Page 66 of Skid
The images from the thumb drive played in my head, and I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing his words out of my head. “I was scared.”
Leaning over the desk, Rhys softened his voice as he inquired, “What scared you, Grace? I need to know if there is a threat to you.”
I shook my head, feeling the anger building in him as I explained. “There isn’t a threat. I just think . . . I don’t know what to think. But I know he’s no threat to me.”
“Grace. I don’t have time to dance around, so I’m going to need you to tell me everything. Who or what has you sitting in my office? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but for you to call me after all these years, I need the whole story.”
Rhys was still a mystery to me, but from the first moment I met him ten years ago, I knew he would protect me. He had money. That was obvious from the luxury house surrounded by acres of dense forest and tall gates tucked away in the northern outskirts of Atlanta. What he did, who he was, and why he saved me were never questions I asked, and he never explained.
All I knew was my friend Kelly connected me with him, and when I ran away from Kevin and Connie’s, Rhys gave me a home. There was something about him that made answering the painful questions easy. After a few weeks of gently coaxing the truth from me, he broke the dam inside me, forcing the shame to the surface, then began to build me back up. He made me confront the pain and betrayal and taught me that I was manipulated by someone I should have been able to trust.
Then he encouraged me to tap into my anger.
Four months later, he helped me move onto the next chapter of my life, leading me straight to Eddie. Being back here made me feel like a failure, and I hung my head as I explained what drove me back to him.
“I met a guy back home and decided to take a chance when he asked me to go to Tennessee to meet his family. Yesterday something started scratching at an old memory, and I couldn’t seem to connect all the dots.” I paused, and he patiently waited for me to continue. “I snooped, which I know was wrong, but I found a thumb drive inside his desk, and when I played it, I . . . he . . .”
A single tear fell down my cheek, and I swiped it away, mad that Kevin Ringman was still haunting me. “I always worried Kevin did it to someone else and on the drive was proof. I panicked, not knowing if it was one of them or . . .”
“Grace, who’s the guy?” Rhys asked, his tone menacing and dark.
“I don’t want you to hurt him, Rhys. He never hurt me.” I tried to make him understand, and he stood from his desk.
“No, Grace. He did hurt you by having some connection to all of that and not being honest about it. He was wrong. He should have told you from the start.” There was a long pause as I thought about his statement before he asked. “Why don’t you want me to hurt him?” Rhys’s normally brown eyes were turning almost black, and my heart beat faster, worried for Dalton.
My voice broke when I defended, “Because I love him.”
“Then, for now, I promise I won’t hurt him, but I need to know who he is and why he had something so vile in his possession. I need to know why he sought you out, and then I’ll determine if he needs to be dealt with.”
I gripped onto his forearm as I stood from the chair. “I won’t tell you anything if there’s a chance you may go after him. No matter what he had possession of, I know he’s a good man and not a part of all that.”
Rhys looked down at my hand on his arm and brought his eyes to mine. He taught me not to back down when faced with adversity, and if that meant I had to stand up to him, then I would. No matter what, Dalton didn’t deserve to be hurt. At least I didn’t think he did.
“He promises,” a small voice said, and I turned to see a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and bright green eyes walking into the room through a side door.
She walked up to Rhys, and the softness in his look to her told me she was someone important to him. I’d never seen him soft with anyone, me included, so to see him so pliable with her was a shock. Turning to me, the small woman stuck her hand out and introduced herself to me.
“I’m Regan. I’m Rhys’s sister.”
“Grace,” I replied, and her eyes turned kind to me.
“He’s mentioned you in the past. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Rhys looked at both of us and offered a small smile as he walked around the back of his desk and sat down. Looking at me, he spoke, his words direct. “Grace, please tell me what I need to know, and I’ll promise to speak with you before I do anything to your friend.”
Regan leaned over and whispered to me, “I promise, his bark is worse than his bite.” Turning to look at her brother, she said, “I’m going to start lunch while you talk. Grace, will you be joining us?”
Her eyes swung back to me, and I looked to Rhys for instruction. I knew I didn’t need his protection from Dalton, but he was the first place I thought to come, and now I’m worried I made a mistake. He nodded, and I looked at Regan. “I’d love to join you. Thank you.”
She walked to the door and gave her brother one final look before leaving us alone. I wanted to ask questions but knew it wasn’t my business.
“Grace, tell me,” Rhys instructed, and I leaned back in the chair, crossing my arms over my chest.
“His name is Dalton, and he’s a member of the Death Hounds,” I started and explained how we met, how he saved me, and everything, except the dirty parts, about our time together. Toward the end of the story, I looked up from my lap and met Rhys’s deep brown eyes. He was fighting a smile, and I was confused by his sudden change in demeanor.
“Did you ever meet anyone outside of his club?”
Nodding, I replied, “I met one of his bosses yesterday. His name was James Callahan.”
