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Cole Marshall was the cutest boy I had ever met. I shook his hand and avoided his gaze to still the nerves coursing through my body.
The twins didn’t speak as they stared at my breasts. Willow said their names were Sloan and Knox, but I couldn’t tell them apart.
“Cole.” Mark tapped his son on the back. “Why don’t you show Grace the movie theater? I have business to discuss with Fitzy.”
His eyes met mine, so big and blue, the color of the ocean. “Do you like Marvel movies?”
I pressed my lips together and nodded.
Cole dragged me out of the room and led me down a long hallway with the shiniest white marble floor. I could see my reflection in the tile.
He slipped his fingers between mine, and as we walked through the house, my hand trembled.
“You don’t have to fear me. I won’t hurt you.”
Everyone in my life hurt me at some point. The Colonel was the only person who kept his promise. He taught me how to survive and how to fight. I wasn’t the same scared girl anymore because of him.
We entered a room at the back of the house with movie theater seating and a concession stand. My grandfather had a similar space in his home, but I couldn’t use it. I entered without his permission once, and he locked me in the basement.
Cole slid behind the counter and grabbed the box of kernels. After he prepared the popcorn, we sat in the back row, eating and watching the first Captain America movie. His eyes didn’t leave the screen, though I caught him looking at me a few times.
Midway through the movie, Cole moved his hand to the space between us, tapping his long fingers on the leather chair. I felt a strange connection to him and inched my fingers closer. We didn’t touch, but I could feel the heat radiating off his skin.
I leaned over and whispered, “Can I tell you a secret?”
He angled his body to look at me. “You can tell me anything.”
“My name isn’t Grace.”
I had been dying to tell someone.
A frown tugged at his mouth. “I know.”
“It’s been years, and my grandfather won’t let me use my name.”
Cole took a deep breath, shoving his fingers through his white-blond hair. “You’re in danger. Bad people are looking for you. But you don’t have to worry.” He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “The Knights will protect you.”
The Devil’s Knights. One of many secret societies overseen by my grandfather. He had his hand in everything.
“So you follow my grandfather’s orders, too?”
He nodded. “Fitzy is a very powerful man who controls our futures.” A hint of sadness crossed his handsome face. “We all have to answer to someone. And that someone is your grandfather.”
We were the same.
Not completely free.
Our lips almost touched when he leaned closer. “I meant what I said, Grace. I will always protect you. You never have to be afraid again.”
ChapterTwo
GRACE
Istudied every inch of the house as we left the theater, still not over the fact the Marshalls had a bowling alley. When I asked Cole about it, he said, “We only have eight lanes.”
The horror.
I assumed since he lived in a house the size of a small city and it had a name like Fort Marshall, what seemed like great accommodations to me were nothing to Cole. He was used to a lifestyle my grandfather never afforded me.
