Marked for grace, p.3
Marked for Grace, page 3
Trevor tossed Ben her keys and mumbled something unintelligible when he levelled a glare her way.
If Ben wanted her to trust him, he had to convince her she could. Things between them had started off bad and gone to shit from there, but her being unMarked had thrown him for a goddamn loop. He’d never heard of it before. He hadn’t lied about getting her answers, but the other part…
“Here.” He handed the key ring to her. A boon. Whether she liked it or not, she was coming with them. She had to, he didn’t have a choice, not that he wanted to let her go. But he needed her to think it was her decision. Forcing her was a last resort.
Her gaze sliced between Ben and his offering, the blue of her eyes so pale it was like an icy dagger that cut through him. Piercing. Hypnotic. She bit her lip.
His pulse pounded in his throat. Stop fucking staring, Ben.
She took them, gripping so tight her knuckles whitened and tendons strained under the pressure. Tugging her coat, she straightened it.
He pivoted and set his shoulder against hers. Her warmth slid into him when he guided her toward her car. She smelled good, soft like vanilla, and his mouth watered, craving a taste.
Shaking, she reached for the driver’s side handle. “I want it to be public.”
He trained his stare on her and cocked his head.
“Wherever we’re going. I want it to be public.”
His mouth angled up at the corner. Smart. He couldn’t guarantee her shit because what came next wasn’t his call, but smart, nonetheless.
“Jesus,” Trevor complained. “He told you we’re not gonna hurt you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, random stranger who cornered me in a dark parking lot. I’ll be sure to take your word on that.”
He bared his teeth. “You’re gonna have to.”
Fuck. Ben’s mouth thinned into a hard line. His idiot friend was fixing to shred the only iota of trust Ben had swayed Grace to accept, and there was no goddamn way he’d let that happen. He slammed the flat of his hand against the roof of Grace’s car. “Enough!” She flinched. The glare Ben threw Trevor’s way must’ve been menacing because his eyes widened, and he took a half-step back.
A clank filled the night when the side exit of the hospital popped open and a handful of people stepped out into the poorly lit lot, their chatter filling the void as they headed for their vehicles. Grace’s gaze followed them.
His gut tightened. Don’t scream. Don’t scream. He needed to distract her, fast. But it’d mean taking a chance…a big one, not that he really had a choice. He cleared his throat. “It’s cold out, Grace. Why don’t you climb in?”
Letting her get in ahead of him when she had the keys was a risk. Yeah, if she fled, Rodan could find an employee record of where she lived, but it didn’t mean she’d be there when they went looking.
Her hand flexed on the handle once. Twice. She glanced his way. He offered a tight smile and hoped like hell his expression relayed some semblance of calm. She opened the door and slipped inside. The exhale Ben loosed was ragged.
“Don’t,” Trevor ground out, voice low.
Ben stormed around the car to the passenger side. “Don’t what?”
His friend followed, shaking his head as he went. “I’ve seen that look before. Don’t start this shit again.”
He stopped dead and wheeled on him. “What goddamn look?”
“That one,” Trevor said when he stabbed a finger at Ben’s face. “You can’t get attached to her. We’ve got no clue how this is gonna play out.”
Ben’s brows slammed down, jaw clenching. “I know what I’m doing.”
The laugh Trevor let loose was pure acid, and it stung as it burned Ben’s ego. “You thought the same thing last time too.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. “I don’t wanna watch you go through that again.”
Ben relaxed his balled fists. Trevor was wrong, Ben knew what he was doing. He’d lost too much the last time. He knew what to look for, and he wouldn’t be played for a fool again. Besides, Grace wasn’t like Leah. Sure, he’d just met her but there was something different about her—a blue fire in her eyes that hypnotized him.
He clapped his hand on Trevor’s shoulder and repeated, “I know what I’m doing.” When he peered into the car, Grace stared straight ahead. “I’ll call Elijah on the way. Take my SUV and follow us.”
Trevor grimaced and gave a slight shake of his head. “She’s stubborn, man. There’s no way she’s gonna be cool with what’s about to happen.”
Ben dropped his arm and cracked his knuckles one by one. She was gonna have to be because there wasn’t any other option.
“And she better have a good reason for being unMarked, ‘cause shit knows what Elijah’ll do if he thinks she’s fucking with us.”
He wanted to argue but Trevor had the unfortunate advantage of being right. Dragging his hand through his hair, Ben rubbed the length of his neck. He didn’t want to bring Grace into anything, but too many people knew about her Sight, so that ship had sailed. All he could do was protect her. And there was one person he’d make damn sure to protect her from.
Trevor stroked his beard, and as if he’d read Ben’s mind, he said, “Gideon’s gonna need to be there. You think you can handle that?”
Grabbing the passenger door, Ben jerked it open. “I can handle it.” The vehicle dipped under his weight when he slid inside, cutting Trevor off as he sealed himself in with Grace. He pushed his seat back while she started the car, cranked the heat, and blasted the fans, their white noise filling the void until he broke it. “Call him.”
Her face twisted and she rubbed her hands together. “Call who?”
Trevor was rigid as he crossed the twenty feet to Ben’s vehicle and climbed in.
“Whoever’s waiting for you.” Ben’s teeth ground at the idea of another guy anywhere near her. “And put it on speaker.”
She bit her cheek, worrying it between her teeth when she pulled her phone out and selected the contact. It rang and rang again.
“Hello,” some guy answered, voice high.
Shit. She has someone. Of course, she does. He sank deeper into his seat.
Her gaze skipped from him back to the phone. “Hey, Noah. I’m gonna be late getting home tonight.”
“Oookaayyy,” Noah said. “You stuck at work?”
“No. I’m…headed out.”
“Ooh! With a boy? Scandalous. Tell me everything.”
Ben’s mouth pulled into a grin, and he fought not to laugh. So, not the boyfriend. That didn’t mean she didn’t have one, but if she did, it would’ve made sense to call him first. He rolled his neck. There was something about her. Something powerful. Sexy. Something he wanted. He wouldn’t lose it, not like he had with Leah.
Grace pursed her lips, words stiff when she said, “I’ve gotta go.”
“Fine. Keep your secrets,” Noah replied.
“I’ll see you later.”
“I’m spending the night at Kyle’s. Remember?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. “Right.”
He laughed. “You’re being weird, weirdo. Have fun and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” she grumbled. They said their goodbyes and she hung up, then plunked her hands on the steering wheel and twisted them.
Ben leaned his elbow on the ledge beside his window then offered her every bit of his attention. “Who was he?”
Her mouth twisted, her heavy blush clear in the dark of the car. “My roommate.”
God, she was gorgeous. Even her frown looked good. His stomach torqued. He didn’t want her to navigate what was coming alone, ‘cause it would definitely be a lot. She’d need someone to help her through it. Him. She was gonna need him. He smirked and cocked a brow. “Anyone else that’s gonna look for you?”
“The cops if I go missing!” she said, tone rising half a dozen octaves.
The laugh he’d held back broke free. “I’ll get you home safe, Grace.”
“I’m glad one of us finds this amusing,” she mumbled as she put the car in gear. “So, where am I going?”
He sobered and his spine straightened when he took out his phone. It was his turn to make a call. “We’re about to find out.”
Chapter 4
Gideon
The woman—whoever the fuck she was—rolled off Gideon and sprawled on the couch beside him, her languid legs spread, still panting. He pulled off his condom and lobbed it in the nearby trash bin.
Fastening his black dress pants, he pushed up from the couch. She’d been fun for all of five minutes, but there wasn’t anything of substance there. Vapid didn’t begin to describe her. Her eyes were vacant, and she’d made it clear with the way she flaunted that body she’d used it to get by—not that he minded seeing he’d spent the last while enjoying it. She was pretty in the conventional sense, but so were a thousand other women in the bar outside his office.
He tucked his shirt in. His belt clanked as he latched it and strode toward the massive television on the wall that displayed footage from the cameras overlooking his club. The strobe lights pulsed as people danced and drank.
“This was fun,” the woman said.
“Indeed,” he replied, the words dry.
She pulled her skimpy burgundy dress down over her body and shuffled closer. “We should do it again sometime.”
Unlikely, considering he had his pick of women every night. His life was better left untethered.
His stare caught on his reflection and locked on the tattoos that rose above the collar of his shirt. There were a lot more beneath the surface, torquing around his torso, a constant reminder of what he was and the tainted blood that coursed through his veins. Of the power that bound him.
The woman splayed her palm across his back. “I’d like to give you my number.”
His phone pinged, a distinctive tone set for one person, and one person alone.
Elijah? He cocked his head and strode across the office to his desk, happy to put distance between them as he took up his cell. The single text on the screen had his brows furrowing. He read it again to be sure.
Elijah: We have something we must discuss.
He never heard from the guy unless it was about disciplining one of Gideon’s people or some official shit like a Marking. Elijah had always been upfront with whatever was going on. As the Agent, it was Elijah’s job to dole out punishments and share information across sides, but the sides never shared information.
Gideon: Where? When?
The reply was instant.
Elijah: We’re coming to you. Now.
Gideon straightened to his full height.
Gideon: We?
No response.
Whatever was up must’ve been big for Elijah to bring it to Bedlam. It wasn’t the Agent’s protocol. Gideon flexed his hands in and out of fists because he didn’t like surprises.
“I was talking to you,” the woman purred.
Time to handle shit. “Apologies. Business calls,” he said, the same line he’d used a with a hundred women before.
“Want my number?”
His laugh was hard because he didn’t do repeats. He angled his head down and offered her a dark smile. “No.”
She stared at him, then blinked in rapid succession before snatching her purse from the arm of the couch. Stomping toward the exit, she yanked it open. “Go fuck yourself.”
He shook his head. “That won’t be necessary, you did a satisfactory job.”
Her jaw dropped before she growled and repeated, “Go fuck yourself!” She stormed out into the club, then slammed the door—or at least tried to, but it was bulletproof, reinforced steel and weighed a fucking ton, so the slow-close hinges meant her exit was about as lackluster as it got.
He huffed a dry laugh.
Before the door closed completely, Davis Reardon, the Head of Security across Gideon’s properties and oldest friend, sauntered in. He wore jeans and a navy t-shirt; casual and ready for whatever shit might fly their way. The guy’s indigo stare was sharp, and he had an intimidating as fuck demeanor like he was ready to punch you at any moment whether you’d earned it or not.
“She seemed nice,” Davis said through a crooked smirk. He stopped a few feet away and clasped his tan and tattooed arms before him. “Elijah’s here.”
That was fast. Gideon rapped his knuckle on the desk. “Who’s with him?”
“He’s alone.”
His stare narrowed as he grabbed the controller secured to his desk and then pointed it at the television, switching to the surveillance cameras focused on the parking lot of the club’s entrance.
Davis edged closer. “What’s going on?”
“Fuck if I know.” Gideon slid his phone over so the guy could see the Agent’s texts for himself. “We have the catacombs for this kind of shit. Why the hell are they coming here?”
Davis lifted a shoulder in a shrug, tied his black hair back at the base of his neck, then scanned the messages, his expression flat. “Elijah’s been escorted to the conference room.”
Gideon took a seat and the chair’s leather creaked under his weight as he made himself comfortable.
“You’re waiting to see who else comes?” Davis asked.
Gideon offered a sharp nod. “I’m not about to get caught unaware.” The club was his life—the only thing that was his. He’d worked too hard to have Shepherd bullshit threaten it. And whatever approached had the potential to be a big goddamn threat.
Ten minutes later, three vehicles pulled into his lot, following tight to one another. He crossed his arms over his chest as his jaw clenched. The SUVs he recognized, but the car…Whatever the fuck happened that would require their presence at his club, he had no damn clue. The last two vehicles emptied. Trevor, Rodan and Jenna moved into the night.
Davis shifted and his boots groaned as he cleared his throat.
The car’s passenger side door swung wide, and Benjamin Jones stepped out.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Davis growled.
Gideon’s muscles locked down, his movements rigid as he shook his head because he couldn’t come up with any logical reason for it, either. To say he and Ben disliked one another would’ve been an understatement. The fact that they sat on opposite sides of the longest war in history aside, the piece of shit had issues, and coming from Gideon, that said something.
When the driver’s side popped open, a slender woman came into view. He leaned forward. She was dressed in sleek yoga pants and a form-fitting black coat. And that body. Sweet Christ, that body. Her dark brown hair hung around her shoulders and ended in the middle of her back, but those eyes…
“Well, well, well,” he crooned. “What do we have here?”
Chapter 5
Grace
Grace squinted against the club’s massive neon sign, it’s buzz faint over the whir of traffic and chattering voices. The bright fuchsias, cobalts, and aquas stood in stark contrast to the dark, cloud-covered night and left tracers in her vision when she looked away.
She swallowed around the knot in her throat, breath steaming on the frigid air as she tipped her head toward the building. “What does Bedlam have to do with any of this?”
Ben stared off into the distance, his movements jerky as he shifted side to side. “It’s not what, it’s who.”
She scratched the long line of her throat. “Who?”
“Gideon,” he said, the name harsh on his tongue.
“Wait,” she took a half-step back and her gaze darted around, “I thought we were going to see Elijah?”
“We are. You asked for public, so Elijah instructed us to meet here because of Gideon.”
She nodded slowly. “Alright. And who exactly is Gideon?”
Ben’s brow lifted as he and Trevor exchanged a look. She was about to push for more but the warning in his answer derailed that train of thought. “He’s on the opposing team.”
Opposing team? Her stomach dropped as she chewed the inside of her cheek because not a thing about that boded well. Whatever secret they guarded, whatever sides they referenced, whoever Gideon and Elijah were, it was big.
Trevor stalked closer joined by a pretty woman with deep chestnut brown hair and fawn-toned highlights. Rodan brought up the rear, the sight of him setting Grace’s blood on fire.
She stabbed her finger at him. “You!”
“Good evening, Nurse Crawford,” he greeted, voice level.
“Shove it,” she growled then dropped her arm with a snap. “This is all your big mouth’s doing.”
“I didn’t make you what you are,” he replied.
Her daggered glare pinned him to the spot while her emotions readied to spill over. These people—whoever they were—had thrust themselves into her life, violently. Sure, she wanted the information they had, but that didn’t mean she was impressed with their tactics.
Ben shifted into her line of site, then gestured to the other woman. “Grace, this is Jenna Gonzalez.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jenna said brightly before she asked the group as a whole, “Now, can someone please explain to me what’s going on?”
Trevor chucked his chin to Grace. “We’ve got a problem.”
A problem? If Grace were a cat, her claws would’ve extended. Her stare snapped his way, and while he didn’t wither the way she’d hoped, he did angle his hips away.
Ben rubbed the back of his neck. “We should go. Elijah’s waiting.” To Grace, he added, “Just be careful around Gideon. His kind are dangerous. It’s ingrained in them to use you. They shouldn’t be trusted.”
Grace’s lungs seized and her legs grew weak. Gideon’s kind?
His palm against the small of her back was heavy. Warm. “I’ll be there. You’re safe with me.”
What he offered to protect her from was lost on her. Considering he and Trevor had stolen her away in the first place, if they were warning her about Gideon, he had to be trouble. Oh, God, what the heck was she walking into?
