Crossed (10 page)

“Shit,” she said under her breath.

“Emma! I thought we had each other’s back, not lied to one another. How could you have done this to me?”

“Grace, I promise my intentions were honorable. And I knew Hunter wouldn’t hurt you. He’s a good guy.”

“But why lie to me?”

“You need to ask him yourself. All I know is that he asked me whether I knew someone by your name because you lived in my building. I told him you were my best friend and I started asking questions, but he wouldn’t budge. He told me your security was at stake. Grace, I trust Hunter as if
he
were my own brother. And when he saw you three months ago, he was all gooey-eyed and so not himself, Grace. Hunter wouldn’t tell me anything but said if I cared about your well-being, I’d introduce you two. Except that he was going away on a secret case.”

Emma rolled her eyes. She’d been wanting to get a case of her own for the past year, but citing her safety and other chauvinist crap, her overprotective brothers wouldn’t hear of it.

“Okay, keep going…”

“So when I got a call that morning I came with him to your salon. He said he had no time to explain, but I had to get him in there ASAP. And he was coming straight from the airport, too, so when I saw him with that shaggy beard and raggedy clothes, the only way I said I could introduce you two last-minute without you running away was if he were a charity case. And of course he agreed.”

I sat there for a moment without saying anything. Emma scooted over closer to me and reached for my hand. “I promise he’s good, Grace. And if he lied to you, he must have had a good reason.”

“I’m pretty sure he did. I think he knew I was gonna get attacked,” I said.

“Possible. He was insistent on coming over that particular morning. He kept looking at his watch and asking questions and listening to the news on the radio.”

“What do you know about my family?” I asked.

“Grace, you’re my best friend. I’d never do a background check on you. All I know is what you’ve told me. Your mom’s a doctor, and your dad’s a lawyer with some shady crap behind his name.”

“And I have four brothers, one of whom tried to kill me over a week ago.”

“What?”

“There’s always been business going on behind my father’s law firm. That’s why I’ve kept my mother’s name. I never wanted to be part of it. Although my parents never technically divorced, they always led a separate life, and when I was eleven I moved out with my mother. Once I went to beauty school, she went back to him and the illegal business he was doing. My father said if I wanted to see her, I’d have to join the family’s law firm.” I paused for a moment, remembering how betrayed I’d felt. While I knew that my mother didn’t owe me an explanation, I’d always hoped that I was the center of her universe—and I’d thought I was for a while. I’d stayed clear of them all since then, but I missed my mother beyond reason and had seen her only a few times. In fact, at this moment, I couldn’t recall how many years it’s been since I’d last seen her. “I’m sure my brothers are involved in this as well. I just don’t know to what extent.”

“Okay, so you have a shady family. Have you told Hunter?”

“Some of it. Although I have a funny feeling he knows more than I do. I think I’d like to see whether he comes clean on his own. Promise me you won’t say anything.”

Emma criss-crossed her heart and stuck out her pinkie. I shook it with my little finger, saying, “Thank you.”

A sudden surge of emotions swept through me and I felt my eyes well up. What was I supposed to do? I wasn’t ready to face Hunter and I was pretty sure that my brother wouldn’t give up. Whatever Scar wanted from me, it couldn’t be good and at this point, I wasn’t sure what exactly would make me feel safe again.

“Grace, do you feel safe?” Emma asked, as if reading my mind.

“No way. I don’t know what to do, Em. I wish I could ask Hunter to be with me all the time, but I’m not sure I can trust him until he fills me in on what’s really going on. And the salon is opening up later this week. What do I do?”

“Nothing. I’m officially moving in to be with you.”

Emma came to my side and embraced me.

“Really? What about your hunks?”

“What hunks? You’re the only one I care about, Grace.” She winked at me. “You know what they say, ‘hoes over bros.’”

I laughed, holding onto my stomach. Emma was definitely right. I’d choose our friendship over anything in this world. We were real, and even if she hadn’t told me about Hunter immediately, I knew that had been for my own good.

“Thank you. I owe you one, Em.”

“You owe me nothing.”

That evening, as I sat with Emma watching television, I got a text from Hunter asking me how I was doing. I replied with a polite “good” and said that Emma was with me. Having thought all day about what I would say to him, I chose to remain silent on the topic and see whether he’d do anything at all to ease my worries. Hunter said he was working and couldn’t come over. He asked me to be careful and not leave the apartment on my own.

As much as I wanted to abide by his request, I had to live. I couldn’t stay hidden in my condo. But on Wednesday morning, as I made my way to my salon to check on the final touches, I wished I’d waited at least until the cleaning crew had come in.

C
HAPTER
10

I turned the key to my salon. The click echoed through the room, along with the innocuous sound of a chirping bell when the door opened. My feet left a trail in the post-construction dust. Most of the work had been completed, and the cleaning crew was due to arrive within an hour.

I set my purse on the chair behind the front desk and went to the back to check the progress there. Everything appeared to be on schedule. The towels were washed, dried, and neatly folded, all my supplies restocked and the broken cupboards fixed. Frankie was right, once the repairs were done this place would look like it had never been broken into and destroyed. I’d double-checked the showers and the wobbly door to the sauna, which had now been fixed, when the familiar chirp of the front door opening whistled through the salon.

“Hello?” I asked warily, but no one replied. I double-checked the time on my watch, but without looking I already knew that it was too early for anyone hired to be here. Chills swept through me.

“Hello?” I repeated, a bit more quietly, slowly making my way to the front. With my back against the wall I crouched down low, the way Emma had taught me. I moved to the back door and opened it slightly before I found a hiding spot inside the oversized linen laundry basket and dialed Hunter’s number.

“Grace?”

I pulled in a quiet sniffle before I found my voice. “I’m hiding at the salon. Someone’s here.”

And all I heard was, “I’m coming.”

Foreign footsteps shuffled through the back room. The sound of heavy breathing and a cigarette stench made me feel as if I were in some sort of dark alley, without a way out. Whoever was here was opening cupboards and moving some boxes. The smell of city air and louder street noise told me the intruder had pushed on the partly open back door. It shut closed when he didn’t catch it, and I knew he thought I’d escaped because he swore under his breath before kicking something across the room. I thought it was a chair.

Knowing that the basket I’d sneaked into was one of ten, stacked one on top of another in plain view, I knew I had a good hiding spot. Why would anyone hide where they could easily be found? Plus, the climb up here from a cabinet wasn’t that easy. Still, I found it nearly impossible to contain the fear that shook through my body. I could only hope that the baskets wouldn’t shake as much as I thought I was shaking. After another “Fuck” I heard him go to the front. I wasn’t sure whether I even heard the sound of the front door opening or closing. I kept my eyes shut, waiting and praying for Hunter to finally get here.

It felt like an eternity before the top of the laundry basket opened and I screamed. First it was fear, then it was the relief of seeing Hunter’s face. I reached up and he lifted me out, letting me fall into his arms. I sobbed for what felt like hours. I couldn’t stop. My eyes felt like a waterfall. I wiped my nose on his shirt countless times, listening to him cooing into my ear, patiently waiting for the shock to disappear. We sat against the back wall, with me curled into his body. He kissed my head over and over again, drawing his warm lips over my temple, smoothing my hair back.

“Are you okay?” he finally asked.

I shook my head. “No. He was here looking for me.”

“I know. Why did you come on your own? Why wasn’t Emma with you?”

“The cleaning crew is coming, and I sort of told Emma you were waiting for me downstairs. I didn’t want to worry her, and I didn’t think that the first hour I was on my own he’d follow me.”

Hunter held me tighter against him. I never thought it’d feel this good to be in his arms again. I’d missed his arms and his soothing voice. I’d missed his entire body.

“My careless girl. What am I going to do with you?”

I shrugged.

“Come with me. We have some talking to do.”

He pulled me off the floor and locked the door to the salon. Hunter’s Aston Martin was parked in front of the building. He drove to my condo’s underground parking, left the car there, and pulled me into the elevator. Snuggled against his chest, I didn’t even notice when he pressed my floor—except when we got off, he didn’t turn right, toward my apartment. Instead we exited to the left.

“Wrong way.” I said.

“Right way,” he replied. His mouth curved slightly.

I regarded the first door, before adding, “We’re on the wrong floor. I live one higher.”

“Trust me, Grace. We’re on the right one.” He stopped in front of a door, removed a key from his pocket and twisted it in the lock, saying, “Welcome to my home.”

This couldn’t be right. I stepped over the threshold into a meticulous bachelor pad. Hunter hung his keys on the wall before gently removing my purse from my shoulder and setting it on the table.

The sleek furniture was not what I’d typically expect from a single guy. No clutter, bare essentials, and decorations I was sure were chosen by a professional designer, unless Hunter had another hidden talent. The warm brown tones mixed with white made this place feel more like home than a place where a single guy was supposed to live.

“I’ve never seen you around the building.”

“Have you seen all the residents?”

“No, but…”

“How did you think I got into the parking lot when I first drove you home?”

“I didn’t.”

He chuckled lightly.

“Hey, I’m not a PI like Emma.”

“I know, Grace. I only moved in four months ago.”

Oh, that’s right.
My conversation with Emma came back to me. Hunter sought me out and he hadn’t explained the reason why just yet. But I hadn’t asked him about it either. If Allie and Emma were right about who he was, then I had to trust this man and wait until he was ready. Something told me that this apartment was just the beginning of his telling me his side of the story.

“Grace, there’s something I need to tell you without freaking you out. Come have a seat. This may take a while.”

I took a seat by the kitchen counter. Hunter poured me a glass of red wine, then filled his own glass with an orange liquor.

Taking a deep breath in he finally said, “The day we met, it wasn’t an accident.”

I felt my brows raise slightly as he admitted what I already suspected.

“I’m quite familiar with the Wagner family. I’ve been following the business for a while now—in fact, they’re one of the cases I’ve been trying to crack for a long time. It wasn’t until recently that I got enough evidence to send them all to prison.”

I gasped. I knew I wasn’t that close to my brothers—actually, not close at all—but hearing of the possibility of their going behind bars still stung my heart. I was sure they deserved it and would have never doubted it, but I couldn’t help but feel sad that this was the way they chose to lead their lives.

“What about my mom?” I whispered.

“She’s out of it all. Your mother gave up her life for you. She agreed to stay with your father in exchange for your freedom. She’s been like a prisoner in that house, always on a set schedule to go out. It was during one of the trips I followed her on that I learned you existed. Grace, when she dropped her wallet and I saw your picture, I just knew I had to find you. I knew then that you were the missing link in all the documents I’d seen. But you weren’t exactly easy to trace, hidden away from your family. Your mother kept your identity completely separate from them all. That is, until your father transferred his entire estate to you.”

“What? How do you know all this?”

“Years of undercover work, Grace.”

“Years?”

“I was shocked as well. But when I found out his reasoning, it all made sense. It was the only way he could keep his fortune without it falling back to the government. Everything in an offshore trust account. Grace, I have enough tax fraud and tax evasion to lock him and your brothers up for at least a decade. None of your brothers liked your father’s move, but they seemed to understand. Well, all of them except for Scar. It seems the youngest brother got greedy. He began thinking he was owed more. Falling into drugs and the Mafia, he got a price on his head. A price he wanted to cover with funds from a sister who he thought stole what belonged to him.”

“Holy crap. And here I thought I lived a quiet life, and my biggest worry was the dare Emma would come up with every second weekend. Why didn’t you tell me all of this before?”

“I needed you to trust me first. And I wasn’t sure whether Scar would go through with his plans.”

“Trust you by sleeping with you?”

“That was a bonus, Grace. Just bear with me a bit more. Since Scar seemed to be the one showing most promise of giving up information about your family, I started tracking him. I followed him and tapped into his phone and iOS. He did hire the rest of the guys for the robbery online, and when I found out it was your salon, I had to stop him. When I got the final call, I just came back from Vegas, and I sort of forced Emma to drive me straight to your salon. I had to help you. You were just a victim in your family’s drama and you didn’t even know about it. You had no clue you were in the middle of Scar’s battle, and neither did your father, at first.”