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I eased her hold, and she removed her hand from my beard, suddenly sober. She looked down the street to where I was focusing.
“What is it?”
I shook my head. “I thought I heard something. Let’s keep going.”
I walked Rachel to her apartment, tucked her in, and locked the door behind her. She never locked it, but I had a feeling I wasn’t alone tonight. The village was safe because of our security measures, but no security was unbreakable.
A gust of wind blew by. I took the back staircase and tiptoed by the wall. I turned the corner and caught the woman who had followed us in a chokehold.
“Who the fuck are you, and why are you following me?”
She coughed out, and I eased the grip around her neck, allowing her to lower the scarf off her head. Underneath was a beautiful burgundy and purple balayage. I only knew that from the years I’d spent at Grace’s salon.
“I was afraid my hair would draw the wrong attention.” The woman’s face came into view.
“Beth?”
“What the hell happened to you?” She pulled on my beard.
People had to stop doing that.
“I barely recognize you.” She slid her hand over my arm. “And what the hell happened to your body?”
“I’ve been undercover. The more girls I keep from crossing the borders, the less Silver Securities has to worry about back home.”
“This is where you live? With another woman?”
“No, this is not where I live. Beth, what the hell are you doing in Costa Rica?”
She removed the flowing scarf from around her neck and fanned her face. Her chest rose in search of air. “Do you know how hard it is to reach you?”
I did. I’d gone off the grid for a reason. Actually, for more than one reason.
“What’s going on, Beth?”
She let out a shaky breath. “The DA has launched an investigation surrounding the Hartley case. There’s some confusion about Hartley’s estate and last will. It will be disputed in court.”
“Brad’s the only son left. How can there be any disputes? I guess there’s his sister Simone, but she renounced her family, and Tristan has her at a good facility.”
“That’s the thing, Hunter. Jeff Hartley had illegitimate children, and Chad is after every single one of them. One was murdered last week. You need to come home. Grace is in trouble.”
She pulled open a garage side door near the kitchen and gestured me inside to the scooters.
“I see you’re prepared. What does Grace have to do with the Hartleys?”
“Grace is on their hit list. I’ll tell you everything on the way back. My plane’s ready and waiting. Help me with these.”
I helped her get the scooters outside and followed her down the gravel to the dusty road.
“I have to shower and change.”
She stopped, turned around, and poked her finger into my chest.
“What you have to do is put on your charm and protect my daughter.”
CHAPTER 2
GRACE
