Ian

“I never got to say thank you for helping me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you,” Bryce said, rubbing Charger’s snout.

I leaned against the stall door. I could hear Blake’s tires crunching gravel as they made their way down the long drive. We’d just finished up with our plan for Daniel. Now, all we had to do was wait for the right time. “You’re welcome. Thanks for coming to check on me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if Grace hadn’t escaped.”

“I take it she knows what we are?” he asked.

I nodded. “She needed to know. There’s no way I could be with her and not tell her the truth.”

Bryce patted Charger’s back and shut the stall door. There was something bothering him; I could see it on his face. “I get it. You’ve wanted her for a long time.” His phone vibrated and he pulled it out, a small grin tilting the corner of his lips.

“Something you want to tell me, brother?” I asked.

He tucked his phone away, smile fading. Sighing, he walked out of the barn and I followed him to his rental car. “Her name is Layla Costello.”

As soon as he said the last name, I couldn’t believe what I heard. “Are you fucking kidding me? Please tell me she’s not who I think she is.” If my memory served correctly, she was the daughter of the man he was missioned to kill.

Bryce blew out a frustrated breath. “Yes, she’s Anthony Costello’s daughter, and she’s in Wyoming with me.”

“What? Why the hell would you bring her here? Where is she?”

He nodded toward the road. “About three miles south of here. I rented a cabin for a couple of days, before we fly out to Seattle. Anthony trusts me with her. It took a year to gain that. That’s why I had to bring her.”

“Where does she think you are?”

His gaze wandered over to the barn. “I told her I’d find her a horse. We just bought a farm together in Norwich.”

I barely recognized my own twin standing before me. He’d just bought a damn farm with this woman? Judging by the look on his face, there was more to the story. “Do you love her?”

His jaw clenched. “She’s not like her family.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Yes,” he snapped, glaring over at me. “I love her. At first, I was using her to get to her father, but . . . things changed.”

“And you think she’ll still love you when you kill her father? What about when she finds out who you really are?” His silence spoke louder than words. Now I realized why it’d taken him so long to make the kill. “You don’t want to do it, do you?” I knew my brother better than anyone.

“It’s complicated. I’ve lived this life for over a year now.”

“Do I need to go up there and kill the bastard?”

“No,” he growled, his body tense. “I don’t want you anywhere near New York.”

“Then get it handled, Bryce. Your family misses you. Your real family. Don’t forget who we are, who you are.”

He opened his car door and sighed. “I miss it here. When I saw the news about Grace, I had to find a reason to see you. I’m glad she’s okay. I wish I could help you with the case.”

“Me too.”

“Tell Reed I stopped by, and that I’m sorry I couldn’t stick around.”

We hugged, then he hopped in the car and rolled the window down. I didn’t want him to go. “What are you going to tell your girlfriend when you show up without a horse?”

“I won’t be without one,” he mentioned sadly. “I need you to arrange for Charger to get shipped to New York.” I had a feeling that was what he’d want.

“Okay. I’ll get it done. You have my word.”

“Thanks, brother.” He lifted his hand in a wave and took off. “Until next time.”

The front door opened and Grace joined me. “Everything okay?”

Putting my arm around her waist, I shook my head. “I’m afraid this might be the last time I see him.”

She stepped in front of me, her expression serious. “He’s a Chandler, Ian. Whatever happens, he’ll be back.”

I watched him disappear down the road. “I sure hope you’re right.”

Just then my phone beeped.

Reed: Daniel just pulled up at Wild River.

Me: Good. I’ll get the plan in motion.

Once Reed arrived at the ranch to stay with Grace, I was on my way, wire in place. I told him about Bryce, but there was someone else who needed to know what was going on as well. Pulling out my phone, I called him.

“Good evening, son,” my father answered, his voice guarded. “How are you?”

“Grace has been found alive.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “I was afraid you were calling to tell me otherwise.”

“No, thank fucking God. She showed up on my back porch, just fell into my lap. Apparently, people are being hunted and she was one of them. She escaped and told me everything.”

“What the hell,” he growled. “Any leads?”

“Yes, which is why I need you to stay quiet until Reed and I figure all this out. Her father knows already. We’re so close to nailing this guy.”

“Good. If you need me to do anything, just let me know.”

“Will do.” Before he could hang up, I cleared my throat. “There’s something else I wanted to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Bryce stopped by today.”

He sucked in a loud breath. “You saw him? How is he?”

“He looks good. He wanted to make sure I was okay after hearing about Grace. But Dad, he came out here with Layla Costello. And I’m sure you can imagine why they’re together.”

“Oh, no,” he groaned. “Please tell me he hasn’t fallen for her.”

“I wish I could. I’m just hoping he finds his way back home.”

The line went quiet, but I could sense my father’s pain. I couldn’t imagine what it’d feel like to lose a son, especially to the Costello family. “Thanks for telling me,” my father said, his voice low. “If he doesn’t get out, we’ll force him out ourselves.”

“I’m on board. Just say the word.”

We hung up just in time for me to pull into the Wild River bar parking lot. Daniel’s car was there, but so were a few others I recognized, including Zoe’s. Groaning, I got out of my car and walked inside.

In a corner table, Zoe sat with another man. She stiffened when I walked by, but I paid her no attention. And as luck would have it, there was no sign of Daniel, but Jared and his sister, Lauren, sat at the bar, along with Emily. This could actually turn out to my benefit. Emily was the one I wanted to observe. Before I could sit down, Jared took off.

The bartender, a tall, lanky man with glasses, laid a coaster down in front of me. “Care for a drink?”

“Gin and tonic, please.”

The bartender nodded and mixed my drink, stealing side glances at the women. I looked over at Lauren and she didn’t seem to notice the man staring at her. Lauren Beckett was a beautiful woman and she knew it, but no one compared to Grace. She smiled at me and glanced down at my drink. “One of my favorites.”

I held up my glass. “Can’t go wrong.”

Lauren giggled. “My brother says it tastes like pine trees.”

Shaking my head, I took a sip. “Your brother’s an idiot.” I wanted to say much worse, but held back.

Lauren snorted. “Got that right. Do you know my brother?”

“A little,” I said with a shrug. “We have some mutual friends.”

Emily bumped Lauren in the shoulder. “Oh, stop. Your brother’s a sweetheart. I love working for him.”

Daniel walked through the front door and his gaze locked onto us at the bar. Waving him over and pretending to smile was the hardest fucking thing I’d had to do in a long time. I wanted to kill the bastard.

With a wide grin, he came over and sat beside Emily. “Dude, you’re holding out on me over here. You got two lovely ladies all to yourself.”

“You’re such a flirt,” Emily teased seductively. Daniel winked at her and smiled at Lauren.

“That he is,” Lauren agreed. “Uh-oh, skeez alert.” She nodded at me, letting me know someone was coming up behind me.

“I see you don’t know how to return calls,” Zoe hissed.

I tossed back the rest of my drink and glanced at her over my shoulder, clearly unamused. The others looked on, trying their best not to laugh. Now that Zoe was clearly not in cahoots with Daniel, I didn’t see the need to keep stringing her along. “Didn’t think you cared. There looks to be another man at your table.”

She looked at the man and shrugged. “He’s a friend. The least you could’ve done was return my calls.”

Lauren put her arm around me, pressing her breasts into my chest. “He thought you’d get the picture, sweetheart. He’s been busy with me. Sorry.”

Zoe huffed and turned on her heel, storming back to her table.

Lauren laughed and patted my back. “You’re welcome.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

She winked. “I’m sure I’ll see you around soon. Maybe I’ll collect on it then.” Her fingers slid down my arm. “I’m heading out, guys. Daniel, it was nice seeing you again. You all have a good night.”

“You too,” Daniel and Emily said in unison.

“So, Ian, I have an elk hunting expedition happening in a couple of weeks. You interested?” Daniel asked.

“Hell yeah. Sign me up. I just need to work on my shooting before then.”

He waved me off. “Come by my house tomorrow and we can practice. It’ll be fun.” Grabbing a pen from the bar, he wrote down his address and handed it to me. The cocksucker had no clue I already knew everything about him. “Three o’clock sound good?”

I nodded. “I’ll be there.”