Page 110 of Guarding Grace
“I accept,” Lucas said and rose from his chair. “We’ll be looking for him as well.”
“And my niece?” Tony asked.
Lucas pulled out his phone and dialed. “You can let them go… She what?” He looked at Tony, holding the phone away from his ear. “She bit one of my men. Are you sure you want her back?”
Tony laughed. “Let me think about that. She’s a spirited one.”
“He’s not sure,” Lucas said into the phone.
We could all hear the shrill shriek on the other end.
Tony gave in to his smile. “Sure, I’ll take her.”
“You can let them out,” Lucas said. Then he pocketed the phone and stood.
I bit back a laugh.
“One week,” Tony emphasized as we left.
Outside the office, Mustache Guy had removed the clip from my SIG, and he returned my weapon in two pieces. We left the building, and I slammed home the clip and holstered the weapon as we turned the corner to the side street.
“Why’d you agree to that shit?” I asked as we turned toward our cars.
Lucas looked straight ahead. “Soldier, you’re a fuckup.” Suddenly he grasped my shoulders. “I told you to keep your mouth shut. You fucked up. Do you hear me, soldier?”
“Yes, sir,” I answered. “Sorry, sir.”
“As of now, you are to spend one-hundred-and-ten percent of your time on finding Elliot for them.” He stabbed me in the chest with that dangerous finger of his. “Do you understand me, soldier?”
“Understood, sir.” I even added a salute.
“You better,” he said as he bleeped the locks on his Porsche.
I did the same to mine, climbed in, and started the engine as he drove off. Then, I pulled out the paper he’d slipped into my pocket.
Getting chewed out by the boss sucked. After reading the note, I shot Grace a text.
Grace
I stoppedat Peyton’s desk after we broke from our morning status meeting and I found the message on my phone.
TYRANT: I have to go into the office. I don’t know how long.
She was struggling with her necklace. “I hate this clasp. It keeps getting stuck in my hair.”
I set my phone down. “Want some help?”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
I tried to untangle the knot.
“Ouch,” Peyton complained when I pulled on the wrong end of a single hair.
“Sorry.” I leaned over and squinted at the problem. It wasn’t a simple task with my nails as long as they were.
“Let me try.” Zane appeared next to me.
Catching Peyton’s smile, I moved aside. “Sure. Just be gentle with her. I can’t afford the time to train a new assistant.”
