I gave a bitter laugh. “Far from it.” Then I groaned and scrubbed my hands over my face. I’d make an appointment with my therapist in the morning. “Let’s go home. I need to make sure Rhett’s still alive.”
That wasn’t even an exaggeration. My best friend had beenspiraling,and I’d done nothing to help. Fuck, worse than that, I’d just left him to deal with his heartbreak alone because deep down I was jealous. I wouldn’t want Billie back if she fuckingpaidme… but I was still jealous.
I hated that girl more now than ever before. It wasn’t just me she’d hurt, it was Rhett too. And Gray. Billie Bellerose had a lot to fucking answer for, so yeah… maybe it was time for a new album.
two
GRAYSON
The phone rang once before I answered it. I’d been sitting and waiting. Expecting the call to arrive at any time. And in my impatience, I refused to move from the fucking computer until that happened.
“Talk to me,” I said shortly.
There was a pause, and a breathy sigh released before Johnson said, “She’s still exactly where she’s been for the past week: in Siena, holed up in the Ricci main mansion on the other side of the river. She hasn’t left the house since her shopping trip last week.”
Dark anger was my constant companion, but if I let myself fall into the swirling pit in my gut, I’d be no better than Jace and Rhett. Broken and fucking useless.
Broken men saved no one. I knew that from experience, and I wasn’t quite ready to give up my responsibility toward a certain blonde.
“Stay on her,” I told him. “Report in tomorrow, and this time don’t be fucking late.”
Johnson was a piece of shit, but he was good at his job. Tracking, stalking, sticking his nose into business that wasn’t his to know. In this situation, that skillset was exactly what I needed to ensure the situation with Billie wasn’t escalating.
Hanging up before he could say another word, I sank back into the plush computer chair, tapping my finger on the table as I breathed through my fury. The urge to storm the Ricci compound and kill every motherfucker there was riding me hard, and even when I dropped my head in my hands and massaged at my temples to relieve some of the tension, that urge didn’t fade.
When Billie took off on us two months ago, I’d immediately gone into action, but thanks to the Riccis’ money and pull with the local law, it had taken me almost two weeks to find out where she was being kept. Another week to see her with my own eyes, as she trailed listless after Angelo. That piece of shit appeared protective enough as he escorted her to the car, opening the door and buckling her in, but there was no look of joy or happiness on her face.
She was a prisoner. I knew the signs, but I also recognized that there was more than just a physical hold keeping her with the Riccis now. A stronger reason held her there, and until that mystery was unraveled, I couldn’t go starting a fucking war to break her out.
Hence why Johnson was keeping a permanent eye on her, to the sweet tune of eight grand a week. I’d pay ten times that to know the second she was in danger. I was too fucking famous these days to linger easily in the shadows, so Johnson was the best option.
Despite what Jace and Rhett believed, I knew that Billie hadn’t left us through her own choice. If there was one thing I could do, it was read people, and that girl had been all in with Bellerose. Until she wasn’t, and the reason for that was the mystery I still had to unravel.
Pushing back, I climbed to my feet, shutting down my encrypted files that contained everything I knew about the situation so far. I’d had to reach out to members of my old family back in Hawaii for help with hacking into the police system. My skills were there, but I didn’t have the right tech setup to keep my identity a secret. In truth, I probably didn’t even have the skills any longer. The world of hacking moved fast, with new techniques and skills required to keep up, and I’d grown rusty in my life with Bellerose.
There was one skill set I’d never lose though—cold-blooded killing. If Billie needed me, that skill was far more useful than hacking. Back home, I’d been the muscle. The silent death stalking you in the night. They called meThe Maker, as in, you’d just met your maker, and I would be the last fucking thing you saw in this world.
The sun had all but set by the time I left my office and wandered back into the main living area of my house. I was debating a shower or food when there was a knock at the door. Since I lived in one of the most secure estates in Naples, there was no fucking reason for anyone to be knocking at my door.
Only Rhett and Jace had free access, and those fuckers would be out of their minds by now, unable to speak, let alone get their asses here. Moving toward the door, I lifted my Glock from the entry drawer and palmed it by my right side. When I reached the door, I sure as fuck didn’t peer through the peep hole. Or as I liked to call them,target holes.It was one of my favorite ways to blow someone’s brains out without even having to see them.
Grabbing the handle, I counted to three, ready to yank the door open so fast that whoever was on the other side would be taken by surprise. That split second was all I’d need to end them if they were here trying to fuck with me. It had been a long time since I’d had to worry about an assassin on my tail, but after reaching out to my old contacts, there was a risk. I’d no doubt reminded those evil assholes that I’d gotten out and was living my own life.
Then there was the Ricci family. They might have picked up on Johnson and were here to deal with the issue.
Regardless, whoever was on the other side, they were in for a big fucking surprise if they thought I’d go down easily.
Putting my plan into action, I silently twisted the handle and jerked the door open. My gun was in their face in the next second.
When a very feminine gasp registered, I winced and relaxed my grip on the weapon.
“Of all the people I wasn’t expecting to turn up on my doorstep…” I tucked my gun into the back of my jeans and folded my arms, glaring down at the girl on my porch. “What do you want, Florence?”
She chewed her lip as she met my gaze, her own eyes scared and uncertain. “Gray… I need your help.” There was a whine to her voice that she never used to have. It betrayed weakness and, honestly, didn’t give me even a flash of compassion for her situation.
“You made your bed, Flo,” I replied, ready to close the door in her face. I was stillpissedat her for what she and Tom had tried to do. They’d set Billie up. They hadn’t given a shit what the Riccis wanted to do with her—toher—and hadn’t said a damn word until she was long gone.
“Gray,please,” Flo begged. “I can’t… Please don’t shut me out. You guys are all I have, and I’msorry, okay? I’m so fucking sorry, but there was no harm done in the end, right? Billie went with them willingly, so she is probably grateful that we called her boyfriend.”
