Ian

“What do you want to do today?” I asked Grace as she walked in front of me with Ellie, picking flowers as she passed them in the field. It was something my mother used to do when she’d visit.

Grace glanced back and smiled. “Good question. I’ve had two full days with you and no distractions. Maybe more of that?” Ellie kept the pace beside her and Grace patted her back. “I hate that Charger’s gone. You said Bryce wanted it for his mafia girlfriend?”

“Something like that,” I replied with a sigh. Just this morning, Charger had been loaded up and was now on his way to New York. An overwhelming sense of loss plagued me. I couldn’t leave Bryce in New York. It wasn’t where he belonged. “He’s in love with her, but he’s supposed to kill her father. Out of all the years he’s been by my side, a woman has never got to him.”

Grace slowed her steps, but she didn’t look at me. “Just because her father’s bad doesn’t mean she is. She can’t help who she was born to.”

“You’re right. It still doesn’t change the fact that he has to kill her father, or that he’s in love with the enemy.”

We stopped at the fence and she climbed onto it. “What if the situation was different? What if I was the daughter, the same me and everything, and you were the one who had to kill my father?”

I looked up at her and sighed. “I’d probably do the same thing. She may be a good person, but I’m not going to leave Bryce in New York. If he doesn’t find a way out, I will do it for him.”

She ran her hand soothingly through my hair. “If he’s anything like you, he’ll find a way.”

I hopped up beside her and sliced off a bite of apple for Ellie. “I sure as hell hope so.”

“Okay,” she said, slapping my leg. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Like what? You already know everything about me. I even let you see my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pajama pants.”

She burst out laughing. “True. You looked cute in them too. Your mother had a great sense of humor.” As a gag gift, my mother had gotten me and my brothers all a pair for Christmas one year, since there were four turtles. I’d received the Michelangelo pair because I was the funny one.

“Speaking of parents, have you talked to yours?” I asked.

She nodded. “Nothing new.”

I figured that, since I hadn’t heard from her father lately. Two days had passed with no word from Daniel or Andrew as well. We were stuck in a waiting game; not that I minded having Grace all to myself.

She nodded toward the house. “What time did Reed get in last night?”

“About one in the morning.”

“Hunting people?” she asked, her voice low.

Brows furrowed, I looked over at her. “Does it bother you?”

She took a deep breath and gazed off at the mountains. “No. It’s just strange because when I look at you and Reed, and talk to you, I can’t imagine you being killers. It just reminded me that once this is all over, you’ll be back out there doing the same thing.”

“I just want to make the world a better place, Grace. Surely, you understand that.” She nodded and I could see the honesty on her face. The last thing I wanted was for her to be scared of me. I cut off another piece of apple for Ellie. “At least, I don’t have to lie to you anymore.”

“True.” She bumped me with her shoulder. “How did the Circle of Justice get started anyway? You said your dad did it?”

“Yep, many years ago, when I was a young teenager.” I remembered it as if it was yesterday. “I grew up in Charleston. My dad’s best friend lived a few houses down from us. One night, his wife and daughter were murdered, and no one caught the killer until just recently.”

“Wow, it took that long?” she asked incredulously.

I shrugged. “Some criminals are smart. They know how to play the system and get away. That’s one of the reasons I do what I do. I want the world to be a safer place. Granted, it never will be, but I can help.”

She smiled. “You’re like a vigilante super hero. It’s kind of hot. You remind me of Arrow.”

“Nah, I’m sexier than him,” I said with a wink.

She laughed and leaned against me. I handed her the last bit of the apple and she gave it to Ellie. “I’m not going back to work at the hotel. I can’t do it. If Jared and his father knew what was going on, who’s to say they weren’t a part of it? I don’t want to work for a hotel that was built with blood money.”

We didn’t know how much money was involved with the hunts, but it had to be a substantial amount. I was hoping to find out soon. “Why don’t you build your own hotel?” I suggested.

“Yeah, right. Do you have any idea how much money that would cost? I don’t have billions like your family.”

“I could loan it to you.”

“No!” She gasped, jumping off the fence. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared up at me. “I’m not going to use you for your money. Who do you think I am?”

I hopped down and pulled her to me. “It wouldn’t be using me. It’s a loan. Plus, it wouldn’t be for that much. You don’t have to have the biggest hotel in Wyoming, just the best. I can help you.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do it.”

“You’re not going to stop fighting me on this, are you?”

“Nope.”

One way or another, I’d get her to give in. My phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket to see Daniel’s number flashing on the screen. “It’s them.”

Eyes wide, Grace stepped back and pursed her lips.

“Hey, man. What’s up?”

“So, Andrew and I have talked, and we thought of something you might be interested in. Think you can come over and discuss it?”

“Sure. What time?”

“How about noon?”

I glanced over at Grace biting her nails. “I’ll be there.”

“Great. See you then.”

We hung up and I pocketed my phone. “What’s going on?” Grace asked.

“I think we got ‘em, cupcake.”

“Thanks for coming,” Daniel said as I walked through his door.

“No, thank you,” I replied. “Although, I am curious as to what’s going on.”

He nodded toward the hallway, walking further into the house. “Don’t worry, I’ll get right to it. I don’t see the point in prolonging it.” We turned the corner to another hallway. “Still ready for the hunt?”

“Of course. Just let me know the date, so I can make sure I’m not out of town.”

Chuckling, he opened the door to what appeared to be his office. Andrew sat at the expensive mahogany desk with his laptop open. “Hey, man.” He stood and came around the front to shake my hand. “Good to see you again.”

“Likewise,” I lied.

Daniel sat down behind the desk and pointed at one of the seats across from him. “Please, have a seat.” I sat down and Andrew took the seat beside me. “You said you’d do anything to avenge your sister, but how far are you willing to go? How bad do you want him to suffer?”

“And we’re talking seriously,” Andrew reiterated.

“I want him dead,” I growled. “He’s a worthless bastard.”

Both of their grins widened. There was a set of papers on his desk and he passed them to me. “Next topic. We’ve expanded the scope for your hunting expedition. Keep in mind, Andrew and I carefully research and pick our candidates by hand, and you fit our criteria. If you agree to our terms, you’ll get to have your cake and eat it too.”

I read over the two-page contract and it was basically a non-disclosure agreement.

“I’m going to need you to sign that before I can explain. If you break the contract, there’ll be consequences.”

Taking a pen off his desk, I signed my name without hesitation. “Like what?” The fucker reminded me of Ramsey Bolton from Game of Thrones. You could tell he was not only the man in charge, but completely unhinged. I handed him the contract and he stood.

“Let’s just say, you don’t want to find out.”

Andrew shut the laptop and put it into a computer bag. “While you two are discussing details, I’m heading back to the hotel.”

“You’re not coming too?” I wondered.

He shook his head. “I’m the brains of the operation. Daniel does the rest.” He walked out, carrying the computer bag with him.

If I could just get my hands on that computer, there was no telling what kind of dirt I could dig up on this whole operation. Following Daniel out the back door, we walked past his gun range toward the barn. The closer I got to it, the more enraged I became.

“I don’t run just any run of the mill hunting expedition. Sometimes our prey are elk, bison, and bear. The usual. But every once and a while, when everything aligns just perfectly, we incorporate a tougher target. One that will bring you a satisfaction that big game could never accomplish.”

He opened the door to the barn. Inside, were eight horse stalls with no horses in sight. It smelled like urine and human waste. At least no one was occupying them.

Daniel walked inside and turned to me and smiled. “What would you say if I found a way to bring Connor into this? Add him to the game.”

“And what, kill him?” I laugh, playing dumb.

He shrugged. “You said that’s what you wanted, right?”

I straightened my face, adding in a hint of eagerness. “Yeah, but how would you get him here?”

“Let me worry about the details. It would be your job to show up and kill the fucker. Most people prefer to chase them down and shoot them, but I’ll leave the logistics up to you.”

I looked around the barn with a grin on my face. Inside, I was dying to rip the son of a bitch apart. “What will you do with him after it’s done? I can’t risk going to jail. That’s what held me back from finishing the guy off a long time ago.”

“We incinerate them. That way, there’s no body to be found.” He pointed to the stalls. “If you say yes, this is where I’ll keep him until you’re ready.”

“And if he escapes?”

He shook his head. “Won’t happen. The only way to escape would be to take the woods. The best of hikers wouldn’t survive out there on their own without food or water.”

I took one last look around. “All right, you got yourself a deal. What all do I have to do?”

“First, there’s a little matter about the fee,” he said, his dark eyes twinkling. “It goes without saying, I risk exposure every time I do this.”

“Damn, how many times have you done this?”

He shrugged. “Enough to where I’ve gotten good at it.”

“How much?” I asked.

“Fifty grand . . . cash. I’m pretty sure you’re good for it.”

“How do you know that?” I had so many hidden bank accounts he wouldn’t be able to find them, even with the best of hackers.

“Andrew found an account holding over a quarter-mill. What kind of web designer makes that kind of money?”

I met his stare with a smug grin. “One that’s good at what he does.” I knew exactly what needed to be done now. Getting my hands on Andrew’s laptop was priority number one. “You’ve got a deal. The money will be sent tonight.”

He shook my hand. “Game on. I’ll call you when everything is set up and the target is apprehended.”