Page 54 of The Tower

“But I don’t. Not really.” I’ve heard stories, of course. But despite the morally questionable terms of our deal, so far, Grimm’s only helped me.

“He’s just like the rest of them,” Ruby says, her voice sharp. “He’s smart and he’s deadly and he knows how to turn on the charm. Don’t make the mistake I made with Leo.”

“I’m not dating the guy.”

“Victor Reed had Liam’s mom killed,” she blurts. “Your father was so angry Rebecca had given birth to a Grimm baby, that he sent one of his goons after her.”

I freeze. Literally. Like ice running through my veins.

I wish I could say I don’t believe her, but I know my father. Of course, I believe her.

“That’s horrible.”

“It’s more than that. Liam Grimm doesn’t want you because he can get evidence from you. Sure, maybe Victor is working on illicit drugs, but so what? He’ll pay a fine and move on, just like he always does. Grimm must know that.”

“Then what?” My voice comes out coarse. Raw. And even though I already know the answer, I have to hear it out loud. I won’t believe it if I don’t hear it.

“Dammit, Sasha, don’t you get it? The only way for him to truly get back at your father for killing his mother is for Liam Grimm to kill you.”

Sixteen

Darkness Falls

She’d bolted.

Outside the Renfort Hotel, Liam Grimm clenched his fists and forced himself not to spew a litany of swear words out into the glittering Manhattan night. But he couldn’t keep from spewing them in his head.

Damn Leo. Damn Ruby.

And damn Sasha most of all.

Thankfully, Leo had called—interrupting a meeting at a nearby bar where Liam was delivering some key intel to a client. He’d ended the meeting quickly, then focused on Leo’s summary of the idiotic conversation he’d shared with Ruby. Liam still didn’t understand how the conversation had twisted around to Rebecca’s death. For that matter, neither did Leo. Apparently, the youngest Grimm had once again been thinking with his dick instead his brain.

Par for the course, but at least he’d had the sense to call Liam and fess up.

And now Sasha was out in the world, unprotected, and probably terrified to return to him.

And any minute now, one of her father’s goons would find her.

“Dammit, Leo, if he gets her …”

Leo, of course, couldn’t hear him, but he knew the stakes. Which was why they were both out scouring the area, trying to pick up Sasha’s signal.

He glanced at his phone screen. Nothing.

Fuck.

He’d been less than a block from the hotel when Leo had called, swearing that it had only been minutes since he realized his mistake. Liam had burst into the hotel, bullied the clerk into showing him the security feed, then watched in horror as Sasha raced down the hall to the emergency exit.

There were no cameras in that stairwell, but the alley camera caught her plowing through the back door, once again in her tee and leggings with her feet bare.

He had to find her. She was the fulcrum for all his plans. And the damn subdermal tracker that her father had inserted into her shoulder would lead Victor Reed’s goons right to her unless Liam got there first.

Unfortunately, all the electrical noise in the area was messing with the tracker, seemingly bouncing her location here and there and back again so that all Liam knew was that she was in the area. It could take ages for him and Leo to find her. But at least it would be just as hard for Reed.

He couldn’t even hope that she’d leave the area for somewhere with less electrical interference, like a nearby neighborhood. Because as soon as she did, Reed would be able to pinpoint her. So would Liam, of course, but then it would be a race. And if Victor’s goons won…

Fuck.