61. IVY
61
IVY
“Are you sure he’s okay?” I asked for the millionth time, my voice trembling with a mixture of hope and fear. My heart threatened to burst out of my chest with each passing second.
Jace smiled reassuringly. “He’ll be here at any moment, and you can see for yourself.”
I paced the great room of Hunter’s mansion, my footsteps echoing against the hardwood floors while the fireplace crackled, casting a warm glow across the room. But even the warmth of the flames couldn’t melt the icy tendrils of anxiety that gripped my heart.
“You’re wearing out the flooring.” Luna smiled, offering me a drink, her face soft with understanding.
“No, thank you.”
“It’s all over now,” she assured, setting my rejected cocktail on an end table.
But nothing would feel over or okay until I saw Grayson with my own eyes. Until I wrapped my arms around his body and felt his chest pressed into mine, until his voice would rumble through my ears as he held me.
The anticipation was a tangible force that squeezed the muscles around my lungs, making it hard to breathe.
The creak of the massive wooden door made me freeze, my breath caught in my throat. Time seemed to slow as my gaze swept across the room, finally landing on the emerald eyes I knew so well.
“Grayson.” My voice came out in a whisper as I ran to him, crashing into his embrace like a wave against the shore.
His strong arms enveloped me, his fingers threading through my hair, holding me close as I wept against his chest.
In that moment, I felt the weight of two alternate futures that had hung over me all night—one of sorrow and despair, the other of joy and love. I’d never felt more grateful in my life than at this very moment, having Grayson return to me.
We clung to each other, our embrace a symphony of relief.
“I love you,” Grayson murmured as he kissed the top of my head.
“I love you, too.”
GRAYSON
“Are you sure the guy who took that picture of Ivy was the only one working with Daniel?”
The only one that had been with Ivy, at least.
Seth tried to hide the offense in his gaze; it wasn’t every day someone second-guessed his IT skills.
“I scrubbed every single phone,” he answered. “Yes, he’s the only one.”
What a piece of shit.
That fucker was lucky he was arrested and taken away before I got here. It had taken every ounce of self-control to not kill Daniel, and I wasn’t sure I would have been able to leave the security guard alive, too.
“How did Daniel get to him?” I pressed Red.
“Tony is ex-military,” Red explained. “Turns out, he crossed paths with Daniel at some point in his career, and when Daniel called him, the money was too good to pass up.”
“Money,” I snarled. “That’s what this came down to?”
“For him.”
I clenched my fists. “I thought your security team vetted guards more thoroughly than this,” I said a little more curtly than I meant to.
“Tony had an impeccable record and passed every security checkpoint. Even the best security can have breaches once in a blue moon,” Red said.
“You should put that on your marketing brochure,” I snapped.
“Grayson,” Hunter cautioned.
“Luna was in danger, too,” I reminded him, snapping my attention back to Red. “Maybe you should pay your security agents more money so they’re not tempted to kill the very people they’re hired to protect.”
“Jesus, Grayson, take a walk,” Hunter said. “And remember whose side Red’s been on.”
Guilt bitch-slapped me back into reality. This man had been in the trenches with me, put his own life in danger to help keep Ivy and her mother safe.
I scrubbed my face. “I’m sorry, Red.” I took a deep breath. “He’s right. I’m taking all my anger out on you, and that’s a shitty thing to do after everything you’ve done for us.”
Red’s face softened. “I’d be furious if I were in your shoes, too.”
He held out his hand as a peace offering—one I probably didn’t deserve after my little tantrum. But I took it all the same.
“How about us brothers grab a drink?” Hunter suggested.