Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 54817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 219(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“Cruz Garcia. That’s the man in your life, right? He’s not for you.”
“How do you know about Detective Garcia?”
Ford tilts his head, studying me. I ignore it. I’m panicking. There’s only one way that Ford would know about Detective Garcia. I swallow, trying to keep from being sick. The last thing I need to do is hurl in front of Ford. No, I can’t let him know how terrified I am. If I do that, Benny wins all over again.
“Did my ex send you? Is that why you’re here?”
“Grace—”
“We had a deal. You go back and tell that piece of shit—”
“Grace, I’m not here because of your ex,” he says, something flickering in his expression. I’m too busy trying to remain standing to care what it is.
“Then, go back and tell the Korslovas they’re the ones that asked for the deal with me and Detective Garcia. I expect them to hold up to their end. Tell them to stay out of my life and keep Benny away from me. That’s all I want. If they don’t, then all the information that we have automatically goes to Ivan Levkin and I’ll get my protection there!”
“Grace—”
“I don’t know why they sent you, and I don’t want to know. I just want you gone. I have a child to protect, and you better believe I will do that even if it means using everything that I know to destroy every fucking one of you,” I threaten. I do keep my voice down. This isn’t the kind of thing I want getting out. I can clearly see that my message is getting through. Ford looks as if he’s in shock. Maybe he didn’t think I’d call him on this shit, but he was absolutely wrong. Once upon a time, I was the girl who let others run over her. That’s not who I am now. I’ll never be that girl again.
Ford doesn’t say anything else. He just stands up and leaves. I stare after him. I imagine this is the last time I will ever see him. It shouldn’t upset me, and yet, it does. I shake my head. This is why I can never be trusted to bring a man into my son’s life. I’m already infatuated with a man I don’t know. A man who is evidently working for the Korslova family. That’s just more proof of how stupid I am. I thought I had left my bad luck in Virginia.
I was wrong.
5
FORD
I don’t know what the fuck I expected when I brought the detective up to Grace. Okay, that’s wrong. I thought she would admit that she’d been seeing him. Never in a thousand fucking years did I expect her to say she had shit against the Korslova family. Korslova is a rising Russian crime family. Sure, they’re a few steps below the Levkin family, but they’ve been itching for years to move up in the ranks. I’ve heard talks that after Ivan killed his brother and put his nephew in as the leader in the Russian territory that the Korslovas were trying to assert themselves. I knew Grace was special and I was claiming her. I just didn’t have a fucking clue that she was a key piece in the puzzle between warring families in the Russian Bratva.
Jesus Christ.
I’ve never had good luck with women, but this is ridiculous. I shouldn’t have walked away from her yesterday. After the bomb she detonated, however, I had to. I needed time to regroup and get my head together. A smart man would walk away. I’ve never been smart when it comes to women. My daughter Lyla’s mother is just further proof of that. I can’t walk away from Grace. Sure, I want her. It’s more than that, though. There’s just something about her that feels special. Despite the shit that she’s dragging along with her, I want her.
I stare at the number written on a torn off piece of notebook paper that’s lying in front of my knee. The stark white paper shows up brightly against the black silk of the bed sheets that I’ve been sleeping on while here at the Saint’s clubhouse. King is standing over me. I look up at him with a sigh.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I grumble.
“Someone needs to. You make this call and you’re liable to cause trouble for that girl,” King cautions for the millionth time.
“I don’t want to cause her trouble, asshole. I just want …”
“To get laid? Go find someone else.”
“That’s not it, either,” I huff. I thrust my hand into my hair, staring the bastard down. If King switches to the Saints, I’ll miss him. We’ve been together for a long time. He and Grunt have been my only support at times. T came in and joined the ranks, but there’s a connection that I have with King that can’t be replaced. We’ve fought wars beside one another. I push those thoughts away. He needs to do what is best for him. His divorce hit him hard. King’s always wanted one woman and one only. I thought Shelby was going to be that for him. I don’t know what direction he’s going to decide to go, but I find myself hoping he finds what he’s always craved. If ever there was a man who deserved a good woman, it’s King. I’m not sure what I deserve, but I have a feeling Grace Sutton is the woman that’s going to bring me to my knees. I didn’t think I was the kind of man to give any woman that power, but clearly, I was wrong.