Chapter 24
24
Greer
A week passes after Grant’s Brotherhood meeting. Each day I wake up anxious for no apparent reason. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up around the Brotherhood and know to expect the worst, but no matter what I do, I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is coming our way.
Grant and I are lying in bed, his hand on my naked stomach.
“Come on, little one. Move for Daddy,” he says. “I’ll make sure you have the best nursery in the entire world if you do.”
I shake with laughter.
“Trying to bribe our child?”
He glances at me, not an ounce of remorse on his face. “Whatever works.”
“You heard the doctor. It’s perfectly normal to only feel little flutters at this stage. You’ll be able to feel Baby Carter kick soon.”
We’ve been calling the baby ‘Baby Carter’ so we don’t slip up and let anyone know what we’re having. Let me tell you, the struggle is real.
Grant ignores me and says, “Come on, little one. Give Daddy one big kick and then I’ll let you sleep.”
I gasp when I feel a flutter that is harder than the ones I normally feel.
“What is it?”
“Baby Carter just kicked!”
It happens again. When I press my hand over the spot, I can feel a slight movement, so I grab Grant’s hand. His face falls.
“I don’t feel anything.”
“Just wait.”
His eyes widen. “Is that…”
“Our baby kicking.”
“Holy fuck.” He keeps his hand on my stomach. “This is fucking amazing. Thank you, little one.” His gaze goes to mine. “And thank you, my beautiful wife. I love you.”
“I love you, too, husband.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “Now, you should come and thank me the proper way.”
Grant grins. “Oh, really?”
“Yes, sir. In fact, I demand it.”
“Is that my bratty wife coming out to play?”
“It sure is. What are you going to do about it?”
He hesitates and I notice.
“What is it?”
“I don’t want to hurt you or the baby.”
I say, “You won’t hurt us, Grant, but I’d never ask you to do anything that you’re not comfortable with.”
“A compromise, then. We keep it vanilla-ish until Baby Carter is born.”
“What does vanilla-ish entail?”
“Guess you’re about to find out. Lay on your back.”
I hurry to get on my back before he changes his mind. I’m really thankful that I came out of the bathroom in only my towel earlier, because there are no pesky clothes to remove. Grant eyes me, making me hot all over.
“You, wife, are a fucking sight. I love all the changes happening to your body as you grow our baby.”
Leaning over, he runs his hand across my cheek, down to my neck. Slowly, he traces a trail to my breast, lightly grazing my nipple. I groan at the slight contact. He does it again before moving to the other breast. I’m practically panting as he moves lower. My stomach quivers as he skims over it. He moves down and pushes my legs apart. I normally wouldn’t let him maneuver me so easily, but I’m not in the mood for games. Not today.
He toys with me, taking his time to get to my clit. I exhale loudly when he rubs the little bundle of nerves.
“That feels so good.”
He’s smiling as he moves between my legs. Warm air fans my skin as he gets closer, and I hold my breath, waiting for him to give me what I want. But…it never happens. Lifting my head, I find him smirking.
“Brats don’t get rewarded, Little Fae.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means, wife, that you’re not getting your pleasure. Yet.”
I open my mouth to reply when he slaps my bare pussy. A sound somewhere between a grunt and a moan leaves my lips. He does it again and then rubs my clit in hard circles that have me rushing toward an orgasm. But the moment I arch into him, he freaking stops.
“Grant Carter! What in the fuck are you doing?”
“Giving my bratty wife what she needs. Now, be quiet.”
He slaps again, this time hitting my clit. Each time I get close to coming, he stops, until I’m begging him to finish what he’s started.
“Please, Grant. Sir! I’ll be good, I swear.”
He laughs as he moves over me. “There? Was that so hard?”
I don’t get a chance to reply because he slides into me.
“Fuck. You’re so hot and needy, aren’t you, wife?”
“I am. I need your cock.”
He does a slow thrust that has my toes curling.
“Yes!”
I don’t even care that he’s smirking as he rocks into me. Grabbing the nape of his neck, I pull him in for a deep kiss. By the time we pull away, his thrusts have become harder and more uncontrolled. Just the way I like them.
“Does my wife want to come?”
“You know I do!”
I moan when he reaches between my legs, rubbing my clit in just the right way to send me over the edge.
“Oh, Grant!”
He rocks into me, his thrusts deep and it’s so, so, so good. As he comes, I come a second time. Oh my god. That was amazing.
Grant falls next to me on the bed, his chest rising and falling as he catches his breath.
“Holy fuck.”
I put my hand over my heart. “I agree. If that’s what vanilla-ish is, then sign me up.”
“I agree wholeheartedly.” He yawns. “Fucking hell. I need a good night’s rest after that workout.”
I laugh as I sit. “I need a shower and then I’m going to sleep, too.”
By the time I shower, change into my nightgown, and come into the bedroom, Grant is fast asleep. I climb into bed next to him, loving how he reaches for me even in his sleep. My eyes are heavy as I doze off, but my rest is short-lived when Grant’s phone rings. It’s the ringtone he uses for Brooks, so I poke Grant on the chest. Brooks wouldn’t call this late unless it was important.
“Grant, Brooks is calling.”
Grant mumbles in his sleep but opens his eyes when I poke him again.
“Brooks is calling.”
“What time is it?”
I glance at the clock on my nightstand. “Midnight.”
Grumbling, he turns on the lamp on his nightstand and reaches for his phone, answering it.
“This better be important, Henderson,” he answers as he winks at me.
I’m not trying to listen, but I take notice when I hear Hannah’s frantic voice and not Brooks.
“Hannah, slow down. What happened?” Grant holds the phone to his ear, his eyes widening. “I’ll be right there!” He ends the call, turning to me. “Someone broke into Brooks’ house.”
“Are they okay?”
“Brooks is unconscious.” He stands, reaching for his pants. “I need to go.”
The uneasy feeling I’ve had all week intensifies.
“Grant don’t go. What if the person who attacked Brooks is still there?”
“I’ll be fine, baby.” He grabs his shoes. “I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to him.”
I stand, too. “I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to you!”
“I’ll take Hendrix with me!” He grabs his t-shirt, pulling it over his head. “I promise.”
I follow him from our room. His phone is to his ear as he calls Hendrix, telling him to meet him in front of the house. Hendrix usually stays in one of the guest rooms in the house, but recently bought a house in the same gated community, so it won’t be long before he’s here.
At the door, Grant turns to me, pulling me in for a hug.
“I’ll be back before you know it, Little Fae.”
His lips brush against mine and then he’s gone. I close the door, locking it. Dread coils around me, making it hard to breathe. I don’t know why, but my gut is telling me something bad is about to happen. And I’m not going to sit by and let it. Grabbing my keys, I open the front door to be met by Walt Ryans. My lips part when he points a gun at me, his hand shaking.
“Get inside. Now.”
I stumble into the foyer, making sure I don’t turn my back on him. It’s strange that I remember this. My father emphasized the importance of not turning your back on a man with a gun when I was a child. He likely saw something because of the Brotherhood and wanted to make sure I was safe. I’m so glad I hear his voice at this moment.
Ryans follows, closing the door behind us. I keep backing until we’re in the living room.
“Sit on the couch and don’t make any sudden moves.”
I do as he says, keeping my hands in my lap where he can see them.
Why is he here? More importantly, why is he still alive?
“What do you want?”
“From you? Not a damn thing. This is between me and your husband.”
I glance at the security camera in the corner of the room, praying like hell that someone is watching the feed.
“Are you the one who broke into Brooks’ house?”
He snorts. “What do you think?”
“Why?”
“You know your husband is in the Defiant God Brotherhood, right?”
I dip my head.
“Then you know what this is about.”
I say, “Women don’t generally know the business of the Brotherhood.”
“Don’t fucking play games with me. You were a Blanc before you married that piece of shit. You likely know more about the Brotherhood than most members.” He waves the gun as he speaks. “But I bet you didn’t know that I wanted to marry you, did you?”
“What?”
“It’s true. I asked for a marriage contract when you were a child, but both your father and grandfather told me you were promised to someone else. That’s when I knew that I’d have to keep my eye on Grant Carter.” He continues, “I asked again when you were twenty-four. This time, it was your cousin who said no. He told me you had a higher purpose than becoming the wife of a senator.”
I truly did not know that this man wanted to marry me. I shudder to think of who else asked for my hand over the years.
“But then Blanc comes to me with a plan. A plan where I will finally upstage Carter and win the White House at the same time.” He closes his eyes. “But you had to go and ruin everything by marrying Carter. Not only that, but it seems you actually fell in love with the man.”
“You do know that Charles is the one who forced Grant and I to get married, right? How is that my fault?”
His gaze snaps to mine.
“You were supposed to fight him! But you couldn’t, could you? Because, according to my sources, you were already fucking around with him.” He scoffs. “And now the two of you are America’s newest obsession.”
“Again, how is that my fault?”
“Careful, Mrs. Carter. I’m the one with a gun, and you have a child to protect.” His gaze goes to my stomach. “I hear it’s a little girl. Is that why Carter fought so hard to change Rule 84?”
My pulse thrums in my neck, and I force myself to remain calm.
“Mr. Ryans, I think you should leave. Now.”
“Why would I do that? I still need to speak to your husband.” He smiles. “Give him a little warning, you see.”
A little warning? What kind of warning is he going to send by having a gun? Every instinct in my body tells me I should flee. That feeling is confirmed when Ryans looks at me, as if he’s studying me.
“The American public will sympathize with Carter once you’re gone, but you and I know the truth. He won’t have the heart to continue the Presidential race.” He points the gun at me. “Now, I’m going to need you to stand right over there.”
“Walt, you don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do. Now, move. Otherwise, someone is going to have a much larger mess to clean up.”
Slowly, I stand. Time slows as I walk to the spot he’s pointing at. It’s in front of a window with nothing around. A laugh bubbles up my throat. Because he’s right. There won’t be much of a mess to clean up over here. I guess I should be glad about that. But I’m not. The laughter quickly turns into anger. Rage, even.
This isn’t fair. Yet again, I’m being punished for something that I never asked to be a part of. Only, this time, it’s not just me. My baby’s life is at risk, too.
I’m fucking done with being a pawn.
If this man thinks he can use me, he has another thing coming!
My gaze darts around the room. The nearest item I can use is an iron fire poker. I leap without thinking, grabbing the poker. Walt’s eyes widen in surprise as I lunge for him, hitting the wrist of the hand holding the gun. He cries out, dropping the gun, and I kick it across the floor.
“You stupid bitch!”
He swings at me, but I strike him in the gut with the poker.
“Get the hell out of my house,” I scream.
I swing again, hitting his shoulder. He cries out in ire and maybe even in pain, but he retreats toward the garage door. Victory courses through me. I did it!
But then the front door opens, and Grant runs in. His expression turns murderous when he takes in the scene. But he doesn’t realize that Walt is near the gun.
I run across the room at the same time someone slams into me, knocking me over. I groan when a fist slams into my stomach and then against my face.
Spittle sprays over me as Walt says, “You should have just let me kill you the easy way.”
“Never!”
He strikes me again and then suddenly he’s off me. Grant pulls me to my feet, holding me close.
“Baby, are you okay?”
I don’t get to reply because Walt slams into Grant, and both men fall to the floor, nearly taking me with them.
Walt says, “I’m going to kill you, Carter!”
Grant kicks Walt off him and both men get to their feet. Horror spreads through my entire body. The gun is right in front of Walt. He sees it and reaches for it.
Grant holds up his hands. “Easy, Ryans. No need to do this in front of my wife.”
Walt sneers, “Shut up! I’m the one in charge. Walk outside, and we’ll make this nice and easy.”
Grant meets my gaze. I silently beg him not to do this. He gives me a small smile and then walks outside. I’m so busy watching him I don’t see Walt approach.
He backhands me across the face and says, “My condolences on the loss of your husband.”
He then follows Grant. I rush to the door and see Walt ordering Grant into the back of an SUV. Grant gets in, keeping his hands where Walt can see them. A moment later, Walt gets in the driver’s seat and takes off.
Crying out, I run upstairs, grabbing my phone. Hendrix’s phone goes right to voicemail, so I dial the only person I can think of.
Charles answers on the first ring. “What in the hell is going on at your house? I received a call that I needed to get over there immediately.”
“How close are you?”
“I’m turning onto your street now.”
I end the call, rushing downstairs. By the time I get to the front door, Charles is parking.
When he sees me, his eyes widen, horror etched across his face. “What in the hell happened, Greer?”
“Walt Ryans attacked me. He attacked Brooks Henderson, too. I think something happened to Hendrix because he’s not answering his phone.”
“Where’s Grant?”
“Walt made him go outside, and they left in his SUV. He had a gun, Charles, and I don’t think Grant did.”
Charles says, “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. Now, I need you to go somewhere safe. Can you drive to my house?”
I nod.
“Go, and I’ll meet you there once I find Walt and Grant.”
“Hurry,” I beg. “I think he’s going to kill Grant and?—”
I can’t finish the rest of my sentence. He’s going to kill Grant and I don’t know if I can survive losing another man that I love.