Page 96 of Grace

He nods.

“How did they find me if they couldn’t see my face?”

“It seems I’m not the only person who can break into systems without leaving a trace. And… you put me in jail, Grace. Do you know how big that was? Newspapers, TV—the whole press. It was everywhere. Our story. It was probably easy for the guy to put the pieces together, because images are stored by name.”

“This is pretty amateurish.”

“Yeah,” he agrees.

“Oh my God. You…” I point at him. “All of this is because of you. You managed to get another lunatic breathing down my neck. Take me to Tulsa. To Cyrus. I’ll be safe with him.”

Chase smiles derisively. “Cyrus,” he says, pure gall. “Haven’t you thought a few things through, Grace?”

My jaw tightens.

“Don’t you dare bad-mouth him. Cyrus is a good man—better than you.”

“I don’t want to, but no one says no to Lucas.”

“Not even you.” It’s more a statement than a question.

“Not even me.”

“You have a fantastic brother.”

“Like your sister’s any better.” His gaze bores into mine. I shudder, like I’ve been shocked. Nikky.

A cold ache spreads through my chest. Icy raindrops lash my sensitive face, and hard gusts of wind tear through my heavy, soaked clothes. My socks are drenched in filthy rainwater. I have no idea where we are. The only time I can see more than a couple of yards is when a bolt of lightning rips through the black sky. I sweep the wet strands of hair from my face. The pieces I’ve been trying not to fit together snap into place. I remember what Jamie told me once, laughing in my face.

“Should I call Cyrus?”

“Your cop friend? He can’t help you. The man I work for has the local police in his pocket.”

The realization crushes me to pieces.

“It was him. It was you!”

Chase looks at me from the corner of his eye. His features harden. His eyes go stern, his lips pulled tight.

I lift my left arm and punch him. Tears flood my eyes, and my lips tremble. Pain tears through me in waves.

“He killed Jamie!” I scream. “Your brother killed my brother!”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” I wipe my nose with my wrist. “Who are you? How can your brother have this much power?”

So many questions ricochet through my head I don’t even know where to start. I want answers about what’s happened over the past few years. Cyrus and Ortíz didn’t tell me, and I didn’t dig deep enough.

Chase appears to have changed. In part. He seems calmer, more measured. He’s no longer the twenty-year-old boy who kidnapped me.

“Tell me everything about Cyrus!” I demand. “He told me he pulled a few strings so I wouldn’t have to go down to the station and give a statement after you killed four men.”

Chase snorts. “That cop doesn’t have that kind of pull. He’s a pawn in Lucas’s game, too. The whole department’s in Lucas’s pocket. Everyone has a weak spot, and Lucas uses it. Cyrus might be physically strong, but against a network like my brother’s… he’s a small fish among sharks. He’s just an ordinary cop. But he’s got guts. He’s said no to my brother more than once. And that’s why—”

“Greta,” I whisper, dazed.

Chase nods.