“Gracie, you have to listen to me. No one is going to hurt you, our baby, or your friends. No one. Do you hear?”
“Our wedding was all over the news; he’ll know where to find me.” She shakes her head like she doesn’t have faith in anything I’m saying.
“Gracie, I can protect you. You have to stop panicking.”
“How, Jack? How can you protect us?” she asks tearfully.
I don’t tell her how, for fear that if I did, she might try and stop me. Instead, I pull her in tight and hold her the way she needs to be held.
“What do you mean you have business to attend to? Now isn’t the time to be leaving me.” She looks so disappointed in me as I explain that I’m leaving home for a night. It’s been five hours since she found out her ex was released from prison, and that's how long it’s taken my guy to get me an address, and knowing where he is doesn’t surprise me. Jonah relies on people’s fear; he likes to play games. I can’t sleep beside her tonight, knowing that the man who wants her dead is still breathing.
“I have eight security guys here; you're perfectly safe,” I assure her, kissing her forehead before picking up my holdall and heading for the door.
“Why can’t I come with you?” She rushes to block me from leaving. “Jack, I really need you here right now.”
“You're safer here. The security was upgraded weeks ago; the place is a fortress. I wouldn’t leave you if I didn’t have to.”
Seeing her so scared is killing me. She’s nothing like the feisty, confident woman I found trying to steal from me. I kiss her again and rush down the stairs. The sooner I do what needs to be done, the sooner I can get back here and start making this up to her.
“Jack!” She screams my name as I head for the door, and when I get outside to my car, she races in front of me again.
“Please, Jack.” She looks so desperate and fearful. “I need you…Weneed you.” She takes my hand and places it on her stomach.
“I’m sorry, Gracie. I have to go.” I move past her and get in my car, screeching off the gravel and feeling like the biggest asshole in the world.
GRACE
“Ihate to say I told you so.” Cecelia's smug voice comes from behind me, and when I turn around, I snarl at her. Nothing this woman can say will hurt me more than it already does, right now. Jack knows how scared I’m feeling. I’ve opened up and admitted how vulnerable I am, and he’s gone. He promised I could trust him. Actually made me believe I could rely on him, and just like every other fucker in my life I’ve trusted, he’s let me down.
“Ravenshaw men are incapable of keeping it in their trousers. Did you really think that baby was going to protect you from the inevitable?”
“Bernard was screwinghiswhore while I was in labour.” She laughs as she continues walking around the side of the house, wearing her tweed jacket with her yippy little dog following her at her heels.
I march past the security guards at the front door to go back inside, not sure what I should do. I don’t care how many men Jack has here; I don’t feel safe without him. Jack doesn’t know Jonah; he’s assuming he’s some wannabe pimp who worked for his father, but he’s wrong. Jonah is relentless. He will stop atnothing to see that I suffer for what I did. I need to talk to the girls and form a plan. One that, this time, doesn’t fucking fail.
JACK
We arrive at the abandoned house where Gracie and her friends used to live, and I ensure Steve knows the plan. The man never has much to say, but he’s good at what he does, and I’ve known him long enough to trust him.
“You should let me go in first; see how many there are,” he suggests, as I pull on a pair of leather gloves and twist the silencer onto my gun.
“I need you out here, keeping watch.” The street may be abandoned, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t eyes on it.
“I got ya, boss.” He nods, remaining in the car while I get out, tuck the gun in the back of my trousers, and head up the steps to the front door.
It’s been a while since I killed someone; it’s been even longer since I’ve looked forward to doing it. Taking a long, deep breath, I kick open the door and search through the house until I find him.
The room he’s in is dark; all the windows are boarded up, and there’s just enough light from a knocked-over lamp for me to see the bastard sitting on a dirty sofa, getting his cock sucked.
“Get out,” I order the girl, on her knees; the last thing I need for this is a witness.
“Jack Ravenshaw.” The fucker laughs like he’s been expecting me. “How’s your wife?” He stretches his arms across the back of the sofa and nods for the girl sucking him off to continue.
“My wife is just fine,” I assure him. “But your friend needs to leave.” I watch him shrug and take hold of the girl's hair, dragging her off his cock and gesturing his head toward the door.
“Looks like me and the duke have some business to discuss.” He winks as she gets up from her knees, and when she stumbles past me, there’s no life in her eyes; she’s clearly strung up. When I see the crack pipe and baggy on the coffee table, I can’t help but feel sorry for her.
“You don’t deserve any dignity, but I will give you the chance to put your dick away before I kill you,” I offer, wondering how Gracie ever ended up with a man like this one.
