Page 12 of Grimm
My breaths slowly evened out after a few minutes, the tightness in my chest loosening. I stood, took another deep, unsteady breath, and pulled air into my lungs through my nose and blew out, just like my therapist instructed during my sessions.
“You good?” he asked, continuing to rub my back.
I’d struggled with anxiety most of my life, but I’d been able to manage the attacks by going to therapy and practicing breathing techniques. This was the first time I’d had one in a long time.
“I don’t know what came over me,” I lied. “I’m so sorry.”
“No need to apologize.” His finger tenderly traced the line of my cheekbone and jaw, a contradictory action for a dangerous man. “Your brother’s missing. You’re allowed to have a moment of panic. Anyone would in your shoes.”
Tenderness was the last thing I’d expected from Tavish, and it was the last thing I needed from him. It made this situation a lot more confusing and complicated.
I swallowed hard and bit back tears. “What evidence have you uncovered proving your father’s innocence and that Judge Richards lied about him being at the scene?” I asked, trying to get back on track. I’d deal with my guilt over what happened to my brother in private. I didn’t need Tavish MacDaniel knowing anything more of my personal business.
He stared at me like I had three heads when I changed the subject before nodding. I was glad he let it go.
“Meet me atFlaming Eaglesnext Saturday at ten. I’ll give you everything I got on my father’s case, and it’ll give me enough time to see what I can find out about your brother’s visit to the club. What’s his name?”
I pulled a photograph of David from the back pocket of my jeans and reached out to Tavish. He paused for a minute, took the picture, glanced at it, and then tossed it on the desk, uninterested, which pissed me off.
“His name is David Coleman,” I said, trying again to tamp down my annoyance. “He’s nineteen and was last seen six months ago entering your bar with an older Caucasian man and a younger woman. I lost his trail there.”
“Do you have any idea why he would be here with people you don’t know?”
His question aroused fear and uncertainty because I knew nothing about my brother’s life here in Vegas other than that he was in school. I didn’t even know if he made friends when he moved here after our parents died. I’d been so caught up with work, I didn’t pay attention to anything else. When I got home, he would be asleep, and when I left for work, he would still be asleep. We rarely crossed paths, and when we did, we didn’t catch up on what the other one was doing. It was more like, “How was your day?” and we left it at that.
I’m such a shit sister.
“I have no idea why he was there or who he was with. He’s always been too trusting of people,” I explained, even though I didn’t think it would help Tavish much. “I think he just fell in with the wrong crowd. Maybe he met someone at school.”
“And you’re sure he wants to be found?”
Tavish’s question wasn’t malicious, but it hit me in my chest like a sledgehammer. My heart ached at how little I knew about David. I absolutely didn’t know what to think at this point. I had no idea if he wanted to be found or was gone because he wanted to be. All I knew wasIwanted him found. I needed my brother, the only family I had left in this world, alive and safe.
“Okay,” Tavish said, not waiting for an answer when my eyes welled with tears. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
I took a deep breath and released it, relief moving through me. Finally, someone was going to help me find my brother.
“Thank you, Tavish.”
“There’s no need for thanks, Gina. If you hold up your end of our deal, I’ll hold up mine.” He pointed at me. “But if you fuck me over…”
Despite the tenderness, despite the attraction, Tavish MacDaniel was the president of a One-Percenter motorcycle club. One of the most feared in the country. He wasn’t in a position held by someone who would let anyone get one over on them. Something I couldn’t lose sight of. He was sexy as sin but deadly.
“Same goes for you, Tavish.” I squared my shoulders, lifting my chin. I would not cower to him. “And if you cross me, I’ll go after you and your club. And trust me when I say, you don’t want that.”
His jaw clenched; he understood he wasn’t the only one holding power. While he might have been a ruthless criminal, I was a damn good lawyer. This was a partnership, not a dictatorship. We worked together to get the answers we needed, and he needed to recognize it before this agreement went any further.
“I don’t do well with threats, Gina.”
He stepped toward me, and my insides quivered with fear and a simmering desire that sure as hell didn’t need to be there. Fear, I could handle. Desire made me want to forget everything I ever accomplished and go to him. Give him all of me.
“Especially against me and my club.”
I took a step forward, only inches away from him, and stared into his eyes. A glint of awe and amusement danced in his. While I cursed myself inwardly for standing up to him, I needed to portray strength. Prove he couldn’t walk over me.
“And neither do I,” I said.
His eyes dangerously darkened, and it was hard not to squirm under his intense stare. After a few moments of silence, a smile quirked at the corners of his mouth like we hadn’t just threatened each other.
