11. GRAYSON
11
GRAYSON
The rain assaulted my face as I sprinted toward the parking lot, my footsteps echoing off the pavement with a series of s plat, splat, splats. An eerie stillness hung over the area, broken only by the distant rumble of thunder, like the whole damn city was nervous. I scanned the buildings yet again, searching for any signs of men, but evidently, the party was inside.
A small mercy, I guess, because if they spotted me first, Ivy might be as good as dead—when pushed between finishing an interrogation and ending their target, they’d likely choose the latter.
The woman pushed herself up, her movements clumsy and desperate.
I ran faster, my lungs burning.
As a gust of wind whipped her hair, she staggered toward the entrance like a newborn foal.
Now only thirty feet from the door. Twenty.
Her focus was so tunnel-visioned, her movements so desperate, she didn’t see me until the last second. Didn’t have a chance to scream before I slammed my hand over her mouth, dragging her backward, away from the door, away from danger.
She fought like a wildcat, twisting and bucking, but I had sixty pounds and years of training on her. Between the pouring rain and my grip, her muffled screams were lost. Hunter materialized at my side, and together, we hauled her around the side of the neighboring building, out of sight.
She struggled against my grip, clawed at my hand, her entire body trembling as she shifted my fingers away from her lips long enough to cry out, “Let me go! I have to save my daughter!”
That confirmed it—this was Ivy’s mother. The woman I’d protect, simply for being someone Ivy cared about.
I shifted my palm back over her mouth.
“Listen to me, please,” I said. “We’re not going to hurt you, but what I’m about to say could save Ivy’s life.”
Clearly, they were waiting on the mother. Why, I wasn’t sure, but they needed the mother as a chess piece. Remove her from the board, and Ivy had a chance.
At the mention of her daughter’s name, the woman stilled, her expression turning desperate as she searched my face, silently asking, You know Ivy?
I kept my voice low and urgent. “If you run into that building or alert anyone that we’re here, they might kill her.”
The woman’s breath came in short, panicked gasps.
I placed my mouth close to her ear, my words barely audible over the pouring rain.
“My name is Grayson. I’m Ivy’s friend, and I’m here to get her back. She was taken against her will. To save her, I need you to trust me. Stay calm and keep away from the building. Can you do that for Ivy?”
She mumbled something beneath my palm, tears mingling with the raindrops on her face.
“I’m going to remove my hand now,” I said softly. “Don’t scream, okay?”
Another nod.
I released her slowly, ready to silence her again if I had to.
She gulped air like she’d been underwater, then choked out, “He said he’ll kill her if I don’t show up.”
“Who said that?”
“My ex-boyfriend, Steve. He has her, and he said…” A sob cut her off.
Ex-boyfriend?
“Does Steve work for the CIA?” I asked.
She wiped a fresh waterfall of rain off her face. “CIA?”
Based on her what in the hell are you talking about tone, the answer was either no or she had no knowledge of him being CIA. And what were the odds that two independent people in Ivy’s life would be CIA?
Answer: zero to none.
“What, exactly, did he say when he called you?” I pressed.
“He…” She sniffled. “He said, ‘I have Ivy, and if you ever want to see her alive, you’ll come to this address before it’s too late.’”
So help me, when I get my goddamned hands on Steve…
“Then what?” I managed through grinding teeth.
“I asked him what he was talking about, but he hung up on me, and I raced straight here.”
I’d raced here from Hunter’s, and she arrived not too much later than me. How?
“You got here fast.”
“I’d been waiting at a nearby restaurant for Steve; he’d called yesterday and said he wanted to talk things out.”
More like move his pawn into position.
“Did he tell you anything else? Anything at all?”
“No.” Fresh sobs racked her body.
“Okay. I’m going in there, and I’m going to get your daughter. This is my brother.”
The woman’s gaze darted to Hunter, who lifted his mask briefly, offering a reassuring smile before sliding it back down.
I released her from my grip, hoping she would cooperate. I didn’t want my brothers to have to restrain her, but I would if it meant keeping her and Ivy safe.
“Go with him. He’ll keep you safe until I get Ivy.”
Indecision warred on her delicate features. “But Steve said…Ivy needs me,” she cried. “I can’t just leave her!”
“If you go in there, Ivy dies,” I said, hating the bluntness of my words but knowing she needed to hear them. “They brought you here as leverage to force her to cooperate. Once they have what they want, you’ll both be disposable.”
The mother’s chest heaved up and down.
“Who’s they?” she asked.
What a fantastically infuriating question. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out, but first, I need to stop whatever they’re doing to her right now.”
A fresh avalanche of horror cascaded down her face as her attention darted towards the building, then back to me.
“Let me help.” Her voice quivered. “I can create a distraction.”
“No.” I softened my tone. “If they manage to trap you, Ivy won’t leave you. You know that. The only way I can extract her is if she knows you’re safe.”
She swallowed, her lip quivering as she glanced in the direction of the building once more. She hesitated, torn between her desperate need to save her daughter and the knowledge that she might be the very reason Ivy couldn’t be saved.
“Ivy needs you to do this. Please.”
A strangled sob escaped her lips as she finally nodded, her whole body shaking with the force of her love and her fear.
“I’ll do anything to save my daughter. Please, bring her back to me.”
Hunter placed a gentle hand on her back, his eyes constantly scanning for threats. With one last anguished look, she allowed him to guide her away, but not before looking over her shoulder at me.
“Get my daughter out of there.”
I would. Even if it meant sacrificing everything.