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I break my resolute training for the second time tonight and look at Grace again, trying to read how she takes this information. She does her best to keep her face impassive, but her shoulders slump in relief with the news, her body betraying her.
Thank fuck. I let out my own breath of relief for her sake. For my sake.
I don’t know how I would have reacted had the verdict been different.
Stupidly, most likely.
“Why Samuel betrayed Landon, and whether or not he was still involved in the criminal underworld up until his death will continue to be investigated until we find answers.” Damian’s eyes narrow as he cocks his head at Grace. “Just because I’m not blaming you for your father’s actions, that doesn’t mean I can just let you go.”
We all knew this answer was coming. Grace was prepared for it, but she still jerks as if she’s been hit. My chest tightens, and I suddenly wish like hell that she’d taken me and my brother up on our veiled offer to let her go. We might’ve paid for it with our lives, but at least she’d be safe.
What will he do with her? We’ve got safe houses spread throughout the city, so he could send her to one of those. But the thought of Grace being under the protection and control of anyone besides the four of us makes my blood boil.
Calm the fuck down, Zaid.
Grace draws out the possessive animal within me, the primal instinct to protect. I know she can hold her own, but our world is vicious. I don’t want to leave her alone among the goddamn wolves.
Damian gestures toward us, his gaze still fixed on Grace. “As a compromise, you may stay under the protection and custody of my son and his men until we figure out what happened at your wedding and who the other group of attackers were.”
Thank God.
Every set of eyes turns to her, assessing her response. The only sign of her own emotions is the way she squeezes her eyes shut for a second, swallowing slowly. Then, with a deep breath, she pushes her shoulders back and looks Damian straight in the eye.
“Thank you,” she says. “Thank you for dealing with me fairly. If my father betrayed you, he betrayed me too. He lied to me and kept secrets from me, and believe me, I want to know the truth as much as you do.”
Damian inclines his head in acceptance of her words. There’s a hint of sympathy in his dark eyes. “As long as I find no evidence that you betrayed my syndicate, you will be taken care of, kept safe. But you can never go back to your old life, Grace.”
“I know.” She keeps her chin raised, her voice steady. “I knew that from the beginning.”
But that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow now.
Pride blooms in my chest as I watch her stand and turn to Hale. She’s already been through a lot of bullshit in her life, but she’s never let it break her. She may not like Damian’s answer, but she’s not going to let that change her course.
“May we leave now?” She directs the question to Hale, not his father.
Hale’s lips twitch, and I see a flash of pride in his eyes too. Grace hasn’t been in our world for over six years, but she’s a fucking natural at the politics of power. In a subtle way, she just showed Damian that she’s looking to his son for guidance through all of this, that she’ll defer to Hale’s judgement, not Damian’s.
“Yeah. We’re good.”
“I look forward to seeing you again, Grace,” Damian says as a parting word.
Hale gestures the way out, and as we make our way back down the hall, something lightens in my chest.
I was worried for Grace when we brought her into this meeting, but to be honest, I was selfishly worried for myself too. For my brother. For Hale and Ciro. We’ve become so fucking attached to the woman with the gorgeous hazel eyes and honey-blonde hair that I don’t think any of us would have coped well with her loss.
Still, as relieved as I am about this outcome, I know she’s not happy about it. And how can she be? She’s not our guest, free to come and go as she pleases. As long as she’s in our home, she’ll be there because she has to be, not by choice.
I glance over at her by my side, giving her a reassuring smile that she can’t see.
I promise I’ll make things better, Grace, I vow silently. I promise I’ll fucking fix this.
Because as much as I want this beautiful, fierce woman in our lives, I want her there by choice.
I want her to choose us.
5
Grace
