Page 62 of Savage Ruin
He rolls his head around a few times to relieve some tension. “If she’s standing with us at the press conference, it makes a powerful statement. It tells the world she’s part of us and under our protection. But you’re right, it also puts her in the target with us, but it could be the catalyst we need to bait one of our enemies… one of her enemies. He’ll be watching.” Thiago is confident Stanley the stalker will be watching the press conference.
“I’m not putting her in danger,” Mateo roars, every bit as loud as Thiago.
“I’ve already agreed,” I remark softly. Bait sounds like a worm on a hook without any choice in the matter, but I want to pull our enemies out of the shadows. It’s preferable to a bullet from long distance. “Hiring snipers? Our enemy is escalating. We need to do everything we can to force them out into the open.”
“And one of them is a woman,” Thiago reveals to Grayson and Mateo, explaining about the burner phone he’d lifted from the guy he’d shot.
Thiago told me before we left Austin because he didn’t want me to be blindsided. “It’s the reason Mitch is my assigned bodyguard now instead of a woman.”
Grayson runs a hand through his perfectly styled hair. “Fuck me. Do we have any clue who it might be? If Kira was alive, she’d have been number one on the list, but honestly, I can’t think of a female who hates us enough to want to take us down.”
Who’s Kira? My eyes dart to Mateo, but he subtly shakes his head. Okay, then. “What happened to the guy after you shot him?”
Thiago clears his throat. “He’s not surfacing any time soon, and the weapon’s been returned to the security team for recycling.”
“Well, that’s handy,” I reply. “Speaking of guns, I need one.” I refuse to go anywhere without one now.
Grayson strolls to his desk and pulls out a pink box with roses on it. “We had Zane pick one up for you. It’s a gift from us. We figured it would be better than flowers, especially right now.”
I open the box to find a gun case with a Glock 19 in it. “Phew, based on the box, I was kind of afraid it would be pink. I’m all for pink, but I’ve already got that covered.” I laugh and twirl a lock of my hair. “Thank you. I’ve missed having one with me.” Taking it out of the case, I quickly load it and put it in my purse.
Thiago stands. “I’ve got to stay here and iron out the speech for tomorrow. Why don’t you all head home?” He drops a kiss on my lips and strides out the door.
“I’m worried about him,” I confide to Grayson and Mateo. “He thinks it’s all on him to figure out how to atone for the deaths, protect us, and eliminate our enemies.”
Mateo heaves a sigh. “He was the eldest, so Marcos made him second in command. When Marcos wasn’t around, it was Thiago’s job to be diligent and make sure we stayed safe. They would run escape plans once a month when we first moved to Miami. It eased when we got older, but with Marcos gone, he’s automatically picked up the reins again,” Mateo offers quietly.
“It’s up to us to show him we’re in this together,” Grayson says determinedly. “Starting with the tomorrow’s press conference.”
CHAPTER30
GRAYSON
Hearing the raw anguish in Thiago’s voice when he explained how close Henley came to dying killed me. The sheer emotion he displayed told me more than words how he felt about it, too. I’d only heard that tone in his voice twice. When Mateo was shot, and when he told us Marcos had died.
I pace back and forth in my bedroom. Right after she left, I knew I’d been fooling myself, hiding from the truth. The house felt sad and empty without her here, and the resounding silence echoed inside me. I’d been alone in a crowd for a long time, but I’ve been hiding it from everyone. Until Henley. She makes me want more.
The need to spill everything and claim a spot by her side is making me crazy today. I take the stairs down to her office, but when I get there, I stop in the doorway. She’s sitting on the couch with her head in her hands.
She lifts her head when I sit beside her. “Are you okay?”
“Just thinking about earlier,” she states softly.
I clear my throat. “Me too. I need to talk to you. Tell you about Kira. She’s a big reason I’ve had such a hard time with us. But not because of what you might think or know or don’t know… I’m rambling. I need the ocean right now. Everything is in turmoil, and it’s the only thing that helps me calm down. Come to with me, and I’ll tell you everything.”
She fingers the jeans she’s wearing. “Do I have a second to change?”
“Yes, of course,” I reply. “Go, I’ll wait for you.”
She returns in a pair of running shorts and a t-shirt. Her feet are bare, and her hair is in a ponytail.
“Let’s go,” I say gruffly. The ocean better bring the magic today.
We see Mateo on our way out. “We’re going for a walk on the beach. Dinner is in the oven. Listen for the timer, will you? All you need to do is pull it out of the oven and set it on the stove. That’s it.” I make a mental note to text him in thirty minutes to make sure dinner doesn’t burn.
“I’ve got it,” he assures me. “Go.”
Henley and I walk down to the beach. When we get there, I stand in the water for a few minutes and stare at the roaring waves, each thunderous sound a testament to nature’s power. Breathe in… and breathe out. A small hand on my back has me turning toward the woman at my side.
