by LYNN, K. C.
Her head falls back on a scream as she shatters for a second time. I stare transfixed at her pretty face, watching her drown in pleasure. That alone is enough to make me follow along with her. Fire erupts through my body, searing my veins as I come hard, filling her with every last drop.
She falls forward, her forehead resting on my shoulder as we both fight for air.
“Jesus, Grace,” I murmur. I’m not really sure what else there is to say.
She lifts her head, her warm gaze penetrating mine and glowing with satisfaction. A small smile steals her lips as her hands frame my jaw. “Wanna know somethin’, Sexy Sawyer?”
“What, Cupcake?”
“I’m madly in love with you.”
The biggest grin breaks out across my face, mirroring the one shining back at me. My hand cups the back of her neck and I reel her in for a kiss.
“I love you too, baby,” I whisper against her lips. “And I’m glad I found someone who loves me as much as I love myself.”
“Actually, you found someone who loves you more. Who knew that was even possible?”
I chuckle, loving the sass that falls past her mouth. Definitely a far cry from the shy girl I met so many months ago.
After laying one more hard kiss on her lips, I pull her dress back in place then carry her into the house and take her to bed, wrapping her in my arms. A place I intend to keep her for the rest of my life.
Sawyer
The closer we get to our destination, the rage I’ve fought hard to bury over the past few days surfaces, threatening to swallow me whole.
He hated me. He hated me so much, and I don’t know why.
I grip the steering wheel tighter as Grace’s sad, trembling voice replays in my head.
“What’s the plan?” Jaxson says. “How do you want to play this?”
“We go in there and do whatever it takes to get what belongs to Grace,” I tell him.
“What if he doesn’t have the ashes?” Cade asks. “He could have gotten rid of them.”
“For his sake, that better not be the case.” My voice is hard, the threat ringing through the air.
“You need to rein it in, Evans,” Jaxson warns. “I have no problem handing someone a beating, but right now you look like you’re ready to commit murder, and if I get my ass thrown in jail Jules will fucking kill me.”
“I’m not going to kill him.” The words are weak even to my own ears. “My first priority is to get what belongs to Grace, but after that, he will pay for what he did to her.”
I haven’t given them details on what exactly happened. It’s not my place, but they know he hurt her, took something that means everything to her and for that, he will pay greatly.
“You know, Anna brought up an idea to me the other night for the gym that I think we should talk about,” Jaxson says.
My gaze briefly meets his in the rearview mirror. “I’m listening.”
“She thinks we should give self-defense classes.”
“For women?”
He nods. “She even mentioned a kids’ program, as well. We could teach them the dangers of talking to strangers and what to do if they were ever in a situation of being abducted. Cooper thought it was a great idea, too. He said Victim Services are always looking for classes in the area but have a hard time finding any. Our main goal will still be a place for fighters to train but on the side, this could work.”
“I agree,” Cade says. “Especially the children’s program. Although, Evans or Coop will have to run it. You and I will scare the shit out of little kids.”
Jaxson grunts his agreement on that statement.
“I’m in,” I tell him.
“Good. I’ll have Cooper get us in touch with Victim Services. Once we open we can run a class for the girls. I’d love nothing more than to teach Jules how to kick some serious ass.”
I can understand that. How different things could have been for her months ago with that whack job Wyatt if she had known how to defend herself. Even Grace, what she faced at the diner weeks ago with those high school punks, what could have happened had I not shown up. Or even worse, what happened to her and her mother all those years ago.
The thought has my muscles coiling tight again.
By the time we arrive at our destination, my body is humming, words of rage whispering in my ear. It only escalates when I spot the pimped out silver truck that’s parked in the driveway of the run-down house, the same truck he no doubt bought with Grace’s money.
Reaching over, I open my glove compartment and grab my gun.
“What the fuck do you need that for?” Jaxson asks. “I thought we agreed no body bags.”
I glance behind me, quirking a brow. “Are you going to tell me that you’re not packing?”
“Of course I am. That’s why you don’t need it. Put it back.”
“I could kill him with my bare hands if I wanted to and we both know it. This is just for a little fun,” I tell him, then reach under my seat for the metal baseball bat I have stashed there. I hand it over to Cade with a smile. “Hold this please.”
He takes it without question.
“Jesus,” Jaxson mutters.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask when the hell he became the voice of reason. However, I decide that’s a conversation for later. Right now, I have bigger things to take care of.
We all jump out of the truck at the same time. A neighbor walks out to get her paper and takes one look at us before running back inside. I assume the bat Cade is holding is a pretty good indication we aren’t here for a friendly visit.
After we climb the stairs, I knock. When there’s no answer, I bang again, my fist heavy and relentless on the door. Eventually, there’s movement on the other side.
“Hold on!” The door swings open, revealing an old man who looks like he hasn’t showered in a week and smells like it, too. His graying hair is a greasy mess and bloodshot eyes sunken on his pale face. “What the hell do you want?” he rasps, sizing up the three of us.
“You Earl Morgan?” I ask, wanting to be sure.
“Yeah, who the fuck are you?”
“I’m a friend of Grace’s.”
His beady eyes narrow into tiny slits. “Listen, like I told the other guy. I don’t know where that whore is and I don’t fuckin’ care.”
My foot meets the door, hitting him square in the face. The force of it sends him backwards, his head snapping back as I charge in after him. I send another blow, knocking him to the ground.
Jaxson and Cade follow me inside, closing the door behind them.
I grip the bastard’s throat as I keep him pinned to the cold tile floor and pull my gun, jamming the steel against his forehead.
“Earl, what’s going on?” A woman walks in, coming to a hard stop. Her wide, terrified eyes are smudged with yesterday’s makeup.
“Call the police,” Earl wheezes, my fingers keeping their pressure.
She reaches for the phone but Cade intercepts her, shaking his head.
“Why don’t we call the police?” I say. “We can tell them all about the time you beat my girl with a belt and tried to force your dick inside of her.”
“Earl, what’s he talking about?” she asks, every word trembling past her mouth.
“Nothing, Candy. Just shut up!”
“Nothing?” I press the gun harder into his skull, making him howl in pain as my finger hovers over the tempting trigger. “It’s something all right and you’re going to fucking pay for what you did.”
“Look, I don’t know what she told you, but she’s lying. I didn’t touch her.”
My composure shatters and I send the butt of my gun across his face, not once but three times, splitting his cheek open. Satisfaction fills me at the way his blood spatters across my face. I shove the gun into his groin, making him cry out again. “I should blow your dick off right now for what you did.” My finger shakes with restraint, the urge to pull the trigger is strong.
“Evans, remember what we came here
for,” Jaxson says, his voice penetrating the rage roaring in my ears. “Let’s get it and get out of here.”
I shove aside the urge to shed more blood and lean in closer. “You have something that belongs to my girl and I want it back.”
“I don’t have anything of hers.”
“You have her mother’s ashes and I’m not leaving until I get them.”
He peers back at me, knowledge embedded in his eyes. “I—I got rid of them.”
“Wrong answer.” Grabbing his hand, I twist it in a quick move that has a sickening crack echoing through the air, the tiny bones shattering between my crushing fingers.
His howl lingers, tears mixing with the blood smeared on his face.
“Next, it will be your other one, then your arms and legs. I will break every fucking bone in your body until you give me what I want.”
“Jesus, Earl, just give it to him,” Candy sobs.
When he makes no move to do so, I reach for his other hand.
“No, wait! I’ll get it for you.”
I grip the front of his dirty white shirt and yank him to his feet. He struggles to stay upright, cradling his broke hand to his chest. I turn him around and press the barrel of my pistol into the back of his head. “You have seconds to get me what I want or I blow your brains all over this house.”
He moves down the hallway, leading us into the small kitchen that reeks of old food and dirty dishes. His feet come to a hard stop just in front of one of the counters.
“It’s up there,” he grinds out, nodding to the top cupboard. “Top shelf.”
My eyes shift to Jaxson and he steps forward to retrieve it. “It’s here,” he says, pulling down a cream marble urn that has her name scripted across it in gold letters.
Something shifts inside of my chest as I stare back at the name of the woman who gave life to the girl I love. A woman who Grace misses with her whole heart. This entire time she’s been shoved in the back of a cupboard and kept from the only family who loves her.
“There, you have it. Now get the fuck out of my house.”
Hate boils in my blood, merging with the deep-seated anger burning inside of me. My foot strikes out, kicking him in the back of the knee. The sound of his bone shattering penetrates the air, mixing with his painful scream as he crumbles to the floor.
Dropping next to him, I grab his hair and yank his head back. “I’ve decided I’m going to let you live…for now. But I can change my mind at any moment. So know this, if you so much as even breathe my woman’s name, even think about her, I will come back here and I will destroy what’s left of your miserable existence. Do you understand?”
“Yes!” The word is delivered through clenched teeth, his breathing labored.
I release him with a shove, his face smacking into the cupboard. He curls into a ball and cries like a fucking baby, his busted knee twisted at an odd angle. I feel no remorse. He will never shed more tears than Grace has and for that, he deserves so much more.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” Jaxson says, clapping me on the back.
I follow him out of the kitchen, finding Cade in the same place we left him.
A fearful Candy continues to cry, her arms wrapped protectively around herself. She lifts her head, remorse reflecting in her emotional eyes. “I didn’t know,” she chokes out. “If I knew I would have tried to help her.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is it will never happen again by anyone or I will kill them. Remind your boyfriend that.”
Without another word, I walk out the front door, the fresh air doing nothing to ease the burning fury barreling through my chest. My head turns to the side and I come face-to-face with the silver truck.
I reach for Cade’s shoulder, stopping him from going further. “Give me the bat.”
He does as I say. The cool metal is heavy in my hand as I walk forward.
“Evans,” Jaxson warns. “Let’s not draw more attention to ourselves than we already have.”
I twist back to face him. “He stole every fucking penny that was left to her and bought this truck. He’s not keeping it.” I hop up on the hood and start in on the windshield, relishing in the glass that rains around me. After I’m done, I move to the side windows.
Cade and Jaxson both join me, grabbing a crow bar and a hammer that lie on the driveway. It takes us less than a minute to completely demolish it. By the time we leave, I finally feel a small sense of justice.
Silence fills the truck as we start the six-hour drive home, the event that just took place replaying in my head. The back of my neck tingles, something Earl said niggling at me.
“What do you think he meant when he said he told the last guy who went there he didn’t know where Grace was?” I ask.
Jaxson shrugs. “I assumed he was talking about Miguel. It would make sense that he found out she lived with him and checked there first.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I murmur.
“You don’t think so?” Cade asks.
“I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”
Jaxson claps me on the shoulder. “Relax, man. She’s good. I just got a text from Jules and they’re having a blast dress shopping.”
I nod but still don’t feel confident. I can’t seem to kick this feeling in my gut, a feeling I’m usually never wrong about.
Grace
We had a very successful day of shopping and are now having dinner at Giovanni’s, a quaint little Italian restaurant with some of the best food in town. I’ve had a great time with my friends but I’ve missed Sawyer terribly. It’s the first time we have been apart in weeks. The cocky bugger has really left his mark on me. I’m counting down the minutes to kiss his handsome face.
“I’m so in love with the dresses,” Kayla says, her smile reaching from ear to ear as she pours us all another glass of wine.
“It really is stunning,” Julia agrees, “but nothing compares to yours, which is exactly how it’s supposed to be.”
“Cheers to that.” Kayla raises her drink for a toast that we all share in.
“The whole wedding is going to be beautiful,” I say, bringing my glass to my lips for a generous sip.
“Thank you, you girls are the best bridesmaids a girl could ask for. I just wish Katelyn could have joined us today.”
Me too. It was a shame she had to cancel last minute. One of the pipes exploded at her salon and made quite the mess, Kayla offered to reschedule so we could all help her but she refused. We sent her pictures throughout the day though and she loved what we chose.
The sound of a text message dinging through the air has us all reaching for our phones. It turns out to be from Julia’s, a blush staining her cheeks as she reads it.
“Let me guess, the Hulk is sexting you right now,” Kayla says.
The smile on her face says it all. I can’t judge, I’ve received a few from Sawyer myself today.
Julia types in a quick reply then tucks the phone back into her purse and brings her attention to me. “Jax says they’re almost home.”
“They sure travelled far,” I muse, taking another sip of wine. “Do you know where they went?”
“No, but I didn’t ask either.”
“They went to Virginia,” Kayla says.
Every muscle in my body freezes, my blood running cold as she names the one place I try to forget. “How do you know?” The question is barely above a whisper, the words thick in my throat.
“I overheard Coop talking to Jaxson about it. Whatever brought them there has Cooper stressed right out.” Her answer voices my biggest fear.
My eyes close, betrayal washing over me.
“Grace? Are you all right?” Julia asks, putting a warm hand on my shoulder.
I shake my head, tears burning the back of my eyes. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”
I push to my feet, ready to flee but Kayla grabs my wrist. “Whoa. Hold up. What’s going on?”
“I promise to tell you everything later, but I can’t right
now. Please understand.”
When she sees me close to tears, she releases my wrist. “All right. Can I at least give you a ride home?”
“No, it’s fine. Stay here and enjoy the rest of your dinner. I’ll call you both later.” Without another word, I run out of the restaurant, my boots stomping the pavement as I start my walk home. A million emotions plague me but one overrides them all—betrayal.
I can’t believe he did this to me.
I pull out my phone and dial his cell, my hand shaking with anger as I hold it up to my ear.
He answers on the third ring. “Cupcake. We’re almost home.” His cheerful greeting rips through my tortured heart.
“Y’all sure drove far for one day. Where did you say you were goin’ again?” No matter how hard I try, there’s no keeping the anger out of my voice.
Silence fills the line as he realizes I know.
“You lied to me!”
“I didn’t lie.”
“Yes, you did! You promised, Sawyer. You promised you wouldn’t ever go there, that you wouldn’t tell a soul. How could you betray me like this?” My voice cracks along with my heart.
“We’ll talk about this when I get home.”
“I don’t think so, buster, you are not comin’ back to my house, you can sleep at your own damn place tonight!”
“Goddamn it, Grace, listen to me!”
I hang up, refusing to hear him out. Not right now. I’m too angry, too…hurt.
Within seconds, my phone rings. I turn it on silent and toss it back in my purse. The streetlights begin to blur from the tears tracking down my cheeks, my emotions ripping through me faster than I can fight off. By the time I enter the house, I’m a blubbering mess.
Locking the door behind me, I drop my purse down on the bench and unzip my boots. Once I toe them off, I still, a frown pinching my face when Chuckie doesn’t come to greet me like usual.
“Chuckie?” I call out.
