Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
His fault.
He should have protected her better.
Steele pointed at the sofa. “Sit.”
“You don’t tell me what to do,” Wolfe snapped. “For months, you’ve fucked with me, ignored, and threatened me. I’m done.”
Steele shoved him up against a wall, putting an arm over his throat. “Fucking talk to me!”
The roar filled the whole room, probably traveling downstairs. But he didn’t care.
All he was concerned with was his girl.
“Daddy, stop!”
Steele glanced over to see that Effie was staring at him in concern. Grady had her on the sofa in his lap, holding her tight.
“He saved me. Please.”
Steele reined his temper in. But only because he wanted to know what happened.
He stepped back, then started pacing. “Talk.”
Wolfe coughed. “Fucker.”
“Someone s-shot at me,” Effie said. “Why would t-they do that?” Her face was splotchy, her hair a mess. Grady grabbed a tissue and cleaned her face.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Steele yelled before turning to punch a wall.
“This isn’t helping,” Wolfe pointed out.
He wanted to kill the fucker. But he couldn’t. Not yet.
“Have you got any enemies who might try to get to her?” Wolfe asked him.
“Maybe it was you. So you could play the hero,” Steele accused.
“Fucker, that bullet could have hit me! I saved her.”
“Why were you here?” Grady asked.
Wolfe looked shifty. Then his gaze went to Effie and he softened. Steele didn’t like his gaze on her, so he moved between them, covering her with his body.
“I’m not going to hurt Effie,” Wolfe snapped. “I don’t give a fuck about the two of you, but I’ve been watching her for a while. I know what she is. She’s a sweetheart. I wouldn’t hurt her.”
“Watching her?” Grady asked.
Wolfe sighed. “I was hoping to use her to get to you.”
“You fucking asshole!” Steele yelled. “You did this!”
“I swear I didn’t!”
“It wasn’t Wolfe, Damon. P-please stop yelling,” Effie begged.
He tried to rein his temper in. She’d been through enough. She didn’t need to be upset any more.
“Why were you even outside?” Grady asked Effie.
“Chantelle,” Effie said.
Steele turned to her. “What?”
“She said that a boy was outside, wanting to speak to me. I went out but no one was there. Then, a car sped up, and someone started firing. Wolfe yelled at me before grabbing me and pulling me to safety. He saved me.”
Steele still wasn’t convinced that Wolfe hadn’t done this.
Effie’s phone rang, and Steele recognized the ringtone as the one she had set for Brooks.
She answered it. “Honey? You okay?” Suddenly, she grew pale. “What happened?”
56
Grady stared down at the body of the man who was bound and in the trunk of the car.
He was breathing but unconscious.
They were standing in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. He glanced over at Ink, who was in the midst of an intense conversation with Baron and Royal.
Then he glanced back at Effie who was still pale. In shock. Brooks had his arms around her, holding her tight. He was pale too.
“You okay, Brooks?” Steele asked.
“Um, yeah. But I’m worried about Aunt Effie. She could have been killed.”
After Brooks had called them, Effie had another panic attack. While Grady calmed her down, Steele had secured Chantelle in his office downstairs and Wolfe upstairs, each with men he trusted on them. Then he’d told everyone else to go home.
They’d sped here. To where Royal and Baron had parked their car in an abandoned warehouse they knew of.
When they got to the warehouse, Ink was already here, looking grim. He’d been the one to pop the trunk.
And reveal the bound man.
The man who’d tried to kidnap Brooks.
But he’d been overwhelmed by three teenage boys. Two of whom Grady was certain would either one day rule the world or make it rue the day they’d been born.
“I’m fine,” Effie said. “You were the one who was nearly kidnapped. If it wasn’t for Royal and Baron . . .” she let out a small sob and Grady gathered her back into his arms.
“This can’t be a coincidence,” Grady said. “It was a two-prong attack. Kill Effie and take Brooks.”
“But why?” Steele asked.
“Maybe it was to do with the custody challenge,” Brooks said. “Maybe this is my uncle.”
Fuck.
Grady stared down at the unconscious man the boys had bound, popped in the trunk of the twins car, and driven here.
Was this Brooks’ uncle?
Ink walked over with Baron and Royal.
“Hey, Brooks’ mom, you doing okay?” Baron asked.
To Grady’s shock, Effie let go of him and flew at the boys. Baron grabbed her, recovering quickly, nodding as she whispered something to him. Then she hugged Royal. He gave her a regal nod.
Turning, she came back to him. But she grabbed Brooks’ hand, squeezing it.
“I’m better now,” she said huskily.
Ink eyed her but nodded. “All right, this sounds like a professional hit to me.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Steele said. “But I don’t recognize this guy. I can put out the word, but it might take a while for information. I think our best lead is Brooks’ uncle. Although how he’d have the money or means for this, I don’t know.