Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“I’m not getting money out of this, Grace,” Ian mutters. “An alliance with Dominik is important for the survival of our family.”
Starting to lose my patience with Ian, I grumble, “Grace has agreed to marry me. Any further conversation is pointless.”
“No!” When Devlin directs his anger at me, my fist opens and close, and it takes a lot of effort not to draw my gun on him.
He glances between Grace and me, then says, “Grace was already married.”
“That doesn’t mean shit to me,” I mutter.
There’s a flash of panic in his eyes, then he gives Grace a pleading look. “You barely survived your first marriage.”
Grace stands her ground, not backing down. “No thanks to you. I won’t put Ciara at risk of being abused.”
My head snaps to Grace, and I capture her eyes. “Abused? You think I’d hit her?”
A weird expression tightens her features, and this time, I recognize it faster for what it is. Trauma.
Before I can stop myself, I ask with a fucking dark tone, “What did Mallon do to you?”
Ian quickly shakes his head. “We don’t talk about it. Just know Grace is off the table.”
“Tell me!” I demand, my patience slipping fast.
Realizing not to fuck around anymore, Ian clears his throat before saying, “He used to beat Grace.”
The frown on my forehead deepens even more as I look at Grace. “And?”
She shakes her head. “Someone like you wouldn’t understand.”
My voice is downright deadly as I mutter, “Try me.”
She stares at me for a moment before saying, “Even though we were married, I never accepted Braden.”
When I frown again, Ian mutters, “The intimate moments were violent, and it took a toll on Grace.”
Z kurvy syn!
I clench my jaw as the thirst for blood rises in my chest. My eyes drift over her face as I realize what kind of hell she’s been through. Now I understand why she’s fighting tooth and nail for her sister.
With a hoarse voice, I say, “He raped you.”
That would mean I triggered the fuck out of her the night I waited for her in her bedroom. No fucking wonder she passed out.
“That’s how Grace feels,” Ian quickly adds. “They were married, and Mallon had a right to–”
Murder coats my words as I hiss, “Finish that sentence, and it will be the last time you speak.”
Ian’s eyes widen, intense fear tightening his features.
A tremor shudders through my body, and remembering how I caged Grace on her bed, my guilt intensifies.
There’s not a lot that gets to me, but because Evinka was raped when we were teenagers, it’s a trigger for me. I had a front-row seat to Evinka’s trauma. Her nightmares kept me up at night, and her tears soaked my shirts.
I’ll never forget how broken she was.
“All that matters is how Grace feels,” I growl. “If she says she was raped, then that’s what fucking happened.” My body shudders with the thirst for revenge, but there’s nothing I can do about it. “Shooting Mallon was too merciful. Had I known this, I would’ve made him suffer.”
“What?” Grace gasps. Her jaw goes slack as she stares at me. “You were the one who killed Braden?”
“Yes,” Ian answers. “I hired Dominik. Braden didn’t keep his end of the deal and wouldn’t sign over my share of the African market.”
Slowly, my eyes move to Ian and my self-control hangs by a tettered rope as I ask, “Is it all that mattered to you when you hired me?”
Ian quickly realizes his mistake and shakes his head. “Of course not. I was worried about Grace as well.”
Sure he was.
“Jesus,” Grace whispers, seemingly still in shock.
I watch as she sucks in a deep breath of air, and when she lifts her hand to tuck hair behind her ear, I notice how she’s trembling.
Her tone is filled with disbelief as she says, “I wasn’t aware you’re an assassin as well.”
“I’m many things,” I say, my tone deceptively calm.
After everything I learned today, I now see the pain in her eyes. Braden Mallon was her worst fear, and he fucking destroyed her.
Grace has been through hell, and she’d go right back for Ciara.
Fuck. She’s much stronger than I thought.
Respect isn’t an emotion I feel often, yet as I look at Grace, it fills my chest.
“So you can understand why I won’t allow Grace to get married,” Ian states.
“That’s my choice to make,” Grace argues.
My phone begins to ring, drawing my attention away from them. Pulling the device out, I see Ilias’ name showing on the screen.
“Yes,” I answer, my tone curt.
“They just fucking attacked me. Cleared out an entire shipment,” he says, sounding breathless.
“And?” I mutter.
“When’s the meeting?” Ilias asks.
The corner of my mouth lifts in triumph. “Soon.”
“I want them dead. Every last fucker. You hear me?” he shouts, clearly rattled by the attack.
“I’ll be in touch.”
I end the call as I head toward the doorway.