My stomach knots when I realise that the man she’s talking about could have been me. My father was always using me to do his dirty work. I’ve cut men open, watched them bleed, and buried bodies for my father’s cause, but never once did he ask me to hurt a woman. I doubt he ever would have because he knew I’d refuse. Considering that I’ve never heard of this Jonah guy she’s talking about, I’m assuming he paid up, or my father wanted me kept in the dark.
“It was supposed to be an easy job,” Gracie continues. “Jonah had it all set up; people on the inside who were going to help. He promised, once it was done, I’d never have to see him again. He was going to pay your father. I had his word the girls would be safe.
I put all my anger to one side so I can hear the rest of her story.
“I never expected him to put a gun in my hand. I’m a thief, not a killer, but once I was there, it was too late. The girls needed saving, and Jonah wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He needed me too much.” I can see the trauma of it all starting to take its toll on her, and as much as I hate to admit it, I have to start facing up to the fact that all this could be true.
“His inside people couldn’t be trusted. The police showed up and arrested us both. Attempted armed robbery is a serious offence. Cops had been trying to nail Jonah for some time, but he’d always been so clever. They offered me a deal. I testified against him. I did everything I could to make sure he went down for a long-assed time. Your father and the members of his club should have gone down with him, but I was scared.” I can see how hard that is for her to admit. “I knew he had connections within the law, not to mention this guy who worked for him. I couldn’t risk putting the girls in danger. All I could do was hope that Jonah going to prison would be enough to put your father off taking any action. I had to do a little time, but nothing likeit would have been if I hadn’t testified. And I wassureJonah would be locked away for a really long time.” She drops her knife and fork, trying not to cry, and suddenly, her accusations about my father don’t seem to matter.
“What does that mean?” I stand up and head towards her, sensing I’m getting closer to finding out the real reason she’s here.
“Jonah has a parole hearing in a few months. He only served three years. I don’t know how he’s done it, but I’m suspecting he has someone with power helping him. Someone with secrets of their own who Jonah is threatening. If he gets out, the first thing he’s going to want to do is find us.”
“I have a lawyer, I can have him?—”
“You can’t do anything, Jack, especially since your family is involved.”
“Gracie, my family is dead. Whether they were involved in this or not doesn't matter; that man should be in jail for the rest of his life.”
“Knowledge is power. The club your father ran in Kent had some pretty high-profile members. Hell knows how many secrets Jonah has on the person or persons helping him. My only option is to see this through, then get me and my girls as far away from him as possible.”
I want to plead with her not to; ask her to put her faith in me that I can fix this, but I know she won’t believe me. Gracie doesn’t know who I am or what I’m capable of, and she doesn’t trust me. Who can blame her after the life she has led?
“If you thought my father was involved, why did you come here that night? You could have stolen something from anyone else; most of society was here.”
“It was dangerous, and I have no doubt that some of your guests were men who would have used your father's services. I had friends who worked in Alex’s club before your father tookover. They all said they were treated well; there were rules, they had control, and respect. All that changed when he sold it. Sophia managed to get out; a girl I knew put her in touch with me, and she’s been with us ever since. When we learned that your father and brother were dead, I guess we all felt kind of invincible. We were always thinking of ways to bring him down. Polly even got a job working for Pandora so we could hear what was going on in his world. That’s how we found out about your party. It just seemed poetic to steal something that was his to get us a better life,” she explains, starting to look tired.
“So there's my story, Jack. That's the reason why I’m here, prepared to give you your heir and be your fake wife. And it’s the reason that once you get what you want, I need Grace Blackwood to be dead,” she whispers.
“You know I’d never let that guy hurt you.” I crouch down beside her and take her hand, hoping that she knows I mean it.
“You don’t know Jonah.” She laughs
“You don’t know me,” I point out, feeling crushed that she never will. “And you didn’t know my father.” I clear my throat and regain myself.
“Maybe Jonah lied; I’ll bet he would have told you anything to coerce you into helping him with that robbery?—”
“And maybe, deep down, you're just a little boy who wants to believe that your father was the man you told yourself he was,” she interrupts, shocking me with how much her sentence rings true.
“I’m done eating, please tell Mary, it was lovely, just more than I can manage.” She slides back her chair and rushes to the door.
“Gracie, wait!” I call after her because I am nowhere near done with this conversation, but she doesn’t stop; she keeps running from me. Something tells me I should hold back and let her have some time. I’ve learnt in a very small amount of timehow proud she is, and all she’s told me tonight can’t have been easy for her to admit. Instead of chasing after her, I take out my phone and scroll to Alex’s name.
“Duke Ravenshaw, how can I help?” He sounds cheery, despite the sound of dogs barking and a baby wailing in the background.
“The day of my father's funeral, when we were in his office, you said your club was my father's only competition. What did you mean by that?” I skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point.
“My club had always been upmarket, but it couldn’t compete with a stately home. Your father offered weekend retreats, help with discretion, and top quality. The criteria needed to be a member was crazy. My guess was he made it too exclusive.” He laughs.
‘Are you saying my father owned a gentlemen’s club before he bought yours?”
“Are you saying you didn’t know that? Jack, your father had multiple clubs, all of them with good reputations. Why do you think I sold to him? I thought I was leaving everything in good hands.” I hear the frustration in his voice again. Like me, Alex is all kinds of wrong; he’s done unforgivable things, but he’s always had respect for women. I believe his intentions were honest.
“And you knew nothing about anything underhanded going on?” I check to be sure.
“Jack, we’re talking about the sex industry; a whole lot of underhanded things go on.”
“That's not what I mean, I’m not talking about lords cheating on their wives. I’m talking underage, unconsensual kinds of fucking things." I lower my voice, hating that I’m even having to ask
