23. Grayson
23
GRAYSON
T he plan is set. Now, all we have to do is wait. Margot is pacing the living room, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her jaw clenched. She doesn’t like waiting, and honestly, neither do I. But this has to be done right.
"You sure this will work?" she asks, glancing at me.
"If Liam takes the bait, we’ll know soon enough," I say, leaning against the counter, my phone in my hand. "Olivia has already started spreading the word that you’re heading back to your apartment. The security setup is in place. We just have to let him think he’s making the first move."
She exhales sharply, running a hand through her hair. "And what if he doesn’t take the bait?"
I step toward her, my voice firm. "Then we find another way. But he will. Guys like him can’t help themselves."
Before she can respond, my phone buzzes. A message from my contact:Movement near the apartment. Black SUV. No plates.
I show Margot the screen, and her breath catches. "That’s him."
I nod, already grabbing my jacket. "It’s time. Let’s go."
She hesitates for a fraction of a second before nodding. "Let’s end this."
As we head for the door, I glance at her one last time. This is it. The moment everything changes, and I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to her. We take separate cars, just as planned. Margot leaves first, climbing into the rideshare that will take her 'home' while I follow behind in an unmarked vehicle, keeping my distance. My contact has already confirmed that Liam’s SUV is parked a few blocks away, waiting. The drive is tense, Margot checking her phone occasionally, though she doesn’t text. She’s playing her role perfectly, looking like a woman going home alone, completely unaware of the danger watching her. I grip the steering wheel tighter as we near her apartment. The moment she steps out, Liam will think he has his chance.
"She’s arriving," my contact’s voice crackles through the earpiece. "SUV is circling the block. Two men inside."
Two? My pulse spikes, but I keep my voice steady. "Copy that. Stay in position."
Margot exits the car, moving like nothing is out of the ordinary. She reaches for her keys, playing her part, vulnerable, unsuspecting. Then, the SUV speeds up.
I curse under my breath. "Move now. We’re not waiting." I throw my car into gear, ready to cut them off before they can reach her. This endsnow. Tires screech against the pavement as I accelerate, cutting off the SUV before it can reach her. Margot jerks back in surprise, her eyes darting toward the vehicle as the doors start to open. Not on my watch. I slam the brakes, jump out, and move fast, positioning myself between her and them. "Get back inside, Margot. Now."
She hesitates, and I swear under my breath. "Margot…"
A man steps out of the SUV, tall, broad, and radiating arrogance. Liam. He smirks, hands casually tucked into his pockets. "Well, well. I was hoping for a private reunion, but I guess we have company."
My fists clench. "It’s over, Liam. You don’t get to haunt her anymore."
His eyes flick toward Margot, a slow, calculating glance that makes my blood boil. "That’s not up to you, King. Margot and I…"
"Are done," Margot cuts in, stepping up beside me. Her voice is steady, but I can feel the tension rolling off her. "You lost your chance a long time ago. Now leave before you regret it."
Liam’s smirk falters for a split second before he schools his expression. "You don’t mean that, sweetheart."
I take a step forward. "You call her that again, and I’ll make sure you regreta lotof things."
His jaw tightens, but before he can speak, another car pulls up, my contact. Two security professionals step out, and just like that, the tables turn. Liam’s bravado slips, and he glances at his guy still inside the SUV. "You planned this."
"Damn right, we did," I say, crossing my arms. "Now, you have two choices, walk away, or get escorted away. Either way, you’re done."
He glares at me, then at Margot. And for the first time, there’s something else in his expression, uncertainty.
Margot holds her chin high. "I’m not scared of you anymore, Liam. And that’s killing you, isn’t it?" For a second, I think he’s going to lash out. But then, he exhales sharply and nods to his driver. "Let’s go." The SUV peels off into the night, leaving only the echo of screeching tires.
Margot’s breath shudders beside me, but when I turn to her, she’s already shaking her head. "It’s really over."
I exhale, then pull her into me, my arms tightening around her. "Yeah. It is." She doesn’t pull away. Neither do I. And then, because the universe refuses to give us a moment of peace, both of our phones start ringing at the same time.
Margot groans, pulling back just enough to glance at the caller ID. "Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me."
I sigh, already knowing. "Elliot?"
"Nope. His date."
I check my own screen. "Elliot."
We stare at each other for a beat before Margot sighs. Then, unexpectedly, a laugh bubbles out of her short, sharp, almost disbelieving. I blink at her, surprised, but then I feel it too, the ridiculousness of it all catching up to me. Before I know it, I’m laughing too, deep and unrestrained. Margot doubles over, shaking her head between fits of laughter. "We just took down my psychotic ex, and now we’re playing emotional support for two people who don’t understand texting." I lean against the car, wiping a hand over my face, still chuckling.
"Honestly? This is somehow more exhausting."
She gasps for breath, clutching her stomach. "We nearly got run over, Grayson! And now I have to explain punctuation psychology to a grown woman.
I shake my head, grinning. "And I have to talk Elliot down from a full-blown existential crisis over asmiley face."
Our laughter fades into something softer, a release of everything we’ve been holding in. The adrenaline, the fear, the weight of the past few days, all of it dissipates in the absurdity of this moment. Margot exhales, looking up at me, a small smile still playing at her lips. "I needed that."
I nod, feeling the warmth of the moment settle between us. "Yeah. Me too." "This is our life now."
Shaking my head, I press answer at the same time she does.
"Grayson," Elliot starts immediately, his voice full of sheer panic. "I need a ruling on something, hypothetically speaking, if someone were to text 'Had a great time' with a smiley face , does that indicate genuine enthusiasm or just polite courtesy?"
On Margot’s end, her date is talking a mile a minute.
I rub my temples, muttering under my breath. "This is what I get for helping people."
Margot smirks, nudging me with her elbow. "Look at it this way, King, we may have won against Liam, but these two? This might be our toughest challenge yet."