just be quiet. Nod if you understand.”

Grace did so, letting her shoulders slouch as thoughshe was admitting defeat and resisting the urge to turn and get a look at her assailant.

“Good. Stay still. I’m not gonna hurt you,” the man said, sounding relieved as he loosened his grip on her neck.

Before she could decide how to respond, she felt a jolt of sharp pain in her left shoulder.

It took her only about a second to realize that she’d just been injected with something.

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