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Okay. He sat. The chair was a little small for him. Awkward. Seemed to be a family trait—keeping a man off-balance.
Her folded hands rested comfortably on the desk. It was the most skin she showed. Those age-lined hands. “So you work for the FBI, are investigating me, and are sleeping with my daughter.”
A lot awkward. “That your idea of an ice-breaker?”
She laughed; the brush of air fluttered her veil. “Being direct saves time. Time is precious and who I share it with greedily guarded, as that person takes from my family. Something I despise.”
Well, that cleared it up. “You’re worried about Grace.”
The edges of her eyes creased. “Yes.” She slowed as if counting her breaths, this pause in time, and found it worth her while. “Grace.”
The heat rising in his body kicked him in the face. Calling her Grace and not Gracie had been stupid. Might as well have told the woman that, for him, it was more than sex.
He rested his hands on his knees. “My uncle always said there’s no greater waste of time than an inauthentic man. The kind of guy that’ll piss on a toilet seat ’fore lifting it up. So let me just state, flat out, I’m not here for you. I’m here to protect Grace, and if that means protecting you, so be it.”
He let that marinate and soak into the exact meaning it needed, what he was offering, before he put out his demand. “I’ve been told you have a tape of Sheila Hall making accusations against Senator Rush. I need to authenticate it.”
Mukta shifted in her chair. This obviously hadn’t been the way she’d expected this to go. She composed herself quickly. “Why?”
“Because there are altered digital versions of that tape. Ones that suggest you have been blackmailing multiple officials with the same ruse. I need the original tape to prove the other versions are fake.”
She leaned forward. “We obviously have a lot to discuss, but I have to ask. Did you tell Gracie about what her father did?”
His body washed with warmth. Woman hadn’t even asked about the charges. She wanted to know about her daughter. “No. Wasn’t sure she knew. Wasn’t sure about the tape. Wanted to talk to you first.”
She leaned back, as if satisfied. “We can discuss what kind of access I can allow you after I speak to Gracie, but if you don’t mind, before we continue I’d really like to ask you another question.”
“Okay. Shoot.” Probably not the best colloquialism to use with a vigilante. Suspected vigilante. Wink, wink.
“What sparked your investigation into my family?”
Whoa. Lady knew how to strike at the heart of a matter. “I think that’s Grace’s story to tell.”
Her eyes widened. “So she sent the email.”
Fuck. How the hell…? Gracie wasn’t going to like that he’d accidentally ratted her out to her momma.
Chapter 46
Gracie felt Dusty kiss her and get out of bed. She wanted him to stay so much it hurt. She could feel it in the center of her chest.
That scared her. What would happen between them now that he was here?
She waited for him to visit the bathroom and make his way out. After the click of the suite door, she threw off the blankets and picked up her clothes from the chaise.
Aw, he’d folded them.
Ignoring the bathroom to her left, she turned right into the closet. Had Dusty noticed that the bathroom he’d used only had a tiny shower? He must’ve. Man was big.
She flicked on the recessed lighting. The wide, shelf- and drawer-lined space lit up and was reflected in the wall of mirrors at the end. Pulling open the laundry chute, she dropped her clothes in, then pushed the glass wall open, revealing a secret room, and walked into the large, bright bathroom.
Covered in multihued stone, the bathroom had a spacious vanity, sauna, computerized multifunction toilet and bidet, and a set of long steps that led up to a six-person Jacuzzi. The bath overlooked the family grounds.
She went to the panel by the doorway, pressed the temperature and settings for her bath. She was sorely tempted to press start but set it to start in 120 minutes.
She dressed in black yoga pants and matching tank from her well-stocked closet. Out in the anteroom, she ate from the generous breakfast spread, poured some coffee. Pulling her laptop and cell from her bag, she set to work at the round table.
An hour later, she shut her laptop and wiped the tears from her eyes. That had been a rough series of phone calls. She’d contacted the hospital, checked on the injured, and made sure she was covering all of their hospital bills; she’d checked in with her employees as well.
She’d also called the police, the fire marshal, and her insurance company. Repairs might not be that awful, and could begin immediately. The investigators had expeditated the collection of evidence. Thanks, she was certain, to Momma’s influence. Not that that had stopped her family. She wondered what they’d discovered while she’d been sleeping.
Time to find out. She headed downstairs. It hit her as she descended the staircase what she missed most about this place and why she enjoyed the nightlife of her club so much. The noise.
In total, fifteen of her siblings lived here. The house was filled with love, laughter, and arguments. Usually the arguments were between girls. After all, Momma had adopted only two males. And one of them was gone.
Oh, Tone. Miss you.
But when he’d been here, Tony rarely argued with anyone. So it was weird to hear a guy arguing with someone.
Gracie spotted him in the center of the gym. Romeo was openly arguing with Cee.
Gracie strolled toward the high-pitched conversation. Romeo’s voice strayed higher. “I think this has gone too far.”
“What’s gone too far?” Gracie said.
Romeo’s head shot up. Cee spun around, a hand-in-the-cookie-jar look on her face.
Seriously, that’s spy-craft 101: watch your back.
Romeo stepped forward to stand beside Cee. They wore the gym uniform—black workout pants, black tees, and bare feet. They couldn’t have looked more like a team if they’d each had a lacrosse stick in their hands.
Even though she also wore black—force of habit—she definitely felt like the outsider.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
Both at once. It must be something. Could it be the case that Cee had talked about? “Come on, guys. I’m not the enemy here.”
They stared at her, with thin bodies and thinly veiled guilt. She didn’t like it. The two of them were up to something. And where was Jules, Romeo’s twin and the third in their trio?
Okay. Fine. She could push them, but that wasn’t going to get them to open up to her. “Let’s go.” She beckoned with her fingers to Romeo.
Romeo cast a glance around the gym as if for understanding. “What? You mean training?”
“Tony and I were the most advanced Muay Thai instructors. And Tony, our dear brother, is gone. So maybe I can catch you all up.”
To her utter shock, Romeo burst into tears. Crud on a cracker. Shouldn’t have mentioned Tony. He and Romeo had been close. Not only had Tony mentored him, but when Romeo had first come here, he’d been Tony’s shadow. Tony had taken it as a compliment and had seen the need in the kid, a space he’d tried to fill.
Fudge. He was really crying. He needed a hug. She sucked at hugs. Putting her arms out, she walked forward like a short, red-headed Frankenstein’s monster. Why couldn’t Shelley have named the monster?
She heard Cee snort something that sounded like “Tin Man.”
She wrapped her arms around the tall boy. Someone with a good sound effects machine should definitely start making rusty-hinge noises. He bent over, putting a weight on her that she hadn’t expected. He was tall, like Tyler. She wrapped her arms tighter around him. “I’m sorry. I miss him too.”
The kid sobbed harder. She fel
t her own throat grow tight. What had they done by telling these kids Tony was gone, but never having a funeral? When all of this was cleared up, she was going to insist Momma have a memorial service. They obviously hadn’t processed their grief. And she included herself in that.
He pulled away, wiped at his eyes. “It means more because you suck so bad at it.”
Gracie burst into laughter that met her own tears. That was a Tony quote. He’d said it as encouragement, as if the thing they were worst at, just because they tried, was worth so much more.
She’d been wrong not to come here, wrong to try and distance herself from them to win John’s approval. She wiped her eyes. “I love you guys.”
Their turn to look shocked. Cee looked down at the floor. “I’m sorry about your club, Gracie. I really am.”
