AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nothing happened.” Alex shrugged. “Damian killed him before he could touch me.”
“Oh,” I whispered. “Still, I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“Marcello got shot and almost died because of the Bratva,” Luca said with anger dripping from his tone. “Because they were looking for you.”
So did Cole’s mom.
“This isn’t your fault, Grace.” Cole pulled me into his arms and rubbed my back. “You didn’t do anything wrong. No one blames you for anything.”
Luca’s nasty attitude said otherwise.
I glanced at Bastian. “How do you know my dad isn’t a terrorist?”
Bastian took a swig from his glass and set it on the table. “Viktor sent intel that proves Pierre Moreau is the group’s leader. Your father was never involved with The Lucaya Group. His only downfall was your mother. He wasn’t willing to let you or her go, and Fitzy tried to detain him on Skull Island.”
I sat back and curled up beside Cole, needing his warmth. He tightened his grip on me and traced the infinity symbol on my palm to calm my nerves. I once told him that it was something my adoptive father did to soothe me.
“I’m not telling you this to upset you,” Bastian said after a brief pause. “But you need to know what you’re walking into tomorrow.” He waved his hand around the room. “We’ll be with you at the wedding. So will other Knights. But your father will show up, and we can’t predict what he will do once he sees our grandfather.”
“Do you think he’ll hurt me?”
He shook his head. “No, we don’t see him as a threat. His information about The Lucaya Group checks out. We have no reason to believe he’s lying to us or will be violent. He only wants to see you again. And in exchange, he will give us information about Fitzy.”
My heart clambered in my chest, pounding so hard it felt like it was about to break through my skin. I had dreamed of my father for the past thirteen years. And now that I knew what happened on the day my mother died, I wanted to see him again. He wasn’t a bad guy, only a father trying to get back to his daughter.
“Does any of this have to do with the Elders key?”
Bastian rolled his broad shoulders. “Fitzy believes your father stole the key from him. That’s why he made you the beneficiary of his will. Viktor blackmailed him into doing so. And once the old man is out of the picture, I’ll show you what the key opens.” He gave me a tiny smile. “It will change your life, Grace. I hope you’re prepared for what comes next.”
ChapterFifty-One
COLE
Grace hadn’t spoken since we left the Salvatore Estate, breathing harder than before. She kept sighing and staring down at her feet as we walked toward her bedroom at Fort Marshall.
“It’s going to be okay, Grace. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“My grandfather will kill me if this plan goes wrong,” she said, her body shaking from fear.
“It won’t,” I assured her.
Grace dropped my hand and entered the room, plopping down on the bed with a sigh. Her eyes drifted to the notepad she left on the nightstand.
The bucket list.
“What are you thinking?” I moved in front of her and slid my hand beneath her chin when she didn’t respond. “You can talk to me, Grace.”
She leaned over and grabbed the notepad. “This list is the reason I have to marry Rhys.” Eyes downcast, she blew out a deep breath. “Rhys wouldn’t have sent a sex tape to my grandfather if I hadn’t given him the ammunition. This is all my fault. I wanted so badly to experience life that I didn’t consider the consequences of having freedom.”
She’d never been free a day in her life. As long as her grandfather was alive, she would always have to follow the rules.
“Hey, don’t blame yourself.” I sat on the bed beside her, yanking the notepad from her hand to throw it onto the mattress. “None of this is your fault. The list was my idea.”
She wiped at her eyes. “Yeah, but you didn’t know what I would put on it. I’m the one who wanted to date both of you. I’m so stupid.” Grace wrapped her arms around her middle and sobbed. “It was selfish of me to think I could have it all. That I could have two men without paying the price.”
While I wasn’t fond of sharing her with Rhys, I would have done anything for her.
Caressing her cheek, I stared into her pretty blue eyes. “Listen to me. You did nothing wrong. It’s okay to want things. Your grandfather took every life experience from you so you would be miserable like him. If you want to blame someone, it’s Fitzy.”
