Page 12 of T-Bone
“I found something,” T-Bone called out.
My heart skipped, and my body was full of tension before I turned to him. My legs carried me across the studio, shaky and wooden. I couldn’t say if I was hoping for good news or no news about my sister and niece. Hope rose in my chest, but I tamped it down the closer I drew to T-Bone because I’d learned early in life that hope was a direct path to heartbreak and disappointment.
Anything but bad news.
Chapter Eight
T-Bone
Faith stood behind me, she was too damn close, so close that her soft scent invaded my senses and short-circuited my ability to focus. Underneath the perfume the girls had spritzed on her there was still that scent that was undeniably hers, floral and earthy, that hint of lemon strong beneath the layers. “What did you find?” she asked in that sultry, breathy voice I was sure she didn’t know was a total fucking turn-on.
“Hidden drawer,” I managed in a gruff tone that sounded like I’d been gargling with rocks. Leaning forward I pressed the bottom of the drawer until it clicked, and the bottom flap released. A thick green folder fell to the floor and Faith bent to pick it up.
She turned big green eyes up at me as if she was waiting forsomething.
“Go on. Open it.”
She nodded but kept her gaze fixed on me for another long moment before she stood and hesitated before she opened the folder. Her hands shook as if she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what was inside. But she stood taller and let out a deep breath before she opened the folder.
I watched Faith as her gaze ran back and forth across every page, her lips moved silently as if it helped her absorb the information. She was completely engrossed in the details, oblivious to the way I watched her, which was good because I shouldn’t be watching her at all. I should be focused on thedetails of this room, Ashley’s room. Her art. Pike would want it later when he climbed out of his grief. And the bottle he took down with him.
“There’s a woman’s name on the file,” she finally broke the silence inside the studio. “Rachel Grey. Is that name familiar to you?” She posed the question without looking up.
I took my time and searched my memory. “I’ve never heard the name or met anyone with it.”
“Are you sure?”
I bit back the rough retort and nodded. “I’m sure.” The answer was still gruff, not that Faith noticed.
She let out a shocked gasp that drew my attention, I looked over her shoulder at the child’s drawing clutched in her hands. “Look at this.” She pointed to the first drawing of two women and a little girl. “It’s signed Amber G.” Her shoulders slumped. “It could be an alias but without knowing who Rachel is, it could just be one of Ashley’s friends.” Disappointment hung heavy around her, but she never looked away from the drawing. She took in every single detail as if it was a photograph. “That’s clearly Ashley,” she pointed to the dark haired woman. “And the tiny redhead is Gemma. She inherited Marcus’ red hair.”
“And the blonde?” I knew what she was thinking, what she was trying really hardnotto think about. Chloe.
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I can’t say but this is Gemma. I know it,” she whispered that last part to herself.
I laid a hand on her shoulder and sighed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Faith.” I was about to say more but she smacked her hand over my mouth. I gripped her wrist, ready to yank it free but she put a finger to her lips to stop me, and then she pointedto her ear. I nodded and she removed her hand. That’s when I heard it too, heavy boots just outside the building.
Seconds later, glass shattered the windows near the sculptures and then I pulled her hand from my mouth before I did something stupid like risk a taste of her. “They followed us,” I whispered.
Faith nodded and then more glass broke, this time because a fucking Molotov cocktail sailed through it, lighting up the rug, the paint and all the canvases in the front of the studio. In under a minute more than half the room was engulfed in flames. “We need to get out of here T-Bone. Now.” She grabbed my hand as if she didn’t think I’d follow and tugged. I let her because she was right, we needed to get the fuck out.
Before we made it to the front door, it burst open and two Ghost Riders appeared, scanning the area for enemies. They found Faith a closer target and one lunged forward, but I was faster, pulling her behind me so thatIwas the closer target.
“Just give us the girl,” one of them said but it was too fucking smoky to tell them apart.
“Not fuckin’ happenin’,” I answered and took a step forward. “You want to leave now or get swept up by the fire?”
His answer was to punch me in the face.
“Okay, then.” I pulled my arm back and returned the punch tenfold, landing blow after blow, dodging a few return hits, until we both started to cough. Still I couldn’t stop, these motherfuckers came after an innocent woman—two if you counted Faith—and for what? It wasn’t how a man acted, which meant I didn’t have to treat this piece of shit like a man. I hit him again and again until his grip loosened and he collapsed against the floor.
“Bitch,” the other shouted and fell to his knees.
Faith stood over him, smiling as he clutched his dick in his hands. “Keep your hands to yourself.”
He lunged towards her, but she easily sidestepped his attempt and kicked him under the chin.
She flashed a satisfied smile but took another cautious step back.
