I close my eyes.
“Do you know the history of this building, Kennedy?” Grayson asks me.
“No, but I know that in the present, it’s owned by a douchebag drug dealer who thinks he’s a bigger deal than he is.”
He punches me full in the face, and I fall back. Hassan catches me and wraps something around my wrists, binding my hands behind my back.
I feel Hassan unzipping his pants and rubbing his erection against my ass. The sick fuck is turned on right now—how disgusting.
“This vault was built by a bank, and it’s impenetrable,” Grayson says. “It’s fireproof, bulletproof, and soundproof. So feel free to scream as much as you want.”
Hassan pulls my hair back, and I steel myself for what’s to come. My end doesn’t define me. This is just a sliver of the life I’ve led.
I tell myself that again and again as Hassan pulls at my clothes and I fight him off. Then I feel another set of hands holding on to me. I can’t keep both of them at bay with my hands tied up.
The vault door opens again, and we all turn. I’m expecting to see one of Grayson’s security guards, but instead, I see the dark, intense gaze I dream about every night.
“Nix.”
26
Phoenix
It takesme a moment to fully understand what’s happening as I open the door to the vault. Grayson has Kennedy pinned, and Hassan is behind her with his dick out and he’s tearing at her clothes. Their eyes are on me, waiting for me to say or do something as I close the door behind me.
Fuck.
When Kennedy disappeared with Hassan, my gut told me to follow. Part of me figured she had whatever they were doing coming to her. But the part of me that still loves her told me to go after her.
Hassan is ruthless and will stop at nothing to ruin a woman like Kennedy.
I don’t speak right away, weighing my options and thinking about how to get both of us out of here alive. From the blood trickling down Kennedy’s face, she’s already taken a few blows.
My gaze travels between Hassan and Grayson, and I try to keep my eyes off Kennedy. I can’t let on that I’m here to rescue her. “What’s going on in here?”
My life is tied to hers. No matter how hard I want to deny it, I love her. But the fact that she has me under her thumb until the case is over adds another layer to our already complicated relationship.
“We’re dealing with a problem,” Hassan says casually, like he doesn’t have a half-naked woman bound in front of him. Maybe this kind of shit happens in his world all the time, but it sure as fuck doesn’t in mine.
Grayson stalks toward me with a severe scowl, and I ready myself. I know what’s coming before he even speaks. He made a promise the last time we were in this room, and he’s looking to cash in. Someone’s not getting out of here alive.
“You vouched for her,” he growls, waving his hand in Kennedy’s direction, but my glare stays pinned on him. “You made excuses for her, and I let it slide.” He comes to a stop right in front of me, the tips of his shoes touching mine as his eyes narrow into tiny slits. “I told you that I’d come for you if you were wrong.”
“I’m here, motherfucker.” I have no fear of Grayson or Hassan. Neither of them usually gets their hands dirty. They hire men to do that. But with the vault door closed and locked behind me, there’s just the four of us.
Hassan’s eyes widen in disgust. “You knew? You fuckin’ knew this cunt was working us the whole time?” He yanks on Kennedy’s hair, snapping her head backward.
Kennedy cries out, pleading with her eyes. She’s terrified. Not just for herself, but for both of us. Knowing her like I do, I can’t mistake it for anything other than raw terror.
Squaring my shoulders, I figure I might as well fuck with his head a little bit before I have to take him out. “I knew nothing except for the sweet taste of her pussy on my lips.”
I can almost see Hassan snap. The realization that the woman he’s being trying to fuck for months with no success wasn’t a cock tease to everyone, just him. He wraps her hair tighter around his hand, causing her to cry out louder. “Take care of him, Grayson. Let him lie on the floor bleeding to death while he watches me fuck the little bitch.” With his other hand, he strokes his cock, making sure to touch Kennedy’s bare ass with every swipe.
Grayson doesn’t move right away. He’s sizing me up. I glare at him, ready for whatever he’s going to try. I’ve dealt with tougher assholes than him. I’ve killed when necessary. It’s not something I’m proud of, but in a world like mine, sometimes it’s part of surviving. I’ve kept my hands clean for half a decade, but tonight that’s going to change.
The blood inside my body starts to pump through my veins at a feverish pace. My heart races to keep up, and my adrenaline’s already spiking. I can’t wait any longer. Kennedy’s hanging on by a thread, and my anger is about to be unleashed.
Moving quickly, I connect my fist with Grayson’s jaw, snapping his head backward from the blow. Blood splatters, flying in all directions, from his mouth. Grayson rights himself and comes toward me. He’s angrier than before. Rightfully so. I almost knocked him on his ass with a single blow.
