Havoc

Chapter 13

Kenna

“Tess.” Trigger acknowledged me as he suddenly yanked open the trailer door. His massive body blocked the view from outside. “Need a minute with Kenna.”

“You want me to stay?” Tess held his troubled gaze. I knew she’d asked more for me than for him. Trigger stepped aside, and she knew it was her cue to leave. He pulled her close and roughly kissed her lips as she passed him. I envied their relationship, he loved her unconditionally, and their love was raw and deep. Passionate. They expressed everything through touch. I gulped as Trigger jammed his body in between the bench seat and the table. He put his hands against the table and pushed back against the leather seat to get more room. His tiny wife had been comfortable there just moments before.

“It’s time we talked.” His green eyes bore into mine as I fought the urge to run. I’d never had a one-on-one with Trigger other than asking him for the favor for my father. Morgan had been with me then for support, and I wished he was now. To say the man was intense was an understatement. I wished I hadn’t changed for bed. My silky, black nightdress barely covered my ass, and my hair was still wet from the shower I’d taken. But here we were.

“You good?” I nodded, and he stroked his chin. He seemed to take a moment to find the right words. The smell of weed and leather filled my nose, and it instantly made me think of Grim.

“Trig.” Brick tossed open the door but stopped short when he spotted us. “The prospects are here cleaning shit up. Should be good by daylight.”

“What are prospects?” a chick asked someone outside the window.

Rail filled her in. “The guys who want to join the club, they need to prove themselves first. They do all the shit work so we don’t have to.” I blocked them out and focused on the others.

“Good,” Trigger grunted over his shoulder, and to my surprise, Brick slid into a seat by the door and pulled out his phone. It interested me that Trigger didn’t tell him to leave, but I was glad he didn’t.

I suddenly felt a little more comfortable and sat a little straighter.

“Why?” he asked as his eyes found mine again. I felt like I’d missed part of his conversation. My brows pinched, and I knew he referred to the murder I’d committed.

“Because.” I paused and thought twice about my words. Now was the time to be as truthful as I could, so I pushed my defenses away and let my mouth run. “Because you guys are more like family than my own. Because I think some of what’s going on involves my father, and I think I might have been witness to more things than I realized over the years.”

“Such as?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think my killing Matt Myers made me a target. I think I was a target long before. I just didn’t realize it.” I rubbed my hand over my neck as the tension built inside me. Something gnawed at my subconscious like I was on to something. I just wasn’t sure what it was. “Maybe a part of me thinks I did it because I’m trying to make up for what’s to come.”

“The fuck that be?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.” I let out the breath I held. “For the record, I never set out to put Minnie in danger. I’d never do that.” I shot Brick a look, and he nodded. “I never meant to kill Matt either. I was just looking for information. I know what I did was stupid, but,” I looked Trigger dead in the eyes, “I won’t promise it won’t happen again. I’m loyal to a fault.”

The skin around his eyes creased as he penetrated my mind, and if a look could squeeze the air from your lungs, Trigger’s would do it. I didn’t back down because it was the one thing I was sure of. Loyalty to the ones you loved. It was what I lived by.

I nearly jumped when his heavy rings hit the table, he leaned back, and one hand threaded through his shoulder-length Mohawk.

“I’d never patch in a chick,” Trigger said, “but if I did, I’d start with you.” My eyes widened, as that was the last thing I thought he’d ever say. I caught Brick’s reaction, and his head shot up and his mouth dropped open.

“I—”

“I don’t agree with what you did at Minnie’s,” he interrupted me, and I knew now wasn’t the time to speak, “but I sure as shit appreciate you lookin’ out for us.” I gave a tight nod. “You’re a part of this family now, whether you want to be or not.” He knew I did. “Somethin’ to know, if you’re gonna approach a situation like that, chances are it’s gonna go south. You need to know who you’re approaching, who they’re tied to, and when it comes down to you or them, you better be ready to pull that fuckin’ trigger.”

“I can do that.”

“Killing’s the easy part.” He didn’t seem to like my answer. “It’s after that’s shit. Constantly lookin’ over your shoulder, not trustin’ anyone. Betrayal from ones you thought you could trust.” His mask slipped for a second, and I could see the scars that were hidden from view. “And when you’re alone and the silence fills your head, that’s when it starts to change you.” He pointed to his head.

“I understand,” I whispered. I knew what it did to your mind already. It was almost the worst part.

“You’re deep in this, Kenna.”

“I can handle it.”

“Can you?”

The door swung open, and I almost jumped up as Grim came in covered in blood. He nodded at Brick and pulled off his t-shirt, and as he balled it up in his hands, he seemed to notice us. His expression went from pissed off to confused then became unreadable. He took in my wet hair and black nightdress, while I let my eyes roam his rock-hard chest and stomach. A fleeting thought that I couldn’t wait for the day I could truly take in his artwork made me instantly heat.

“The body’s on its way to Cali.” He directed that to Trigger then tossed his shirt in the sink. “I need a shower.” He disappeared into the bathroom.

“If I can handle him,” I head-pointed toward the bathroom then met Trigger’s intense eyes again, “I can handle everything else.”

“Fuckin’ see, won’t we?” He waited for a beat then pushed himself up from the table and left without another word.

“Not even a game plan for when we get back to the city?” I looked at Brick. “I’m glad I’m friends with his wife, because he’s difficult to read.”

“Most I’ve heard him talk in a long time.” Brick huffed. “I hope you know what you’re getting into.”

“Meaning?” I used one of Trigger’s famous one-word answers.

“Meaning,” Brick grabbed us beers from the fridge and eased into Trigger’s vacated seat, “I’ve been right here with Tess years ago.” He twisted off the top and handed me the bottle. “Warned her a man like Trigger was easy to fall for but not easy to be in love with.” He eyed me over the top of the bottle.

“Look, I’m not going to play the game where I pretend I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve been through enough tonight, and not to exhaust myself further, but I will say this. I’m not looking for love. I’m not looking to date. I’m just looking for a man who meets my needs in bed. He,” I pointed my bottle at the bedroom door, “does that for me. End of story.”

“See, that’s the problem.” He chuckled. “It always happens when you’re not trying.”

“Isn’t that for pregnancy?”

“Fuck if I know,” he cringed, “but what I do know is Grim Gates has traveled the world partying with the hottest women you can imagine. He lived in Mexico for a decade with a gorgeous woman.” My head jolted at that. “Yeah,” he nodded, “didn’t know that one, did ya?”

He gave me a minute to digest that one, but I didn’t comment.

“Then he came back here and had his pick of women ready to fall on their knees for him. Jenelle somehow seemed to get a hold on him, claws in tight, anyway.” He seemed to think about that one and screwed up his mouth. “He keeps her at arm’s length, but I see he hasn’t completely kicked her to the curb, at least not yet.” He nodded then looked at me. “Somehow, you seem to have all his attention.”

“We’ve just got the same taste in sex,” I assured him with a shrug.

“Yeah,” he smirked around his bottle, “that’s what it is.”

“Look,” I closed my eyes and felt his words swim around my head, “even if the unthinkable was to happen, what’s so bad about Grim?”

“From a good friend standpoint, nothing. He’s fucking awesome. He’s Trigger’s prodigy, for fuck’s sake. I’ve never seen Trig or Elio Capri, for that matter, take someone in the way they did Grim. Especially when he didn’t have any family history with them.”

I shrugged again.

“Friendship and work-ship are vastly different than a relationship.” He tapped his bottle against the table in thought. “Grim might’ve had a better upbringing than Trigger, but he’s got a dark side like Trig. Don’t know where it comes from. He’s got a one-track mind sometimes, and if you’re not on the receiving end of it, you’re invisible to him. Can you handle being something to him one day and nothing the next?”

“I don’t plan to be any part of it.” Except for the sex. I liked the sex.

“Fine,” he shook his head, “yeah, sure. Just remember Tess didn’t listen to me either.”

“Tess and Trigger worked out,” I reminded him.

“They’re the exception to the rule.” He stood, frustrated. “I like you, Kenna. You’re smart, hot, and have so much going for you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Hear me on this.”

“Sure.” I stood and leaned my hip into the counter.

“Just be careful. Trigger nearly broke Tess, and I wouldn’t want that to happen to you too.”

“Okay, I hear ya.”

I watched him leave and sagged into the counter, feeling the weight of the night seep into me. Movement from the prospects as they cleaned outside had me wishing I was alone in my house away from everything so I could fold inward. My phone lit up on the counter, and I tipped it up to see who it was.

Cameron: Where are you?

I flipped the phone over and dropped my head into my hands on the counter. I had no strength to deal with him right now. It vibrated again.

Cameron: Why is your location turned off?

“Seriously?” I was an adult and hardly needed my father to know my every move.

A warm hand slid up my spine, over my shoulder, then settled around my neck. Instantly, my frustration with my father melted away as my body jolted awake at his touch.

“Interesting choice of clothing for a meet with Trigger,” he hissed as he pulled my back flush with his chest.

“I was heading to bed when he came in.” His tone instantly got my back up. “Which is where I’m heading now.” I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

“It’s been a shit night,” his tongue licked down the shell of my ear, “and the only thing I want right now is your body under mine.” Moments later, the heat from his erection burned against my leg. He spun me around and put me on the counter. He grabbed my thigh and hooked my leg on his hip as he lined up and pushed himself to the root inside me.

“Jesus, Grim!” I cried. I hadn’t been ready for that; it wasn’t like he was small. His lips were on my neck in his favorite spot, sucking away as he flexed his hips with another deep thrust.

“You wanna fight me, sweetheart?” He chuckled in between sucking. “We both know we get off on that.”

“You’re such an asshole.” I shoved his shoulders, but he didn’t break rhythm. Grim was a beast, and there was little to nothing I could do when he wanted me. Not that I’d ever stop him. This was where I wanted to be, too, and I couldn’t help but thrust right back.

“I want more.” He yanked my top down and buried his face in my breasts. I flopped my head back with how good it felt. Everything inside me burned in a ball of excitement. He increased his pace, and our breathing became louder as we both chased what we needed. “I could tear you in two with how much deeper I want to be,” he grunted as he lifted my leg high to get a better angle.

“Ah!” I cried, which only fueled him more. Suddenly, the door opened behind him, and a stunned Kelly stared at us. Grim didn’t notice, so I grabbed his bare ass, knowing it was a perfect view for her, and gave it a squeeze as a dirty smirk raced across my lips.

“Such a slut.” She flipped me the finger as she backed out and slammed the door behind her.

Grim’s lips skimmed my neck up to my lips where he devoured my mouth. His hand moved down my back and around my hips, then he lifted me in the air with such force that the second he slammed back into me I came with a throaty scream. He came right after me, nearly taking the wind from my lungs he squeezed me so hard. My hair hung over my face and whipped around. He looked up at me once he shook the climax off and he set me down on the counter again. He reached up and moved my hair back off my face. It was an intimate move, and we both felt the moment then pushed past it.

“I should shower.” I tried to slip off the counter, but he blocked me.

“No,” he took my hand and pulled me to the bedroom, “get some sleep.”

I didn’t have the mind space to argue, so I climbed under the covers and felt him join me. His front hit my back, and he slid himself back inside me from behind.

“I’m still wound,” he muttered, “and the only way I can sleep next to you is in you.” His hand cupped my boob, and I heard his breathing slow. I didn’t complain. It felt nice, and I was too exhausted to think how odd it was that he was holding me while he slept. I knew the awkwardness would be there when we woke, but until then, I’d enjoy the feeling. Just as I drifted off, I remembered Brick’s warning.

* * *

The next morning,I sipped my coffee and avoided Minnie’s stare from across the table. We had been shaken awake around noon and told we needed to get a move on before the trucks arrived. There was still a lot of cleanup to do.

Kelly was in fine form as she tried everything in her power to get Grim’s attention. For some reason, it bothered me. What the hell did Brick do to me? I shifted with discomfort and wished he’d kept his thoughts to himself. I watched Kelly out the window as she sashayed around the guys.

“What?” I finally gave in to Minnie’s face. She wasn’t giving up as she tried to read my mind.

“You seem different. Are you okay about, you know, all that happened last night?”

I hadn’t given last night all that much thought.

“I’m just processing.” I sipped the warm brew.

“Did something happen between you and Grim?”

“What?” I looked back over at her. “No.”

“Fuckin’ bitch.” We both looked up as we heard Kelly call after Grim as he approached our trailer.

“So, my girl left, and I don’t have a way home. Any chance I can get a ride with you, Grim?” She followed him inside. He grabbed my bag from the seat next to me and tossed it outside by the step.

“The trash truck arrives any minute now, Kelly.” Minnie smirked at her. “I’d bet you’d feel more comfortable riding back with them rather than on Grim’s bike.”

“Touche,” I muttered.

“You know, Minnie, your girl’s a skank.” Kelly put a hand on her waist, and I rolled my eyes.

“My bike’s already gone,” Grim said. “My guy drove it back before sunup. Jesse and I are driving the RV back since we’re a few men down. None of us want to risk the roads today.” He huffed as he shut a drawer then locked it. “If you need a ride, there’s room.”

“The fuck,” Minnie’s face dropped with disgust, “Grim.”

“There’s plenty of room.” I stood and dumped the rest of my coffee in the small sink. I’d lost my taste for it. “I’m heading back with Morgan in the van.”

“When was this decision made?” Grim glared at me.

“I came with Morgan, and I’ll leave with Morgan. Anyway, I’m not about to be the third wheel on the way back.” I glanced at Kelly then tossed my cup in the trash.

“You’re such an idiot, Gates,” I heard Minnie scoff as I headed out the door.

I grabbed my bag from where Grim had tossed it and headed over to Morgan.

He eyed me. “You look pissed.”

“You ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, because I’m over the desert right now.”

As soon as we were inside the city limits, I felt my phone vibrate with a message.

Unknown: It’s time to pay up. By 10pm I expect something useful.

“Shit.” I tossed it on the dash and covered my eyes. “Why do I always feel like a pawn? When do I get to be in control of something?”

“Who we talking about?”

“Men, Morgan, all the men in my life, and especially the faceless one that has a grip on me.”

“I feel like this is a Minnie conversation.”

“It’s not.” I sighed. “That asshole who attacked me in the garage is demanding something on the guys.” I gave him a quick glance. “It’s fine. It’s not like we didn’t know it was coming.”

“Doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Nope.” I closed my eyes and tried to sort out how to play this one.

I made a quick exit from the van when Morgan dropped me off, but he parked and joined me as the service elevator opened.

“If he’s texting you, it means he’s watching you again.”

“Thanks.” I appreciated him being with me. We stepped inside, and I used the black and silver keycard to bypass all the floors.

“That’s fancy.”

“Perks of the job,” I fibbed, not wanting to get into Grim right now. I could only imagine Kelly’s hands all over Grim on the ride home. I shook the irritating thought away, annoyed I even felt a ping of jealousy in the first place.

“Hungry?” I tried to get my mind on something else.

“I could go for a steak.”

“I’ll call room service once we get inside and have a couple sent up.”

We made it up to my floor without seeing anyone, thankfully. I never see my neighbors, so the coast was clear as I unlocked the door. We slipped inside, and I instantly locked the door and looked around. My suite suddenly seemed so big and cold.

“Someone’s here.” Morgan put a finger to his lips then pressed me into the wall as he pulled his weapon. Suddenly, I saw someone in black pants and a black hoodie step out from the wall. The person’s face was hidden by fabric.

Flashbacks of the garage flickered through my brain as panic bubbled up inside me.

“Stay back,” Morgan growled as I grabbed a decorative umbrella from its holder and held it up with the sharp end pointed toward the shadowy figure.

“I’m doing what you asked.” I shouted and eyed the panic button Jim Gates had installed in the place when I moved in. “You told me I had until ten o’clock!”

“Kenna, it’s me,” a familiar voice said. She pulled the hood down, and I felt the air rush from my lungs as I let out the breath.

“Hanna?” She nodded, and I dropped the umbrella, but Morgan still held his gun on her. “It’s okay. She’s a friend,” I assured him, and he slowly lowered it. I raced across the marble floor and took her in my arms as she broke into tears. “How did you…?” I stopped the thought and went with a different question. “Where have you been?” I noticed Morgan was on the phone.

“Running.” She sniffed as I pulled her over to the couch. I noticed Morgan hung back with the phone to his ear. “Kenna, we need to talk, and I really don’t know if I should be here right now.”

“Morgan’s here. We’re safe,” I assured her, but she was wide-eyed as she stared at the reaper holding a skull on his back.

“He’s one of the motorcycle friends you talked about?”

“Yeah.” I sat down by her feet. “Hanna, how did you get in here?”

“Zara let me in.” I looked at her, confused. Zara might be my dad’s secretary and a friend, but she certainly didn’t have a key to my suite. “She told Leo she left some files here and needed them, and since you were away,” she shrugged, “Leo trusts her and came here with her. She flirted with him and kept him busy so I could slip in.”

“Smart.” I tried not to show how much that bothered me. Leo could do no wrong in my eyes, but having it be that easy to get inside my place made me feel less and less comfortable. Again, no control even over my own suite.

“Kenna,” Morgan pulled the phone away from his mouth, “Grim wants you to take this up to his place.”

“Tell Grim it’s happening now. He can wait.” Morgan lifted an eyebrow.

“Did you hear that?” He squinted as he spoke into his phone again. No doubt Grim was fired up after what Morgan would have just told him. “Kenna, he?—”

“I don’t care what he wants,” I snapped. I felt bad at letting my anger go at Morgan. “This doesn’t involve him.” I made an apologetic face at Morgan.

“Copy that.” He spun on his heel and muttered something to Grim.

“You’re here now, and by the looks of it, you’re not staying long, so please tell me what you know. Why did Sasha attack me the other morning to find out what I know?”

“He did what?” She looked panicked.

“Look, a lot of shit’s going on, Hanna, and to be honest, I don’t even know where to start, but I really need to know what you know.”

“Yeah, okay.” She took a deep breath just as the door swung open and hit the wall with a boom. Hanna squeaked and dove to the floor.

“Get up and get moving,” Grim ordered. He reached for Hanna’s arm and pulled her to her feet. She screamed in fear.

Rage burned through me.

I jumped up and grabbed Hanna’s other arm and pulled her behind me. Then I got in his face.

“Are you insane?” I yelled.

“You’re making me insane.” He snarled at me and tried to use his massive body to intimidate as he towered over me. “Both of you, upstairs, now.”

“No.” I knew his temper was about to blow, but I’d be damned if I’d let him dictate what I could and couldn’t do. This man had such nerve. We stood there and stared at each other in equal fury.

“This shit has to stop, Kenna.” He licked his lips. “You’re being irresponsible, bringing trouble to the hotel.” I knew he was just looking for excuses.

“Fine. I’ll leave and take Hanna with me. That way we won’t draw any trouble here. But on my terms, dammit.”

“No, you need to stay where I can keep an eye on you.” He hesitated. “And whatever this is all about.” He whirled a finger to include Hanna.

“Fuck you! Make up your mind, Grim. You just said you want me to take my ‘trouble’ out of the hotel.” An expression flashed quickly over his face, but I couldn’t read it. He positively vibrated.

“Ah, if I may, Grim, ah, that’s actually a good idea.” Morgan took a cautious step forward, and Grim looked at him.

I felt the corners of my mouth turn upward slightly, and my brow lifted as I took the win. I knew enough not to test my limits with Grim, though, so I stepped back and nodded.

“I know a place that’s just off the strip. Not many would go there.” Something passed between him and Grim, and after a moment, Grim’s mouth twisted then he nodded. “I could take Hanna down first, wait a few minutes then you two come out after.” He spoke quietly to Grim for a moment as I turned to Hanna.

“Hanna, are you okay?” I asked my poor friend. She looked like she was in shock. The poor girl had no idea what was happening. “We’re going to go somewhere safe, okay? Then we can talk. You go with Morgan. He’ll keep you safe, then we’ll meet up there.”

“Yeah, okay,” she slowly nodded and zipped up her hoodie, “just don’t be long. Promise?”

“I won’t. I promise.” I patted her arm. My stomach tightened as I looked at Morgan, who gave me the thumbs up and a look of assurance. Once they were gone, I glared at Grim then turned on my heel and headed for the bedroom.

“Where are you going?” he called after me.

“To get dressed.” I slammed the door just as he had earlier.

I wiggled into a silver dress, heels, and worked a boatload of dry shampoo into my hair. Thankfully, it had dried in waves, and with the help of some hairspray, it had a messy look. I needed to look like I was about to work a shift. I threaded some sparkly earrings on, and a few bracelets. A squirt of perfume, and I was ready to go in under eight minutes. Impressed with myself, I opened the door and found Grim pacing the hallway.

“Christ, Kenna,” he grunted but his eyes told me he was thinking all the wrong thoughts, “don’t you own sneakers?” He followed me out of the suite.

“Think about it, Grim. If I show up in sneakers and a hoodie, everyone would know something was up.” I stabbed the button, and we descended toward the lobby.

“For the record, I’m against this idea. What did Hanna say?”

“We never got time for her to say anything before you burst through the door and scared her to death,” I muttered and gained a glare from him as the elevator doors opened.

“That mouth of yours is trouble.” His hand landed on my back as he steered me through the lobby. “Shore will meet us at the back exit,” he said quietly just as Jayden intercepted us.

“Mr. Gates, I need a quick word with you, if you don’t mind.” He avoided eye contact with me.

“Not now, Jayden.” Grim moved around him.

“Sir, it’s important.”

Grim’s lip curled as he spun around and then seemed to remember we needed to play this out. “What is it, Jayden?”

“Mr. Sonny Conti is here, highly intoxicated, and he won’t leave. Given that Ms. Lodge,” he glanced at me, “just recently signed him as a client, I thought I’d ask how you’d like to handle it.”

Shit.

“Remove his ass.”

“Grim,” I whispered as Jayden cleared his throat, and I saw his glance go to Grim’s hand on my hip.

“Wait here.” Grim gave me a hard look then hurried away.

“Kid yourself all you want, Kenna. You two have something going,” he huffed imperiously.

“Jayden,” I stopped him as he went to leave, “we’ve nothing going on, as you say. We certainly aren’t dating—which, by the way, is none of your business if we were. I’m sorry I said I already had a date to the fundraiser, but I’ve tried countless times to express to you I’m not interested. You simply refuse to hear me.”

“I’ve known you for a very long time, Kenna. Excuse me if I thought there was something more there. I was wrong.” He gave me a quick look. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter anymore. I met someone the night of the fundraiser, and it’s going well.”

“I’m glad. Happy to hear that.” I looked over his shoulder and couldn’t spot Grim. I didn’t have time for this. My phone vibrated, and I saw it was Morgan. He wondered where we were. “Damn, Jayden, please tell Grim I simply couldn’t wait.” I stopped myself. “If you don’t mind.”

“Yes, of course.” He forced a smile. “I’ll tell him.”

“Thank you.” Maybe—just maybe—Jayden and I could be in the same room together and I wouldn’t have to cringe at the thought.

I found Shore waiting by the car, and he looked at me oddly.

“Miss Kenna, I understood Mr. Gates was coming?”

“He got pulled away by a client. I couldn’t wait. Let’s go.” I jumped in the back, and Shore quickly pulled out. I appreciated that he got the sense of urgency.

“How much trouble will I be in?” he asked as we stopped at a red light.

“I’ll handle him.” I sent Morgan a text that I was on my way.

“I’m sure you will.” He chuckled.

Shore pulled up to the old Motel Six and didn’t unlock the doors right away.

“Miss Kenna, I really don’t feel comfortable dropping you off here alone.”

“Sadly, this is nothing compared to the last few days, Shore. I’ll be fine. Morgan’s here.”

“Yes, Mr. Gates said he was, Miss, but…” He sighed. “It’s room six upstairs.” He still looked unsure as he unlocked the doors. “Chocolate,” he suddenly said.

“Huh?” I ducked to look back in the car.

“I like these seashell chocolates. They’ve got creamy centers.” I smiled at his attempt to stall and shook my head.

“Consider a big box of them waiting for you in the locker room tomorrow.” I gave him a reassuring smile and closed the door. I made my way up the rusty stairs to room six.

Morgan opened the door and looked around for Grim.

“Long story.” I moved inside, and he shut the door. I immediately went to Hanna and gave her a hug. Then as she settled on the bed, I pulled up a chair next to her. I looked around and hated that the place looked like it was set to be used as a sting for prostitution. “I’m so sorry this night’s been crazy. It seems my whole life is crazy right now, but Hanna, you’ve got my undivided attention. You really need to tell me what’s going on.”

“Okay,” she tucked her hair behind her ear, “just hear me out before you judge. I’m not proud of what I did with Sasha, but?—”

“Hanna, I don’t care about Sasha or any of those guys. I care about you and about what you need to tell me. Please skip to the important parts.”

“Well,” she hesitated for a second, “after you stopped seeing Sasha, he started paying attention to me.” She tugged at the sleeve of her hoodie. “I’m sorry, but I liked him.”

“I could not care less. Really.” I wanted to scream and get her to move her story along.

“We’d hook up whenever you and I were back from our internship in Morocco. You’d go to visit your family, and…” She obviously wasn’t going to pay attention to my plea to leave out her relationship with Sasha. I had no feelings left for him, but there was still a part of me that didn’t want to hear it. “He always insisted on seeing me the moment we were back, asked questions, wanted to see pictures. I thought he was the real deal when he moved to Morocco and said he wanted us to be more to each other.”

“Wait, he was living with you there?” I tried to push the hurt aside. Hanna knew me, so she knew how much Sasha had screwed with my heart. He’d been the one who took many of my firsts from me, so to hear this news stung. I may feel nothing for him now, but there was a girl code, and she knew she’d failed me.

“Yes.” She swallowed hard, and her eyes pleaded for forgiveness. “He arrived a week before you suddenly turned down that big offer in Burj Al Arub and decided to work at Indulge.”

“Holy shit, how did I not know this?”

“You had a lot on your plate, and people always pulled you in different directions. Including your father.”

“That’s true.” I remembered how intense that decision had been. My father was insistent I take the job at Indulge, but ultimately, it was Jim Gates who won me over. But still…

“Sasha was so excited to be with me. He seemed happy. We both were. Then when I told him about you leaving for the States, something changed. Like he was upset or something. At the time, I didn’t put it together. He started having late night phone calls.” She wiped away a tear. “Long story short, he said he couldn’t be there full time anymore, and he’d have to split his time with me there and the rest back in LA.”

“Okay.” I tried to absorb everything she was telling me. I’d known none of this, and it was hard to curb my impatience with her story.

“When he did visit me, he always pumped me for information on you. I didn’t think anything of it because I was in love with him.” She laughed like she was stupid. “I know. Pathetic, right?”

“I disagree.” I smiled warmly at her. After all, I reminded myself, Sasha wasn’t worth the pain he caused, and now she had experienced it, too. “You thought he was the real thing. There’s no fault there, Han.”

“Well, it took some time, but I saw it. I played dirty. I pretended you were coming back to visit me for a while. I wanted to see if he stayed so he could see you.”

“And?”

“He did.” Her mouth twisted. “I was jealous. I kicked him out, said a lot of things I didn’t mean, but I wanted to hurt him. He told me he loved me and tried to say he only asked about you because your father and you weren’t talking, and he was worried about you. I made him leave anyway.” Her eyes grew teary.

“Well, that was a lie. My father knows my next move before I do.” I gave her a look. “You know that firsthand.”

“I know.” She nodded, but I could see she was still bothered by the whole thing. “But you’re gorgeous, Kenna, and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve lost a guy’s attention when you walked into the room.” She held up a hand to stop me as I opened my mouth to comment. “But I realized I really was in love with him, so I went to the hotel the next night to apologize. He was staying at the Gordoff.” She attempted a smile at me.

“So, William gave you a key?”

“Yeah,” she chuckled, “perks of our job, right?”

“Yeah.” I eyed Morgan. He had his gun drawn and kept watch through the stained curtains.

“I almost wish he hadn’t.” She drew my attention when she looked up at the ceiling. “I let myself in and heard him talking to someone in the bedroom. When I realized he wasn’t alone, I kind of sneaked in quiet. The door was partly open, so I peeked in. He was on a video call. He was talking to a man,” her gaze shifted to mine, “about you.”

“Me?” Something cold washed over me.

“The man was giving Sasha orders to return to Vegas and watch you.”

“What?” I shook my head, confused.

“He was packing his bag as he talked to the guy.”

“Do you have any idea who this guy was?”

“I can show you a video of him.” She pulled out her phone. “Leo has the actual video. I sent it to his office, again thanks to Zara, but he has no idea what’s on it. I figured an extra copy was a smart idea in case I went missing.” She swallowed hard and licked her lips.

She handed me the phone, and I pressed play.

Boom!

The door was suddenly kicked in, and the phone flew from my hand as I dove for Hanna and dragged her to the floor behind the bed. Two men raced inside. Morgan fired off two shots, but neither man seemed affected. Morgan fell hard as both guys slammed into him. Then a third man entered and swung the butt of his gun at Morgan’s head and knocked him out cold.

One of the men suddenly landed on me hard. He choked on blood, and I realized as he struggled to breathe that he’d been clipped in the neck by one of Morgan’s bullets. With all my might, I pushed him off me in horror as his friend came to help him. Then I looked up at the third man.

No!

“Why the fuck did you have to show up that day!” Sasha’s voice made my lungs seize. He pulled Hanna and me apart and sent me flying across the room.

As I hit the wall, he came for me. I opened my mouth and screamed.

“Hanna. Run!” I barely recognized my own voice, then I dove at Sasha and headbutted him in the gut. He gasped, caught off guard, as she shot out the door. He grabbed me with a murderous expression and backed me up until I hit the wall. My mind frantically tried to find an escape.

He glanced at the two men. One was now obviously dead, the other stood and stared blankly at Sasha. I eyed Morgan, who hadn’t moved since he’d fallen.

“Did she tell you?” He turned his eyes back to me as his fingers dug hard into my arms.

“No, you interrupted.” I tried hard to keep the panic from my voice.

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t really care if you do.” I couldn’t stop my mouth.

“You haven’t changed, have you?” He smirked. “Still the smart-mouth girl who always pushed back against her father because she couldn’t see what was happening right in front of her.”

“Feel free to fill me in.” He ran a hand down my arm, but I ripped it away.

“For someone who’s supposed to be so smart, you really are dumb.” He grabbed my arm again then leaned in to smell my hair. “Didn’t you ever wonder why one day we suddenly showed up at your house? Why we never left? Why your mother always tried to keep you away but your father always wanted you to hang around so the men could ogle you? Kinda sick, if you ask me.”

“You’re hurting me.” I pretended to wiggle in pain, and he slacked off his grip a bit. I nudged my knee into position and waited for the moment to strike.

“Well, Kenna, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Daddy fucked up. He made a deal and dragged you into it. I was just supposed to watch over you, but you mistook my interest, and I had a little fun of my own.” He chuckled.

“And are you proud of that? Taking advantage of a young girl?”

“A wild chick who wanted to have some fun, proud doesn’t begin to describe it.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“That’s not what Hanna thinks.” He gave me a nasty smirk before he pulled a gun from his waistband and pressed the barrel against my chest. I hated that I let out a little cry. “Cameron still thinks he can fix things, but I have very little faith in him, especially now Grim Gates is back fucking shit up. His old man’s is dying, and he’s running around piling up bodies. The man’s soulless.”

What?

My mind immediately flew back to a few things I’d noticed but hadn’t registered until now. Not Jim!

“You say he’s soulless? You, with a gun to my chest when I’ve done nothing wrong.” I could barely get my words out. The tip of the gun felt like a magnet to my heart. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second to gain some strength. Slowly, I tilted my head up to stare at him dead in the eye. “You broke my heart once without a second thought, so if you’re going to kill me, at least have the balls to look me in the eye.” It sickened me to know that his was the last face I’d see before I died as he cocked the gun and I blinked back the darkness that wanted to take over.

“Look away,” he directed.

“No.” I balled my fists.

“I need your family out of the way, Kenna.” He almost sounded apologetic. “We’re ready to make our move.” I refused to even blink as I kept my eyes glued to his. “Dammit, bitch!” he screamed. “Look away!” Suddenly, the gun was kicked from his hand and his head snapped to the side with a terrible crunch. As he fell at my feet in a heap, his eyes were replaced by a set of stone-cold gold ones.

“Huh,” squeaked out as I blinked away tears. Grim’s face was a study in sheer red-hot anger.

“Shit,” Morgan groaned, and Brick was immediately at his side. He helped him to his feet. “Kenna? Hanna?”

“Kenna’s okay, man,” Brick said as he looked at Grim then at me, and back to Grim again. “I’ll get him to a doctor.”

Grim nodded, and finally his eyes released me, and he looked around the room.

“Grim?” I whispered and pulled his attention back to me. “I need Hanna’s phone.”

I started to search. The room was tiny, but it wasn’t anywhere I could find. Grim leaned down and checked the guy’s pockets but came up empty. “It has to be here.” My voice sounded like someone else’s.

“It’s not.” He looked around then out the door as a car motor could be heard. “She must have it. We need to go.”

What a nightmare the night had become.

Grim didn’t say anything on the drive back to Indulge; he just stared out the window. I didn’t remove his hand from my thigh. I noticed Shore wasn’t behind the wheel. Grim’s main driver Cartwright was the driver this time. I hoped nothing had happened to Shore, but I’d pull at that thread later, as my brain was firing all over the place and I couldn’t seem to focus. I allowed Grim to steer me to his penthouse, and once inside, Leo waited by the bar. He and the dogs looked us over.

“Hey, Kenna,” Leo wrapped me in a hug, “are you okay?”

“I am.” I eyed Grim as he went to pour himself a drink. “Have you heard from Hanna?”

“Zara called and told me what happened, and she’s got Hanna tucked away for now. She admitted what she did. I’m sorry I let her trick me.”

“It’s okay, Leo. I’m just glad Hanna’s all right.” I blew out a long breath, pleased she was okay. “Did she take her phone?”

“I’m guessing not, because she asked if you had it. And not just that,” his tone made my stomach drop even further, “the copy of the video she gave me, it’s been messed with.”

“What?” Grim took my phone from my hand. I was still too stuck on what Leo said about the video to care. “Oh, no, what do you mean, messed with?

“I’m sorry but it’s been tampered with.”

“But Hanna doesn’t know who Sasha was talking to. She won’t be able to ID him.” My heart sank. “What time is it?”

“Almost ten.” Leo showed me the time on his phone.

“It’s been handled,” Grim grunted from the couch as he tossed me my phone. “Like tonight would have been if you’d waited.” He glared at me.

“Grim.” I sighed as I felt the night’s events land heavily on my chest. I glanced at my phone and saw a text exchange with an unknown number. Wait…

“You’re going to New Orleans?”

“He is. For work,” Leo answered. I looked at Grim and knew he was frustrated I’d ignored his last jab.

“Morgan could have been killed, Kenna. Hanna too, and you—” Grim stopped himself and cursed under his breath. “I’ve never met a woman I’ve wanted to kill and fuck at the same time.”

“Kenna.” Leo’s calm voice cut through. I’d heard him use that voice before when Grim was about to lose it. “Tell us everything that happened. Maybe it’ll help us find out who messed with the video.”

“Yeah, okay.” I pulled a blanket from the side of the couch up over my chilled body and tried to remember everything while I secretly realized I felt uneasy that Grim was leaving.