Grace

Ian had been gone for hours, but we knew he was okay because of the tracker watch. Judging by his location, he was at Blake and Hadley’s ranch. “Where are you headed tonight?” I asked Reed.

He sprinkled pepper on the raw steaks. “I’m not. With things progressing with Daniel, I don’t want to leave. Ian might need me.”

I finished scrubbing the potatoes and put them in the oven. “It’s pretty cool how you’ve all got each other’s backs.”

Reed smiled and met my gaze. “It’s what families do.”

I passed him the plastic wrap so he could cover the steaks. A car door slammed outside and he peered out the window, his eyes squinting against the sun. “Who is it?” I asked.

“Your father.” He quickly washed his hands and opened the front door just as the doorbell rang. I thought my father would greet me with a smile, but there was clearly something wrong, judging by the frown on his face.

“Can I come in?” He looked to Reed and Reed nodded.

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

He took off his cowboy hat and stormed inside. “Jared’s missing. I saw his mother at the store. Apparently, he hasn’t returned any of her calls and hasn’t shown up at the hotel.”

Jared was always at the hotel. “Maybe he’s at home?” I suggested. However, there was a feeling inside my gut that screamed foul play. Something was wrong. If Jared was at Daniel’s, Ian might know.

He shook his head. “I rode by there and he didn’t answer. I couldn’t see in his garage to see if his car was there.” Brows furrowed, he glanced around the room. “Where’s Ian?” I peeked over at Reed and it was the wrong move. My father noticed my hesitance. Sighing, he pursed his lips. “What’s going on? I can tell when you’re keeping something from me.”

Ian’s truck rumbled outside, signaling his arrival. I didn’t want to say anything until he came in, so I stalled. As soon as he got a good look at my dad, it was clear it was time to spill the truth. “Did you tell him?” Ian asked, glancing at both me and Reed.

I shook my head. “I thought we should wait on you. You didn’t happen to see Jared while you were out, did you?”

His gaze narrowed. “No, why?”

“He’s missing,” I told him.

“What?” He looked to my dad. “When did this happen?”

My father’s jaw clenched. “It’s been two days since he was seen last. But that’s not what I’m concerned about right now. What the hell’s going on?”

Ian nodded toward the living room. I sat down beside him on the couch, while Reed and my father took the chairs across from us. “We know who abducted Grace. His name’s Daniel Bradfield, the grandson of the former chief of police, Larry Bradfield. Andrew Davies is also involved—he was the guy who left the hotel with Jared and Grace the night she was abducted. There is also a fellow named Marcus Brody, who we think is responsible for the deaths in Montana. They’re all friends with Jared, but not once have they mentioned him in any of the details. I’m not sure how he’s involved—or if he even is.”

My father’s eyes widened. “Jesus Christ. You don’t think they have him, do you?”

Ian shook his head. “I don’t see how. I was just over at Daniel’s house, even toured the barn where they keep the victims. There was no sign of anyone there. Daniel told me everything about their process, from beginning to the end.”

“How long have you known this?” my father demanded, glaring at us all.

I shook my head. “Not long. We didn’t want you to know because I knew you’d go after Daniel. We’re still waiting to see who ordered the hit on me.”

Ian grabbed my hand. “I think there’s a way to find out. But to get information, I’m going to need help.”

“What do you need?” my father asked.

“When I was at Daniel’s, Andrew had a laptop he used to research my background. If he did this with all their other clients, we can see who got involved with them in the past. It might be a way to bust everyone. We just need to get into his room, if he’s still at the hotel.”

My father gestured to me. “Getting access is easy. With Reed’s help, Grace can look through the hotel database to see if he’s still there and what room he’s in.”

“And with your help,” Ian added, “you can get Andrew out of the way. If Jared is actually missing, you have reason to question him, since they’re close friends. As long as you get him out of his room, we’ll be good. Reed can then get in and copy his hard drive.”

“How will Reed know to get out?” I asked.

Ian sighed. “I’m going to set up a meeting with Lauren Beckett to talk about my company party. It’ll give me a reason to be at the hotel and to subtly ask her questions about Jared. Plus, I can request to sit at the bar. I’ll be able to see the entrance clearly.”

My father nodded. “And what will Grace be doing during this time?”

“I’ll be fine,” I snapped. “I’m not a helpless little girl. Give me a gun and I’ll be okay.”

My father didn’t approve, but Ian squeezed my hand. “We won’t be gone long, she should be fine since all of the main players will be with us.” He focused on my father. “I have Daniel going after Connor McCabe. He’s a friend of mine, and a former member of the Irish mob. He knows how to handle himself. Daniel’s supposed to call me when it’s done.”

Blowing out a heavy sigh, my father ran a hand through his hair. “What’s their stipulation? Surely, they’re getting something out of it.”

Ian scoffed. “I don’t know what they’ve charged everyone else, but they’re getting fifty grand out of me. I already withdrew it from the bank and gave it to them.”

I gasped. “Holy shit. Are you trying to say someone was going to pay that much to kill me?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll find out when we hack into Andrew’s laptop.”

My father stood. “I hope you know what you’re doing. If Jared doesn’t turn up, we’re going to have a media nightmare. We need to find him.” He walked over to me and I stood, hugging him tight.

“What if Jared’s dead already?” The thought made my chest ache. We’d been friends for so many years. I wanted him alive, even if it was just so I could confront him myself. I had to know if he was part of the plan to kill me.

“I don’t know, sweetheart. Let’s hope not, for everyone’s sake.” He kissed my cheek. “Be safe. Call me if you need me.”

“I will. I love you.”

Ian and I walked him to his car, then walked around the side of the house to the back. It was strange to think I’d escaped from that barn and found myself on his back porch not too long ago. My wrists didn’t hurt anymore, but there were still red scars on them.

We sat down on the porch swing and Ian put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his body. “I wonder what it’ll feel like when this is all over?” I whispered.

A deep rumble echoed from Ian’s chest. “A hell of a lot better than what it is now. I wish you knew how hard it was for me to control myself today. When I walked into the barn,” he shook his head, “I thought I was going to lose it.”

I looked up at him and kissed him. “Hey, we need something to get our minds off all of this.” My stomach growled and I rubbed it. “Reed marinated some steaks, and it’s your job to grill them. He says you’re not as good a cook as he is.”

Grinning from ear to ear, he jumped to his feet. “We’ll see about that.”