“That’s awfully bold of you to text someone a photo of my delivery,” Alicia said, but her voice wavered.
His lips pressed into a flat line.He assessed them like a general might inspect his troops, and judging by his deepening frown, he wasn’t incredibly pleased.“It wasn’t addressed to you.Maybe you should let me do my job.”
An uncontrolled wave of nausea rolled from Grace’s stomach into her throat.“Me?”
Callum didn’t answer.
That was all the confirmation she needed.“Oh, God.”
Part of her hadn’t believed Dominic could ever find her here.Callum had found her, though.If Callum could, Dominic could.He had more resources and money than she could imagine.Even after their divorce, she was certain that he’d ratholed gobs and gobs of crypto and money in offshore accounts.
Callum gave the box a little shake.Grace perched on the edge of the couch and listened for the contents.Nothing.
His phone dinged, and after reading the text, he stared at the box as though he were finally appreciating that Dominic Marino had unexpected resources.“The tracking information was legit, and the return address is the post office next to the Shop ’n’ Save that you ran out on.”
She wanted to vomit.“Everything’s a game with him.”
Alicia laid a hand on Grace’s back, rubbed it like a mother soothing a sick child, and asked Callum, “Well, are you going to open it?”
His index finger tapped on the box.Callum laid it on a chicly distressed accent table next to the tray of iced tea and removed a knife from his pocket.“Guess so.”
“Wait.”Alicia’s hand froze.“What if it explodes?”
“Too lightweight.The box sounds empty.”
“That doesn’t sound like a professional opinion.”Alicia scootched back.“What if it’s anthrax?”
Callum raised an eyebrow.His gaze narrowed on Alicia and bounced between the women.“If you two are legitimately worried about bombs and anthrax, it’s time to cut the charade and have more than a cat-and-dog menagerie to protect you.”
Grace’s lungs didn’t take in enough air.A lightheaded dizziness made the room tilt, and she couldn’t tear her eyes from that stupid box.“He doesn’t want to kill me.He wants to own me.”
“Well, fuck that.”Callum sliced the blade through the cardboard and tapped out the contents onto the coffee table.A folded piece of paper fluttered out.It didn’t take him long to read.He looked over.
Her gaze locked on the paper.“What does it say?”
“Until death do us part.”
Chapter Seven
Callumsnappedaphotoof the note and texted the eerie message to Viv and Dean.Nothing about the previous forty-eight hours made sense, and, rubbing the back of his neck, he wasn’t sure that would change.“It’s confirmation that Dominic knows you’re still alive and where you are.”
The color had drained out of Grace’s face.She dropped onto the couch.“This is bad, isn’t it?”
New intel should have made him more confident, but one glance at the dawning realization of fear on Grace’s face, and he knew he could have handled the FedEx another way.Hell, he could have bitten his tongue and communicated only with Viv and Dean.Whatever Grace thought she had under control was obviously not.
“Worse than I expected,” he admitted.
Alicia glared and patted the back of Grace’s head.“Think you could have sugarcoated that a bit?”
“That’s not really what I do.”Lying wasn’t what Grace deserved.The woman he’d grown up with wasn’t a shrinking violet and wouldn’t want him to lie to appease her nerves.Grace had faked her own death.She could handle a stupid fuckin’ note from her ex-husband.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”Grace crossed her arms over her stomach.Her shoulders hunched.
At least, she used to be able to handle it.Anger flared in his chest.So many things should have been different, but he could fix this for her.All he had to do was get his hands on Dominic.
“In your professional opinion,” Alicia muttered.“What are you thinking?”
Callum cleared his throat.“That Grace is correct.Marino has more resources than I gave him credit for.”
