Page 39 of Don't Trust Him

Eliza

For the rest of the day, I’m in a daze.

I have to kill Grayson Teague.

The man who makes me feel alive.

I can’t think straight, and I can barely string a coherent sentence together. Grayson has noticed already. How could he not? The moment he found me in our suite, staring out the window, he knew right away. And when he came for me, his hands going straight for my hips, and I pushed him back...then he was sure that something was off.

But he didn’t press the subject. No, we simply got out of the hotel and returned to the warehouse. The world around me might be crumbling, but the show never stops.

“It’s ready,” the head chemist announces the moment we step through the door. “We have completed a full first batch. And, just like advertised, the formula works wonders. A few of our, huh, associates have already tried it...and they have nothing but good things to tell.”

“Tell ‘em to keep their noses out of the stuff,” Grayson replies, that hard edge to his voice. “Or I might have to cut their noses off.”

That might be a perfect time to take my knife from my belt and plunge it into his heart.

But I can’t.

“Sure, of course, jefe,” the chemist replies, clicking his heels together and returning to his workstation. The majority of the crew is still asleep in some of the deserted offices. No one was allowed to leave or enter this place without our say-so—and four men with assault rifles patrol the place, their fingers dangerously close to the triggers.

“Eliza, we need to talk,” Grayson tells me then, taking my hand in his and dragging me into the office we had claimed as our own. “Are you having second thoughts? Because if you are, it’s not too late to—”

“No, I’m not having second thoughts.” I sink down onto one of the chairs as I say it. He’s close. I could take my gun and shoot him point blank right now.

But I can’t.

Taking a deep breath, I bury my face into my hands. “It’s just that...it’s complicated. I found out that…” I trail off, not sure if I should tell him about my mother’s sudden appearance. How will he react once he knows that the cartel is using my mother to pressure me into killing him?

“What did you find out?” He asks me, pure curiosity in his voice. No, more than that...in his voice I hear concern. Not for the operation, but for me. He’s worried about me.

“It’s...not important,” I manage to say, forcing myself to stand and plastering a fake smile on my lips. Grayson Teague has become one of the most important things in my life and, still, I can’t seem to trust him. Not with this, at least.

I can’t trust him…but I can’t forget how he feels inside me. He makes me feel safe.

“Eliza, I—”

He’s interrupted by a knock on the door, and a second later Rafe steps inside the office, eyeing the two of us suspiciously. He sees the expression on my face, and I can immediately tell that he knows something’s off. Rafe’s like that when it comes to me—he notices the little things when no one else does.

“Is everything alright?” He asks us, glancing from one to the other. “I just got word from the chemist that the first batch is completed, and that it works as intended.” He does a slight pause, then looks straight at me. “I still haven’t moved the news up the chain. I’ll let you do the honors, Eliza.”

“Thank you, Rafe,” I smile at him, fully knowing that he’s breaking protocol on my behalf. If this were any other operation, Rafe would’ve already told the boss that we had succeeded. But he’s waiting to see what I do first. Somehow, this man is willing to put his loyalty to me ahead of his own life...and for that, I’ll be eternally grateful.

“Grayson, can I have a word?” He asks him, and the two men leave the room, closing the door behind them. I sit down once more and lean back against the chair, sucking in a deep breath just to see if I can stop my head from spinning.

This whole thing is a nightmare. What am I supposed to do?

And now that my mother has appeared...what if she finds out that we have already completed production? What if she tells the boss we have produced a batch and decided to hold off the news?

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.

From outside the office I hear Grayson and Rafe’s muffled voices, and I let curiosity get the best of me; going up to my feet, I move toward the door and softly press my ear against it.

“...the bullshit,” I hear Rafe say. “I have no idea what the two of you are planning, but swear to God, Grayson...if this ends up hurting Eliza, I’ll hunt you down. I’ll look for you in hell, if I have to.”

“Take it easy, old man,” Grayson replies, his voice half-whisper,

half-growl. “We know what we’re supposed to do, and we’re going to do it. Don’t waste your time with ifs.”

---