AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah, a bit.” It actually was a bit odd, now that I thought of it. I hadn’t gone there in my head lately because of everything else that had happened.
“Give it here.” Rail held out his hand, and I reluctantly passed my phone to him.
“No more selfies,” I warned, and he smirked. He was so naughty.
“This should get his attention.” He clicked the screen and a moment later handed me back my phone. My eyes bugged out at his message supposedly from me.
Kenna: Grim’s brother died, and I have photos from his death. Do you want them?
“Rail,” I felt like I was betraying the Gates family, “what if he says yes?”
“Then we send fakes.” He held up his phone. “I have a whole fuckin’ album dedicated to murders on here.”
“Why would you have that?”
“I get bored?” He thought. “And I like to get creative. But if that number’s still active and he’s monitoring it, he’ll take the bait.”
“And if not?” Minnie asked before I could.
“Then maybe he got caught? Or,” he wiggled his eyebrows in delight, “someone ended that little nightmare for you.”
“Jesus.” I stared at the text. It somehow felt like a betrayal to the Gates family. It burned a hole in my stomach.
Minnie suddenly sat up straight, and it put me on high alert. “Kenna, close that text.” Her voice was urgent. Just as I did, she called out, “Grim!”
I felt a hot prickle shoot up my back as he spotted us. He whispered something to Jesse before they came over. Zhar walked slightly ahead of him and sat near me as soon as they stopped.
“I haven’t seen you since you’ve been back.” Minnie gave Grim a hug. Jesse seemed to have his total attention on his phone. Maybe he used it to avoid looking at me. “I’m so sorry to hear about Leal. How is he?”
“He’s fine,” he assured her and instantly dropped his hand to pat Zhar. My heart squeezed for him in that moment. I knew how much he loved his boys. The two of them had even grown on me.
“I’m so glad to hear that,” Minnie breathed then dropped the topic as she read his vibe. “How’s Knox’s face?” She sounded honestly sympathetic.
“Fine.” His tone was low and raspy but sharp. He obviously didn’t want to stop and talk. Something caught his eye, and he and Jesse tuned in to Jayden as he whisked by with someone I didn’t recognize.
A strange, cold vibe fell over them, and I felt goosebumps run along my arms as I watched them watch him. Grim’s shoulders were stiff, and his hand twitched at his sides. It was obvious to me he wanted to pull his gun from behind his jacket.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the table, and Minnie, Rail, and I all turned to stare at it. I tried to snatch it up a little too quickly and sent it flying. It landed at Grim’s feet. He leaned down to pick it up and, without a care, read the message. His expression instantly hardened, and my stomach twisted into a knot as he handed it to me and I read the text.
Damn.
Benny: How about we re-do our date? We have so much to catch up on.
I slowly relaxed; it wasn’t my unknown caller. I let out a sigh of relief. I looked at Rail and gave a little head shake to let him know it was okay, but when I looked at Grim, his jaw ticked, and his cold eyes drilled into mine as if he tried to penetrate my thoughts.
“I’m late for a meeting,” he grunted when I didn’t react. He looked at Minnie. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay,” she squeezed his arm, “I’m here whenever you need me.”
I watched them leave then closed my eyes in relief as I covered my mouth with my hand.
“I think I felt my soul slide out of my ass when he read your message.” Minnie sank into her seat. “Who was it, anyway?”
“Just an old friend. We had dinner last night, but it got interrupted when the dogs went missing.”
“Shit, I can’t imagine. Poor Darcy. I really liked her.” Minnie frowned. “Who’s this guy?”
“Just a friend. I told him I was seeing someone just to put him off. He gets it.”
