Page 122 of Grace

“They made his body disappear, along with all the evidence… But I’d like to continue, if I may…” She draws a deep breath, then lets it out, trembling. “Chase could get out of jail on one condition: he had to stay away from you—he could only watch from a distance. But everything went to shit when you met the gang. They knew nothing about any of this. I only met them a few times after we started working for Lucas, too. Then things moved fast. Lucas no longer felt it necessary to rein Chase in, because he figured he could step in any time he wanted if his little brother didn’t do his job. You became important to Lucas because he knew you were the key to Chase’s loyalty—he’d do anything for you.”

“How did you get your hands on the diary?” Chase asks her.

Fear glints in Nikky’s eyes. She wrings her hands nervously.

“I’ve had enough of this life, Grace. I don’t want any more soft ballsacks and limp dicks in my mouth, or ass.”

“What have you done, Nikky?”

“They offered me a better life. They said if I gave them the information they needed, they’d protect me. They offered me money and a new identity.”

The silence is deadly. I can almost smell blood. Chase doesn’t look surprised at all.

“Oh my God!” She claps a hand over her mouth. “Lucas knows what I did, doesn’t he?”

“He’s been watching every single one of your steps for months.” Chase looks at me, indifferent.

“And what does this mean?” I ask desperately.

“You were the bait,” he says, looking at me coldly. The icy edge of his words cuts into my heart.

“What?” Blood drains from my face. My sister and I stare at each other, tears in our eyes.

“We both knew Grace was a thorn in your side—an infected wound in your heart.” Chase’s tone is matter-of-fact.

I freeze.

Nikky trembles. Her face twists into a grimace.

“It was Lucas’s idea to make you reveal yourself. As long as Grace was with Cyrus, the pain in your heart eased. But as soon as you realized she was with me again…” He circles Nikky. “You did what you’d been planning for months. You gave them that confidential information, then came here to hurt Grace one last time—to rub salt in the wound, to shove her face into her sin.” Chase circles closer. “The sin of loving me.”

“Everyone has always loved her—wanted her. What the fuck is so special about this little whore that everyone wants only her?” She’s sobbing hysterically.

“Did you betray Lucas because of your jealousy and resentment?”

“And as revenge for the last few years.”

“It was you guys who stole the dope from Jamie,” I remind her. “It was your fault they killed him. You knew how powerful the people he got tangled up with were, and you still dragged him into it.”

“If Chase hadn’t kidnapped you that day, our parents would still be alive. We wouldn’t have been forced into that goddamn farmhouse. I wouldn’t have gotten mixed up with Bo… Everything would’ve been different. I wouldn’t have become a whore.”

“And why? Why are you still blaming me? Why did you want to hit me one last time?”

“Because everyone should get what they deserve. You leave this madman and go back to Cyrus, with whom you’re not happy—everyone knows that. Chase will be sad, maybe sad enough to lock you into an underground prison again. Although, if the king is off the chessboard, Chase will have no one left to protect him. The cops can put him away for good, because no one will clean up his mess or make him look innocent. And I’ll leave this hell behind—free, with a lot of money and a new identity.” The muscles in her neck tense. “He said he won’t kill you two. He only wants Lucas, not you. But Lucas has a weak spot, too,” she says, looking at Chase. “Lucas might be cruel, but he loves you. He’d go through hell for you.”

“Just as I would for him.”

“Who are you talking about, Nikky? Who wants to kill Lucas?”

“I have to go.” She yanks the door open and tears down the stairs.

“Nikky!” I shout, then run after her.

She stops at the side of the road, waits for a car to pass, then crosses. She looks at me from the other side, a tear sliding down her stricken face.

“I’m sorry,” she mouths.

My heart twists in my chest. I want to run to her and hug her. To bury my face in her hair and promise her that from now on, everything will be different. That we’re going to fix her mistake and be a family again.