Page 70 of Skid
My voice raised, and he gave me an evil smile as he stepped back from me. “Grace is inside, and I think it’s time we all had a talk. Follow me.”
Rhys glanced at James, whose jaw was clenched, and he shook his head. The three of us followed him up the stairs and into the house. The welcomed air conditioner stifled the oppressive heat outside as we followed him down a hallway. The sound of someone beating a punching bag sounded into the hallway as we walked past a closed door, and Rhys stopped to open a door at the end, lifting his arm to usher us inside.
I walked in first and swung my eyes around the room, seeing we were alone. Devlin walked in next, followed by Rhys, and last was James, who stood at the back of the room with his watchful gaze locked on the mystery man sitting behind a large desk. I took a seat in front of him, and Devlin sat next to me as Rhys leaned back into his chair.
“Someone needs to tell me what caused Grace to run to me, thinking they were after her again.”
I sat forward quickly and looked at a confused Devlin before turning my eyes back to Rhys.
“Who are they?” I asked, and he leaned his forearms onto the desk, steepling his hands.
“What do you know?” His tone was inquisitive and angry, and I was getting sick of all the secrets.
Standing, I pushed my closed fists onto the table and leaned over him, letting him know he didn’t intimidate me. “I know some sick fucker hurt not only my woman but another little girl, and if he wasn’t already dead, I’d show him what real pain is.”
“That was you, wasn’t it?” Devlin asked, and my head snapped to him.
Rhys stood from his chair and chuckled. “Why, Devlin, are you accusing me of causing that asshole and his sick fucking wife to burn to death on the interstate, trapped in their wrecked car, knowing the painful death that awaits them? What kind of a man do you think I am?”
“I know what kind of man you are, Rhys. We’re family after all,” James remarked, and I couldn’t take any more secrets.
“Family? Fires? Them? Will one of you assholes tell me what the fuck is going on and where Grace is, or I swear to everything I care about, I’ll shoot every one of you,” I yelled, and Devlin stood from his chair, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Rhys and James are cousins. And we can talk about that later. Right now, I’d like to talk to Grace and see if I can get this whole misunderstanding worked out,” Devlin remarked, but I shook my head, knocking off his grip on my shoulder.
“Fuck that. She doesn’t know you and James scared the fuck out of her yesterday. I need to see her,” I said and swung my eyes to Rhys.
He shook his head and explained, “Dalton, is it? Or do you prefer Skid?”
“I don’t give a fuck what you call me as long as you take me to Grace.”
He sat on the edge of the desk, and I crossed my arms, widening my stance as he exhaled. “Ten years ago, I was getting out of the Army and looking to make my mark on the world. My family had been torn apart when I was a kid,” his eyes cut to James, who grunted before he continued, “and I was trying to pick up the scattered pieces. My sister was twelve years younger than me and had been put into a different foster home. It was through that weak connection that I met Grace. My sister, Regan, and Grace’s friend, Kelly, were roommates in one of the group homes, and when Kelly needed help, she reached out to me looking to hide Grace.”
I sat down in the chair, the picture starting to take shape as I listened. “Grace was so lost when she came here, and I worked with her for months, me and a therapist, to figure out exactly how much damage that fucker caused. When she was strong enough, I helped her find her way to Eddie.”
“Her uncle,” I interjected, and he nodded. “How did you make that connection?”
“My cousin isn’t the only hacker in the family,” Rhys joked, and James shook his head with a sadness coming from him. “Anyways, I contacted Eddie, and he was ready to provide her with a safe place to land when she was ready. She was doing fine until you walked in the door, so explain to me how you ended up in Alabama, looking for Grace.”
“I saw the thumb drive, hoping to give some justice to another little girl. When I discovered he was dead.” My gaze met Rhys’s and he danced with delight at the mention of the Ringmans’ death. “Something about it didn’t seem right. No way that kind of thing happens, and she be the only one, so I started digging. One sixteen-year-old girl who went from happy to gone almost overnight, and something told me he got to her too. Months later, I found Grace on one of our cameras using our facial recognition software, and I saw something in her eyes I recognized. Pain, shame, regret. I went to the bar to see if she was okay, to make sure she wasn’t trapped in her pain, and I fell in love with her.”
“Why didn’t you tell her what led you to her?”
“And say what exactly?” James cut in and walked across the room. “Hi, I found a thumb drive of your foster father raping a little girl and I want to know if it happened to you too. She would have shut down and cut him off.”
Rhys scratched his head and lifted a shoulder. “I can see that. Now, what are you going to do to make her understand.”
Devlin spoke first. “I’m going to talk to her and explain a few things. Then, we can braid each other’s hair for all I care.”
Rhys stood from his seat, and I watched as Devlin followed him to the door. “Don’t fuck this up.”
He nodded and walked out of the room, leaving James and me alone in Rhys’s large office. I looked at James, who was still standing at the rear of the room, and asked, “So, that asshole is your cousin?”
“Unfortunately. When it was time for Marco to pick his payment, he flipped a coin and I was the unwilling choice. Rhys and I were close growing up, but it was only after Marco was dead that I was able to reach out to him. I found out his mother had Regan, and Rhys did everything he could to see her, only to have the state keep them separated. I made sure to write to Regan through the years, hoping to foster a relationship between them, and when she disappeared four years ago, shortly before her twentieth birthday, he came to us for help. He’s an asshole, but his intentions are good.”
James walked across the room and sat down next to me as my eyes stayed on the door Devlin and Rhys walked out of, hoping they would return with Grace quickly. A few anxious minutes later, the door opened and Devlin walked in with Grace in his arms, passed out. I scrambled to him and took her from his arms, carefully carrying her to the couch and placing her down.
Kneeling in front of her, I pushed some damp hair from her forehead and whispered, “I’m here, Grace. Please wake up.”
