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I pulled Grace into my arms to console her. “Look, I know you’re scared. But you need to listen to me. This isn’t my first time dealing with your uncle’s men.” I tucked the hair behind her ears and swiped at the tear streaming down her cheek. “I need you to do exactly as I say, okay?”
She nodded.
Rhys patted her back. “We’ll protect you, princess. Don’t get upset. It’s going to be okay.”
She shivered, wrapping her arms around her middle. “How will we get past them if they’re blocking off our entrance to the parking lot?”
“We’ll walk to the other side of the pier beneath the boardwalk,” I said in a hushed tone, careful not to make too much noise. “And from there, I’ll have Sonny pick us up.”
Drake was out of town at a tech convention. And if I called my dad, he would lose his shit.
“Sonny Cormac?” Grace asked.
“Yeah. He’s a Knight and a Founder. He lives down the street from me.”
I told Grace about The Knights, but she hadn’t officially met everyone. Sonny was the oldest son of a shipping tycoon and helped the Knights transport illegal products on their cargo ships. If anyone knew how to make someone disappear, it was Sonny Cormac.
As we walked beneath the boardwalk, I sent a 9-1-1 text to Sonny and received a response within seconds. He would meet us on the other side and let us know if we had any other threats awaiting us.
“Do you see why making that list was important to me?” Grace asked on our way to meet Sonny. “This has been my life for the past ten years. I never get to do anything without putting myself or someone else in danger.”
I curled my arm around her. “This isn’t your fault, Grace. Don’t blame yourself.”
“I can’t take this shit anymore.” She staggered away from me, nearly tripping on the sand. “I’m so sick of running.”
It was so dark down here we only had the light from above to guide us. So when Grace’s chunky sandal hit something hard, she fell forward. I reached out for her, but Rhys beat me to the punch.
“I got you, princess.” He lifted Grace’s feet off the ground, carrying her like a baby. He brushed his thumb across her wet cheek. “No one is going to hurt you. I will kill anyone who tries to touch you.”
Until tonight, I thought Rhys was fucking with Grace and only using her to get back at her grandfather. But I saw a different side to him—a loving, caring person who wanted to protect her.
I considered what Grace said earlier. She wanted me to let her go or help her finish the bucket list. And I wasn’t letting Rhys take her virginity.
Fuck him.
ChapterNineteen
GRACE
They found me.After years of worrying about my father locating me, this was the closest he had come. His brother’s men lurked near the parking lot, leaving us no choice but to dart under the boardwalk and trek through the darkness in the sand.
Despite my father’s training, nothing had prepared me for a real-life situation. The thought of those men kidnapping me or even hurting Cole and Rhys terrified me.
“Almost there.” Rhys’s strong arms tightened around me. “Sonny’s waiting for us in the SUV. Do you see it?”
A black SUV with dark-tinted windows was parked at the curb.
Sonny rolled down the window. “Hurry, I spotted more Bratva on my way here.”
I got into the backseat, and Rhys climbed in beside me. Cole got into the passenger seat and took a handgun from Sonny, checking the clip before he tucked it into his back pocket.
“Vanderbilt,” Sonny said as he drove down the street. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here. I thought you left for California.”
“Nope.” Rhys patted Sonny’s headrest. “I’m staying with Marshall for a while.”
Sonny looked into the rearview mirror at me, shoving his fingers through his short, blond hair. “Nice to finally meet you, Grace.” He reached his hand into the backseat for me to shake. “Sorry, it’s under such shitty circumstances.”
“That’s my life,” I deadpanned and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Sonny.”
