Page 48 of Silent Vendetta (Vendetta Duet)

“Are you going to kill her?” He pointed up.

I blanched—both at the casualness of his tone and the horrific thought.

“No. I love her.”

A deep sigh escaped Grayson’s lips.

“Two days of work?” he clarified.

See—most people would probably go on a rant about a moral, ethical code, not worried about how much time this would eat out of their life.

Would I ever find out what my brother was up to?

“Two days.”

Grayson scratched his temple. “And Barry?”

Hmm. My gut said he probably bent the rules from time to time to get what he needed, but for now, I couldn’t assume he’d go along with this.

“Keep yourtacticsdiscreet from him. Tell him you have billionaire connections or something. I don’t care, just…get it done.”

CRASH.

I shot up from my chair.

“What the hell was that?” Grayson asked, but I was already running out of my office. Upstairs.

“Luna!” I dug the keys out of my pocket. “Luna?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, another crash erupted.

I opened the door to a fluttering curtain and shards of glass scattered on the floor. My heart sank just before she leaped out the window.

CHAPTER23

Luna

My voice cracked with desperation as I yelled, “Open this door!” The rawness in my throat betrayed how many times I had already screamed, and my hands were seriously aching from pounding for so long.

In return, all I got was a haunting silence, wrapping around me like a frozen grip, emphasizing the vast distance between Hunter and me.

This couldn’t be how this all ended for my father.

The moisture in my eyes blurred my vision, distorting the door into a painfully familiar scene from my past.

“No!” I cried.

I clutched my father tighter.

“It’s okay, Luna.” Dad’s voice was choked with emotion. He kissed the side of my head, my racing heart momentarily calming from his familiar scent. It bore the deep, musky undertones of classic aftershave—a mixture of old leather and spicy tobacco that blended with fresh-cut grass from mowing the lawn. “You can let me go.”

My voice broke, tears flowing freely now. “Don’t take him! He’s innocent! My daddy…he’s never hurt a soul.”

Neighbors were gathered on their lawn, women clutching their chests at the scene before them, but no one was helping. They were letting these men take my dad.

The officer yanked me one more time, so harshly, it hurt my ribs while another one grabbed my dad and slammed him to the ground.

Dad groaned as the guy twisted Dad’s arms behind his back and locked his wrists with handcuffs.

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