25. GRAYSON
25
GRAYSON
The silence in Jace’s sedan was suffocating as he handed me a thick envelope of cash and gestured to the backpack in the back seat, presumably filled with clothes and burner phones. My stomach clenched as I contemplated the severity of the situation, knowing that my next move could be the difference between life and death for Ivy.
I was grateful Red was on his way back with them, but furious he’d left in the first place. I’d chewed him out for not calling me before he’d driven away, but I guess he was right; Ivy would probably have figured out a way to go with or without him, and at least he’d kept them safe.
“So, what’s your plan, exactly?” Jace asked.
I took a deep breath, my resolve hardening. “To save Ivy, I have to take Daniel down. Prove she’s innocent and reveal his corruption.”
Jace scrubbed his jaw. “Doing that’ll put a target on your back.”
“I already have one on my back,” I retorted.
“A bigger one, then.” Jace’s voice wavered, his usual composure cracking. “I’m worried about you, man. I never realized you were into such deep shit.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Your definition of deep shit and mine are very different, then,” Jace mused.
I sighed, running an exhausted palm over my face. My mind had been spinning on all that’s transpired, replaying everything from my relationship with Daniel to the termination of Ivy’s father, and more. As if I didn’t have enough to think about, there was one more piece of that newly constructed puzzle that had stubbornly refused to fit.
“Something about Daniel’s involvement with Vosch still doesn’t make any sense,” I admitted.
In fact, there was a big hole in this, one I couldn’t plug, no matter how many angles I’d looked at it.
“When Daniel originally tried to kill Ivy by luring her to that parking garage, it was at the same time and place we were supposed to be terminating Vosch. Since three other CIA agents had died trying to kill Vosch, I’m fairly certain the hit was sanctioned by the CIA, but if the CIA had ordered it and Daniel was in bed with Vosch, why did Vosch show up at the parking garage? Wouldn’t Daniel have tipped him off?”
Jace shifted in his seat. “Would the answer change how you protect Ivy?”
I considered this.
“No,” I allowed. “I guess not.”
Daniel was a threat to Ivy, period.
I scrubbed my face again. Why did I even care what relationship Daniel and Vosch had or any of the facts surrounding the termination attempt? Either way, he’d tried to kill Ivy. And he’d betrayed me.
Because you want closure , a voice in my head said.
My gaze swept back to my brother, whose dark circles under his eyes got me thinking back to all his secretive comments. “Are you okay?”
Because looking at him now, I suddenly wasn’t so sure. That same darkness to his gaze I’d seen in Hunter’s car, it was still there.
Proof that something was clearly on his mind was further confirmed when he ignored me and asked, “What if you just take Ivy and flee the country? Get as far away from Daniel as possible?”
Unease swirled in my stomach. If he was dodging the question, whatever he was going through must be significant.
Should I press him about it? Or respect that he wasn’t ready to share it? Maybe never would be? I’d hidden the fact that I was an operative for years, and if he’d asked me before I was ready, I wouldn’t have shared, either.
Was this how it felt? Being in the dark? Because it sucked.
In fact, I couldn’t stop wondering, What dark secrets were in his past? And what was going on in his present?
Jace stared at me, waiting for me to answer.
I shook my head, dismissing his suggestion to flee the country. “That won’t work. Daniel has more motivation than ever to tie up his loose ends. I have no idea who might be helping him, so I have to assume that, eventually, we’d run out of time or luck and he’d find us.” Plus, it’d leave my family vulnerable.
Jace’s brow furrowed.
“I have to take Daniel down. Cut him off at the knees once and for all,” I said, my voice low and determined. “It’s the only way to keep everyone safe—Ivy, her mom, you guys…all of us.”
Jace glanced out the windshield, processing my words. “And how are you going to do that?”
A plan began to form in my mind, a glimmer of hope in the darkness. “For starters, I’m going to see if Barry Mansfield will help again.”
Or I should say, more . He’d already helped prove the evidence against Ivy was fake. Now, maybe he could help me prove Daniel was the one behind it all.
“Hunter’s private investigator?” Jace asked.
“He’s former CIA. If anyone can help me navigate this mess and bring Daniel to justice, it’s him. I’m going to ask him to investigate Daniel to see if we can prove he’s guilty.”
Jace nodded slowly. “All right, man. Just…be careful, okay? If there’s anything else I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask.”
I met Jace’s gaze, a fierce determination burning in my chest. “I will. And thanks, for everything.”
He gave a small nod, nervousness radiating off of him, like he was scared that if I left, he might never see me again.
“When this is all over, let’s have dinner. And in the meantime, if you need me…” I started.
Jace’s mouth curled up slightly in a sad smile. “I know, man. Go get this bastard. And stay alive, yeah?”